How to save a garden in spring after a harsh winter - rejuvenating and restorative pruning of fruit trees. Spring protection of garden plants from pests and diseases

After the end of winter, the trees in the garden need careful care, otherwise you can be left without a crop in the season.

Garden resuscitation for plants

Do not rush with pruning, wait until the flower buds begin to wake up. Then the difference between living and affected branches will be best seen. All branches with frost holes are cut to living tissue, and the trunk and base of skeletal branches are urgently whitened so that the situation is not aggravated by burns from the hot spring sun. Before that, all the affected areas in the places of the discharge of the bark are cleaned to living tissue and treated with a 1% solution of ferrous sulfate (100 g per 10 l of water), and then covered with a mixture of clay and mullein.

Frozen trees after winter require good care: provide them with timely watering, top dressing, pest protection and, if necessary, update. Moreover, it is important to fertilize not at the root, but along the leaf with solutions of microfertilizers such as Crystallon, Plantafol, Master or a solution of ammonium nitrate (3-4 g per 1 liter of water). The interval between them is a decade. The multiplicity of dressings - 3-4 times per summer. Thanks to this, the garden will recover faster.

Note that the loss of some of the branches upset the balance between above-ground part and the roots of your sweet cherry or apricot. And the juices of the plant with nutrients will rush to the former points of growth. And there are, for example, already five instead of ten. All this can cause excessive growth of green shoots.

Therefore, it is better to feed with fertilizers in a concentration less than a third than recommended by the manufacturer on the package.

Determine the degree of damage to the fruit buds

If in pears and apple trees it is immediately clear which ringworms have suffered the most, then with stone fruits they act differently. To do this, cut bouquet branches and annual shoots with different parts crowns, put in water and kept for two weeks in a room. The next step is to make longitudinal and transverse sections of each of the kidneys. If they are healthy, their central part will be green. But brown spot in the center - a signal that the peephole is dead. The death of growth buds is quite replenishable due to the awakening of dormant buds. If the flower eyes are damaged, then you can say goodbye to the harvest this year.

If the tissues of the shoots on the cut are dark, and the buds are brown in the center, do not rush with pruning. It is possible only after the awakening of the plants, which need to be strongly rejuvenated by removing all the dead and affected parts, with the transfer of branches to healthy side branches.

Skeletal branches are waiting for shortening by 3-5 years old wood. Such a strong pruning stimulates the appearance of tops, with the help of which the crown is restored. After such a rescue pruning, gardeners advise tying the trunk and main branches with burlap to prevent them from drying out. But it is better not to cut off the single growth this year, as this retards the growth of the foliage that feeds the plant. When working with trees, do not let!

Grafting with a bridge will save the tree

If the bark is damaged along the ring, the tree will die, since with damage to the vessels, the upward outflow of photosynthesis products through the vessels of the bast is irreversibly disrupted. And here, no care for the tree after the winter will help. If the variety is very valuable, only full recovery conducting system. This can only be achieved by a bridge, when several annual branches are grafted using the “over the bark” method, connecting the tissues above and below the injury site.

To do this, you need to hurry and cut the cuttings from the crown of the tree before the buds open. They should be 20 cm longer than the damaged area. Before grafting (it is done in May, when the bark is well behind the wood), they are stored in the refrigerator.

If the plant is young and its stem is not thicker than 2.5-3 cm, then two bridges grafted from different sides will be enough to save it.

In the event that the trunk is thick, up to a dozen cuttings are engrafted into it.

First, above and below the site of damage, the bark must be cleaned of dead parts. Then they retreat 2 cm above and below the frost ring and make T-shaped cuts for each branch. At the ends that will be adjacent to the trunk, make oblique cuts 2-3 cm in length. Then the ends of the cuttings are inserted into the cuts and secured with electrical tape. For reliability, you can fix it with carnations. Open areas should be thickly lubricated with var, wrap the grafting sites with a film or wrap with a common ring of electrical tape. The main thing is not to let the grafted bridges germinate. If this happens, the young shoots immediately break out. All open areas are covered with garden pitch. By autumn, the cuttings will fully take root.

Tree rejuvenation with complete crown replacement

Beware of the broom on the trunk! This is especially true for strongly growing plums, apricots, sweet cherries, cherry plums and tree-like cherries. This measure is also suitable for tall old apple trees. In the spring, the trunk must be cut at a meter height from the ground. Keep in mind that the rougher the bark, the less likely it is to awaken dormant buds. Therefore, try to find at least one weak shoot and cut 2 centimeters higher above it. Sometimes it also happens that after such a cardinal pruning, more than a dozen tops immediately shoot from the cut point. And here it is important not to blunder: leave 1-3 of the strongest ones, bend it, tying it to the pegs with a rope, and remove the rest to the base.
Otherwise, you are threatened with becoming the owner of a curly broom on a trunk.

With the help of pinching and shaping them, you can grow new skeletal branches that will yield a crop already in next year. The right thing to do with them is this: cut off their ends at a height of 60 cm, forcing them to branch, and in August stretch the overgrown side branches to the sides. If you miss the moment, spinning tops can reach more than two meters in length in a season.

Next year, you need to do green pruning, tweezing and bending back the branches of the second tier.

The main condition for maintaining health fruit trees and obtaining a plentiful and stable harvest is proper care for landings. Garden care includes a whole range of activities that should be carried out throughout the year.

In our article you will find a detailed calendar of garden care by months and find out what measures should be taken to preserve the fertility of trees.

How to take care of your garden

A well-groomed garden that gives a rich harvest is the result of the gardener's considerable efforts and his strong knowledge of the peculiarities of plant care. After all, plant a plot fruit trees and shrubs - this is just the beginning of cultivation.

The main focus is on aftercare, consisting of different kind seasonal work. Exist general recommendations who are comprehensive garden care.

Professional gardeners know that a young garden needs extra care. So, during the first year after its planting, only for the spring-summer period, at least 4 loosening of the soil around the trees should be carried out, simultaneously weeding out.

Planted plants need regular watering, while spending 3-4 buckets of water. It would be logical after watering to loosen and mulch the tree trunks. With the onset of autumn, they must be dug up, turning the earth well. This procedure leads to the death of pests wintering in the soil.

Note: In the spring, after the snow melts and the soil dries up, the trunk circles must be loosened. If the soil around the trees is too compacted, it must be dug up again, weeds removed and mulched.

You should know that the growth and development of garden plants depend on optimal level soil moisture during the growing season. For example, with excessive moisture, the growth of trees slows down, and they may even die. Especially this danger increases from the second half of summer, therefore it is at this time that it is necessary to stop watering. You can resume them only during the period of mass leaf fall.

Here are some professional advice to help you learn how to take care of your orchard(picture 1):

The diameter of the trunk circles of a young tree in the first two or three years should be from 1.5 to 2.5 meters. Every year the diameter increases, and when the tree reaches the age of 6 years, it is 3 meters. Further, this distance remains unchanged.
In early autumn, the depth of digging the soil directly at the trunk is 5-6 cm, on the periphery - 15 cm.
In order not to damage the roots when digging, it is necessary to place the blade of the shovel with an edge to the tree.
To determine if watering is necessary, you can dig holes up to half a meter deep throughout the garden near the trees. Taking a handful of soil from the hole, pay attention to whether the lump can retain its shape after unclenching the hand. If the soil crumbles, it is necessary to start watering.
Leaves wilted at noon will also serve as a signal of a lack of moisture.
Watering trees is carried out in near-stem circles at the rate of 4-6 buckets of water per 1 sq.m.

Figure 1. The main activities for the care of the garden

The first watering of the garden can be carried out approximately 2-3 weeks after the end of flowering. The second follows 20 days after the first. Stone fruit trees are watered a second time two weeks before fruit harvest. After harvest, they are watered only when necessary, for example, during a severe drought.

Note: Trunk circles are not recommended to be laid with turf.

Treatment of trees with insecticides can be carried out 10 days after flowering. in addition, after the snow melts, it is necessary to treat the trunks of fruit trees with lime mortar.

Autumn cleaning in the garden should be mandatory. Shrunken, rotten fruits should be removed, fallen or cut branches should be burned.

Spring is not only the time of awakening and renewal of wildlife, but also the hottest time for the gardener. After all future harvest directly depends on the spring care of the garden. Many of these works need to be done before the awakening of the trees and the start of sap flow in them (Figure 2). How to take care of the garden in spring? Let's describe it in general terms.

Figure 2. The main stages of spring garden care

To begin with, it is necessary to inspect young fruit trees and seedlings in order to identify possible cracks, damage by rodents, frost holes on the bark. Found cracks must be bandaged plastic wrap. If during the examination tinder fungi were noticed, then they must be removed, and the wounds on the bark should be treated with garden pitch (2 parts of clay, 1 part of mullein, a small section of straw or hay).

Note: Some plants could die during the winter: outwardly they look dried up, and buds do not develop on them. When examining tree trunks, pay attention to whether hollows or traces of dangerous diseases have appeared in them.

Particular attention should be paid to examining the crowns of young apple trees, since it is on dry leaves hanging on a cobweb that one can find clutches of ringed silkworm. Such last year's leaves are removed with sticks.

If they grow in the garden coniferous trees, it is necessary to prepare for them shading shields or shelters for the crown. Trunks of fruit trees must be whitewashed with lime mortar.

Whitewash

Gardeners are well aware that fungi and lichens, as well as various species, settle on the bark of trees. tree pests and their eggs. Therefore, tree trunks must be carefully cleaned of growths and whitened with a solution of lime (2.5 kg per bucket of water) or treated with a special paste.

Whitewash functions:

Protection of the bark from direct sunlight;
Protection from pests wintering in the bark;
Repelling rodents in the presence of aromatic substances in the composition of the whitewash.

spraying trees

One of the most important activities carried out in the garden in the spring is spraying plants with insecticides. These substances help in the fight against various diseases (scab, black cancer) and pests (caterpillars, codling moths, spider mites). You should know that such processing can be carried out only before the onset of flowering.

All subsequent sprayings are carried out only for preventive purposes and to increase the protective functions of plants with specially developed preparations.

You will find more information about garden care in spring in the video.

tree nutrition

During the winter period, plants use their supply of nutrients, and therefore they need top dressing. At the same time, fertilizers are selected taking into account the individual characteristics of each crop (age, variety, condition, place of growth).

Top dressing can be carried out both basal and foliar. So, organic fertilizers in the form of rotted manure, bird droppings, compost, green manure infusion are applied to tree trunks, digging them along with the ground. Mineral fertilizers are applied in a similar way.

When foliar top dressing, nutrients are sprayed onto the crowns of trees by spraying them. For example, stone fruit trees, as well as apple and pear trees, are sprayed with a solution of carbamide (urea) of various dosages.

With the onset of summer, weeds begin their rapid development. Therefore, for a full supply of nutrients and moisture to the plants, it is necessary to weed the near-stem circles and areas around the bushes already in June (Figure 3). Weeded weeds can be integral part composts.

Figure 3. How to care for the garden in summer: mulching, removing weeds and watering

If you are going to mulch the soil, set aside weeds with roots and flowers. It is better to use them to prepare an infusion of herbs, which will also be useful for garden plants. And to cover the soil in near-stem circles, use mowed grass or sawdust, as well as peat, manure, humus, and even synthetic film. When using film as a mulching material, more attention should be paid to watering plants.

Note: If the soil is not covered with mulch, then weeding is combined with loosening, thereby not only freeing the soil from weeds, but also improving air access to the root system. As a result of loosening, the habitats of pests in the soil are also destroyed. It is important to know that starting from August, loosening cannot be carried out, since it prevents the preparation of trees for winter, and also prevents young shoots from ripening.

Before the beginning of fruit ripening, it is necessary to carry out weeding, loosening and watering the plants. So, the irrigation rate for a pear is 3-4 buckets, for an apple tree - 4-5 buckets, for stone fruits - 2-3 buckets per 1 sq.m. circumferential circle. Watering should be such that the soil is saturated to a depth of 40-80 cm. As for berry bushes, they are watered less often, but more abundantly than trees (2-3 buckets per bush), and in case of drought, the rate is doubled.

In summer, when there is an intensive growth of shoots, it is necessary to ensure that they do not grow inside the crown. Such shoots must either be cut or broken out without causing significant harm to the plant. To weaken the growth of extra strong annual branches, they must be bent and tied up.

In addition, in early June, there is an increased growth of root shoots. It can only be removed by digging, since cutting with pruners only enhances growth.

If a generous harvest is planned, take care of props for branches in advance. If the branch, under the weight of the fruit, still could not resist and broke, it must be separated from the tree, and the cut point should be smeared with garden pitch, or a mixture of mullein with clay, and then tied with a dark film.

In August, the trees begin to prepare for winter. During this period, it is no longer possible to apply nitrogen fertilizers, water and loosen the soil, so as not to stimulate the growth process. If young shoots continue to grow in young plants, they must be pinched.

The author of the video will tell all necessary information about summer care behind the trees.

Protection against diseases and pests

One of the most important activities for the care of the garden is the examination of plants in order to identify various diseases and pests, as well as their control.

Note: This must be done before the plants bloom, since during flowering fruit trees cannot be treated with pesticides so as not to burn the flowers and cause the death of pollinating insects.

Looking around your garden, make clear plan plant protection measures, separately for each group of fruit and berry plantations. So you can achieve maximum effect with a minimum number of treatments.

You can fight pests and diseases both with the help of special toxic preparations and manually ( mechanically). Often, mechanical control measures are sufficient to control pests. For example, removing and destroying the nests of spiders, at the same time they fight the caterpillars of the ringed silkworm, apple moth and multicolor.

Get to work when the snow is just starting to melt:

It happens that mechanical means the fight is not enough, then they resort to the help of special chemical mixtures, or aqueous solutions with the addition of various substances (copper and iron vitriol, Bordeaux mixture, carbamide, soda ash, etc.). Ready-made products are used according to the instructions, and those prepared with one's own hand are stirred until a uniform consistency is obtained so as not to burn the trees.

Remember that to control adult insects, spraying must be carried out before flowering, and to destroy their larvae - after the end (Figure 4). Do not forget about personal protective equipment: gloves, goggles, a hat and a respirator.

top dressing

Summer top dressing of garden plants is carried out in order to saturate the missing trace elements. AT summer season foliar top dressing by crown spraying is more rational, since the leaves absorb nutrients much faster than the roots.

The most simple and balanced is the feeding of nitroammophos. It is a mixture of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and sulfur. Great for fertile soils. On soils of a different type (clay, heavy), a whole range of fertilizers should be used, based on a number of individual characteristics of each plant.

Very often for foliar feeding use urea. It contributes to the saturation of plants with nitrogen and destroys many pests. In August, top dressing is carried out with diluted karbofos, which combines the qualities of a fungicide and an insecticide. In addition, it is practically harmless to humans. And yet, remember that if the concentration of the active substance in the water exceeds certain standards, then instead of the expected positive result, plants can be harmed.

Autumn activities in the garden are similar to those in spring, but they are held in reverse order. That is, first they harvest, and then whitewash the trees.

Figure 5. The main measures for caring for trees in the garden in autumn

Before whitewashing, tree trunks are again cleaned of old bark, wounds and cracks are smeared with garden pitch and whitewashed (Figure 5).

Fertilizer

In October they hold root dressing with introduction into the circumferential circles mineral fertilizers(except for nitrogen). Such top dressing is a mandatory type of work in the autumn garden.

pruning

Another mandatory event in the fall is pruning trees to remove damaged shoots and diseased branches. All collected garbage (branches, leaves, spoiled fruits) must be taken out of the garden and burned.

Preparing for winter

Preparation for winter consists in wrapping tree trunks with roofing felt or roofing material. As a latch, you can use both an ordinary rope and barbed wire, which will serve as additional protection from hares and beavers to winter time. Poison baits will help fight mice.

Whitewashing of the bark will serve as additional protection. Since it has a bitter taste, it will be unattractive to rodents. In addition, with the advent of spring, white trunks will serve as a kind of mirror that reflects direct sunlight and prevents the formation of burns. Thus, already at the exit from the dormant state, the tree will be protected.

You will find tips on preparing the garden for winter in the video.

Since the plants are dormant in winter, garden care consists of regular inspections to detect rodents and laying out baits for them (Figure 6).

Protection

To get a good harvest, it is necessary to create conditions so that the trees can survive severe frosts and rodent invasions in the winter. Therefore, it is necessary to start work in the fall, having built protective devices for the bark (various fences, wrapping the trunk with barbed wire, "scarecrows").

Rodents should be fought with the help of special poisonous baits that are laid out around the plants. In this case, care should be taken that the birds do not have access to them. To do this, baits can be covered with boards or branches.

Figure 6 winter care behind the fruit trees in the garden

Frost can also do a lot of harm. To protect the plants from their influence, it is enough to wrap the trunks with roofing material or roofing felt, using a layer of ordinary burlap as a gasket between the bark and the wrapping material. So you protect your garden not only from frost, but also from burns from direct sunlight.

Root and bark care

In February, you can warm the roots with snow. To do this, a small hill of snow is poured near the trunk warmed in autumn and rammed with feet. This simple method will prevent the trees from freezing and help retain moisture.

Shaking off the snow

In winter, it is necessary to regularly monitor the amount of snow on the branches and shake it off, because when it melts it becomes heavier and can break young shoots.

The same activities are carried out during a sharp cold snap or thaw. Branches covered with a crust of ice break easily, and the tree can be seriously damaged.

garden care tools

Most often, the following tools are used to care for the garden (Figure 7):

Different kinds shovels: bayonet, shovel and snowplow;
Rakes, choppers, baking powder;
Secateurs and loppers, saws and garden shears;
Hoses and accessories for spraying;
Technical means: trolley, lawn mower, chainsaw, cultivator, brush cutter, etc.).

Figure 7. Garden tools

All these tools must be included in the gardener's arsenal without fail. But for beginners, you can buy inventory gradually, purchasing tools for the season.

Garden and garden care products

Means for the care of the garden and garden are divided into several groups. garden var and mortar used to treat bark and cracks on the trunk and branches. Various types of fertilizers (organic, mineral, complex) are used to strengthen plants, increase fruiting and accelerate the growth of trees.

Also on the list necessary funds garden care includes drugs against diseases and pests: fungicides, insecticides, various home-made tinctures.

Gardeners often have a situation where plant seedlings have already been purchased, but for one reason or another it is impossible to plant them. For example, early frosts hit in the fall and planting of the plant has to be postponed until spring. Fortunately, there are ways to save seedlings until planting. This material is devoted to the features of storage of seedlings.

Where to store seedlings before planting

The method of storage of seedlings is determined by various factors: the required shelf life planting material before landing climatic conditions, availability of suitable premises, etc. Let's consider these methods in more detail.

Did you know? One of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the famous Hanging Gardens of Babylon should actually be called gardens.« Amitis» named after the Median princess Amitis, 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 dig

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

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

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

After that, the plants can be laid in a trench. They are laid with trunks on the south, 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.

In this form, the prikop is left until the onset of stable frosts, i.e. every night the air temperature should drop below zero. If frosts have set in, the remaining soil is poured into the trench, and in the process of adding soil, the layers of the earth must be poured with water so that the soil is compacted. It is necessary to form a mound on top of the trench, which will help to avoid the accumulation of melt water in it in the spring.

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

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, they are stored in an unheated room, for which they are pre-wrapped with a moistened cloth (preferably burlap) and film.

When sufficient snow falls (at least 15 cm 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 lower part of the trunk.
The branches are carefully pulled together. The whole plant is wrapped with polyethylene and the shell is fixed with adhesive tape. It is necessary 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

It is quite possible to store seedlings in the refrigerator, unless, of course, the dimensions of the equipment allow and family members will not mind such use. To do this, the plant is wrapped with 2-3 layers of wet gauze, then simply placed in a plastic bag.

It is not necessary to tie this bag, otherwise the clogged plant may become moldy. Optimum temperature storage is 0°С…+2°С. This method suitable only for relatively short-term storage, usually no more than three weeks.

Can be used instead of a refrigerator glazed balcony or loggia. Preparing for storage is exactly the same as when using a refrigerator. When seedlings are purchased with the root system packed in the soil substrate, then they need to be pierced for storage. protective film in several places.
If the clod of earth is dry, it should be slightly moistened, but not watered abundantly. In this form, the plant can be stored for two to three weeks. In the case of storage in the cellar, the seedlings are lowered into plastic bags and sprinkled with wet sawdust.

Leave it in an upright position. Packages should not be tightly tied to prevent damage to the plant. In addition to bags, boxes can also be used for storage in the cellar. Seedlings are placed there in an upright position and fall asleep wet sand or wet sawdust. For the entire period of storage, the substrate is kept moist.

The optimum temperature for storage in the cellar is -2°С…+2°С. Hypothermia or overheating is best avoided, so it is advisable to control the temperature with a thermometer. If the cellar is very dry, you can increase the humidity of the air by placing an open container of water in it. However, high humidity, over 60%, is dangerous for seedlings and can kill 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 a film.

They should not come into contact with the walls of the box, but minimum distance to the walls should be at least 10 cm. From above and below they are covered with several layers of burlap or just old things. The complete safety of all planting material with this method of storage is not guaranteed.

Sometimes signs of development are already visible on purchased seedlings, but planting them in open ground it is too early. AT this case plants can be saved 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 sunlight - it can be, for example, a glazed balcony or a glazed veranda.
Watering and fertilizing the plant should be minimal so as not to provoke its premature rapid growth. Landing in the ground is usually carried out 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 fruit, nut and pome fruits horticultural crops people began to cultivate about three thousand years ago. But berry crops began to breed much later. Thus, garden currants and gooseberries are known from medieval sources, there are no earlier references to them.

Storage features

Storage of various garden plants (be it fruit trees, berry bushes or vine) 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 it happens), they can be dug in the garden without taking them out of the container, in a place protected from wind and sun. In this case, it is necessary to sprinkle the soil over the roots with peat for better warming.

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

fruit trees

The best place to store fruit trees is the cellar. The method is described in detail above, but there are no particular features in the storage of these particular plants.

Before laying in the cellar, leaves should be removed if they are left on the seedlings due to an oversight. Also widely used are such methods of storing fruit trees as digging and placing in the snow.

Kustarnikov

Features of the placement of shrubs completely coincide with the methods of storing seedlings of fruit trees. Those. optimal places are cellar, prikop and snow.

Grape

The best ways to store grapes are prikop and cellar. If a prikop is used, then the grape cuttings connected 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.

A healthy, flowering garden that brings a rich harvest depends largely on the right, quality care, especially in the spring. The time of awakening of all living things is important and troublesome for gardeners. Perform all work depending on weather conditions and climate zone.

First work in the garden

Work in the garden begins with the release of planting branches from melted snow, if at the end of winter there was an abundance of precipitation. From the spring sun, the snow becomes loose and heavy, it can easily break thin branches. To avoid this, shake it off. If the branches have already sagged and fallen, build supports to support them.

The following advice is relevant for sloped areas. So that the melt water lingers, and the flood does not erode the soil, build shafts of snow across the slope.

Stock up on melt water - it is rich in useful trace elements. To do this, the containers must be filled with snow and added as it melts.

With the advent of spring, not only vegetation wakes up - rodents and pests are ready to become more active. Inspect existing bait poisons, prepare new ones if necessary.

The snow has melted - start cleaning the garden. Collect old leaves and other debris, get rid of weeds if they have appeared.

Whitewashing - protection of horticultural crops

How to whitewash trees

Even before the snow has completely melted and the trees “wake up”, choose a dry day and whitewash.

Before work, prepare trees with damage: clean the trunk with a brush, remove dead bark, at the same time pests that have overwintered and survived in it will be destroyed. Growths, lichens are also cleaned off. Cover all open cracks with garden pitch. Whitewash after the treated areas are completely dry.

Early whitewashing - a double benefit for the tree:

It will prevent burns that can appear on the bark from bright spring rays, so only white is used.
Protects the tree trunk from insect pests.

Which solution to apply is up to you. acrylic paint rains are not terrible - this whitewash is the most resistant. You can use special store solutions and self-prepared ones, with the addition of any adhesive.

How to whitewash fruit trees

The most common is whitewashing with lime:

2.5 kg of lime is diluted per bucket of water;
half a liter of copper sulfate;
wood glue is added - 200 grams, so that the solution on the tree lasts longer.

Whitewash based on manure and lime:

1 kg of lime and manure;
200 grams of copper sulfate;
mix these components in 8 liters of water, leave for about 2 hours.

Clay-based whitewash solution:

mix 1 kg of oily clay in 10 liters of water;
2 kg of slaked lime;
a shovel of cow dung;
250 grams of copper sulfate.

Leave for 2 hours Whiten young trees with a mixture based on chalk, under such a solution the bark will breathe freely.

Spraying trees and shrubs in the garden

Garden care in the spring is a mandatory prevention of the appearance of pests and the fight against diseases.

When to Treat Trees

Process fruit and berry crops with special preparations at least 3 times:

before vegetation (bud swelling);
before flowering;
7-10 days after flowering.

How to spray fruit trees

Early spraying of trees with Bordeaux mixture or blue vitriol, urea, (urea) will save plants from many problems. There are other means of processing: chemical, combined, but the above are effective and one of the most budgetary. Which drug to choose, the gardener decides.

Start the first treatment when the temperature has reached 5 °C. During this period, spraying will destroy successfully overwintered pests.
The use of special preparations before flowering will help protect the buds, cope with pest larvae and fungal diseases.
The next treatment is needed to destroy the emerging insects and fruit rot.

Remember that it is not recommended to spray trees during flowering.

tree nutrition

Garden maintenance includes spring top dressing trees, contributing to the nutrition and improvement of soil quality. All necessary elements for growth, plants are obtained through mineral fertilizers, so do not forget about them every year. Organic: compost, peat, manure is enough to use once every 2-3 years. Usually, in the spring, the soil is fed with nitrogen, and in the fall, manure, phosphorus, and potassium are used.

Timing of fertilizer application

Apply the first fertilizer in March. Mineral mixtures dissolve well, they can be sprinkled on the snow. Together with melt water, useful substances are absorbed into the ground. On a plot with a slope, such top dressing will not be effective: it will be carried away by melt water.

Another option is relevant for all fruit and berry crops: apply 2/3 doses of nitrogen fertilizers when you dig up tree trunks.

Dosage of organic and mineral fertilizers for the garden

Be attentive to the process of fertilizing: fruit-bearing trees will be negatively affected by both a lack and an excess of minerals. For example, the irregularity of such useful element how nitrogen can affect frost hardiness and overall plant growth.

More accurate fertilizer application data is shown in the table.

Table 1. Dose of fertilizer application per fruit tree

Planting year	Trunk circle diameter, m	organic fertilizers, kg	Mineral fertilizers, g
Planting year	Trunk circle diameter, m	organic fertilizers, kg	Nitrogen	Phosphorus	Potassium
2nd	2,0	6	10	10	15
3, 4th	2,5	10	20	20	30
5th, 6th	3,0	15	30	30	45
7th, 8th	3,5	20	60	40	60
9th, 10th	4,0	25	75	50	75
11th, 12th	5,0	40	120	80	150

In addition to mineral fertilizers for top dressing, use organic matter: manure and compost. Decayed manure improves soil properties. Clay in structure becomes less viscous, and light, free-flowing increase their moisture capacity. Organic fertilizers not only have a positive effect on the soil, but also nourish with useful elements.
Valentina Kravchenko, expert

How to properly fertilize plants

Do not feed young plants, start this useful process from the second year of the trees' life.

When applying fertilizer, consider the following factors:

plants better absorb the liquid form of fertilizers;
do not fertilize near the trunk: the roots that absorb nutrients are located along the perimeter of the branches;
apply fertilizer in the evening or on a cloudy day;
so that the roots do not get burned, first moisten the soil, only then apply liquid fertilizers;
keep the earth near the tree in a loose state, so the plant "breathes" better;
after applying dry fertilizer, water the near-stem area along with top dressing.

Pruning - effective sanitary cleaning

Trees and shrubs that are not pruned during their growth look worse, age faster, and their yield decreases.

When to prune fruit trees

Finish all pruning work before the buds begin to swell. Before performing the procedure, wait until the temperature column drops to minus 5 °C, and night frosts to minus 10 °C will not return.

During pruning, material is also collected for subsequent grafting of fruit trees. Selected shoots are cut, grafted immediately or stored in a dark, cool place until sap flow occurs.

The Basics of Successful Pruning of Garden Plants

start pruning before the start of sap flow;
first of all, free the tree from shoots damaged during cold weather, this is an extra burden that only hinders the development of the plant;
remove dry and broken branches;
cover the cuts with garden pitch if branches with a diameter of more than 15 cm are cut;
first cultivate fruit-bearing plants, and young growth 10-15 days later.

Care and planting seedlings

Inspection and treatment of trees in spring

If the frosts have receded, remove the heaters from the stems. Inspect the trees to see if they are intact, if rodents have reached them.

If there is an injury, heal the tree:

Clean the bark spoiled by mice and treat with iron sulphate (for this, a 5% solution is taken), then cover with garden pitch.
The tree that the hares have reached receives more serious damage. In this case, "bridge" vaccinations are used.

Planting seedlings in spring

Planting work in the garden in the spring, start as soon as the snow recedes, 2 weeks before the growing season. Until the trees “woke up”, planting will be more efficient.

Check the soil so that it is not frozen; seedlings will not survive in such soil.
Dip the roots of the tree in a clay mash, this will increase the adhesion of the bottom of the tree to the ground.
Prepare pits for new plants in the fall, then you can fill them with fertilizers.
If fertilizers were not applied before winter, then at the bottom of the pit where you plant the tree, fill in the rotted manure. Apply a nitrogen-based fertilizer some time after planting.

Qualitatively carried out spring care will affect how trees and shrubs will be prepared for the new season. A responsible approach to work in the garden will ensure a high result - a well-groomed, beautiful, healthy, fruitful garden.

If readers remember, the winter of 1978-1979, like the current one, was very cold. However, those gardeners who were in no hurry to destroy the frozen fruit trees, kept more than half of the apple, pear, plum, cherry, cherry plum, sweet cherry, first of all, of course, zoned varieties.

And now the situation seems to have repeated itself: the abnormally warm, dry, protracted autumn of 2005 led to the fact that gardens in most of the Leningrad Region entered the stage of winter dormancy with a great delay. It is known that the last organ of a fruit tree that is actively functioning until the very frost is the root system. Already in November, when the air temperature drops to -5°C ... -10°C, the roots continue to extract nutrients from the still unfrozen soil, which are stored in all parts of the tree and help to survive significant frosts. This is what happens in our area, if autumn is rainy and cool, winter begins with snow in November with slight cold, and the harvest was not too plentiful.

This season, everything was different: 1. It was warm almost until mid-November. 2. Traditional autumn rains fell in places and rather meagerly. Therefore, in those gardens where the owners did not take care of pre-winter watering, fruit trees could not get enough nutrition in the fall. 3. Relatively warm December and early January did not allow the formation of stable high snow cover, which during the severe winters of 1978-1979, 1985-1986, 2002-2003. kept at least lower part shtamba and root system from freezing. 4. Clear, frosty, windy February and March promise sunburn on the south side of the trunk and frost holes on the north and east.

To this must be added good harvests, especially apples, in the southern and western regions of the region. It is clear that a tree with a large yield also gives up a significant part of the substances it needs, and it can replenish them only with timely and careful care.

All the factors listed above have been summed up this winter and, most likely, will significantly affect the condition of our fruit trees.

So what should a gardener do to reduce negative impacts these factors.

First: do not rush to remove frozen trees. The extent of damage is best determined in May, possibly June, after sap flow has begun. At the same time, the less the variety is frost-resistant, its location on the site is less favorable, and the tree is taller, the more damaged the wood.

Second: assess the general condition of the tree - by the degree of darkening of the wood on the cut, the location and number of awakened buds, the nature of the foliage. If the core of the main branches (skeletal, semi-skeletal) is dark brown, the bark exfoliates, the awakening of the buds, even on seemingly intact branches, is significantly lower than the usual characteristic for a tree of this variety, then it has suffered greatly and, most likely, not only this winter.

Freezing (dying off) of fruit twigs of one-two-year-old shoots, partial damage to the bark as a result of frost cracks and sunburn is unpleasant, but does not yet lead to a quick death of the tree.

Third: perform rejuvenating pruning in adult affected trees, restorative pruning, preferably forming crown pruning, in young trees.

This work should be carried out only when the dead, partially alive and well restored zones are fully visible.

It can be assumed that in many gardens where there was sufficient snow cover or snow retention was carried out (bundding, organization of shelters, mulching of tree circles, etc.), young 3-10-year-old trees with a crown that died above the snow level will be found. At the same time, shoots and stems covered during the frost period will remain viable and give a sufficient number of young shoots during the growing season.

They must be protected from mechanical damage(for example, by wind) - tie up, shorten to increase strength, remove weak, poorly located, overlapping branches. Subsequently, from these surviving shoots, it will be possible to form a low-stem or bush tree form. This applies to both pome and stone fruit crops.

The slightly brown color of the wood indicates a slight damage to the tissues. However, it must be remembered that in this case mechanical strength of such branches has deteriorated, and pruning of these parts of the tree (skeletal, semi-skeletal branches, branches of the second order) should be carried out in more than a tree of the same variety and age, but without damage.

Heavily damaged own-rooted cherry and plum trees are quite easily restored by root offspring (shoots). Apple trees, pears - only shoots going above the grafting site.

All affected trees need enhanced feeding, first of all, nitrogen fertilizers, and in the dry period - in irrigation.

The final decision on the removal of a dead tree is best taken no earlier than the second half of July. Then the gardener can make sure that the dormant buds, even at the bottom of the stem, have not woken up and recovery is impossible. In this case, do not despair, but plant new zoned varieties from the nurseries of the North-West region.

Anatoly Kofman, gardener