Nope. It is just like a soil mineral. TiO2 is almost inert.
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Great. Thanks.
My tree trunks will be the whitest of all, probably could glow in the dark, too. Only if the rain goes away!!!
It’s sold at our Home Depots. It’s a regional item. You can order it from other vendors on-line, though.
Painted some trunks today to keep off the borers and sunburn.
Interior latex base. The color mixed in by the staffer at Lowe’s was called “Mermaids’ Tears.” A weird moment when one man orders up some Mermaids’ Tears from another man.
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I wonder if botulism could ever be a problem with the putrified eggs? They say it only takes a tiny bit to kill you. I wonder if there is something you could add to prevent that danger? Maybe a bit of bleach after it putrifies?
Don’t think that botulism would be much of a concern in tree paint/sprays. The botulism bacteria needs an oxygen free environment, which I suppose it might get under a layer of spray or paint. But even then, assuming it found that tree surface a good place to grow, how would the toxin be transferred from the surface of the tree to the parts we eat (fruit). I suppose it might happen, tho it seems unlikely a tree would actively transport the toxin. Unless those all happen not much of a risk. Now maybe a browsing deer might consume some of that toxin as it eats the tree, but I’m not sure that is a bad thing…
Also, botulism is odorless. The egg in the sprays are there to rot and give off rotten egg odor, which would seem to indicate that there’s plenty of O2 there.
Ohh, I think I know this one. Botulism is an anaerobic bacteria - meaning it will only ever grow in low oxygen environments such as a sealed jar. So, no danger of botulism with putrified eggs.
BTW - botulism spores are present naturally - especially near construction site or areas of soil disturbance. And honey is known reservoir of botulism spores. But the spores have to germinate in a low oxygen environment - such as improperly canned goods. And then in order to produce the toxin the bacteria need to be in an anaerobic low-salt, low-acid, low-sugar environments at ambient temperatures.
PS: Botulism is only fatal 5-10% of the time with treatment.
Yesterday I painted some more trunks, and had my five-year old son help me. First time my kid was old enough to put to work. He did great! He liked painting the trees, but made a huge mess of our clothes. Oh well. Small price to pay for creating a special memory.
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I made a mess of my clothes when I painted my trees, too, and I am well over 5 years old. Waaaayyyyyyyyy over!
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I took time off from work this afternoon to do yard work. Painting tree trunk was on schedule. Grab one of my old paint can that said Extra White and went to work.
Turned out, it was “egg shell” color. The painter who painted our house many years ago mixed the color and left it in the Extra White can. So my trees are now quite pretty with the color (I’m biased) 
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Thanks, Clark. I should have painted those rocks, too, shouldn’t I?
I used full strength. No mixing with water. It stayed on bark much better than the 50/50 mix. I also used a small disposable roller, a lot easier than using a paint brush. I recommend it.
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Do not paint the rocks! 
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What type of joint compound are you using? Premixed in a tub or dry in a bag?
Thanks,
Spud
Just wanted to give this thread a bump as I think it might be timely for others. I’m planning on painting some trunks within the next few weeks to try to get ahead of vole damage.
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Have people found the paint actually helps prevent vole damage? I’ve had a bit of vole damage, but can’t remember if those trees were painted.
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I’m going to try mixing paint/water/castor oil. It sounds like that’s what’s worked for people.
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Thanks for the suggestion abour castor oil. I wish there is a mix to repel bunnies, too.
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Does castor oil work? I am only asking again simply because my vole damage was so extensive that I don’t want to take the chance if it might not work.
I need some protection and the problem I have is that I do not keep the trees to one trunk but do a multiple trunk system in order to hedge my bets that a cold zone 2 winter won’t kill all of the tree in one fell swoop. I was toying with the idea of steel wool.
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Well, there is always rabbit repellent spray if you care to trudge around through the snow and reapply it as needed over the winter. I don’t know how effective it is over winter, as I have never tried it then.
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