If you do not have enough wax to cover the whole graft, you can add some water to the wax before you melt it. When the wax melts, it will rise above the water, and you can dip your graft through the film of wax, and get a wax coating as deep as the container. When not bench grafting, a brush is used to daub the wax over the outer surface of the grafted area. In the case of cleft grafts , the open wound in the stock will be covered. Latex paint has been used to protect orchard trees for years.
Latex paint is used because it allows gas exchange.
White latex paint, with or without bitter tasting additives, may be applied to the trunk of a tree to protect it from gnawing animals, such as voles and rabbits, and boring insects. Fungicides, such as copper, and hormonal treatments, such as NAA, may be added to the paint before application. White paint protects the tree from sunscald and over heating, especially important in topworking, after the canopy has been removed and the trunk is exposed to more light. An advantage of latex paint over wax is that it need not be heated. Latex paint can be applied directly over grafts in the same manner as grafting wax .