Cleaning bark

[Robcschaub]

Hi, I have a 35 YO multi-stemmed ficus Benjamin’s about 18” tall and I need to remove salt buildup on the trunk from years of watering and light fertilizing. Does anyone know a process I can use to accomplish this? I see one post from a few years ago about using vinegar, but it’s not clear how to apply it and I don’t want to negatively impact the tree as it has sentimental value. Any clarity on this topic would be most appreciated. Thanks for your time!

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

I have no experience with this, but I would dilute the vinegar with cold demineralized water, 1:20 or so.
Then use a sponge or cloth to soak the salts, and squeeze it out a few times far away from the container.

Demin water can hold more salts than tap water, the vinegar helps release them. The sponge or cloth makes sure you don't let the salted water seep too much into the soil.
This process is slow however, and could take a few tries.

Alternatively, you could use live sphagnum with tap water. Sphagnum is acidic by itself, and can hold a lot of water after squeezing it out. It will take longer, but it might be less damaging. Just pack it around the salt deposit while wet or moist and let it dry. You'll see the crusts of salt appear on the moss instead of the trunk.

 

[just.wing.it]

I've used straight white vinegar...with small paint brush, used a rag to try to keep ot out of the soil....worked well.
I've also used ice machine cleaner, which is Phosphoric Acid and Citric Acid diluted with water 50%...same thing, would try to keep it out of the soil.