When to start trees after winter. When to remove shelter from plants in spring? The Basics of Successful Garden Pruning

Every gardener annually faces the problem of spring preparation of the garden after winter. Trees and shrubs require inspection, as well as necessary procedures so that at the end of summer or early autumn you can get the expected harvest, so we will discuss the main stages of preparing the garden, and also talk about problems and their solutions.

Where to start

In early spring, when the temperature is rapidly approaching zero or above zero, we need to do a lot of work to prepare fruit trees and shrubs. Let's start with snow removal. Many crops have fragile shoots, so sticking melting snow, the mass of which is not so small, can damage shoots and young branches. To prevent this from happening, you need to walk around the garden and carefully shake off the snow on the ground.

After you have removed snow from the above-ground parts of the plants, you should examine the skeletal branches of trees and tall bushes. If some of them bend, care should be taken to construct a support. As it you can use iron rods welded in the shape of the letter “Y” or find a branch like a slingshot of sufficient length.

If the lower branches bend, they can be tied to the upper ones. At the same time, it is worth understanding that it should be tied to thick skeletal branches that will definitely withstand the weight of the sagging shoot. If a similar problem arose with a small shrub, then for a while all the shoots can be tied into one bunch. When the snow melts, you can prune, or, if everything goes well, the shoot will remain in the position in which you secured it.

Next we need to take care of site humidity. If your garden is located on a slope, you need to create natural obstacles, otherwise melt water will drain into the lowlands, and trees and shrubs will be deprived of the necessary moisture.

Important! Melt water collected in a container will help you save on watering. Also, such water is soft and contains trace elements, so it is better to preserve it.

To prevent this from happening, create small banks of melting snow across the area. So that the flowing water collides with an obstacle, and does not continue its movement along the slope.

Next, you should make sure that if or appears, you have everything at hand. To do this, check stocks of poisons and other chemicals that you used last year to combat uninvited guests. Many of them have a short shelf life, so you may automatically apply an expired chemical. The effectiveness of such a remedy, as you understand, will be close to zero.
After the snow melts, you need to start cleaning the area from plant debris. All leaves, branches, dry grass should be removed, and care should be taken to first weeds.

Inspection of fruit and berry crops

After the initial inspection, we begin to identify possible problems with plants planted in the garden. You cannot hesitate, as the lack of timely intervention will lead to a decrease in yield or death of the crop.

We start with the bark. We inspect the shoots and trunk of plants for the presence scratches, cracks, burns, lack of bark. If there is damage, you need to find out the cause of its occurrence. If they are caused by activity, then various poisons should be prepared in advance. If the problem is caused by sunburn, we perform whitewashing.
Cracks may appear on the branches and trunk. It is impossible to leave everything as is, since violating the integrity of the shoot or trunk leads to further damage by pests. To prevent this from happening, you need to properly seal the crack. To do this, you should first cut off the dead bark and then remove the dead wood. If you don't do this and simply seal the hole, the dead tissue will begin to decompose, causing rot. It is necessary to strip away dead tissue until living wood and bark are exposed.

After cleaning, you need to give it time to dry. This will take 1-2 days, after which the “wound” needs to be treated and closed. Treated with any copper-containing substance, it is best to take or. At the end problem area covered with a liquid solution of clay or by special means for putty.

Video: cleaning and treating a wound on a fruit tree

Let's move on to problems with broken or dry shoots. If you notice that some shoots on the tree are too dry and there are no living buds on them, then you need to take care of their removal. Dry branches should be trimmed with a hacksaw or pruning shears. We cut until we see living tissue. The cut should be smooth. After pruning, be sure to cover all cuts so that the tree is not damaged.

Separately, it is worth talking about what to do with the hollows formed in the trunk. We will solve the problem in the same way as in the case of cracks. First, we clean the hollow from dead tissue, after which we treat it with copper-containing preparations and completely cover it with cement mortar.

Did you know? Levens Hall, located in the north-west of England, is considered the oldest garden in the world. The garden was created in the 17th century, and the trees that were planted at the time of its foundation still grow in it.

Protection from spring frosts

Spring frosts are the most big problem, since they are capable of destroying the crop for even initial stage. Not only do they suffer small gardens, but also huge plantings, from which the products are supplied to many stores. Next we will figure out whether this is possible to do.

This frost protection technology came to us from the USA. There, farmers purchase special installations that produce fog. It not only reduces visibility, but significantly increases the air temperature, which saves trees from a sharp drop in temperature. Of course, such installations are not cheap, but if you grow particularly valuable crops that will yield a lot of expensive products, then it makes sense to purchase such an installation in order to solve problems with unexpected frosts for ten years.
Fumigation of the garden. It’s worth saying right away that this method only saves from minor frosts. If the temperature drops below -5°C, smoking will not help your plants in the garden.

This is done as follows: at a distance of 4 meters from each bush or tree, a small “hut” is built, which consists of thick logs and thin twigs for lighting; wet leaves or straw are placed on top of the “hut”. After you set such a “structure” on fire, it will begin to smoke heavily, causing the garden to fill with smoke. Smoke increases the air temperature, so trees do not suffer from frost.

Video: fumigation from frost using grapes as an example

Of course, you will have to fumigate the area for almost 12 hours, since frosts most often occur at night and last until morning or noon. At the same time, fumigation will not bring pleasure to your neighbors, and especially timid ones may call the fire department. For this reason, fires should be used carefully, especially after the snow has completely melted.

Important! Smoke fires can be replaced with smoke bombs, which can also slightly increase the air temperature.

Bonfires. An open source of fire can increase the temperature, however, as you understand, this same source can cause many problems, because the trees themselves can suffer from fires if the flames reach them. At high temperatures branches and foliage dry out quickly and then begin to burn - as a result, you can simply burn your entire garden.
It makes sense to light fires only if you have collected a lot of plant debris that has nowhere to go. Then you can dispose of garbage and at the same time warm up the air a little. However, you should not assume that such a remedy can save you from severe frosts, especially in the presence of wind.

Pruning fruit trees and shrubs

Pruning is carried out only before the sap begins to flow, that is, until the buds swell. If pruning is carried out later, the tree will suffer greatly, and tree sap will begin to ooze at the cut sites. It would seem that everything is clear, there are no problems, but sap flow begins at different times, even in the same region, so you need to know exactly when to prune so as not to cut the plants when the first unformed leaves begin to appear on them.

It is also worth noting that sap flow may begin earlier in some crops, and later in others, which causes serious difficulties in the case of working with a large garden.

Why pruning is done:

To form the crown of a young plant.
To remove old shoots that do not produce a good harvest.
To remove diseased branches that were not cut at the first inspection.

Regarding the differences in pruning young and old trees.

Young trees need crown formation, since they need to be given the desired appearance every year in order to ultimately get an adult tree with a beautiful crown that is convenient for harvesting.

Mature and old trees need it, since their crown has already formed. Every year, old 2-3-year-old shoots that bear fruit poorly and cause thickening of the crown are removed. As a result, the plant accelerates the growth and formation of new shoots, which produce more buds, and as a result, more fruits are formed.

Separately, it is worth mentioning that the most productive branches are those that extend to the sides. Vertical shoots are not distinguished by good yield, and hanging shoots do not really bear fruit at all. It all has to do with the fact that horizontal branches receive more sunlight Therefore, they ripen more fruits, which have a better taste.

Tree pruning

Did you know? Those familiar to us can boast the longest life expectancy. garden trees. Homemade can live up to 120 years, and many varieties will grow for 2-3 centuries. Moreover, the life expectancy of the same is only 20 years.

We start by removing all old shoots in early spring. They will die anyway, so we don't need them. Removal should be carried out before young branches appear. During the entire growing season, it is necessary to shorten the upper part of the shoots, since the berries are formed on side branches, and upward growth of the main branches reduces the yield. Pinching is carried out after the shoots have reached a length of 90 cm.
Pruning is also carried out if the shoots fall to the ground under the weight of leaves and berries. In this case, the main shoot should be shortened, otherwise the product will begin to rot after contact with the soil.

Fertilizing garden crops

Let's move on to an important topic, which concerns feeding plants in the garden. We will talk about all crops, so we will consider those fertilizers that both shrubs and shrubs need various types and varieties.

Gardeners often have a situation when plant seedlings have already been purchased, but for one reason or another they cannot be planted. For example, early frosts hit in the fall and planting has to be postponed until spring. Fortunately, there are ways to preserve seedlings until planting. This material is dedicated to the peculiarities of storing seedlings.

Where to store seedlings before planting

The method of storing seedlings is determined by various factors: the required shelf life planting material before planting, climatic conditions, availability suitable premises and so on. Let's take a closer look at these methods.

Did you know? One of the seven wonders ancient world, the famous Hanging Gardens of Babylon, should actually be called gardens« Amitis» named after the Median princess Amytis, for whom the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II ordered them to be built. Semiramis lived about two hundred years before the construction of these gardens.

In the closet

Using a trench allows you to preserve seedlings throughout the entire winter period until landing. The pit itself is a trench. It needs to be dug in a fairly dry place. For example, potato or tomato beds are suitable for this. The trench must be oriented in the west-east direction.

The depth of the trench is half a meter. The length depends on the number of plants being buried - they should be located quite freely in the trench. The northern wall of the trench is made vertical, at a right angle. The southern one should be inclined at approximately 45°.

All excavated soil is discarded beyond the northern edge of the trench. Sand and peat are mixed into the soil removed from the trench. If necessary, seedlings are prepared for wintering: uncut leaves and damaged roots are removed.

After this, the plants can be placed in the trench. They are laid with their trunks on the southern, gentle side, so the roots will be oriented to the north and the tops to the south. The trench with the seedlings placed in it is sprinkled, but not completely, with about a 20-centimeter layer of previously dug and prepared soil.

The pile is left in this form until stable frosts occur, i.e. every night the air temperature should drop below zero. If frost occurs, the remaining soil is poured into the trench, and in the process of adding soil, the layers of soil must be watered so that the soil becomes compacted. It is necessary to form a mound on top of the trench, which will help avoid the accumulation of melt water in it in the spring.

Important! With this method of wintering, seedlings cannot be covered with spruce branches, straw, or sawdust. The trench itself does not need to be wrapped in film or covering materials, as this can lead to premature awakening of the plants. It is advisable to periodically throw snow onto the storage area.

Under a thick layer of snow

If a stable and abundant snow cover forms in winter, then you can simply keep the seedlings in the snow. First, before precipitation falls, they are stored in unheated room, for which they are pre-wrapped with a moistened cloth (preferably burlap) and film.

When sufficient snow falls (at least 6 inches of cover is recommended), the plants can be laid down. The roots of the seedling are lowered into a burlap bag filled with a mixture of sawdust and peat, and this bag is tied around the bottom of the trunk.
The branches are carefully pulled together. The entire plant is wrapped in polyethylene and the shell is secured with tape. You need to bury the plant in a shaded place in the garden, where direct sunlight does not fall and there is no danger of snow weathering.

In a cold place

Seedlings can be stored in the refrigerator, if, of course, the dimensions of the equipment allow and family members are not against such use. To do this, the plant is wrapped in 2-3 layers of damp gauze, then simply placed in a plastic bag.

There is no need to tie this bag, otherwise the sealed plant may become moldy. Optimal temperature storage is 0°С…+2°С. This method Suitable only for relatively short-term storage, usually no more than three weeks.

You can use it instead of a refrigerator glass balcony or loggia. Preparation for storage is exactly the same as when using a refrigerator. When seedlings are purchased with a root system packed in a soil substrate, they need to be punctured for storage. protective film in several places.
If the lump of earth is dry, you should moisten it a little, but do not water it abundantly. In this form, the plant can be stored for two to three weeks. If stored in a cellar, the seedlings are lowered into plastic bags and sprinkle them with wet sawdust.

Leave in an upright position. The bags should not be tied tightly to prevent damage to the plant. In addition to bags, boxes can also be used for storage in the cellar. The seedlings are placed there in an upright position and covered with wet sand or wet sawdust. The substrate is kept moist throughout the entire storage period.

The optimal temperature for storage in the cellar is -2°С…+2°С. It is better to avoid hypothermia or overheating, so it is advisable to monitor temperatures using a thermometer. If the cellar is very dry, you can increase the air humidity by placing an open container of water in it. However, high humidity, over 60%, is dangerous for seedlings and can destroy them.
Boxes are used to store planting material in unheated utility rooms, such as a barn or garage. They are filled with sawdust or hay and seedlings are placed there in a vertical position, wrapped in film.

They should not come into contact with the walls of the box, but minimum distance there should be at least 10 cm to the walls. They are covered on top and bottom with several layers of burlap or just old things. Complete safety of all planting material with this storage method is not guaranteed.

Sometimes signs of development are already visible on purchased seedlings, but plant them in open ground it is too early. In this case, the plants can be preserved by transplanting them into a container. Before planting, the roots of the seedling are lowered into clean water for 12 hours, after which the plant is planted in a container with a capacity of 2-3 liters.

The container with the plant is placed in some cool room, protected from direct sun rays- this could be, for example, a glassed-in balcony or a glassed-in veranda.
Watering and fertilizing the plant should be minimal so as not to provoke its premature rapid growth. Planting in the ground is usually done in May. It should be borne in mind that with this method of planting, the plant is always weakened and will require more careful care in the near future.

Did you know? Most modern stone fruits, nuts and pome fruits garden crops people began to cultivate about three thousand years ago. And here berry crops They started breeding much later. Thus, garden currants and gooseberries are known from medieval sources; there are no earlier mentions of them.

Storage Features

Storage of various garden plants(be it fruit trees, berry bushes or grapevine) has its own characteristics. Let's try to figure them out.

Coniferous plants

These plants cannot be stored in the cellar. But if they are sold in a container (and most often this is the case), they can be buried in the garden without removing them from the container, in a place protected from the wind and sun. In this case, you need to sprinkle the soil above the roots with peat to better insulate it.

The upper part of the seedling must be carefully covered with covering material. There is another one good option storage coniferous plants. An unheated garage or barn is used for this. The technology for preparing for such storage is described above. The only caveat is that you don’t need to wrap the crown of the plant.

Fruit trees

The best place to save fruit trees- cellar The method is described in detail above, but there are no special features in storing these particular plants.

Before planting in the cellar, leaves should be removed if they were left on the seedlings due to oversight. Methods of storing fruit trees such as digging and placing them in the snow are also widely used.

Shrubs

The features of placing shrubs completely coincide with the methods of storing fruit tree seedlings. Those. optimal places are cellar, trench and snow.

Grape

The best storage methods for grapes are storage and cellar. If a trench is used, then the grape cuttings, tied in bunches, are placed in a trench (tightly). Before laying, it is recommended to dip the roots in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. This method is often practiced if there are a lot of cuttings.

Every garden owner wants to reap a rich harvest every year. This is quite expected: spending a lot of time and effort on caring for bushes and trees, no one wants to be left without tasty and healthy fruits in the fall. However, to get good harvest from every plant in the garden, you have to take garden care very seriously. And it’s worth starting from the very beginning of spring. It is also advisable to do and treat also ordinary ones, and not just apple trees in the garden.

The beginning of spring at the dacha

Of course, in March, even young and strong trees look more like dead wood: there are no buds or leaves on them. The trees have not yet awakened after winter, and only after a month or a month and a half (depending on the region, weather and plant variety) the first swollen buds will appear on the branches. But experts recommend starting to take care of your garden in March.

Some gardeners thin out the crown already in March, removing dried and dead branches. However, to determine which branches have dried out and which simply have not moved away from hibernation, not everyone can. Therefore, it is better not to rush, so as not to destroy strong young branches. But in March it’s time to treat the trunk itself and the skeletal branches (the main and thickest ones, on which the entire crown rests) with a twenty percent lime solution. This will protect the tree from mice and other small pests.

some types of small pests

Notice if meltwater is pooling around your trees? If the roots are in a hollow, then small drainage channels should be built to drain the water to the side. Otherwise, stagnation of water may well lead to rotting of the roots or even the tree trunk.

Also inspect the trees for dried fruits and berries that have survived the entire winter. They should be collected and placed in the compost heap.

From autumn to spring, various bacteria often develop in these fruits, which can cause serious harm to the entire garden.

If the birds did not eat them during the hungry winter, it is worth getting rid of them yourself.

The work takes very little time, and after that for some time you can forget about the need to care for the garden.

Getting rid of unnecessary branches

After waiting until the buds swell so that you can easily distinguish dry branches from healthy ones, you can begin further work. Dry branches should be removed immediately.

To remove thin ones, use pruners, but it is better to remove old ones with a hacksaw. Breaking branches by hand is highly discouraged. After all, in this case, not only there is a risk of serious injury, but also damage to young branches that can bear a harvest, if not this year, then next.

At the same time, you can remove shoots that grow parallel to the trunk. They rarely bear fruit, but they cause a lot of problems. It is quite difficult to collect the few fruits from their tops. And in strong winds, high branches often break and damage the entire crown of the tree. They also shade the remaining shoots running to the sides of the trunk, which is why their fruitfulness sharply decreases.

Feeding the garden before summer

If the garden was planted several years ago, then the soil has probably already lost some minerals and needs to replenish their reserves. And here various natural and chemical fertilizers will come to your aid. You need to choose the right ones that are really important for your garden in the spring.

Young trees that do not yet bear fruit or bear fruit very sparingly do not need to be fertilized. Unless you can add a small amount of humus (make sure that the humus has reached “standard” and will not burn the root system and trunk).

garden of young trees

Mature trees (from 5 years old) should be fertilized first. nitrogen fertilizers. They stimulate crown growth, as well as the formation large quantity large leaves, but they are the ones that are necessary for a quick increase in nutrients and a rich harvest. It is best to apply fertilizers during the first autumn loosening, around April.

Read the instructions very carefully. There are often cases when gardeners, guided by the principle “the more the merrier,” receive fruits in the fall that are dangerously high level nitrogen content. It is quite easy to get poisoned with such fruits. Important potassium and phosphorus fertilizers are best applied in the fall.

Of course, we should not forget about organic fertilizers: they represent a complex complex of all the substances necessary for the successful growth and rich harvest of plants. Humus, as well as slurry, bird and cow droppings can act as organic fertilizers.

rotted cow dung

You should be very, very careful with droppings (especially chicken!): a huge concentration of saltpeter can kill a tree. Therefore, before adding to the soil, the manure is diluted warm water, part of cow droppings is 5-6 parts of water, and part of bird droppings is at least 10-12 parts of water.

Fruit trees are usually classified as those trees whose fruits are used in food or Food Industry. In the gardens different regions There are apple trees, pears, plums, cherries, cherries and other representatives of trees of various varieties and types. Orchard, divided into summer cottage or near the house, it will perfectly decorate the landscape and delight you with spring blooms. This is a place where you can not only eat delicious and healthy fruit, but also relax in the shade of dense foliage.

IN wildlife Fruit trees also grow. These include hawthorn, wild pear and cherry. Basically, in nature, the fruits of such trees are small and have a sweet and sour taste. Thanks to selection and good care at home you can grow enough fruits big size With pleasant aroma and taste.

Fruit tree care

Fruit tree care

Before planting fruit tree seedlings, it is necessary to select a place for their growth. Combine and mark out the garden design and select the right neighboring trees.

To choose good seedling You must follow a few simple rules:

The tree should be 1-2 years old. Such a plant will begin to bear fruit in 2 or 3 years. Older seedlings bear fruit already at next year, but they are more expensive and take root worse.
The main criterion for selecting already fruit-bearing seedlings is its correct extraction from the previous place of growth. The roots should not be severely damaged and they should be in a large earthen coma.
Next, the diameter of the trunk of young seedlings is measured at a distance of 5 cm from the grafting. Its size should be about 2 cm. Such a plant will have a good strong trunk and bring a rich harvest.
One-year-old seedlings should not have branches; two-year-old seedlings should have no more than 2-3 small branches. The root system must be strong and healthy looking.

Basic tree care includes timely watering, protection from diseases and pests, pruning and fertilizing. Trees are watered mainly spring period when applying fertilizers and during periods of very dry summers.

In general, adult fruit-bearing trees do not need additional moisture, since root system goes deep underground and feeds from there. Fruit trees are treated in early spring, before flowers appear. In autumn after the fruits are harvested and the leaves fall.

Pruning fruit trees in spring:

Tree pruning is done in early spring, before spraying, when the plant has not yet woken up.
In warm regions where trees wake up earlier, pruning is carried out in February.
During pruning, diseased and dry branches are removed, as well as those branches that are infested with pests.
depending on the type and variety of plant.
For old trees and those that have begun to bear fruit poorly, rejuvenating pruning is performed. To do this, the old branches are shortened so that the young ones grow strong. This pruning can be done once every 4 years.

If the garden is neglected, then it is necessary to carry out sanitary pruning. On dense trees the fruits will be small and weak. Therefore, first of all, the tree should be cleaned of unnecessary branches. First, broken, dry and diseased branches are cut off. Next, the center of the tree crown is cleaned, leaving 3-5 strong young branches. Top part The crowns are trimmed, and the main branches are directed to the sides. In the first year after pruning, the tree will regain its strength and may not bring the long-awaited harvest. But after a year, the plant will delight the owner with tasty, juicy and large fruits.

The application of mineral and organic fertilizers is very important for the proper growth and development of the plant.

This process is carried out in spring and autumn. Potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, nitrogen - must be added to the soil, as these elements are often lacking. They are added with plenty of water. Nitrogen fertilizers in the spring, and phosphorus and potassium in autumn period, before wintering.

Young seedlings need winter protection from frost and wild animals. Therefore, small fences are often built around trees up to 5 years old for the winter and wrapped in cardboard. This protects the thin trunk from severe frosts and the bark from rodents. In warm regions, trees are not insulated.

In early spring, all gardeners go out to spray fruit trees. This process is carried out in order to prevent diseases and infections that can destroy the tree. A disinfection procedure is also carried out against insects that live in the bark of trees and can harm both the plant itself and the fruits. The optimal ambient temperature for spraying is from +8 to +10 degrees.

Trees must be prepared for processing:

To do this, the gardener must inspect all trunks and trees for the presence of diseases and lichens, the latter must be removed.
Attacked leaves under the tree and near its trunk should be removed so that during treatment the preparations also get onto the soil, in which many harmful insects also overwinter.
To avoid harm environment and it is recommended for your own health, but biological ones. The latter are widely represented on the market and new ones appear every year.
Also, the treatment is carried out before flowering, so as not to harm the bees and not feed harmful substances future fruits.

Chemicals used to treat trees in spring are as follows:

Inkstone. This drug not only protects the plant, but also nourishes it with iron. The entire tree and the land around it are processed. Iron sulfate protects against many diseases, pests and fungi. Treatment is carried out in the spring before buds open and in the fall. If a tree experiences premature yellowing of leaves and drying of young shoots, this indicates a lack of iron in the plant. Treatment iron sulfate carried out throughout the entire area, trees, shrubs and soil around the roots are sprayed. The substance is diluted in proportions of 50 grams per 10 liters of water.
Bordeaux liquid. This is an inexpensive but very effective drug. It saves plants from scab, fruit rot, rust, late blight and many other diseases. Its disadvantage is that it is not stored in solution. Therefore, all of it must be used on the same day when the solution is prepared. On different types plants need a certain amount of solution, an excess will lead to unpleasant consequences. For trees that have not reached 5 years of age, up to 2 liters of Bordeaux mixture per 1 tree are spent, for fruit-bearing adults - 10 liters. Currants and gooseberries are treated with 1–1.5 liters of solution per plant. And for 10 raspberry bushes you will need 2 liters. Grapes are processed at the rate of 1.5 liters per 10 square meters. Spraying is carried out in two stages. The first is carried out in the spring when the buds open, the second, with a lighter solution, before the buds open.
Abiga-Pik is used as an antifungal and antibacterial drug for almost all plants in the garden. It cannot be mixed with other drugs, since the copper contained in Abiga-Pik reacts and precipitates.

The entire area needs to be treated. Since diseases and pests can easily migrate from a diseased tree to a healthy one. Therefore, it is necessary to spray trees, bushes, the soil around plants and even fences. Solutions are prepared carefully and carefully, and mixing must be thorough.

Otherwise, part of the plant will be treated with a light solution, and the other part will receive burns from the strong concentration. This can lead to the death of the entire tree or bush. During the spraying process, the container with the solution is also shaken regularly to constantly mix the liquid.

The treatment must be carried out with gloves and a protective suit, since these drugs are beneficial for trees, but have a detrimental effect on human health.

It is also worth spraying in dry weather, in the morning, after the dew has disappeared. The preparations must remain on the tree for a couple of days, and moisture can wash it away, and the result will be minimal. Spraying is carried out at a distance of 75–80 cm from the plant in calm weather.

Not found in soil sufficient quantity organic and mineral substances, and in places where trees grow for more than 1 year, it is depleted. Therefore, it is recommended annually. For good growth tree, the appearance of strong branches requires nitrogen. It is with this element that fertilizers are applied to the soil under the plant in early spring.

During the development process, a tree absorbs many substances, micro and macroelements. These are hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, calcium, phosphorus, iron, manganese, copper, boron. There are sufficient amounts of them in soil, water and the environment. And elements such as phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium can be found in the ground under a tree in minimum quantity and the plant, experiencing a shortage, looks weak and sick.

Feeding and fertilizers are applied during the period when the fruit tree is actively growing - these are the spring months.

Since the tree absorbs almost all micro and macroelements with water, it is watered abundantly after adding the substances. An excess of fertilizers or applying it at the wrong time also entails Negative consequences. For example, if nitrogen is added late, young branches may not ripen by winter and freeze in the cold season.

With the help of potassium, trees and plants synthesize sugar. Therefore, fertilizers containing this element are especially important for fruit trees. Potassium also enhances the drought and frost resistance of the plant. They are introduced as an aqueous solution, after which the plant is watered abundantly. Also in the spring, you can add humus and compost under the plant to enrich the soil with organic matter.

Proper tree care, timely protection and feeding will allow you to enjoy the fruits for a long time. The trees are perennials and some can grow for more than 30 years. The garden is a small forest where you can relax with the whole family.

More information about processing fruit trees in spring can be found in the video.

Spring apple tree care includes pruning and treatment for parasites

Spring work Apple tree care should not be delayed until warmer days arrive. Many procedures must be carried out before the snow melts.

Whitewashing and treatment of apple tree trunk in spring

Whitewashing tree trunks is necessary to protect the bark from sunlight. It is carried out from February to mid-March, until the snow melts. In more late dates painting the trunks will not bring any benefit to the tree, but will only decorate the garden.

Of the wide variety of whitewashes, I prefer garden acrylic paint. Its protective effect remains for a long time- it does not collapse or crack, and also - it is not washed off by rain. I use it only for apple trees over 7 years old. To enhance the effect I add to the paint copper sulfate. Such a composition will not only protect the apple tree from sunburn, but will also help fight pests overwintering in the bark.

For young apple trees with immature bark, I prepare a whitewash mixture from lime, manure and clay in a ratio of 3:1:1. I mix all the ingredients well and dilute with water to the consistency of thick sour cream. The solution protects against burns and disinfects the bark, but needs to be renewed periodically.

After winter, apple tree trunks are often damaged by rodents. I cover small wounds with garden varnish immediately after the snow melts in March. In areas that have been chewed down to wood, I graft, trying to use as many cuttings as possible winter-hardy varieties.

I remove the exfoliated bark during frost damage, and carefully cover the cuts with varnish. Over time, the wounds heal completely. In large areas of frost damage, I graft with a bridge.

Pruning apple trees in spring

The timing of spring pruning may vary depending on the availability of free time. You can start it at a temperature not lower than minus 10 degrees Celsius, and continue until the first buds appear on the branches.

I carry out sanitary pruning before sap flow begins. I cut out all the branches damaged in winter. For these purposes I use hand pruners and a sharpened garden saw.

In spring, I form the crown of young apple trees. I cut out shading and growing under small acute angle to the trunk of the branch. I leave a distance of 40-70 cm between the skeletal branches. Of the branches of the second order, I leave those growing to the sides, and cut out the rest.

Optimal height apple trees are the ones that are convenient to care for and harvest. I determine the required height as follows. I put a stepladder near the tree, stand on the top step and stretch my arm up. If the tree is taller than my hand, I lower the crown. To do this, I shorten the top of the conductor and the upper branches to the level I need. I treat the cuts with garden varnish.

Prevention of apple trees from diseases and pests in spring

Many pests and diseases easily survive the winter and begin to actively develop with the arrival of spring.

To combat crawling pests, in particular the flower beetle weevil, I successfully use catching belts. I install them with the appearance of the first thawed patches in the tree trunk circle so that they fit as tightly as possible to the trunk.

I do the second treatment after the apple trees bloom, when the first ovary appears. During this period I use more gentle drugs - Fitoverm, Akarin, Lepidocid. I spray in dry, windless weather in the morning. The first results of the drugs can be seen 5-6 hours after treatment.

Apple tree grafting in spring

Best time for apple tree grafting - May, when active sap flow begins. I use cuttings of promising varieties harvested in winter. The survival rate of such grafting is very high - up to 90% of cuttings.

Fertilizing apple trees in spring

If, when planting an apple tree in fertile soil a sufficient amount of fertilizer has been applied; there is no need to additionally feed the tree for five years. An exception to this rule is growing apple trees on poor soils - sandstones and drained swamps.

I feed trees older than five years at the beginning of April. I use urea, rotted manure, and wood ash. In the soil at the crown projection area, I make 20-25 cm indentations with a pitchfork or a crowbar. I pour a handful of fertilizer into each hole and cover it with soil on top. For one tree I use about half a kilo of urea or 5-6 buckets of manure, so that the feeding is enough for two to three years.

I never scatter fertilizers on the surface of the soil. They will not bring any benefit to the apple tree, but the grass will grow by leaps and bounds. Also, do not spread manure on top of the snow. Such actions will only slow down the snowmelt, and the weeds will get food.

Additionally, during the growing season, I apply fertilizer only when the tree signals a lack of nutrients. The first signs of trouble are visible before flowering begins - during this period I fertilize. I prepare a solution in a hundred-liter barrel of water, to which I add a bucket of mullein, a kilogram of superphosphate, and 300 g of potassium sulfate. The solution is infused for a week. I water the apple trees with this mixture, 4-5 buckets per tree.

I re-fertilize after flowering. I change the composition of the solution - I don’t add manure, but I double the amount of superphosphate and potassium sulfate. These components have a beneficial effect on the formation of the ovary and the future harvest of apple trees.

Watering apple trees in spring

Before the leaves bloom, the need for watering of apple trees is compensated by the moisture accumulated in the ground after the snow melts. Next, the trees need to be watered, especially if the weather is dry and warm. I water young trees every five days, older trees less often, but more abundantly.

After watering, harrow the soil under the apple tree so that a crust does not form. I mulch the tree trunk area thin layer straw or peat to retain moisture longer. Sawdust is not suitable as mulch - it will make the soil acidic. A thick mulch layer is also unsafe - rodents, pathogenic bacteria grow in it, and fungal pores multiply.

Protecting the apple tree from return frosts

Spring frosts will not harm apple trees if their buds have not yet blossomed. To protect deciduous trees from frost, I use sprinkling. To do this, in the late evening I generously irrigate the entire crown with water from a hose through a fine sprayer. Drops freezing at night give off their heat to young leaves. This method can only be used in calm weather, otherwise the effect will be exactly the opposite.

When there is a threat of frost during flowering, to protect the apple trees, I resort to the old proven method - smoke. In the garden I lay out heaps of straw, peat, leaves, and dry grass. I drive a stake into the center and pour a little earth on top of the pile. In the evening I pull out the stake - the hole will serve as a chimney, and set the pile on fire.

Transplanting an apple tree in spring

Before the leaves bloom, apple trees can be replanted if the planting site was initially chosen poorly. It is not difficult to dig up young trees (up to three years old) and plant them in a new location. It is necessary to water the soil well in the tree trunk area before digging up the tree, and after planting, carry out short pruning of the branches. This way the apple tree will quickly recover after transplantation and begin to grow.

Things are more complicated with transplanting apple trees at the age of 4-5 years. You need to dig a groove along the perimeter of the crown and gradually deepen it to 50 cm. Any roots that come across are cut off. When the depth of the ditch is sufficient, the earthen ball is dug up and the central root rod is trimmed. Replant the tree with a lump of earth. After planting, it is watered and the branches are radically pruned, leaving only the central conductor and a few skeletal and secondary branches.

If for some reason the apple tree had to be uprooted, a new seedling can be planted in its place the same year - the diseases of the old tree will not be transmitted.

Selecting a seedling for planting

You can plant young apple tree seedlings in early spring, as soon as the ground allows you to stick a shovel into it. During this period, enough moisture is retained in the soil for the tree to take root.

Before purchasing, seedlings with bare roots should be carefully examined for rotting roots, signs of disease and pest activity, and damage to the bark and branches. If the planting of seedlings has to be postponed, their roots should be wrapped in a damp cloth and the trees should be stored in the basement in this form for no more than 3-4 days.

In spring, the apple orchard needs special attention. It is necessary not to miss time and carry out a number of activities on time - trim the crown, heal wounds, vaccinate, feed the trees. It is in the spring that disease and pest prevention is most effective. Having done everything correctly and on time, you will definitely get a good harvest of bulk apples.