Warming of apple tree seedlings for the winter. For trunk and crown

  • 12.06.2019

In autumn, the gardener has a lot of work to prepare fruit trees and berry bushes for wintering. It is necessary to clean the bark, treat the plants with preparations from pathogens and pests, carry out water-charging irrigation, clean the trunk circle and, finally, cover the plants. How to do it right shelter trees for the winter find out in this article.
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Why cover fruit trees?

in winter garden trees and shrubs have a hard time, they are threatened by a lot of trouble in the form of severe cold, sharp temperature fluctuations, heavy snowfalls, ice formation after thaws, powerful winds, bright spring sun, various rodents. All these phenomena can lead to damage to the branches, bark and root system, which is fraught with freezing, exfoliation of the bark, decay and even death of the plant. All this can be avoided if you properly cover garden plants for the winter.

What gives cover?

The tight cover protects against strong wind and prevents damage to the branches.

Insulates shrubs and trees, especially the root system of snow and covering materials.

In addition, the shelter protects against hares and other rodents.

What garden plants need shelter

It is necessary to cover all seedlings and young plants up to 5 years old, southern crops (apricot, grapes, boxwood, roses, clematis, arborvitae) and varieties that are not resistant to frost, almost all columnar and dwarf species that have a superficial root system that winter poorly in the northern regions, Siberia, in the Urals, and in the conditions of the Moscow region.

Materials for sheltering horticultural crops

They can be different, having individual advantages and disadvantages.

Consider these materials:

  • peat will protect the root system of horticultural crops, the disadvantage is soil acidification and the ability to cake;
  • organic material (hay, straw, fallen leaves) is an excellent insulation, but it is often used by pests for wintering and also rots;
  • spruce branches are able to protect the bark of shrubs from hares and perfectly retain snow, but not all gardeners can prepare it;
  • burlap and agrotextile ( nonwoven fabric) are well insulated, letting air through, but during the thaw period they can get wet;
  • polyethylene film protects the surface from water, but does not allow air to pass through and prevents plants from breathing;
  • metal, plastic or wooden frame domes reliably protect garden crops from all negative factors, but they require significant costs and take up a lot of space.
rodent protection

Before preparing a shelter for trees and shrubs, it is necessary to remove fallen leaves and carrion.

To insulate the root system of garden plants, the surface under them is covered with straw, dry grass, a layer of peat and covered with a non-woven fabric or plastic wrap which are removed in the spring. When insulating the surface of plants, you need to remember that you can not fill up the root collar - this is the weakest point of the plum, apricot, felt cherry, which can rot with temperature fluctuations, it often warms up, which will lead to the death of a tree or shrub. Therefore, it is necessary to constantly remove snow from the trunk. If this is not possible, then in the fall you need to wrap the trunk from the root neck up with nylon fabric (stockings, tights), burlap or make a kind of cylinder from roofing felt, tin or cardboard.

In shrubs (raspberries, currants, honeysuckle, etc.), branches are tied to eliminate the risk of breaking off under a mass of snow and from strong winds.

All creepers (lemongrass, actinidia, grapes, decorative honeysuckle) should be removed from the supports and laid on a wooden shield, film or roofing material (but not on the ground!) And pinned with special hooks. From a young vineyard, you should not remove the leaves, which gradually give the plant nutrients, increasing resistance to frost. Branches of raspberries, blackberries can be bent to the ground and covered with a non-woven fabric (agrospan, litraspan) and tied with a rope. It is a good idea to leave openings for ventilation in the covering material on the south side.

The spruce branches wrapped around the trunk and secured with string will protect the trunk from hares and other rodents. The height of such protection is 1-1.5 m, with the expectation of a snowy winter.

More valuable breeds with low resistance to frost are covered with framed dome structures, which can be made independently or purchased at the appropriate store. The inside of the dome can be filled with foliage (it is best to use oak, which does not cake), hay, straw, or left filled with air. A non-woven fabric or film is stretched over the frame, the edges of which must be well fixed by filling them with sawdust or something else.

Time to make a shelter

Usually this time is the end of October - the beginning of November, when it starts to freeze upper layer and all necessary work in the garden, including Earlier shelter trees for the winter can cause bloating garden plant and its weakening, which will lead to death.

Therefore, in the spring, you should remove the shelter as early as possible for the same reason.

I wish you success.

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The autumn season is the time to prepare the garden for the winter period. How the gardener takes care of his trees will determine their well-being throughout the year. First of all, this is important for the most common fruit trees- apple and pear trees. The harvest is over, the last leaf has fallen, the apple orchard is preparing for a long, harsh winter. In order for the trees to delight us again with their fabulous flowering in spring, and in summer we can enjoy their magnificent fruits, apple trees need to be properly and competently prepared for winter, sparing no time and effort. Preparing apple trees for winter is a work consisting of several stages and activities. The main step in this important work is also a shelter for trees. Many gardeners are interested in how to properly cover apple trees for the winter in order to protect them from frost and hares. If you are not yet an experienced gardener, then our tips will tell you the answer to this question.

Most apple trees temperate climate are considered to be resistant to cold winters. If not very coldy last only a few days, then they will not bring much harm to apple trees, unlike hungry hares. In extreme cases, weak root branches may suffer a little, or roots located close to the surface of the earth will slightly freeze. Therefore, before starting to cover apple trees for the winter, it is important to understand why this should be done. It is recommended to cover the apple tree not only to protect the tree from frost; the main thing is to protect against a variety of rodents (hares, mice, etc.). Timely and reliable shelter of the bark is necessary condition for healthy growth and development of the tree in spring. Such shelter is especially necessary for young trees, since damage to the bark can cause various diseases, and even lead to the death of the apple tree. Preparing apple trees for winter includes protecting the trees from hares and other rodents.

It is generally accepted that before you cover an apple tree (this also applies to pears) for the winter, you need to increase its resistance to frost for some time. Throughout the season, try to do everything to ensure that the tree grows strong and healthy. To do this, you need to remember about timely watering, loosening the earth, fertilizing and fertilizing. At the end of summer, it is recommended to stop watering and increase loosening. This will provide the tree with a supply of minerals, will help stop the growth of the root system, and only then will your measures for sheltering and warming the apple tree be effective. For frost-resistant apple trees aged 5-7 years, warming is considered optional. Provided that the bark of the tree is healthy, there are no visible injuries and diseases on it, the apple tree can independently withstand frost. Ground part trunk without additional shelter can withstand frosts up to 20-35 degrees. it is necessary to insulate for the winter necessarily, regardless of their size and age.

Video “Shelter for the winter of columnar apple trees”

The video shows how to prepare a columnar apple tree for wintering; how to cover a plant to protect it from frost and rodents.

How to insulate apple trees

Experienced gardeners believe that not only the quality of their future harvest, but also the fruiting period will depend on how apple and pear trees are covered for the winter. Before you cover apple trees for the winter, it is important to study the climatic features of your area. Sometimes careless gardeners naively hope that the winter will be warm, and do not pay enough attention to warming the trees. This is an unacceptable oversight. According to long-term observations of meteorologists, the winter air temperature often drops to -40°C, and on the surface of the earth to -42-46 degrees below zero. It should be noted that this amplitude on calm days can be up to 10 degrees and higher. In this case, if the apple tree is not insulated, then both the root and the skeletal branches will die. This can be avoided if you not only cover the place of the root system with snow, but also insulate the trunk well with improvised materials - burlap, paper, etc. Siberian gardeners should be especially serious in solving this problem, since long and frosty winters require careful shelter of trees not only from hares, but also from frost.

It is recommended in advance, at the end of November, to start work on warming the root system of the apple tree. After the first heavy snowfall, you should cover the tree trunk with snow to a height of about a meter, but do not forget to remove it in the spring. Siberian gardeners do it a little earlier, depending on the average daily air temperatures. Before snow falls, it is possible to insulate apple and pear trees with spruce branches, paper, cloth or other materials, preferably to a height of 1-1.5 meters. From above, paper or thick fabric is fixed with soft twine or a strong rope. It is believed that this protects the apple tree not only from hares and mice, but also from strong gusty winds and sunburn.

Features of seedling shelter

If trees were planted in the garden in autumn, then the question arises: how to protect apple tree seedlings in winter? Most often, it is recommended to do the same as with older trees.

It is necessary to cover a young seedling, because its damaged bark will crack and hurt, and rotting frozen roots will lead to the death of the tree. This is important to consider for warming both frost-resistant and columnar apple trees.

The most important thing is reliable shelter of the roots. In order for them to winter safely, you need to take care of them in advance. First put manure around the root system, and sprinkle on top with a thick layer sawdust. The root neck is well wrapped with any dense insulating material (agrofibre can be used for this purpose). You can tie the tree trunk with thick white wrapping paper. It is known that White color has good reflectivity, which means it will protect the seedling from the harmful rays of the sun. It is not recommended to use a film or roofing material, propped up during the thaw period, they can cause various fungal diseases. For these purposes, you can use the stems of reeds, corn or sunflowers.

After warming, the young seedling should be covered with an earthen mound up to 30 centimeters high, provided that the soil is dry and loose. Rotting in winter, during thaws, and in spring, when positive temperatures are established, manure will provide top dressing of the root system with minerals. This will contribute to the strong growth and development of your tree. Only then it is recommended to sprinkle with the thickest layer of snow.

When preparing a columnar seedling for winter, you need to carefully treat the apical bud. It can be insulated with old rags and wrapped with foil. It is desirable to tie a young tree to a support.

Video “Insulation of fruit trees for the winter”

The video talks about why to insulate fruit trees for the winter, and shows how to do it right.

With the advent of cold weather, the need to care for the garden gradually decreases, but the summer resident faces the question of how to insulate the apple tree for the winter, because frosts can seriously harm it. Most often, young plantings need protection, but if severe cold often occurs in your area, then adult trees can get frost burns or freeze out completely. To prevent this from happening, find out how to cover an apple tree for the winter and be sure to apply the tips from the article.

Preparing an apple tree as a way to winter

According to the data, even middle lane and the Moscow region, winters are often cold, with frosts below 35 degrees. And note that this temperature is in the air, but on the ground it is much lower. This means that the trunk and the root system, which is located closest to the surface of the earth, are at risk. It is very easy to lose an apple tree that has no protection at all, and besides, it will significantly affect its fruiting and productivity.
Preparation of seedlings and trees for wintering should always precede any event. It is advisable to start it already in early September, as this will help to significantly increase winter hardiness. fruit plantings. The very first event is pruning. Loading with extra branches only harms, forcing wasteful nutrients.

The next step is to remove fallen leaves. Of these, by the way, you can make a good organic fertilizer if you plow them into the ground near the trunk circle. Immediately after harvesting, it is time to process the apple tree, or spray it. Moreover, at this stage, it is necessary not only to spray preparations that prevent the development of diseases and the appearance of pests, but also to introduce fertilizers into the soil - both organic and mineral. Potassium sulphate and superphosphate have a good effect on the apple tree during this period, but nitrogen agents cannot be used at all.

The penultimate stage of preparing a tree for winter is its whitewashing. Lime is usually recommended as one of the ways to protect the trunk from the cold. And if copper sulfate is also added to its solution, it will be possible to protect fruit trees from pests hiding in the bark for the winter.

  • The last way to form a near-stem circle includes the first and third methods at once, but only the peat layer should be only about 10 cm. Snow will need to be trampled on top of it. The optimal thickness of this layer is 10-15 cm. After that, sawdust is poured on top of a fairly large layer, and snow falls again. The most interesting thing is that this method not only acts as a protection against frost, but also allows the gardener to independently regulate the start time of sap flow. Indeed, until the sawdust is removed, the snow under them will not melt for a long time, which means that the risk of damage to the tree by spring frosts, which sometimes return suddenly, damaging apple blossom, will be minimized.

Young apple trees, in addition to the construction of such a trunk circle, will need to be additionally insulated. To do this, you can take a variety of materials:

  • Elnik. Coniferous branches will need to be tied to the trunk;
  • A dense fabric or burlap wraps the trunk well. If the trees are small, but already have branches, then you will need to wrap not only them, but also the skeletal branches;
  • Ruberoid. The most common material that protects the apple tree well enough. But between the layer of roofing material and the bark of the tree, there must be not only lime whitewash, but at least a thin layer of tissue, as it is very toxic. It, moreover, must be removed very early in the spring, otherwise, under more aggressive rays, it will begin to emit fumes.
  • Newspaper can also help with insulation. More precisely, four-layer “bandages” made from it. They wrap around a tree trunk and sometimes skeletal branches. Since paper is still not a very reliable assistant, we recommend that you make an earthen cone, that is, pour earth around the trunk and tamp it down. Thus, the root neck and trunk will be protected.
  • Spandbond is considered a covering material, but it can also be used when wrapping branches and trunk.
  • Reeds are good only if you have taken care of protecting your apple tree from rodents. When wrapping the trunk, be sure to make sure that everything is securely fixed with twine.

If the seedling is a dwarf breed (for example, a columnar apple tree), or just very small, then you can knock down a cone-shaped pyramid along its growth. Inside it will be possible to pour peat, pressed leaves, put spruce branches - in general, everything that will help to preserve heat. From above, the structure is covered with burlap or tarpaulin, after which the fabric is either nailed or simply fixed securely. During the winter, such a pyramid will also be covered with snow, which will help to additionally create heat. This method of insulation is indispensable if there are heat-loving varieties of apple trees on your site.

Any kind of apple tree requires preparation for the winter period, because it continues to grow in winter, only at a slower pace.

It is important to protect apple trees from frost and pests. Every gardener must take care of the trees, in particular, about.

We will reveal the methods of how to insulate an apple tree for the winter, below in the article.


The crucial moment in preparing the apple tree for the winter period is freeing trees from, which can survive the winter and deal heavy damage fruit trees if the necessary measures are not taken:

  1. Many inexperienced gardeners deliberately do not remove fallen leaves and small branches around the tree, as they think that in this way they save the root system of trees from freezing. However, pests and larvae appear in the fallen leaves. different kind insects that can harm young shoots and apples. Consequently, foliage around apple trees is important to collect and destroy. Similar work is done with rotten fruits;
  2. Carry out composition processing blue vitriol or alternative special preparations for lichen;
  3. For the destruction of bark beetles attract the birds. The easiest method is to hang up feeders and feed the birds;
  4. To protect trees from sunburn, frost and insects, it is desirable whiten the bottom trees.

Treatment of apple trees from pests.

IMPORTANT! Carrying out such events will protect the trees from diseases and preserve the fruits from the invasion of codling moth caterpillars in the future.

Removing branches

Before the onset of cold weather, it is better to cut out old branches. The apple tree is given the appearance of a bush, cutting off old branches and shortening live and young branches by about 1/3 of the length. Optimal Height apple tree is 3-3.5 m.

Branches that intersect each other are also cut to prevent thickening of the crown trying to select damaged branches. All cuts are made with a hacksaw or secateurs at an acute angle. The place of the cut is covered oil paint or garden broth.


General scheme apple tree prunings.

General scheme for pruning an apple tree.

Watering in autumn

If the summer was dry and the autumn rainy, then the increased growth of the apple tree will have to be exactly in autumn period. Young shoots will not have time to get stronger and may die in winter.

The tree must receive moisture throughout the summer period!

ATTENTION! In October, on the eve of frosts, it is necessary to carry out the final irrigation of the land around the tree, creating all the conditions for a favorable wintering of the root system.

Warming of the trunk and roots

Preparation for frost will be incomplete without insulation of the roots and trunk of a tree. This will require:

  1. Loosening the soil;
  2. Covering with peat, manure or sawdust to save the root system from freezing;
  3. Preparation for winter of young apple trees requires additional piling up of a tubercle 35-40 cm high;
  4. Snow cover can be considered an additional insulation, creating a slide around the trunk.

Annual seedlings do not have time to get stronger to frost and suffer from frost. Gardeners need to take a little time and insulate them by wrapping them around the trunk with material and fixing them with tape.


Warming the seedling by additionally raking the tubercle.

The material is:

  • Paper in several layers;
  • Spunbond;
  • Ruberoid;
  • Fabric or burlap.

If the above materials were not at hand, then you can use spruce or reeds.

ATTENTION! Saplings for winter are a must tie up. To do this, a stake is driven into the ground and a tree is tied to it. Thanks to this, the tree will not die from the winds.

Columnar apple trees


Harvest of a columnar apple tree.

This unique trees not more than 2.5 m in height and up to 0.5 m in width, having a high yield. They do not have long branches around the central shoot. Apple trees of this type must be covered completely:

  1. Wooden planks are taken;
  2. A pyramid is assembled around the tree;
  3. Humus is poured inside;
  4. The pyramid is wrapped in a material, such as polyethylene or tarpaulin.

Apple trees will easily survive the winter weather and in the spring they will begin to delight with their flowering, and then with apples.

To whiten or not?

Experienced gardeners advise apple trees. Lime mortar - a means of preventing frost, protection from sunburn and pests.

How to cover an apple tree for the winter

An important point is the correct selection of the timing of the shelter of the apple tree. Need to build a defense after the complete end of sap flow and the establishment of sub-zero air temperature about -10 degrees.

Competent selection of materials for protecting the barrel is also an equally important point.

To fix the material, use adhesive tape or fabric tape.

To protect against rodents, seedlings are covered with spruce branches, stockings or alternative materials. Low trees are wrapped with fine mesh.

ADVICE! Do not use straw from cereals as materials, so as not to attract rodents to the apple tree. Materials used by experienced gardeners: agricultural canvas, burlap, old tights, roofing material or spruce branches. Do not use wire, so as not to injure the bark of the tree.

Watch the video for a practical guide to preparing apple trees for winter:

Preparing apple trees for winter in the Moscow region

The preparation of trees for frost in the Moscow region and in neighboring areas is carried out diligently, since rather severe weather conditions. In winter, strong temperature fluctuations from positive to very negative are possible here.

Digging and top dressing

After harvesting, the trees need mineral fertilizers, as the accumulation of nutrients in apple trees begins. This must be done within 2-3 weeks after picking apples, so as not to delay the completion of the growing season.

During the digging process,

The branches finally slow down their development and ripen, increasing the frost resistance of the apple tree. Brown leaves on the trees indicate the readiness of the apple tree for wintering.

Winter is preferable to withstand trees that have received a complex of fertilizers during spring-autumn:

  • Spring– complex mineral fertilizer;
  • July August- nitrogen, which improves the growth of shoots and increases the frost resistance of the tree bark;
  • second half of summer- potassium and phosphorus also increase frost resistance.

Irrigation and frost protection

Important before wintering saturate the tree with water. This will increase the frost resistance of the apple tree. Need to find some.

IMPORTANT! Young apple trees are especially affected by improper care, which can stop their growth in the summer and begin to grow closer to autumn, thereby not having time to prepare for the cold.

An important point is the provision of water throughout the growing season.

Rodent protection

Protection is standard procedure. The barrel is wrapped with roofing paper, burlap or alternative materials.


Barrel protection from rodents with plastic bottles.

Disease protection

When the leaves fall, the apple trees are processed urea solution or other compounds. Painful branches are cut down and burned.

Digging will help to destroy various insects. Harvesting of rotten fruit exterminates codling moth larvae. The tree itself is freed from hanging rotten fruits - sources of tree infection.

How to prepare an apple tree for winter in the Urals and Siberia

Varieties bred specifically for the Urals and Siberia are able to endure the most severe winters.

Preparing for winter apple trees in Siberia lies in sheltering a seedling with material or needles. They cover the trunk quite high, minimum 1-1.5 m. At the top, the fabric is fixed with tape or a rope. The tree has protection from sunburn, rodents and cold weather.

Preparing apple trees for winter in the Urals is also in the shelter of the root system. For insulation, manure, peat or sawdust is used. A mound is made around the trunk up to 25-35 cm high.

The columnar apple tree is completely insulated with plastic wrap or burlap.

In these areas, seedlings cover completely from the end of autumn, throwing and tamping snow. It will serve as additional protection from the cold.

Some winter-hardy varieties suitable for growing in the Siberian region:

  • Gornoaltayskiy;
  • Souvenir of Altai;
  • Bayan.

Trees, as elsewhere, need to be protected from rodents, pests and diseases. Effective Methods protections were described at the beginning of the article. Having followed all the rules, the gardener will help the apple trees survive in difficult climatic conditions Siberia and the Urals.

How to prepare a young apple tree for winter

IMPORTANT! Stems of seedlings and roots are subject to shelter. Winds are dangerous for seedlings. It is advisable to dig a stake into the ground and tie a tree. Some gardeners put a barrier of dry branches around the tree to contain the wind. After the snow falls, there will be additional protection against freezing.

A layer of peat, manure or sawdust is an excellent protection from freezing root system. Materials (paper, burlap, spunbond) are wrapped around the trunks for warming. From rodents protect spruce branches or resistant bad smell, for example, tar.

Frosts on apple trees

This phenomenon is caused by very cold winter or a prolonged thaw. This depression, which appears on the trunk or at the base of the branches, is called a frost hole. Frost cracks appear with sudden changes in ambient temperature.

This phenomenon is associated with a more rapid compression of the outer parts of the trunk. The liquid released from the cells freezes and causes the wood to stress and break.

The tree changes color from white to light brown or even brown, losing the ability to feed. There is a blockage of blood vessels inside the apple tree. Nutrition does not reach the young shoots, but mixes with blocking substances or may even flow out of the frost holes of the trunk.

Pests settle around the frost hole under the separated bark diseases develop.

Gardeners need to follow some rules:

  • Choose frost-resistant and suitable for growing in this region varieties of apple trees;
  • Choose a place for planting an apple tree so that it is not damp;
  • The soil must be non-poor;
  • The gardener needs to watch the trees.

Watch the video on how to treat an apple tree for sunburn and frostbites:

frostbite treatment one should start with the exposure period in the first spring and continue until the depression is overgrown. This may continue for several years. Below is a description of the stages of treatment:

  1. Along the recess, the dead bark is cut off with a knife to white tissues;
  2. The wound is treated with a brush with a 5% composition of copper sulfate;
  3. And they cover it with a batch of clay or mullein in a ratio of 6: 4 or garden pitch;
  4. The barrel is wrapped with a film or burlap;
  5. A deep wound is pulled together with wire and chips are placed.

This procedure must be carried out annually until complete recovery tree. Every spring, the wound is released from the bandage and an incision is made with a knife along the edge of the swollen bark, stimulating the growth of the bark on the bare part of the tree.

ADVICE! The bark furrowing method is also effective. This procedure is carried out in May after the first spring pressure of juices. The method allows you to release young tissues from the pressure of the hardened bark. The bark is not deeply cut. 3-4 furrows are carried out along the circumference of the trunk: from the first branch to the soil, interrupted every 35-40 centimeters.

Subsequently, young shoots with leaves appear, which will increase the flow of nutrition to the wound. After the wound has healed, the shoots are carefully removed. Large frost holes are restored by grafting cuttings using the "bridge" method.

Freezing of young apple and pear trees. What to do if the apple tree is frozen?

Examine the tree and find a vaccination site. The grafting site is called a slight curvature of the trunk closer to the root system. Consider 3 further development situations:

  1. Young shoots appear above the graft. This means that the apple tree has not disappeared. The gardener needs to choose the strongest process and, on its basis, form a new crown. Carefully cut the dried trunk and cover it with garden pitch or oil paint;
  2. Outgrowths formed below the graft The apple tree is gone. The fruits from such an apple tree will be small, they are also called "wild birds", and the taste will leave much to be desired. Replace the apple tree if the location is optimal for tree planting;
  3. Shoots from the roots appeared, and others were higher than the grafts. Then the gardener needs to cut out the shoots of the scion, and the strongest one is selected from the shoots above the graft, on the basis of which the crown of the tree is formed.

Conclusion

Autumn is a busy time for gardeners. You need to harvest, put everything in storage and recycle. But we must not forget about the trees that remain to winter. Preparing for winter is an important step that will help keep the apple tree healthy. And in the summer, the apple tree will thank you with a good harvest!


In contact with

There is a fairly common belief that apple trees need to be covered for the winter so that frost does not damage them. This opinion is erroneous. In fact, you need to cover apple trees first of all from hares and other rodents who like to eat the bark of young trees in the conditions of winter restriction of their food supply.

In addition, with the help of shelter, the apple tree receives protection from cold winter winds, which can dry out the bark excessively, as well as from the spring sun, which causes bark burns.

Therefore, the shelter of apple trees before the onset of the winter period is one of the most important autumn events, and it must always be remembered. Preparation of apple trees for winter must be done in advance.

Is it necessary to cover old apple trees for the winter?

Starting with apple trees reaching the age of 7 years or more, the need for their winter shelter decreases. But some measures for a safe wintering should still be taken. Before the onset of frost (but not during or after), apple trees should be watered along the perimeter of the crown. It is also recommended to fertilize the trees. When the leaf fall is over, you need to remove the dead old bark and treat the old apple trees with a solution of iron sulfate (to provide them with protection from lichen).

Then the trunk circle is insulated. For this purpose, it is necessary to pour or ordinary earth from the garden with a layer three centimeters thick on the trunk circle.

How to cover apple trees for the winter?

First of all, young apple trees require care. The most vulnerable area in a young apple tree is the basal neck. How to cover an apple tree for the winter? The trunk circle is easiest to cover with snow - the more, the better.

To keep the snow on the tree as best as possible, you can throw tops or small brushwood on the crown. When snow falls, it is recommended to cover the crown of the apple tree with it. It is better to take snow for use from those areas where there are no perennial garden plants under it. The apple tree should be covered with snow throughout the winter. If there are vertical uncut shoots on it, then they can not be covered. Shelters from trees can be removed in the spring, when the snow has completely melted.

To check the condition of the apple tree in winter, you can cut off the tip of the branch and examine the cut. In living tissue, the color will be white, in the dead, it will be brownish or dark beige. Although, if some branches have died, this does not mean that the whole tree has died.

Autumn preparation of apple trees includes cleaning the dead bark from the branches and boles of old trees, followed by whitewashing with a solution of lime. The processing solution is prepared as follows: 0.5 kg of copper sulfate, 1 kg of lime and 10 liters of water. It is better to whitewash young trees using a chalk solution for this.

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How to protect apple trees from damage by rodents?

In winter, you need to protect the trees from active rodents. To do this, you can tie the trunks and skeletal branches at their base with a dense layer of insulating material:, willows, you can use young branches or other materials (wire mesh, roofing felt or roofing material, whitewashed with a solution of chalk or lime). Before using synthetic materials for tying, it is supposed to tie the tree with matting or burlap.

Another option for sheltering apple trees is fiberglass or unnecessary nylon stockings.

In winter, when the tree is covered with snow, but warming comes and the snow becomes soft, you need to compact it so that rodents cannot get close. This can be done by trampling the snow with your foot. When the intense snowfall has passed, it is necessary to hill up the apple trees again.

When spring comes, the snow gradually begins to melt and absorb moisture. It is necessary to monitor the trees so that the branches do not break under the weight of the snow layer.

Another good option for protecting apple trees from rodents is to tie the lower part of the trunks with spruce or juniper branches. You need to lay these branches with the needles down. As an alternative, yellow acacia or birch bark is used.

You can harm rodents like mice by cleaning autumn garden from fallen leaves, thereby depriving the mouse holes of a heat-insulating shelter. Also effective way autumn and spring control of rodents is the laying of poison in their holes.

Is it possible to push back the flowering period of apple trees with an insulating layer?

There is an opinion that the use of a layer of sawdust, straw, peat or manure (on top of the snow cover of the crown of apple trees) shifts the period of flowering in time. And as a result of this procedure, there is a reinsurance against freezing of early flowers by spring frosts.

However, this opinion is not confirmed in practice. If trees are covered in this way, then flowering will not be affected in any way, but will only slow down the process of thawing the soil. In addition, the tree will be harmed, because the normal nutrition of the branches with water and other necessary substances is disrupted.

Flowering in apple trees is tied to air temperature and begins from the moment when the average daily temperature rises to + 8-9 ° C.

And some secrets...

Have you ever experienced unbearable joint pain? And you know firsthand what it is:

  • inability to move easily and comfortably;
  • discomfort when going up and down stairs;
  • unpleasant crunch, clicking not of their own free will;
  • pain during or after exercise;
  • inflammation in the joints and swelling;
  • causeless and sometimes unbearable aching pain in the joints ...

Now answer the question: does it suit you? Can such pain be endured? How much money have you already spent on ineffective treatment? That's right - it's time to end this! Do you agree? That is why we decided to publish an exclusive interview with professor Dikul, in which he revealed the secrets of getting rid of joint pain, arthritis and arthrosis.

An interesting video about preparing young trees for winter