Content
In the fall, after harvest, the trees prepare for hibernation. During this time, gardeners carry out preparatory work to help them survive the cold period safely. It is especially important to know how to cover the apple tree for the winter.
Preparing for hibernation, apple trees slow down their development.
In this moment:
- biochemical processes are slower, nutrients go down to the roots to strengthen them;
- shoots that have grown over the summer become woody.
The need for shelter
At the beginning of summer, buds of the next year are laid on apple trees. And the shoots that have grown during the season should have lignified by the end of summer. Improper care apple tree in autumn can lead to the continuation of its growth and development. As a result, she will not have time to prepare for the cold weather, the young buds will freeze. The tree may die or weaken and be susceptible to disease. The apple tree will no longer be able to give a good harvest.
Particular attention should be paid to seedlings of the first year, since their root system has not yet had time to gain a foothold in a new place.
The resistance of an apple tree to cold must be formed throughout the summer season with the help of:
- timely feeding;
- loosening of near-trunk circles;
- pest control.
There is also a danger of drying out young apple trees under the winter sun and wind, so it is necessary to provide shelter not only for the trunk, but also for the crown. It is necessary to protect the apple tree from rodents, which gnaw the bark in winter, sometimes causing irreparable damage to it.
They usually need to insulate the apple tree in the first few years, and then it is enough to protect the stems of healthy trees from rodents, and the bark and the trunk circle - to treat it from pests and cover it with a thick layer of snow.
Preparatory activities
Preparing an apple tree for winter for the middle lane, you should start at the beginning of autumn with tree pruning. By this time, the apple tree is already loaded with extra shoots that have grown during the year. They take away some of the nutrients, weakening the root system. At the same time, when pruning, it is freed from damaged or weak branches.
In the next step:
- you need to collect fallen leaves and other debris and burn them - some gardeners dig up trunks along with leaves, using them as fertilizer;
- it is also necessary to clean the trunk of dead bark - insect pests can hide under it, the bare area can be disinfected with garden varnish;
- apple trees are treated against pests and diseases;
- the trees are fed with potash and phosphorus salts - during this period, nitrogen fertilizers cannot be applied, as they stimulate the further development of the apple tree;
- the boles are whitewashed with a mixture of solutions of lime and copper sulfate - it will protect the trunk from the cold and protect it from pests, as well as from the appearance of lichens;
- around October, the apple tree is watered to protect the roots from dehydration - for it you need to choose warm, dry weather.
The video shows the procedure for preparing apple trees for shelter:
.
Preparation of seedlings
Very often, insect pests find shelter in the bark of apple seedlings, which cause great harm to them during the winter. The tender bark of the seedling contains a large supply of nutrients, and, in addition, it provides the pests with a warm shelter, where they have time to breed during the winter months.
Pest insects that hide in the foliage under the trees can damage the roots of the seedlings that have not yet hardened.Not knowing how to cover apple trees, some inexperienced gardeners make mistakes - they leave foliage under the seedlings to warm the roots. However, all of it needs to be collected and burned. To protect seedlings from pests, you should:
- process a young apple tree copper sulfate, which will protect the tree from insect penetration;
- carefully examine the seedling and disinfect all damage with garden pitch;
- whitewash the trunk and twigs with lime mortar.
Hiding time
It is important to choose the right timing for sheltering apple trees for the winter. They depend not only on the region, but also on the location of the garden - on a hill or in a lowland. The timing of the onset of cold weather changes every year, and winter can be frosty or warm and rainy. Therefore, the best indicator is the trees themselves, you need to monitor their condition. In no case should apple trees be insulated for the winter until the sap flow stops and the onset of persistent cold weather. Otherwise, they will continue their growth, which is fraught with complete freezing of the tree. You can shelter apple trees for the winter only after the onset of constant frosts with an air temperature of at least -10 degrees.
Material selection
To shelter apple trees for the winter with your own hands, a variety of improvised material is suitable:
- old newspapers or light-colored wrapping paper;
- sunflower and reed stalks;
- sackcloth;
- old stockings and tights;
- roofing paper;
- agrofiber;
- spruce branches;
- fiberglass.
Insulating materials cannot be attached to the trunk with a wire - you can injure the tree. It is better to use twine or tape for this purpose.
Warming methods
How to insulate an apple tree for the winter? Shelter of the apple tree should start with warming the trunk circles - you can mulch them with sawdust or cover them with 3-centimeter garden soil. The best protection against frost is snow, which is why it should be used to insulate apple trees for the winter. As soon as the first snow falls, you need to paddle it to the base of the tree and build a mound around the trunk, and cover the trunk circle with a thick layer. Raking snow to the base of the apple tree, you cannot expose the near-trunk circle. Otherwise, its root system may freeze out.
During the winter, it is necessary to periodically pour snow into the tree trunk circle of the apple tree and trample it down. Then it will linger longer under the tree, and it will be more difficult for rodents to get close to the tree. A little trick will help keep the snow on the branches of the apple tree. The tops of healthy plants must be spread out on large branches - a snow mass will accumulate on them, which will protect the crown from frost.
The spruce branches laid out around the trunk with needles downward will help protect the apple tree from rodents. Winding the stem with glass wool or nylon tights will become an effective protection against mice. Especially carefully you need to cover the basal neck. The next layer of wrapping is done with sugar bags - you need to wrap the entire bole with them. And if you surround the trunk with a fine-mesh mesh over the winding, the bark of the apple tree will be reliably protected from both mice and rabbits. The lower branches can be covered with paper.
Shelter seedlings
For seedlings, all the rules regarding the insulation of apple trees and protection from rodents are applicable. Novice gardeners often do not know that it is necessary to cover a young apple tree for the winter with the crown. Particular attention should be paid to warming the roots.
Gardeners advise:
- first spread a 5 cm layer of manure around the root system;
- sprinkle a thick layer of sawdust on top of the manure;
- wrap the root neck with several layers of burlap or other insulating material;
- the trunk can be covered with paper - it should be white to reflect the sun's rays;
- pour a mound of loose dry soil around the seedling;
- sprinkle it on top with a thick layer of snow.
Manure, gradually rotting during thaw periods, will be split into mineral substances. Thus, by the beginning of spring, the root system of the seedlings will be provided with mineral fertilizing, which will strengthen it.
Shelter seedlings in a trench
If the planting of apple seedlings is planned for the spring, then during the winter you can hide the seedlings in a trench:
- the place for the trench must be selected on a dry and elevated area, its depth should be no more than 50 cm with a width of 30-40 cm;
- before laying, the roots of the seedlings should be dipped in a thick clay chatterbox;
- after laying in a trench, the roots are sprinkled with a mixture of dry peat with humus;
- seedlings from above are covered with spruce branches to protect against rodents, and on top of it - with agrofibre;
- in winter, the trench with seedlings should be tightly covered with a snow mass.
By the end of winter, when the snow begins to thicken and melt, it is necessary to make sure that the delicate branches of the seedling do not break off under its weight. When the frosts go away, you can remove the protection. But this must be done gradually - it is necessary to remember about the possibility of recurrent frosts.
If the apple tree is properly rest during the winter, it will give a wonderful harvest next season.
