There’s no question about your using “Transfilm” anti-dessicant to protect and save plants for years to come! Once you see the results, dedicated gardeners will say prayers of thanksgiving that they found the product.

Let’s tell you what Transfilm is and how it works!

If you have ever found a dead evergreen, shrub or young tree when you checked the garden in the spring, a fall application of Transfilm would have saved the plant. If you moved a shrub from one place to another, and it didn’t survive, an application of Transfilm before the move would have saved the plant. If you have ever lost an evergreen, shrub or young tree to a summer drought, one application of Transfilm would have saved the plant. There’s no limit to what Transfilm can and will do for you!

How does Transfilm work?

In favorable weather conditions during November-December, a spray application of Transfilm will coat evergreen needles and woody limbs, branches of deciduous (leaf-dropping) shrubs and trees, and outdoor container plants to minimize the loss of moisture over the entire winter. One application will cause plants to coast through the hardest winters without any dieback or winter-kill.

“Favorable weather conditions” means no rain following the spray application, and temperatures staying above 40 degrees for 24 hours after the spray.

How should you protect plants with Transfilm?

In most cases, use a gallon-size hand-pump sprayer. If you have a humongous shrub garden, you could use a hose-end sprayer, but the hand-pump sprayer would probably provide better coverage.

If you planted evergreens, shrubs or sapling trees anytime this year (2003), protect each one with Transfilm.

* For evergreens, young shrubs and sapling trees: fill the tank of a hand-pump sprayer half-way with water, pour 6 ounces of Transfilm in the tank, then fill the tank with water to the top. Secure the cover, pump so you have good spray pressure, then apply a fine spray to needles, branches, even the foliage of plants that keep their leaves over the winter (azalea, boxwood, camellias, holly, privet, rhododendrons, just to name a few).

* For live wreaths and Christmas decorations to be displayed outdoors, use a pint-size, small hand-held sprayer (like Windex, etc.). Fill most of the way with water, then a kitchen tablespoon of Transfilm. Secure the cover and spray wreaths and live-plant materials.

* For Christmas trees (cut trees and ball-and-burlap trees to be planted in the garden after the holidays, rely on the gallon-size hand-pump sprayer. In most cases, a quart solution will suffice. Add a quart of water to the spray tank, followed by 3 ounces of Transfilm. Secure the cover, pump up, then spray needles and woody tissue thoroughly.

* If you are transplanting evergreens or shrubs during the growing season, spray the plants prior to the move. Rely on the small pint-size sprayer (like the Windex). Add one tablespoon of Transfilm to 16 ounces of water and spray foliage, limbs and needles.

* Frigid temperatures and winter winds often destroy dormant flower buds on established trees.

A good case in point are fruiting fig trees. To prevent dieback, it was standard practice in past years to lift fig trees from the soil, then bury the tree in a trench dug to one side of the tree. In the spring, the procedure was reversed, but not always with the best results.

Today, a liberal spray of Transfilm to buds, branches and trunk in late fall is all that’s needed.

Final Cleanup

Having sprayed, EVERY SPRAYER MUST BE CLEANED IMMEDIATELY to prevent clogging of the spray apparatus. This applies to hand-pump sprayers, hose-end sprayers, even pint-size plastic sprayers (like Windex). Here is the recommended procedure:

First, flush the tank, etc., with running water until it overflows. Discard the water.