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Fruit trees require special preparation before the winter cold, because frost can destroy them forever.
To protect trees, you need to know what it is like preparing apple trees for winter. It is to this issue that this article is devoted, after studying which it will not be difficult for anyone to perform the necessary procedures with their garden.
Preparatory activities
To determine whether the apple tree has been prepared for winter in the fall, you need to assess the condition of the tree by external signs.
The apple tree is ready for cold weather if:
- The tree fell in time;
- Young shoots are stiff;
- The tree stopped growing.
If this has not happened or this process is moving too slowly, you need to help the apple tree.
To figure out how to prepare apple trees for winter, you need to dwell on several parameters. The first thing to think about is good feeding fruit trees in autumn.
Fertilize:
- Potassium.
- Phosphorus.
Fertilizers are poured into the ground in the root areas, but the most effective way is to irrigate the crown itself in early autumn. This can be done with a compound fertilizer that contains two essential elements. Top-dressing in the garden is done once a year, cultivating the entire area under the garden.
It is known that the root system of a tree can withstand up to 15 degrees below zero. It is clear that such temperatures do not happen under the snow, but in the absence of it, it is quite likely. Do not rush to get upset, because everything can be corrected if you notice in time a lag in the development of the apple tree in the spring and take proper care of it.
Bark cleaning and site cleaning
It is very important to take proper care of apple tree in autumn, preparing for winter will help to survive better in cold and cold weather.
You will have to try hard, because preparing apple trees for winter means a lot.
So, first you need to cover the areas around the tree. Then we begin to gently peel off the bark that is lagging behind the tree. This is necessary in order to protect the tree from parasites - insects living in the cracks between the bark. In addition, all diseases penetrate the middle of the apple tree through the same cracks. You need to remove the bark in small areas, after putting on gloves and goggles in order to protect yourself from small chips. Only mature fruit trees require cleaning; preparing young apple trees for winter does not require removing the top ball.
It will be necessary to collect all the chips and pieces so that no disease or bacteria spreads to the entire garden.
This is followed by whitewashing of fruit trees. This is done in order to kill all microorganisms, as well as to protect them from the influence of natural factors (sunlight, frost). Many summer residents ignore this rule, but if the tree is not prepared, the chances of surviving the winter are significantly reduced.
Tempering trees
If you know how to properly prepare apple trees for winter, the trees will easily outlive it. Hardening is a very important stage, because gardens suffer the most from sudden temperature changes. To do this kind of work, you need to remove a ball of earth 5 cm high around the trunk and place it in a warm place before the onset of frost. This is how the apple tree is prepared for winter in the fall, when the temperature is not too low. When a small layer of soil is removed from the root system, a gradual adaptation to the cold occurs.
Caring for an apple tree in the fall, preparation for winter will not work without mulching. It is carried out using any bulk material that is available. Such work is best done in November. Young apple trees need slightly different care. They are mulched with a layer of peat up to 5 cm thick. This is done in order to protect young trees from frost, especially if they came before the snow appears.
Autumn watering of apple trees
An equally important factor in the successful wintering of fruit trees is sufficient moisture in the roots. Therefore, preparing young apple trees for winter in equal numbers, like perennial trees, requires abundant watering. The amount of water depends on the maturity of the tree. For young seedlings, 40-50 liters will be enough, while an adult apple tree requires up to 200 liters of water to moisturize. You need to water the root areas, which should be dug up by this time. Water must be poured in several passes so that the earth has time to be saturated with moisture. In no case should water be allowed to flow only along the trunk of the tree, because the main task is to moisturize the young roots for the winter.
Rodent protection
Preparing apple trees for winter has one more stage - measures to protect against rodents. To keep the trees away from mice and the like, you can wrap the trunk with protective materials.
This could be:
- Mulch paper;
- Roofing paper;
- Roofing material;
- Reed;
- Sunflower trunk.
The main thing is to know how to do this correctly: it is necessary that the material fits snugly against the tree trunk.
It is very important to do this procedure on time, because if you wrap the barrel in advance, you can even harm it. Therefore, you need to know how to properly prepare apple trees for winter, so as not to reduce their winter hardiness. It is required to remove the wrapping material in time in early spring, otherwise the apple tree may pick up other diseases.
Spraying trees before wintering
This procedure is generally considered a preventive measure rather than a disease control, but nevertheless, you should not skip this stage.
The most suitable time for her is October. The trees are sprayed to fight the fungus. It would be ideal to spray the apple trees after the leaves have fallen, when the solution can get in sufficient quantities exactly on the trunk and branches, where the disease usually manifests itself. Trees are treated with copper sulfate.
To prepare the solution you need:
- 10 l. water;
- 250-300 gr. vitriol.
First, the substance is diluted in a small amount of hot water, and then diluted in the rest of the liquid.
This procedure is carried out before lime whitewashing and before rodent protection. Before preparing young seedlings for winter, you need to reduce the concentration of the solution.
Wrap up for the winter
As a rule, this is the preparation of apple tree seedlings for winter. But sometimes skilful summer residents thus protect all fruit trees that do not tolerate frost well.
You can cover in several ways:
- Trampling snow around the apple tree.
- With the help of shields knocked down from small boards.
- Spruce branches.
It is very important to protect apple tree seedlings from frost, because their bark is not yet as strong and winter-hardy as that of a mature tree.
To make your own shields for wintering trees, you need very little - just a few dozen small boards and roofing felt. We knock down the boards tightly together and cover them with roofing felt or tar paper. Then we cover the trees with a shield. Without such preparation of young seedlings for winter, it will be very difficult to preserve them until spring.
Features of training young animals
Since young trees are not yet very hardy, they are prepared for the cold in a slightly different way.
You need to familiarize yourself with how to prepare young apple trees for winter:
- It is best to wrap each of them in paper or burlap, because their bark is still too soft.
- The layer of peat or sawdust should be made much thicker than for a mature tree.
- In no case should the preparation of apple tree seedlings, namely whitewashing of the trunks, be done with lime. Saplings are whitewashed with chalk or garden whitewash.
- Only winter-hardy varieties can be planted, otherwise they will not survive frost.
These are the basic requirements that a summer resident must follow before preparing apple seedlings for winter.
It is advisable to help your trees through the winter. After all, not all apple trees can resist frost and cold on their own. And, believe me, they will thank you with a good harvest in the fall. The main thing is to do everything according to the recommendations of experts in this matter, so as not to harm your garden.
