Why do people paint tree bottoms white?

While in Mexico, Weikai and I noticed that most of the trees were painted white near the bottom of their trunks. This reminded me of the trees of my childhood in Arkansas. My Mom used to say that people painted the bottoms of their trees to make them grow better. Our Mexico trip suddenly had me asked, "But why? What exactly makes them grow better?"

So, I figured it out with a little research. There are a few reasons why people paint their tree trunks white:

• It helps prevent sun damage to the trunk tissue, especially if the tree has thin bark. The white paint reflects the sun.
  
• It acts as a pesticide, keeping bugs from burrowing into the trunk.
• And lastly, many people think that it is aesthetically pleasing and overall more attractive... not sure if I agree yet.

And here's a video I found that talks a little bit more about the best types of paints to use for your trees:



So there you have it! If you have a problematic tree, try painting its trunk white!