Question
QUESTION: Hi Melissa,

I recently purchased a home, and the previous owners must have had some pretty unruly children. One of the children spray painted on the trunk of the beautiful tree in the front yard. Is there a way I can remove red spray paint from the tree, without harming the tree? Thank you in advance.

ANSWER: Dear Whitney, You have a few options, although all will be time consuming and not guarantee perfect results.  One question, is the bark smooth or rough?  If it is smooth, you will have to be very careful not to damage the delicate tissue under the bark.  If it is rough, you can use less care.  One suggestion is to spray the trunk (not the leaves) with dormant oil.  This will loosen up the paint and then you can scrub with a soft wire brush.  I have also heard of using olive oil for this.  Now when you do this, only some of the paint will come off at a time, so you will have to repeat the process.  Light sandpaper might also remove some of the paint, but remember, you must be very careful not to remove all the bark.  Another suggestion is to apply a mud poultice on the painted areas once you have removed as much paint as possible.  Let the mud dry on the trunk, then you can wash it off, or let it fall off naturally.  This will help stain the trunk so the paint is less noticeable, and may also result in loosening more paint.  This is a slow process, but remember, regardless, the paint will eventually wear off.  If you have thick bark, you can probably remove most of it with the oil and brush method.  Good luck, Melissa

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QUESTION: Thanks Melissa. I'm not familiar with dormant oil. Where can I find this?

Answer
Dear Whitney, Dormant oil can be found at most garden centers, feed stores, or Home Depot or Lowe's.  Look for anything that contains horticultural oil.  Let me know if you have difficulty and I will see if I can find something in your area, but it should be fairly easy to obtain.  Good luck, Melissa