It happens that in the middle of summer or at the beginning - mid-autumn some fruit trees, berries or ornamental shrubs suddenly they bloom again. In such cases, gardeners worry: why is this happening and will it harm the plants?
Some media outlets cover this phenomenon as a kind of biological sensation, considering it a reaction of plants to climate warming. In fact, there is nothing unusual about this. Many years of scientific observations in collection gardens allowed the author to draw some conclusions about the reasons for such out-of-season flowering. Here's what they are.
The appearance of flowers at the very beginning of summer is a consequence of the delayed development of some flower buds, when this process was not completely completed last year (due to cold autumn, lack of certain nutrients, etc.) and ends only in the next season. In such cases, delayed flowering is observed only on perennial branches, and it is insignificant.
But more often the cause of re-blooming is accelerated growth and development of plants due to an early and warm spring, turning into a hot and sunny summer. In such cases, flowers appear in the middle - end of the growing season, mainly on strong growths of the current season, which is typical only for early-fruiting crops and varieties. This is due to the fact that the abundance of heat contributes to the accelerated formation of flower buds and they manage to form during the summer period even on growths current year.
The most formed of them bloom, which is why we see the same picture as in the photograph,
where the ripening pear fruits are adjacent to the flowers of the current year's growth. In some varieties, sometimes even ovaries form, but, of course, they do not have time to ripen (photo 2, see above).
As a rule, secondary flowering occurs in fruit crops does not occur in large numbers, only single inflorescences bloom. Not a large number of summer-autumn flowers usually do not affect the future harvest or the upcoming overwintering of plants, unless, of course, the winter turns out to be extremely harsh. But if possible, it is better to cut off the emerging inflorescences of young trees in advance before they fully bloom, since the tree wastes nutrients on the formation of such untimely flowers.
Only in the southern regions does it happen that some tree species bloom quite strongly in the fall. Known examples abundant flowering, for example, chestnuts in very warm autumn. Secondary flowering in such cases can lead to a general weakening of the plant and even death in winter period.
In the middle zone, the autumn blooming of buds and flowers of edible honeysuckle can be very dangerous. This Siberian and Far Eastern culture is characterized by high winter hardiness. But in the middle zone there is often warm pre-winter weather, which provokes premature exit from dormancy in some varieties. And subsequent frosts lead to the death of the budding buds. Sometimes because of this, up to 30% of the potential harvest is lost, which is quite noticeable. Therefore, observe your plants yourself, and if this phenomenon repeats, it means that these varieties of honeysuckle are not suitable for your area and it is better to replace them with more adapted ones.
It's no secret that right choice seedlings for planting a garden is only half the battle. In order for a tree to take root and bear fruit consistently, it needs to be planted correctly. This is where novice gardeners are faced with various questions.
We answer the most common of them.
The timing depends on the condition of the seedling and the weather. IN southern regions, and sometimes in the middle zone, gardens are laid in the fall. In spring, trees should be planted before the buds on the seedlings swell. And for stone fruits (cherries, cherries, plums, cherry plums), early spring planting is even preferable to autumn planting, after which the seedlings often freeze out.
In any case, it is important to remember: in the spring they are planted before the seedlings begin to grow, and in the fall when the leaves are shed.
At what age do one-year or two-year-old seedlings take root better?
A healthy one-year-old seedling is preferable for planting. Two-year-old (and older) seedlings usually do not have enough buds on the bottom of the trunk to develop a good tree skeleton, and take root less well.
Is it possible (and how) to revive dried seedlings?
Even if the seedlings have not dried out, it is advisable to completely immerse them in a barrel of water (bath, etc.) immediately before planting and hold them for 6-12 hours. This technique helps to revive seedlings that have slightly dried out after transportation. If the plant is dry, it is useless to plant it.
Do seedlings need to be shaken when planting?
Yes, evenly shaking and compacting the seedling when planting allows you to fill all the voids between the roots with soil.
"Grandmother's" stone
I also want to tell you about an amazing way that every year helps me collect good harvests from fruit trees, despite spring return frosts during flowering.
I learned about it from my grandmother, who grew up in the harsh conditions of Siberia. When planting, her father laid under all the seedlings big Stone. Granny couldn’t explain why he did this, but she suggested trying the method on the plant, which I harvested every 3-4 years.
In the fall, my husband and I dug a hole under the tree, lowered several large stones into it (closer to the roots), covered it with earth and laid a layer of mulch on top. The next year, the plum really pleased with the harvest.
And after a couple of years, we were convinced that the plum bears fruit every year, no matter what the weather is like in the spring. Is it really all about the “grandmother’s” stone? I read on gardening forums that a stone, heating up in the soil in the summer, gives off heat to the roots for a long time, and in the spring the tree blooms later, thanks to which it does not fall under recurrent frosts. I don’t know whether this is true or not, but when I planted the cherry orchard, I put good cobblestones under all the seedlings.
On heavy clay soils, a stone located in the root system area improves air mode soil. On light soils, the positive effect is apparently achieved due to additional “communication” with the tree.
If you decide to lay a stone when planting, you need to dig a deeper and wider hole and then fill it with fertile soil. During this procedure, I advise you to mentally tune in to the good growth and fruiting of the tree - all this is perceived by the seedling as an order.
For example, it has been statistically proven that tapping the butt of an ax on the trunk of a non-bearing apple tree in winter with the threat of cutting it down causes the tree to actively bear fruit the very next year.
K category: Garden
Tree planting
If we keep in mind that trees can only be dug up from the end of September or the beginning of October, and in November planting sometimes becomes impossible due to frost, then it will become clear that sometimes the trees that have been dug up for autumn planting may arrive too late; they have to be buried until spring. If frost has set in and the trees are on the way, then you should cover the area intended for digging the trees with horse manure so that the soil does not freeze, since digging in frozen ground is very difficult and harmful. But even for those gardeners who prefer spring planting, it is advisable to plant trees in the fall and plant them in the winter, since trees are often late in the spring, especially when planted from more northern areas. There seems to be nothing more unpleasant than being forced to delay planting in the spring due to the untimely arrival of ordered trees. That is why, when planting in the fall, it is certainly better to register trees in the fall in order to be able to plant in early spring, which has great importance for success; It is especially harmful to plant trees in late spring, when the buds begin to bloom. When selecting trees for autumn planting in the autumn, it is necessary to keep in mind that the roots do not stop vital activity even after the leaves have fallen. It has been noticed that even after the leaves fall, the roots form pimples in places damaged during discharge or on artificial cuts. This is why it is very important to trim the roots when digging up trees in the fall, and not to postpone this operation until spring (pruning the roots before planting, or the so-called refreshing of the roots). If you carefully trim the roots (as before planting) and then bury the trees, then influxes will form in the fall, and such trees will take root sooner in the spring and are better accepted.
With the onset of spring, the need for a variety of gardening tasks arises. It is important to prepare the garden on time, which will determine not only its appearance, but also its health. The deadline for completing garden work depends on the region. In cold areas, garden cultivation begins a month or even two later than in warmer areas. Start work when the temperature is above zero, and the snow should already have melted.
Work in the garden can be divided into several stages:
- Cleaning up trash in the garden.
- Gutter cleaning.
- Repair of paths.
- Water features in the garden.
- Fertilizer and mulching:
- Control of harmful insects
- Lawn treatment.
- Processing of shrubs and trees.
- Planting and sowing.
- Caring for bulbous plants.
- Caring for Perennial Plants
- Decorating the garden with baskets and pots, benches.
These steps are given in the order in which they are best completed. But every gardener can organize work in the garden in the way that is most convenient for him, it is only important to observe the temperature regime, humidity, use sunny, clear days for work, good weather. For some, some points may be unnecessary. For example, for those who do not have water features or lawns in their garden.
Cleaning up trash in the garden
So, winter has passed, it's time to clean up. Windbreaks, dry plants, leaves, remains of shelters, various supports, and other garden debris must be removed immediately after the winter frosts have ended. If weeds appear in the garden, they also need to be removed. They can begin to grow under a layer of snow with the onset of warmth; when the snow melts, the first shoots can be seen immediately. Cleaning should also include greenhouses, where glass and frames need to be washed. Gutters, garden furniture and garden paths also need treatment, which can be read about in the following subsections of the article.
Gutter cleaning
If the drain pipe is clogged, you need to place a basin or bucket under it and push a stiff wire through the bottom hole, removing the blockage. Then you need to continue cleaning from above: remove debris from the inlet hole and pull it out using a hook made of thick wire. Using a long stick, you need to clean the pipes along the entire length from top to bottom.
Garden paths
If during the fall and winter the garden paths have become unusable, subsidence or destruction has appeared, then it is necessary to eliminate all this or replace the paths. If paths have not yet been laid in the garden, then the best solution there will be their installation.
If the already installed paths are damaged during the winter, they need repairs. Concrete paths restored using concrete, it is mixed and cracks and damage are filled. If the path is paved, then the cracked tiles and stones are replaced. Old part they pull it out and put a new one in its place. The same applies to wooden specimens.
If paths in the garden sag without covering, you can add earth or sand and return them to their previous appearance. Read more about garden paths it is possible in the article
Water features in the garden
After the work on the paths is completed, it is the turn of the water features. Swimming pools can be installed in the garden, artificial pond, stream, source, waterfall, fountain, miniature pond. It is necessary to inspect the small ones drained for the winter water bodies for damage after winter, remove excess debris, clean chemical reagents and use stiff brushes to collect water. All this work must be carried out in warm weather, when the temperature is 5-10 degrees above zero. If there are large bodies of water in the garden, which are recommended to be drained once every three years, then (if the reservoir is not drained) it is necessary to collect debris from the surface of the reservoir using pond tongs or nets, rakes, and trim off dying leaves of plants.
If there is a need to drain the reservoir, then April-May is most favorable for this. When toads or frogs live in a pond and you need to preserve the eggs they lay, you can drain the pond in early autumn. The inhabitants of the reservoir are temporarily moved into tanks with water from the pond, and plants are also sent here. You need to place the container in the shade. After draining, all the silt is removed, which can then be used as fertilizer, and the algae are thinned out based on their personal preferences (one owner likes it when there is a lot of greenery in the pond, another likes it when there is very little).
If any damage is noticed, it is necessary to eliminate it using durable coatings and paints for concrete surfaces. When you need to repair the film, a special glue is suitable. Typically for device artificial reservoirs apply PVC film, glue is sold for it, which is called “Glue for repairing PVC film.” If butyl rubber was used, then glue for gluing such rubber or a special tape will be suitable. It will no longer be possible to glue polyethylene ponds together; this is a disadvantage of the material.
With the onset of warmth and temperatures reaching 5 degrees or more, you can start the fountain. It is better to drain the first water after startup. If poor water quality is noticed (cloudy, dirty), then it is necessary to remove limescale, rust, algae using chemicals (you can take Special Reiniger, Decalcite Super, Anticalcite). If cracks appear on the bowl of the fountain or on the sculpture, they must be treated with coatings or waterproofing paints.
A swimming pool needs to be looked after in much the same way as any artificial body of water. In the winter, the water from the pool is drained, and in the spring, after the snow has melted, at a temperature of 5 degrees above zero, they do the cleaning: sweep, clean, and fill with water. If water has accumulated in the pool (melted snow, rainwater and so on), then to start the pool you will need to add very little water so that in the end 1/3 of the total volume of the pool is filled. Large contaminants can be removed using a net. Using an underwater vacuum cleaner, you need to clean the bottom of a pool filled 1/3 with water. It is advisable that the filtration system operate continuously throughout the day.
If there is a need (hard or sagging soil, an abundance of weeds), then at the end of March the soil in the garden can be dug up, removing all the weeds. Then you can start fertilizing and mulching the garden.
Fertilizing and mulching the garden
Mulching is the introduction of mulch into the soil (hay, straw, pieces of cardboard, grass, leaves, bark, sawdust), that is, various organic residues that, as a result of the influence of worms and microorganisms, rot, resulting in humus (organic matter) appearing in the soil , containing fulvic acids, humin, ulmin, humic acids), which is an indicator of soil fertility. Mulching reduces the growth of weeds, retains moisture and helps maintain temperatures in the ground located around a tree or shrub. There is also inorganic mulch - plastic, stone, cut rubber, gravel, sand. This mulch also reduces the growth of weeds and helps maintain moisture and temperature in the ground.
Fertilization is the introduction of various fertilizers (organic, mineral and others) into the soil that improve plant growth, productivity, they nourish the plants and improve the soil.
Perennial plants, shrubs, and trees are best mulched with garden compost or good garden soil. Garden compost- an excellent fertilizer, it contains a lot of useful substances, necessary for plants, improves the structure and composition of the soil, retaining moisture near the roots of trees and shrubs. This property of compost helps the garden during droughts and hot days. If the soil on the site is fertile, then you can get by with only this fertilizer. If some plants need fertilizing, then dry organic fertilizers, such as droppings, manure, bone meal, blood meal, fish meal, are suitable. charcoal, ash, which are needed in small quantities before the mulching process.
Top dressing (fertilizer application) and mulching (mulch application) are very important work, they create favorable conditions for perennial plants, trees, shrubs, especially for those that bloom in late spring or early summer, for example, callerian pear, three-lobed apple tree, Tatarian honeysuckle, spirea vangutta, Smirnova rhododendron, Japanese quince, white acacia, hawthorn ordinary.
Fertilizers can be organic, bacterial, mineral and microfertilizers.
Organic fertilizers enrich the soil, improve its structure and physical properties, are easily soluble, represent nutrients and humus. This is manure, compost, shavings, bird droppings, sawdust, green fertilizers (crushed annual leguminous plants, buried in the ground).
Bacterial fertilizers convert nitrogen into other forms available to plants and increase soil fertility. These include azotobacterin, nitragin, phosphobacterin.
Mineral fertilizers contain large amounts of nutrients that plants need. This type of fertilizer is divided into two groups: complex and simple.
Simple mineral fertilizers are those that contain one element. Complex compounds contain two, three or more nutrients.
Mineral fertilizers are divided into three groups. It depends on the content of the elements. There are potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen mineral fertilizers.
Microfertilizers contain zinc, manganese, iron, copper, boron, molybdenum and so on. They fight fungal diseases. They must be applied very carefully, in small doses. Iron sulfate, manganese and boron fertilizers are known and widely used.
Fertilization using fertilizer
At the end of April, complex fertilizer is applied to fruit and ornamental plants (spread on the surface of the earth around the tree and watered generously on top or immediately added to water and watered), and exactly a month later, at the end of May (in any weather, except rainy days), the operation repeat. You can take azofoski or Kemira-universal, or ammophos, or nitrophos. Consumption is half a glass per 1 sq. meter. Coniferous plants less mineral fertilizers are needed. You can reduce their number by half. Fertilizers can be applied simultaneously with weed control and soil loosening (soil loosening can be done at any time, in dry weather, the same applies to weed control, the temperature should be above zero). Organic fertilizers, such as compost and manure, are best suited for raspberries, gooseberries, and roses.
Please note that each plant has its own recommendations for fertilizing and feeding; this information can be obtained when purchasing a plant or from landscape specialists.
Spraying: disease treatment and prevention
Before the buds swell, you can do preventive spraying of all plants against fungal diseases with 3% Bordeaux mixture. Take 400 grams of quicklime, add 300 grams of copper sulfate per 10 liters of water. After the buds bloom, the procedure must be repeated, but the liquid must be taken at 1% so as not to burn the leaves.
If on roses and fruit trees black or rust spots Drying or fading shoots appear on the stems, leaves, then spraying is necessary.
Spots can appear even before the leaves bloom, on the trunks and stems of plants.
Control of harmful insects
It is also necessary to remove slugs from plants. You can put any old tile in the garden in a cool, shady place; slugs will regularly appear under it and need to be removed. This is a kind of trap. Lily crops can be attacked by the daylily beetle (rattle beetle), which should be destroyed and eggs removed from the leaves.
Rattler (daylily)
Daylily laying
Slug
Slug clutch
Lawn treatment
In spring, you need to pay attention to lawns. After the soil dries, you need to comb them fan rake and remove last year's leaves. You should try not to pull out new grass. If empty spots appear on the lawn as a result of mold, you can spray with foundationazole (20-40 grams per liter of water) or ferazim, other chemicals containing carbendazim. These substances also contribute rapid growth grass on the lawn.
Treatment should be carried out in dry weather, when there is no wind. After two or three days, the procedure is repeated. Each package of the drug will contain detailed instructions for use; you must follow them strictly.
And then you need to sow lawn grass. If the soil is clay, then it will require aeration, that is, access of oxygen to the roots. This is done with the help of forks, which are often stuck to a depth of 10 cm, or with special shoe covers equipped with long spikes. Aeration must be carried out before reseeding.
Lawn grasses need fertilizer. Nitrogen ones are suitable, they stimulate growth, as well as ammonium nitrate and urea. These fertilizers are dispersed (scattered over the lawn) immediately after the soil thaws, 2 kg per hundred square meters is used. You can water the lawn, for example, by a florist (20 ml of product per 10 liters of water, 1 liter of the resulting solution per 2 sq. m of lawn), this treatment is done once every 20 days from spring to autumn, or with other preparations containing nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium. On hot days, when the sun is very hot, there is no need to use fertilizers, as the grass may burn out.
Processing of trees and shrubs
It is best to whiten fruit trees at the very beginning of spring, even before the snow melts.
In early spring, pruning of trees and shrubs is necessary. climbing plants, which bloom in autumn, late spring and summer on the shoots of the first year, as well as roses. It is important not to confuse or prune those plants that bloom on old shoots. Thin young shoots are easy to distinguish from old ones, which have a thicker and more powerful trunk.
Pruning is a very important procedure for trees and shrubs. It must be completed before active plant growth begins in the new season. Pruning begins as soon as the temperature rises above zero. The first step is to prune berries and ornamental crops. Old, diseased, poorly placed, rubbing branches must be removed. Then healthy branches are pruned to form a crown.
All these processes must be completed before the beginning of May. Temperature It’s not important here, the main thing is to have time to do the pruning before the sap begins to flow.
In spring, forsythia, daphne, camellia, rhododendron bloom, Japanese quince, winter-flowering Erica, witch hazel, mahonia, magnolia, keria, cherry, pieris and others. And later, lilac, apple tree, ceanothus, viburnum, wisteria, mock orange, azalea and so on bloom. Some of these plants, whose crowns have grown greatly, need formative pruning. It is carried out after flowering has ended, so that new shoots can form and the plants can also bloom in next year. As a result spring pruning cuttings appear that can later be planted. Abutilon, abelia, barberry, balsam, wolfberry, verbena, gazania, hydrangea, helychrysum, willow, diascea, cypress, camellia, cherry laurel, clematis, cinquefoil, juniper, daisies, roses, pelargonium, currant, mackerel, poplar, propagate very well by cuttings. sunflower, forsythia, felicia, fuchsia. The cuttings are planted in a clean pot filled with special compost, which can be purchased at a gardening store. It is desirable that the composition contains a fungicide that prevents the roots from rotting. The top of the cutting should be covered with a bag to create a warm and humid atmosphere, but away from direct sunlight.
When pruning plants, you need to remove last year's leaves, which may contain a nest of lacewing, hawthorn, and other harmful insects. Such leaves must be burned. Oviposition of the gypsy moth can also be found; they look like reddish pads covered with fluff. This is a very dangerous pest.
hawthorn
Gypsy moth
Goldentail
In April, at a temperature of 5-8 degrees, you need to remove insulation from roses and other crops that do not tolerate frost. This must be done gradually so that the plants have time to get used to the weather. Remove completely insulation materials It is best on cloudy days so that the plants are not burned by the sun. Conifers tied with burlap are released no later than the beginning of May (temperature 10-15 degrees), after the soil has thawed.
There is no need to rush into gardening work. For example, you can dig the soil when it begins to stick to the shovel; it is better not to walk around the area while it is buried in mud, so as not to disturb the soil structure.
In the middle and end of spring, you can scrape away the soil from the sprinkled tree trunks and remove the bandages that protect against rodents. If damage is found on the bark, they must be covered with a mixture of mullein and clay (mullein plant mixed in equal proportions with clay and diluted with water until sour cream thick) or garden varnish (50% grease, 40% wax, 10% spruce resin, heat the pine until dissolved and stir). And on top it all needs to be wrapped with film.
Sowing and planting
In April-early May, when the soil has thawed, but the leaves have not yet begun to bloom, you can begin planting perennial plants. Shrubs and trees are planted first. The location is chosen in advance and the planting hole is carefully prepared. It is dug so that the size of the recess is 1 meter wide and 0.8 meters long. This is necessary so that later it will be easier for weak roots to make a path for themselves in the ground. For shrubs, pits 0.5 m deep and 0.8 m wide are suitable. At the bottom of the pit, place 50-100 g of potassium sulfate and the same amount of potassium chloride, 1-1.5 kg of double superphosphate, about 1 kg of wood ash, 1-2 buckets of compost or rotted manure, about 1.5 kg of fluff lime. These fertilizers must be mixed with half the soil that was dug from the top of the hole. Root system seedlings should not dry out. Trees planted in the fall must be inspected and corrected if they are leaning or deeply buried in the ground. To do this, you need to water the seedling abundantly in order to return it to its original place without damaging the roots, straightening it a little, then you need to secure the tree by tying it to a vertical peg. It is necessary to add more soil if the roots are bare or the soil has subsided, but without filling the root collar of the tree (the place where the trunk meets the roots).
When planting trees, it is necessary to water the seedlings twice. The first time upon landing, and the second a day later. Then you need to loosen the soil and then cover it with mulch. If the weather is hot or windy, the tree will need to be watered very often.
If you plant trees later, there is a risk that it will not survive. If sap flows and the tree is not yet accepted, then special care is needed. When the plant’s buds begin to unfold, it means sap flow has begun; if at this moment you cut off a branch, you can see abundant sap. Special care includes abundant watering, mulching the soil with peat, sawdust, and finely chopped bark. Pits and tools (shovels) can be prepared in advance, in the fall or winter. True, for work in winter, you will have to put in a lot of effort to dig a hole of the appropriate size. Trees planted in the spring produce a harvest a year earlier than trees planted in the fall. Tree planting depends on the region of residence. For the north best time- March, April. For residents of the south, autumn is more suitable, but trees can be planted in the spring.
After the threat of night frosts has passed, the soil has warmed up sufficiently, you can begin planting or sowing seedlings in the garden ornamental plants, loving warmth. These are verbena, pelargonium, fuchsia, petunia, heliotrope, nasturtium and others.
Bulbous plants
In spring, snowdrops, crocuses, daffodils, hazel grouse, tulips, decorative onions and other plants begin to bloom. After flowering ends, the leaves die off on their own, except for snowdrops, which must be divided immediately after flowering ends. They divide it like this: the dug plant is carefully divided into parts; it is important not to tear the roots, but to release them gradually. After division, each divided part must be planted in place and watered.
Places in the garden where drooping ones are found yellow leaves bulbous, can be mulched with fresh compost as top dressing. It is necessary to mark the places where the bulbous plants are located, so that later you do not accidentally damage them and not occupy this area with other plants. 30-40 days after the tulip flowers have withered, you can start digging them up. It will be possible to plant other plants in this place, for example, annuals. Bulbs of summer-flowering plants should be planted in the ground in early spring. But cannas, nerine, dahlias and other heat-loving plants are best planted after the end of frost.
Perennials
To early bloomers perennial plants include lungwort, primrose, hellebore, and bergenia. Then mountain weed, aubrieta, aquilegia, geranium, periwinkle, forget-me-not and others bloom. In early spring, before the growing season of the new season begins, you need to prune winter-hardy perovskias, verbenas, last year's penstemons, ornamental grasses and other plants that are recommended to be left for the winter. After the usual spring treatment perennials will not need anything. It is only necessary to trim yellow leaves and old flower stalks in time. A peduncle is a section of a plant stem on which flower buds and flowers are located. An old peduncle is a yellowed, dried section of the stem with already withered (dried) flowers.
Garden decoration with baskets and pots, benches, gazebo
In spring you can create beautiful compositions in hanging baskets, pots. They will decorate the garden and serve as its highlight. If there are benches installed in the garden, then it is necessary to inspect them, touch up the peeling places, preparing the benches for the season. This is best done in warm weather. You need to select a paint that is suitable in color and texture; it is good if it is resistant to fading and exposure to precipitation. If the bench has been varnished, you can refresh the layer if it is noticeably faded or scratched. The varnish does not have to be the same shade as the bench was opened; it can be darker or lighter. You also need to check the gazebo, if necessary, then open it with varnish, repair it, paint it, clean inside and around the gazebo.
It is important to carry out the entire range of work in the garden on time, without missing anything. A garden always requires a certain investment of labor and effort. But it's worth it. A beautiful, clean and well-groomed garden will delight its owner for many years.
Fruit trees grow in one place for several decades. Therefore, proper tree planting is of great importance. Mistakes made during landing are difficult to correct in the future and are often completely irreparable.
To avoid these mistakes, you need to: prepare the ground well; place plants correctly on the site; choose the best varieties for the area; follow the rules for planting seedlings; ensure timely care of seedlings after planting.
The most suitable areas for planting a garden are those with a slope of no more than 5-8°, protected from the winds. When choosing slopes in the middle zone, preference is given to the southern and southwestern ones. It is not allowed to plant trees in closed basins - “saucers”. Cold air stagnates in them; they are especially dangerous when spring frosts occur during the flowering period of trees.
When choosing soil, avoid heavy clayey, highly podzolic, sandy and saline soils.
Fruit trees grow well where they grow tree species: oak, ash, maple.
The most important condition for choosing a site is the groundwater level. Groundwater for pome trees (apple trees, pears) should not be closer than 2-2.5 m from the soil surface, and for cherries and plums - 1.5-2 m.
When groundwater is close, fruit trees develop poorly, annual growth does not ripen and freezes in winter, and the tops of shoots often dry out.
In areas where water lingers for a long time or where subsoil water lies close, before planting trees it is necessary to dig deep ditches for water drainage or arrange drainage.
In those areas where it is impossible to drain areas in this way, trees are planted on mounds 40-50 cm high and 2-3 m wide. For mounds they use upper layer soil, well cultivated and fertilized.
The apple tree grows best on light chernozems, deep turf and medium loamy and sandy loam soils; pear - on loose, loamy, nutritious soils; plum - on fertilized clay soils provided with moisture; cherry - on light sandy loam soils.
Determining the soil on the site
Depending on the mechanical composition, soils are distinguished: clayey, silty loams, sandy loams, sandy loams, sandy loams, etc.
Light soils generally contain less nutrients than heavy soils. Action mineral fertilizers intensifies on lighter soils.
Soil analysis is done by agrochemical laboratories at MTS. On a personal plot, the mechanical composition of the soil can be approximately determined using the table below.
Soil determination table
| Soils | The sensation of rubbing soil between the fingers and the action of a knife | View through a magnifying glass | Rolling a cord from moistened soil |
| Clayey | Fine homogeneous powder. The grains of coarse sand do not scratch the skin of your fingers. When cutting with a penknife, you can’t hear the crunch of sand particles | There are no large sand grains | They give you a long cord |
| Silty loams (based on the amount of silt they are divided into light, medium and heavy) | When cut with a knife, it gives a smooth surface. | A small amount of sand | They don't give you a long cord |
| Sandy loams (based on sand content can be light, medium and heavy) | When rubbed, a large amount of sand is clearly visible. The knife makes a characteristic creaking sound | - | They provide a very fragile cord (it crumbles) |
| Sandy loam | Sandy particles predominate with a small admixture of clayey | Can't roll up the cord | |
| Sandy | Composed almost exclusively of sand grains |
Site preparation
Typically, fruit trees are planted in holes, but the garden develops better if, before planting, the soil was completely cultivated (dug) to a depth of 40-60 cm. Podzolic soils are cultivated to a shallower depth. For spring planting, pits are prepared in the fall, and for autumn planting - in the spring or, in extreme cases, no later than 20-30 days before planting.
The holes are dug round with steep walls.
The application of fertilizers during site preparation is discussed below.
Dimensions of planting holes
Landing distances
In personal gardens, as well as in collective gardens of workers and employees, the distances between trees are somewhat smaller than in collective and state farm gardens, where machines and tools are widely used.
Apple and pear trees are planted at a distance of 6x6 m or 5x6 m, plums and cherries - 3x4 m. Rows of plantings can be compacted for a while.
Tree planting
Planting trees is a responsible job. From correct landing The success of plant survival, their further growth and fruiting largely depends.
Many amateur gardeners are keen on planting mature trees that are 5-10 years old. Of course, this can be done if mature tree replant with a lump of earth weighing 3-4 tons. Transplanting such trees requires a lot of labor and money. And not everyone can do this. If an adult tree is replanted without a lump with short-cut roots, this will be of little use; it will not develop normally for a number of years and will not outpace trees planted with 2-3-year-old seedlings produced by fruit nurseries.
The younger the seedling, the easier it is to plant and the faster and better it takes root.
In gardens, along with vigorous trees, dwarf fruit trees are also planted. Dwarf trees are those trees that are grafted onto rootstocks that have weak growth. Trees of the same variety, for example apple trees, grafted on vigorous and weak-growing rootstocks, conventionally called dwarf, differ both in growth vigor and in other characteristics.
Unlike an apple tree grafted on a vigorous rootstock, which grows for 70-80 years, dwarf trees grow for only 20-25 years. But dwarf trees have their advantages. They begin to bear fruit in the 3-4th year (a number of varieties earlier), and vigorous-growing ones - in the 6-12th year.
Dwarf trees are productive, their fruits are larger and better colored. Such trees produce more yield per unit area than vigorous trees.
Dwarf trees are placed on a plot at a distance of 3x3 m, and therefore, on the same area, twice as many dwarf trees are placed as vigorous ones, and the overall yield is greater.
It is advisable to plant dwarf trees in rows of vigorous plantings, one tree between vigorous apple or pear trees.
Dwarf seedlings are grown by grafting varieties onto low-growing rootstocks - paradise (paradise apple tree) and dusen. Plants grafted on paradise are more stunted than those grafted on dusen.
Planting and care dwarf trees are almost no different from planting and caring for vigorous plants.
Landing dates. In the regions of the central zone of the USSR, the best time for planting is early spring, before the buds of the seedlings open.
Autumn planting also gives good results, but in this case planting should be done in early October (2-3 weeks before the onset of stable frosts).
Preparing seedlings for planting. The roots of the seedlings are carefully examined and parts of diseased, dried, broken and damaged roots are cut out with a sharp garden knife when digging plants from the nursery. The ends of healthy roots are trimmed (trimmed) very slightly. The longer the roots and the better they are branched, the better seedlings take root and develop further.
Each of the branches of the seedling crown is shortened by 1/3 of the length. When shortening branches, you should cut them to the so-called external (outer) bud (see Fig. 1). In this case, the side shoots will develop to the sides and will not thicken the tree crown. Branches can be pruned before and after planting.
For proper planting of seedlings, a planting board is required. It is made 2.0 m long, 12-15 cm wide and 2-3 cm thick. In the center of the board there should be a triangular cutout 4 cm deep. The same cutouts are made at the ends of the board, departing from the middle cutout by 75 cm (Fig. 6).
Planting a fruit tree is shown in Figure 7.
Protecting the garden from winds
Protecting the garden from winds - necessary condition successful growth of trees, their productivity and durability.
Garden protective plantings are arranged simultaneously with the planting of fruit trees, or better yet, 2-3 years before planting.
Approximate diagrams of the installation of garden protective plantings are shown in Figure 8. Along with planting garden protective plantings, the area must be fenced.
In collective gardens, it is not advisable to install garden protective plantings in individual areas. In this case, the entire garden area is protected from the winds by planting plants along roads, alleys and the boundaries of the land plot.
Characteristics of trees and shrubs for garden protection plantings
Tree species used for garden protective plantings must be hardy climatic conditions, fast-growing and durable, with a fairly dense, but not spreading crown.
Trees and shrubs intended to protect the site should not produce excessive root growth and should not have pests and diseases in common with garden plantings.
Caring for a young garden
A young garden requires constant and careful care.
In homestead and collective gardens, row spacing is usually used for vegetables, potatoes, and sometimes strawberries, currants, and gooseberries. Sowing and planting raspberries, tobacco, sunflowers, and corn between rows is not allowed. These plants have a negative effect on fruit trees.
Row spacing of apple trees can be used for 10-15 years, cherries and plums - 7-8 years. Tree trunk circles should not be occupied by inter-row crops.
The width of the trunk circles depends on the age of the plants. In the first two years after planting trees, tree trunk circles are made up to 2 m wide; in every next two years, the width of the circles is increased by 0.5 m. From the eighth year onwards, the width of the tree trunk circles is set at 3.5 m.
During the entire period of tree growth, tree trunk circles are kept loose and free from weeds. Loosen the soil 3-4 times. Stop loosening at the beginning of August. After each watering or rain, the soil must be loosened (about 5 centimeters). Mulch the soil around the tree trunks with a thin layer of humus and peat.
In autumn, the trunk circles are dug up to 10-15 cm, avoiding damage to the roots, especially near the trunk. In early spring, the trunk circles are dug up a second time, but to a shallower depth.
In areas of insufficient moisture, fruit trees should be well watered in the first years after planting. During spring and the first half of summer, trees should be watered three to four times. In dry areas, the amount of watering should be doubled. The irrigation rate per planted tree is from two to four buckets, depending on the amount of precipitation. As the tree ages, it is given more water. Water the plants along circular grooves drawn along the outer border of the trunk circle. After watering, the ditches are leveled and the soil is mulched. You can read about fertilizing fruit trees and protecting the garden from pests and diseases in the relevant sections.
The most important work in a young garden is pruning and shaping the trees. Without pruning, the crown thickens, the branches become elongated, bare, and unstable. Trees need to be pruned during their dormant period (before the buds swell in the spring and after the leaves fall). In the central zone of the USSR, pruning should be carried out in the spring. In autumn, only black and red currant bushes can be pruned.
In the garden it is necessary to form trees according to the system begun in the nursery. In our nurseries fruit plants formed according to tiered (five-legged) and sparsely tiered systems. The tiered system is the most widespread and easiest to implement.
Caring for a fruit-bearing garden
Soil care
The soil on the trunk circles of fruit trees, as well as in row strips in early spring and autumn after leaf fall, is dug up with shovels or garden forks, avoiding damage and exposure of the root system. In early spring, organic and mineral fertilizers are applied before digging.
Throughout the season, when weeds germinate and the soil becomes compacted after rains, loosening is carried out with hoes. After loosening, it is recommended to mulch (shade) the tree trunk circles with manure, humus, peat, and grass.
Watering
If there is a lack of moisture in the soil, watering the garden is a necessary measure not only in the southern regions, but also in the middle zone of the USSR. Watering greatly contributes to the development of trees and increases their productivity.
Timing of watering: first - in the spring, before buds bloom on the trees; the second - 12-15 days after the end of flowering; the third - 15-20 days before harvest. During periods of low rainfall, watering is also done in the fall. When watering, it is necessary to moisten the soil layer to a depth of 0.8-1 m, i.e., to the depth of distribution of the active part of the root system of fruit trees. For stone fruits and berry trees, this layer will be somewhat smaller.
Trees are watered in several ways. You can water in circular furrows - grooves arranged around the circumference of the tree trunk, or in holes punched with a crowbar. After the water is absorbed and the soil dries out somewhat, it needs to be loosened and shaded with manure, humus, and peat.
Tree crown thinning
As the tree's crown grows thicker, its branches dry out and die. In a thickened crown, the branches and leaves are poorly illuminated by the sun, the fruits ripen poorly and are not colored enough, pests and diseases in the thickened crown cause significant damage.
Crown care during this period consists of thinning - removing unnecessary branches. Thinning of the crown is carried out in the fall, after leaf fall, or early in the spring, before the sap begins to flow on the trees. Thinning is as follows. First, cut out all withered branches, diseased and frost-damaged. Then the old branches that have stopped bearing fruit are removed. Broken branches are cut below the break point, to healthy wood. If two branches interfere with each other's development, one of them - the less valuable one - is removed or shortened. They cut it out. also branches growing inside the crown and thickening it. Unnecessary “fatty” shoots (tops) are also cut out.
Cut branches are removed from the garden and burned. The branches are cut with sharp garden saws, the edges of the wound are cleaned smoothly with a garden knife and coated with garden putty or painted over with ocher paint on natural drying oil.
Branch cutting technique
A circular influx at the base of a branch or one-year growth (shoot) is conventionally called a “ring”. The correct cut of a branch is considered to be when its area is the smallest (i.e. round), without leaving a stump; the cut should only have a slight protrusion on its lower side (Fig. 9, 10).
If a branch is cut below the “ring” or a stump remains after cutting, such wounds, as a rule, hardly heal, which often causes the formation of cavities in trees.
They shorten the shoots above the bud, with it opposite side. Top part The cut should be at the level of the top of the bud, and the bottom one should be at the level of its base (Fig. 11). Leaving stumps above the bud is also unacceptable.
How to cut a thick branch
The usual technique used when cutting branches does not cut off a thick branch. Often, such cutting causes branches to split, causing serious damage to the tree (Fig. 13). To avoid this, thick branches are cut like this.
Stepping back from the base of the branch by 1 m, make a cut from below, measuring half the thickness of the branch. The second cut is made from above, 15-20 cm away from the first, after which the branch breaks off. The remaining part of the branch is removed with a saw, as when cutting thin branches (Fig. 12).
Fastening split branches
Under the weight of the harvest on the tree, especially when supports are installed incorrectly or insufficiently, as well as during strong winds, branches sometimes break off and split.
If measures are not taken in a timely manner, splitting areas can lead to the formation of hollows and disease of the branches.
Two split thick branches can be firmly fastened, after which they fully or partially grow together and continue to bear fruit.
One reliable way is to fasten the branches using two wooden blocks. The wounded areas are first lightly cleaned with a sharp garden knife, then the branches are brought together and tied with thick wire or bolted. It is advisable to install a support under the broken branch.
In all cases, it is necessary to place pieces of matting or burlap under the bars and wire to avoid damaging the healthy bark of the tree (Fig. 14).
Tree trunk care
A healthy and strong trunk is the key to the longevity of a fruit tree. Many garden pests overwinter in the cracks of the dead bark of the trunk. Early in the spring, or better late autumn, the shoots growing on it are cut into a ring on the trunk, the trunk is cleaned with scrapers of dead bark, collecting it on matting and burlap spread on the ground, and then burned.
The trunk is cleaned carefully, avoiding mechanical damage to the healthy bark. After cleaning, the trunk and base of thick branches are coated with a solution of freshly slaked lime (1.5-2 kg of lime per bucket of water).
Summer whitewashing of trunks gives little benefit. It is very useful in the fall not only to whiten the trunks and bases of branches with lime, but also to spray the entire tree lime mortar.
Whitewashing with lime serves not only as a means of combating pests and diseases, but also protects trees from early spring (March) damage. sunburn bark.
Treatment of hollows
Hollows on fruit trees in most cases are formed from splintering branches, breaks and improper pruning.
Hollow trees are short-lived. Timely treatment of hollows extends the life of the tree and its fruiting.
Hollows are filled in early spring, or better yet, late autumn. The hollows are first cleaned of dead wood and disinfected with a 3% solution of copper sulfate (300 g per bucket of water) or 5% iron sulfate (500 g per bucket of water). Copper sulfate can be replaced with carbolic acid or Lysol 3% concentration.
Large hollows are filled with crushed stone or broken brick, compacted and then filled with a thick solution consisting of a mixture of sand, lime and cement in a ratio of 6:1:1.
Wooden bushings are driven into hollows of small diameter, but deep, and covered with garden putty on top.
Bridge grafting
When mice damage the bark of trunks in a circular manner, the trees are inevitably doomed to death. Although such trees grow for a certain period of time in the spring, they inevitably die later - at the end of summer. They can only be saved by timely grafting with a “bridge” in early spring (at the beginning of sap flow), when the bark freely lags behind the wood. The grafting is done with cuttings taken in autumn or early spring, before the buds swell. Oblique cuts 4-5 cm long are made at both ends of each cutting. Then the cuttings are inserted into the upper and lower T-shaped cuts in the bark. The grafting site is tightly tied and covered with garden putty (Fig. 15). After two weeks, the harness is loosened, and at the end of summer it is removed.
Rejuvenation of fruit trees
Middle-aged trees with excessively sparse crowns, bare branches and dead tops cannot produce a high yield. After rejuvenation, such trees restore their growth in 3-4 years and significantly extend the fruiting period. Rejuvenation is carried out in the following way.
In the spring, before buds open, trees intended for rejuvenation are pruned by sawing off the main skeletal branches at a distance of 1-1.25 m from their base, the wounds are cleaned with a garden knife and coated with garden putty.
At the ends of the cut branches, several shoots grow in the same year, of which 3-4 are left; the rest are pinched above the 5-6th leaf, and cut off at the base in the fall.
Re-grafting of trees
On personal plots Sometimes you can find wild trees, as well as trees that produce very poor taste fruits. Such trees can be grafted with the best cultivated varieties, and after 3-4 years they will produce fruits of the same variety that was grafted into the crown.
By regrafting you can also have several different varieties on one tree.
IN orchard At the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition, two trees grow, each of which has several dozen grafted different varieties apple trees
It is advisable to regraft trees (apple trees, pears) no older than 25-30 years.
Re-grafting technique. In the spring, at the beginning of sap flow, when the bark is easily separated from the wood, the thick branches of the tree are cut off in the same way as during rejuvenation, at a distance of 1-1.25 m from their base.
The ends of the cuts are cleaned smoothly with a sharp garden knife.
At the ends of the branches, longitudinal cuts of 3-4 cm long are made in the bark, into which cuttings (3-4, depending on the thickness of the branches) of the grafted variety are inserted. An oblique cut is made on the cutting, as with bridge grafting. Each grafted cutting should have 3-4 buds.
The grafting sites are tightly tied and covered with garden putty. The cut surface of the branch is also coated with putty. Cuttings for grafting are prepared in the fall or early spring before the sap begins to flow.
Grafting can also be done into standard and basal shoots and into individual branches. different thicknesses(Fig. 17). Thick branches are grafted by cuttings, and thin branches are also grafted using the budding method - grafting with an “eye” (bud).
Birds sometimes land on grafted cuttings; cuttings can break off or move at the grafting sites. To prevent this, a bow of twigs is tied to the grafting site, to which the growing shoots can subsequently be tied to prevent them from being broken off by the wind (Fig. 18).
Transplanting mature trees
Mature trees are replanted with a lump of soil in diameter: for trees aged 7-10 years - 1.25 m; at the age of 10-15 years - 1.5 m. The height of the soil coma should be 60-70 cm. The roots encountered during digging are cut off and the ends are smoothed with a sharp garden knife. For long-distance transportation or when the soil is very loose, the lump is covered with boards (Fig. 19). Trees are dug up in late autumn or early spring. You can transport dug up trees in winter time at a temperature not lower than -6°. For planting, prepare holes of a size corresponding to the size of the soil ball prepared for replanting the tree.
Nutrient soil is “knocked” under the bottom of the clod; it is filled with the emptiness around the lump.
Caring for a transplanted tree. The tree is strengthened with guy wires (thick wire) (Fig. 20). The main branches are shortened by 1/3 of the length. The stem and bases of the branches are tied with moss, matting, and burlap. For 20-30 days, the harness is systematically moistened with water or sprayed with lime mortar. During dry times, trees are watered abundantly. They fight pests and diseases.
Installing supports for tree branches with crops
Branches with a fruit harvest require the installation of supports. The absence of supports or delays in their installation often leads to splinters and broken branches, to loss of yield due to the action of wind and the weight of the fruit.
The installation of supports begins when the fruits reach approximately 3 cm in diameter, and the branches deviate from their original position under the weight of the fruits
The number of supports depends on the size of the crop on the tree.
For each branch bearing 8-10 kg of fruit, one support should be installed.
The support, cleared of bark, pointed at the bottom and with a fork at the top, is driven into the ground in a vertical position. To avoid damage to the branches, pieces of matting and burlap are placed on the fork. After harvesting, the supports are removed.
Protecting the garden from spring frosts
Spring frosts are dangerous for gardens during the flowering period of trees. They destroy the flowers, and therefore the harvest. According to long-term observations, in the central zone of the USSR the latest frost occurs around June 6.
Radio warns of approaching frost Central Institute weather forecasts.
The simplest way to combat frosts during flowering trees is to fumigate the garden by burning heaps of manure, peat, and garbage (Fig. 21).
The heaps are lit when the temperature drops sharply to +1, +2°, and the smoking ends 1-2 hours after sunrise, but not earlier, in order to avoid rapid thawing of the frozen flowers.
Smoking conditions: the heap should smoke and not burn, which is achieved by covering the heap with a layer of earth in those places where the flame appears. If the pile fades, it is loosened with a fork and the stakes are raised. Smoke bombs are the most convenient for smoking a garden.
One of the measures to reduce the effects of frost is placing barrels of water under the trees, as well as spraying the soil under the trees and the trees themselves with water.
Covering the tree trunk circles with a layer of manure, peat, and sawdust is of great importance. This slows down the melting of snow and delays bud break. As a result, the trees “escape” from frost.
Trees whitened with lime in the fall also begin to grow somewhat later in the spring, and the flowers often do not fall under frost.
Determining the possibility of spring frosts. One of the signs of the onset of frost is a sharp drop in temperature from 8-9 pm (the day before frost) in calm, windless weather and a cloudless night.
The onset of frost is also determined using a device consisting of two thermometers: dry and wet. The result of the readings of both thermometers is determined from the table shown in Figure 22.
The readings of a dry thermometer (in degrees) are indicated in the table in the left vertical column, and wet thermometer readings in the upper horizontal column. The intersection of the temperature readings of both thermometers determines the possibility of freezing.
Preparing trees for wintering
Fruit trees that are not properly cared for are more easily susceptible to freezing.
To avoid frost damage to the root system of trees, as well as their trunks and branches, it is necessary to: timely process and fertilize the soil in the gardens;
fight pests and diseases;
prevent damage to the branches and trunk, as well as the root system;
in dry autumn, water trees before winter;
tie the crowns of young trees for the winter, and then tie them together with the trunk spruce branches;
Hill up the trunks of young trees in the fall with soil to a height of 25-30 cm;
also tie the trunks and bases of skeletal branches of fruit-bearing trees with spruce branches and spud the trees;
cover tree trunk circles with a layer of manure, peat, sawdust to prevent soil freezing;
in winter, accumulate snow on the tree trunks and hill up the trunks with it.
Caring for frozen fruit trees
Too low, prolonged winter temperatures have a negative effect on fruit trees.
One of the most important conditions for normal overwintering of fruit trees is the timely stop of their growth and ripening of the wood.
Excessive moisture, loosening and fertilization of the soil in the second half of summer does not create conditions for the completion of vegetative processes and, as a rule, leads to the unpreparedness of plants to withstand unfavorable wintering conditions. But in late autumn, when there is no moisture in the soil, the trees are watered.
When fruit trees freeze, the following measures must be taken.
Cut out dead branches and shorten damaged parts after the trees have fully blossomed.
Trees damaged by frost are watered abundantly in the spring (10 buckets per adult tree) and fed with fertilizers at the beginning of growth, and then after 15-20 days.
To reduce moisture evaporation, the trunk and the base of the skeletal branches are tied with moss, grass, matting and other materials.