Each year, thousands of Arizona residents email or call Rosie Romero’s radio show with questions about everything from preventing fires in their chimneys to getting rid of tree roots invading their sewer system. His goal is to provide answers that suit the specific lifestyle wherever someone lives in Arizona.
Q: I have a peach tree and a couple of citrus trees in the middle of my lawn. They’re doing OK, and they are well watered by my sprinkler system, but every summer I think maybe I should paint the trunks with tree paint to protect them. Are the trees getting enough water with this irrigation system?
A: If the trees are healthy and doing well, and they dry out between waterings, I don’t think you have to worry about the sprinklers. The paint is generally used when the trees are younger and the bark is tender. But you can paint them if you want to.
A good product to use is natural-style bark-colored paint instead of white. You also do not have to paint citrus trees if you let them grow into a bush shape – their natural formation – because the foliage will protect the trunk.
For more do-it-yourself tips, go to rosieonthehouse.com. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert for 25 years, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning Rosie on the House radio program, heard locally from 8-11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790) in Tucson and KGVY-AM (1080) and -FM (100.7) in Green Valley. Call 888-767-4348.
