Every day the air gets cooler and the sky gets darker. This means it's time to save bright colors autumn in our homes. Just a few simple and inexpensive accents can make any interior truly cozy and inviting. The queen of autumn, the pumpkin, will help us with this. This is a universal material from which you can make a huge amount interesting crafts. Pumpkin decor looks mysterious and attractive. It can be varied endlessly.
Sweet peppers came to Europe in the 15th century from South America and the Europeans liked it so much that today, for example, in Hungary there is even a museum dedicated exclusively to pepper. This vegetable is extremely rich in vitamins and minerals, which makes it an indispensable product. healthy eating. In this article I want to talk about my experience of growing bell peppers in open ground. And why I manage to get good harvests of this irreplaceable vegetable every year.
For me, the smell of raspberries is firmly associated with childhood - the tender hands of my grandmother and the amazingly delicious jam, which was given out in teaspoons and only when I had a cold. Even then I dreamed of having a lot of raspberries. My dream has come true, every year I harvest a double harvest. The first is from ordinary raspberries and second-year remontant raspberries. And in the fall - the second - 3-5 glasses a day from remontant first-years. I’ll tell you how to care for raspberries in the fall in this article.
Apple mustard from Antonovka, prepared at home with your own hands, will outshine all industrial competitors. The mustard is thick, vigorous, and the mustard seeds add variety to the texture. This seasoning is ideal for meat, fish, and sausage; even just spreading it on a slice of fresh bread will be delicious! It’s not worth preparing large quantities for future use; it’s always better to add a portion of fresh mustard sauce; in just 3 days, the mustard will gain strength and become hot.
Among the countless varieties and hybrids of sweet peppers, there are those, such as the Ramiro pepper, whose popularity is literally worldwide. And if most vegetables on supermarket shelves are nameless, and it is almost impossible to find out about their variety, then the name of this pepper “Ramiro” will certainly be on the packaging. And, as my experience has shown, this pepper is worth letting other gardeners know about it. In connection with which this article was written.
Autumn is the favorite time of many gardeners. The main harvest has already been collected and processed, but the time for rest has not yet come. There is still a lot to do in the garden and beds, but it is important to devote time to the flower garden. There really is something to do here, because many flowers are replanted and propagated in the fall, and the appearance of the flowerbeds will largely depend on the preparation of the soil in the flower beds. ornamental garden next year. Read about what needs to be done in the flower garden in the fall in this article.
Jellied pie with fruit and sour cream filling is an easy to prepare and very tasty homemade pie that can be prepared in less than an hour. For the filling, you can take any fruit or fresh berries, but I advise you to give preference to sweet and dense ones, for example, as in this recipe - pear, bananas, sweet plums. For cooking, you will also need a pan with a non-stick coating and a low side; a cake pan with a removable bottom is suitable.
Autumn is the most mushroom time. It is no longer hot, and heavy dew falls in the mornings. Since the earth is still warm, and foliage has already attacked from above, creating a completely special microclimate in the ground layer, the mushrooms are very comfortable. Mushroom pickers are also comfortable at this time, especially in the mornings when it is cooler. It's time for both to meet. And, if you haven’t introduced yourself to each other, get to know each other. In this article I will introduce you to exotic, little-known and not always edible mushrooms that look like coral.
Leader in healing properties Aloe vera in our country is still inferior in popularity to the simple, almost invulnerable aloe vera. Even its popular name “agave” indicates that the plant can withstand almost any kind of care and is very durable. But aloe vera is rarely found on the list of the most decorative species not by chance. To keep it in shape and not grow huge prickly giants, you need to know some secrets of the formation of this plant.
Pumpkin puree with zucchini and apples - tender, creamy, sweet and sour. Puree prepared according to this recipe is suitable for children and dietary nutrition. For kids, you can mix the finished puree with milk or cream, add a few spoons of soft cottage cheese to it. It is very difficult to determine the taste of pumpkin and zucchini in this dish. The aroma of apples plays the first fiddle, the rest of the ingredients seem to be there, but you need to be an expert kitchen tricks to name the vegetables included in the puree.
If you are a busy person, but at the same time not devoid of romance, if you have your own plot and are endowed with aesthetic taste, then explore the opportunity to purchase this wonderful ornamental shrub - karyopteris, or Nutwing. He is also “wing-hazel”, “blue fog” and “blue beard”. It truly fully combines unpretentiousness and beauty. Karyopteris reaches its peak of decorativeness in late summer and autumn. It is at this time that it blooms.
Pepper ajvar - vegetable caviar or thick vegetable sauce made from bell peppers with eggplants. The peppers for this recipe are baked for quite a long time, then they are also stewed. Add to ajvar onion, tomatoes, eggplants. To store eggs for the winter, they are sterilized. This Balkan recipe is not for those who like to make preparations quickly, undercooked and underbaked - not about ajvar. In general, we approach the matter in detail. For the sauce, we choose the ripest and meatiest vegetables on the market.
Despite the simple names (“sticky” or “indoor maple”) and the status of a modern substitute indoor hibiscus, abutilons are far from the simplest plants. They grow well, bloom profusely and delight with a healthy look of greenery only in optimal conditions. On thin leaves, any deviations from comfortable lighting or temperatures and disturbances in care quickly appear. To reveal the beauty of abutilons in rooms, it is worth finding the ideal place for them.
Zucchini fritters with Parmesan and mushrooms - a delicious recipe with photos of available products. Ordinary zucchini pancakes can be easily turned into a non-boring dish by adding a few savory ingredients to the dough. During the squash season, pamper your family with vegetable pancakes with wild mushrooms; it is not only very tasty, but also filling. Zucchini is a universal vegetable, it is suitable for stuffing, for preparations, for main courses, and even for sweets. delicious recipes- compotes and jam are made from zucchini.
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 also for those gardeners who prefer spring planting, it can be advised to register trees in the fall and dig them in for the winter, since in the spring trees are often late, especially when extracted 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 is of 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.
Towards the end of winter, from the second ten days of March, the snow gradually begins to decrease. The density of snow cover varies in different winters. It always increases towards the end of winter. Snow becomes especially compacted in winters with frequent thaws and during strong winds. Dense settling snow causes serious damage to fruit trees, especially young ones.
In the first half of March, the dense snow crust around young plantings of woody plants must be destroyed, for example, with a garden fork. But they must be worked with caution. Individual branches of young plants are not visible under the snow, and they can easily be broken. The crust of frozen snow is easier to break in the afternoon, when the snow becomes loose from the sun's rays.
It is more convenient to carry out spring work in the garden on skis.
Some gardeners “powder” the snow, for example, with wood or peat ash. It's being dispersed thin layer around a tree after a snowfall.
Why do they do this? A dark surface, as you know, is more likely to heat up from the sun's rays, so powdered snow, becoming dark, begins to melt faster.
Some gardeners shovel snow away from the tree. But this is very labor-intensive gardening work. True, it can be made easier if you shovel snow only from the south side.
Particular attention should be paid to young plantings. No less attention should be paid to those trees that are densely planted; There is a lot of snow accumulation here, and therefore there may be frequent branches breaking. These areas should be monitored first.
Very often on personal plot you can observe the following picture: fruit trees and shrubs grow 2-3 m from the house. Large blocks of snow fall (or are carelessly thrown off) from the roof; they greatly damage the trees, breaking off large and small branches.
Snow accumulation
Some gardeners practice a technique that delays the flowering of trees. It consists in the following. In winter, the gardener accumulates snow (sometimes ice) under the crown of the tree and covers it with sawdust. In the spring, it does not melt so quickly, thereby delaying the awakening of the tree by the beginning of the growing season. Proponents of this technique believe that such trees are not damaged by frost. It is very difficult to agree with this opinion. Any technique must always be approached taking into account the biology, breed, variety and conditions in which this or that culture was formed over hundreds of years.
Enter the garden in late March or early April, when the snow has already begun to settle and bare soil appears. Take a closer look at the trees. At first, the snow settles more heavily or melts around the trunk, and only then begins to melt in the tree trunk circle. The soil, freed from snow, was warmed by the sun for the first time in the winter months, and this meeting does not pass without a trace for her. The rays, hitting a dark surface, quickly warm not only the crown, but also the upper root layer of the soil. The roots awaken, and the active life of the tree begins in the deep correspondence of its parts - aboveground and underground. This is a pattern of nature, the rhythm of a tree’s life. But this rhythm will certainly be disrupted if you artificially delay the awakening of only one part of the tree’s root system, because the above-ground part of it at this time is already ready for active life.
What happens in this case? The growth and development of the tree is disrupted. Therefore, such a technique cannot be considered justified from the point of view of tree biology. We do not recommend using it.
Late winter cutting cuttings and checking overwintering of plants
With the beginning of the snow melting, the deadline for cutting last year's annual growths used for grafting begins.
Usually, in mild winters, standard zoned varieties of fruit trees are not damaged by frost, and this cutting period is quite acceptable. But for the purpose of self-control, they should always be checked to ensure the viability of all shoot tissues.
Why do you have to do this?
Sometimes even a mild winter can cause damage to shoot tissue and buds. Checking plants that have emerged from conditions of relative dormancy (winter) allows the gardener to intervene in a timely manner in the plant organism, helping it to quickly mobilize nutrients to eliminate the lost parts of the plant.
Let's give an example. After a harsh winter, fruit trees suffered severe damage to their above-ground parts. This was noticeable already at the end of winter. To eliminate the severe consequences of salt frosts, a number of agrotechnical techniques were proposed: severe pruning of the most affected trees, early spring fertilizing with nitrogen fertilizers to enhance growth, summer watering of trees, foliar spraying of the leaf canopy, etc. After all these measures, the damaged trees quickly recovered. But even here, against the general background of a harsh winter, it was necessary to find out in each individual case how strongly a given tree reacted to low winter temperatures. To a large extent, this is helped by clarifying the degree of damage to leaf and flower buds, as well as individual tissues of branches on the fruit tree.
At the end of winter, it is necessary to review and clarify the condition of the tissues and buds on the shoots harvested at the beginning and end of winter.
How to do it? What should you pay attention to?
For example, apple or cherry trees have actions low temperatures Flower buds are the most susceptible compared to leaf buds. If we compare the degree of frost damage to two trees of the same age and variety, then the tree that had a large harvest before the harsh winter will be more damaged than the one that had no harvest. If in summer trees growing in an area with excessive moisture are compared with trees that do not receive sufficient watering, then the former will have more frozen shoots.
Trees that receive excess nutrition with powerful growth during the summer are damaged in a harsh winter much more severely than those that have less growth.
The easiest way to check for tree damage after winter is to cut tree branches and put them at home to regrow. The results obtained in this case cannot be completely trusted. Very often they indicate more severe damage than is detected in the spring. The extent of damage can be more accurately determined in early spring. To do this, the fruit bud on the shoot is cut along the middle with a razor. If the central part of the bud with already fully formed flowers, with stamens and pistils of a dark brown color, then this means that the bud is severely damaged by frost. Sometimes you can notice that the flower primordia themselves are alive, but the base of the bud or the vascular bundle leading from the shoot to the future flowers is brown. This is an indicator of damage that can occur after or at the time of flowering, when nutrients stop flowing to the bud or young ovary and they fall off prematurely (Fig. 1).
Rice. 1. Above: a section of a flower bud shows that the first two flowers died in their infancy. At the far right bud, all parts of the apple tree flower are alive, below: three (right) cherry buds show death of flowers, two (left) are not damaged by frost.
How do you know if one year's growth is damaged?
Using a sharp knife or razor, cut off part of the bark along with the wood. If it is light brown or tan in color, it is a sign of frost damage. The leaf bud on such a shoot shrinks and becomes loose. Cutting it lengthwise, it can be noted that the sap-conducting bundle that connects the shoot to the bud is broken and has Brown color. Such shoots cannot be used for grafting into the crown or for establishing a bridge on fruit trees damaged by hares or mice (Fig. 2). You can easily control yourself by comparing the degree of damage to branches that have been under the snow all winter and above the snow cover. In the former, as a rule, damage to shoot and bud tissues is not observed.
Rice. 2. The right annual shoot of the apple tree is severely damaged by frost; the left one is completely preserved
During early spring pruning in the garden, when the buds have not yet swelled and it is not yet visible whether the leaf bud is alive, in order to determine its condition, a test cut is made along the bud with a garden knife. Why do they do this? If many leaf buds die, more severe pruning is carried out, thereby preventing unnecessary exposure of the branches. This especially applies to crops such as plums and cherries.
The degree of damage to tissues and buds can be more accurately determined by cutting off the branches and placing them in water. But here it is necessary to fulfill a number of conditions: firstly, transfer the branches from the garden to the room so that there is no sharp temperature change; secondly, before placing the branches in water, it is necessary to update the cuts, while making them in water, and, thirdly, it is better to cover the bunch of branches with a plastic bag, which creates a more humid environment and the buds do not dry out. In a week, leaf and flower buds will begin to swell, and it will be very easy to determine the degree of death.
Early spring conservation of moisture in the soil
The first rays of the March sun serve as an invitation to the gardener to visit the garden, which is very snowy at this time. A lot of snow in the garden is good.
Meteorological observation data say that the water reserve in the snow cover is 100-130 mm (Moscow region), in other words, on 1 m 2 of garden plot, a 10 cm layer of snow contains from two and a half to three buckets of water.
Melting usually begins from April 5-10. The snow thickens and water appears underneath. In a protected garden, especially by coniferous trees, the snow melts relatively slowly. On open places it goes away quickly.
They practice many different techniques to preserve and accumulate moisture in the soil. It is, of course, unlikely to use any technique for this in the garden. Manual snow clearing, even in a small garden, is very labor-intensive. Therefore, gardeners are trying to come up with something that would make this work in the garden easier. For example, they dust the snow with peat dust; after eight to ten sunny days it completely disappears. The soil from which the snow has melted also quickly begins to thaw and absorb moisture from adjacent rows where the snow has not yet completely melted. Thus, it is possible to retain a significant amount of moisture in the area.
Almost every area has slight slope. A stream of spring water rushes along it in early spring. In individual gardens, this water usually flows down paths located below the general soil horizon. To delay the flow of water, you can use repeated damming with earthen mounds. They do this in late autumn.
Sometimes an earthen rampart 15-20 cm high is built around the perimeter of the garden (also in the fall); it helps very well to retain moisture in the area.
Fruit and berry plants are especially afraid of stagnant water, since there is very little oxygen in it, and the roots of the trees seem to suffocate. And, in addition, substances harmful to them accumulate in the soil in such an area. Strawberries are especially sensitive to prolonged flooding.
In early spring, trees heavily damaged by mice are grafted with a bridge. If the trunk is gnawed by rodents by one third or more, then vaccination is mandatory. Cuttings are selected depending on the length of the wound. For a bridge longer than 40 cm, you need a cutting 50-60 cm in size. In this case, you need to look not just for annual growths, but for top-shaped annual shoots, which, as a rule, are always longer. The thin tip of the shoot is not suitable for insertion under the bark.
The number of cuttings grafted with a bridge depends on the size of the wound and the age of the damaged tree. For example, when ring-eating the bark, three or four bridges are inserted into a four-year-old tree, and seven or eight bridges are inserted into a 12-year-old tree.
If you are doing this work in the garden for the first time and are not sure of the success of the grafting, then the number of bridges should be increased.
It is not difficult to graft a bridge on a tree that has one even trunk. It is much more difficult to graft when the fruit tree grows as a bush. In case of severe damage by mice, it is sometimes advisable to remove even part of the main skeletal branches: in this case it will be more convenient to install bridges.
It happens that in older plants with thick bark, mice eat only the upper skin, the cork layer and partly the primary bark. The cambium remains intact. This type of damage is not dangerous. It is enough to coat the wound with garden pitch or petrolatum, and the remaining cambium will begin to actively divide and form new tissues in the spring.
Often mice damage the bark and cambium down to the wood. If the damage is circular (ring), then the normal movement of plastic substances formed in the leaves is disrupted in the tree. Gradually, the root system weakens and the tree dies.
Looking at the flowering but damaged trees, you might think that everything is fine, there will be no trouble. Indeed, at first glance everything seems to be going well. However, the processes of growth and development are already disrupted, and the tree survives only due to the nutrients accumulated over the previous year. In some cases, a tree in this state can even produce a harvest, and in the fall shed its leaves and go into winter as if healthy. But, unfortunately, this may be his last breath. Next spring it will no longer bloom.
In the spring, when the snow melts, it is imperative to inspect the trees and determine the extent of their damage by mice.
How to do it?
At the time of sap flow, a small (3-5 cm) longitudinal incision is made on the trunk with a knife, covering the healthy and damaged parts of the tree. If the bark from the wood lags behind on both parts, then the damage is not dangerous, since the cambium will soon restore the lost tissue.
If in the part gnawed by mice the tissue does not separate and only wood remains, then this is a sign of dangerous damage; the gardener must prepare for bridge grafting (Fig. 3).
Rice. 3. The lower part of the apple tree was eaten by mice. The damaged area was coated with clay and tied with burlap. After removing the strapping, the living areas of the bark are washed and wiped dry, and then the cuttings are grafted with a bridge. In case of ring damage, shoot cuttings are placed evenly around the trunk. After grafting, the places where the cuttings are inserted under the bark are thoroughly lubricated with garden varnish, and then all the bridges are tied (bandaged).
The damaged part of the tree is covered with a mixture of clay and mullein (1:1), and then tied with burlap. After some time, the bandage is removed, the healthy part of the bark is washed from above and below and the grafting itself begins.
Having chosen a place to insert the cutting, first make a transverse incision, and after that a short longitudinal one. In order for the cutting to fit more tightly to the wood, a little bark is cut off on both sides of the damaged part. These cutouts are clearly visible in Fig. 3 (second photo from the left).
Using an oblique cut on the lower part, the cutting is inserted into the lower cut. Having determined the location, make a second oblique cut at the upper end of the cutting and insert it into the cut in the bark. This is a rather difficult operation, because the arched shape of the cutting and its weak elasticity often cause the tip to break off. After grafting one bridge, the insertion site should be immediately coated with garden varnish and then grafting should continue. After all work is completed, the bridges must be tied (bandaged) with some material.
Quite often there are cases when shoots form below the grafting site or from the roots. It can be used for one-sided grafting by selecting only the most suitable shoots. They are introduced, as in the first case, under the cortex above the place damaged by mice (Fig. 4).
Rice. 4. If the tree trunk is damaged and it has shoots, then it can be used for grafting above the damage site
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Fig. 5. To cut a branch, it is first sawed off from the opposite side, and then cut out completely. After this, use a garden knife to clean the wound onto the ring.
Rice. 6. The correct cut of the branch into a ring is shown. In this case, the fold of the bark fits around the cut on all sides, and the wound quickly becomes overgrown with callus.
Rice. 7. The branch was cut poorly, and the wound will not heal for many years.
Rice. 8. To make it easier to cut a large branch, it must be bent in the opposite direction from the knife blade.
Rice. 9. The figure shows how to correctly (in the center) cut one-year growth with a knife or pruning shears. A very long stump is left on the left, and a very deep cut is made on the right, which can lead to poor growth upper kidney. |
After bridge grafting, flowers should not be left on the tree. This is too much stress for a damaged tree. Flowers take a lot of nutrients from it, and very little of it enters the crown. Therefore, at the moment the buds appear, it is necessary to tear off all of them if the trunk has ring damage, and part of them if individual areas of the bark are damaged. During the summer, the formation of root shoots or shoots may begin from the lower part of the trunk, untouched by mice. They should not be removed, since at first they supply the root system with plastic substances. In case of unsuccessful grafting with a bridge, the shoot (if it is cultivated) can be the basis for the construction of a new crown.
If the trunk is partially damaged, then this year you can not do bridge grafting, but plant wild birds of the same breed that are damaged (for an apple tree - apple seedlings, for a pear tree - pear seedlings) purchased from a nursery. To do this, dig a hole on the side of the damaged bark and plant wild rootstocks at an angle. Their shoots should touch the trunk. In the first year, the wildflower is allowed to grow only upward; to do this, all the side shoots are pinched. The following year in the spring, the upper end of the wildflower is grafted “behind the bark” into the trunk above the site of damage. The larger the wound, the more game birds are planted.
April. Spring work in the garden
Fruit tree pruning
The time when it is necessary to form fruit trees and shrubs, prune and cut out branches in young and mature gardens. We recommend starting this spring work in the garden with black currants, then processing gooseberries, white and red currants, pears and apple trees, and lastly cherries and plums.
From the beginning of April, berry crops may still be under snow, and therefore correctly pruning or cutting out their branches is a rather difficult task. In this case, tall plants usually begin to be trimmed. The pruning technique is shown in Fig. 5-9.
On garden plots apply various ways maintaining branches. In some cases they are lifted from the ground with ropes, ribbons, and wire; in others, stakes or entire fences made of supports are placed under the branches. All this suggests that the pruning has not been done.
A properly formed fruit tree, with the exception of varieties with brittle wood, or a berry bush does not need supports to support its harvest. Only, as an exception, sometimes you can use a chatalovka (wooden support) or some other methods. If you decide to prune a tree whose branches are supported in this way, then first of all you need to remove all garters, various supports, slingshots, etc. When pruning and shaping a tree, you need to see the natural arrangement of the branches.
Typically, it is recommended to start pruning when the air is already heated by the sun and the thermometer shows a positive temperature. At this time the snow cover settles. In the Moscow region this happens approximately at the beginning of the second ten days of April.
It must be said that snow cover in some cases makes pruning the garden easier. Firstly, by climbing onto a snowdrift near a tree, it is easier to work closer to the top of the crown. It is more convenient to collect branches in the snow. However, by noon, gardening becomes more difficult. The sun heats the snow, it becomes loose, and the support underfoot becomes unreliable; Every minute you fail, and work in the garden moves more slowly.
In these cases, you can put boards on the snow or stand on your skis. But all this, of course, is not so effective, because it is not entirely convenient and familiar. Pruning should be done in the early morning, when the snow has not yet been heated by the sun, and is dense enough to walk on.
Often, pruning is not completed before the snow melts in the garden. At this time, the top layer of soil thaws by 5-15 cm. Water runs from the hillocks in friendly streams and collects in puddles, but in some places in the garden you can still see snow, gradually disappearing in the rays of the bright spring sun. It is at this moment that you should not walk around the garden with belated gardening work, because walking only causes harm. Each step leaves a deep footprint in the swollen and soggy soil, and it is easy to step on and damage low-growing crops. Especially when the garden plot is densely planted.
After a week or two, the deplorable results of such belated work in the garden are visible: strawberries and bulbous plants are crushed, branches of berry crops mixed with pruned ones are trampled into the mud, earthen paths are damaged.
This is why you should not walk in the garden when the spring water recedes.
Late pruning of fruit trees in spring
Trimming fruit trees and shrubs in the garden are taken care of before the sap begins to flow!
If pruning is not completed in the snow, it can be continued after the soil has dried a little. Don’t be alarmed by the sight of swollen buds on fruit trees, especially on berry bushes. Pruning can continue in this case.
Recent scientific research allows pruning until mature fruit trees bloom.
Late pruning of stone fruits: plums, cherries, cherries, apricots is undesirable, because they may develop severe gum production. If the trees have already begun to awaken, the buds are swelling, then pruning, unless there is an urgent need, is better to postpone until next year. In the same year, you can carry out minimal pruning: cut out broken branches, cut out branches that interfere with others, and some small twigs. All cuts must be covered with garden varnish.
If a branch is poorly placed in the crown of a tree, try carefully pulling it to the side, tilting or lifting it so that it takes up the free space of the crown, does not interfere with others, and is itself in better conditions. To secure it, you can use slats and ropes.
If the trees are very frozen, then it is better to do full pruning after the surviving buds begin to grow and it becomes clear which branches have frozen.
Fertilizing fruit and berry crops in early spring
Fruit trees and berry bushes need increased nutrition to quickly grow or restore parts damaged by frost. In spring, nitrogen becomes especially important for plants. It is part of organic and mineral fertilizers.
Adding nitrogen fertilizer of one form or another to the soil in early spring promotes rapid growth of all parts of the fruit tree or berry bush. Such fertilizer is necessary for plants after harsh winters, when they lose either fruit formations or growth of recent years due to low temperatures. If last year the trees did not bear fruit, but laid a large number of flower buds, then nitrogen fertilizing also necessary from spring.
At the beginning of the growing season, nitrogen in the form of mineral fertilizers is usually easier to apply than manure. But these fertilizers have a high effect only if the soil is sufficiently moist: nitrogen moves more easily in the soil and is more fully absorbed by the root system. It is advisable to apply mineral forms of nitrogen fertilizers in early spring.
How to determine the best time for the first feeding?
If nitrogen fertilizers are applied when the snow has not yet completely melted and the soil has not thawed everywhere, then dissolved nitrogen along with spring water can leave the garden in large quantities. Therefore, this period is not suitable at all - too early.
If mineral nitrogen is added when the soil is already dry, it will dissolve more slowly and will not be able to fill the entire root layer of the soil. This means that this deadline is also not suitable - it is too late.
The best period should be considered a short period after the complete disappearance of the lung. By this time the soil has already thawed, although it is very saturated with water; the water freezes at night, and in the morning a thin crust of ice breaks under your feet, especially if you walk in low places, between rows, or over large lumps of soil. Feeding at this time is usually called by the “shard” (Fig. 10). During the day, the ice melts, and there is little water; it is not enough for the streams that run along the slope. Nitrogen remains in the garden. This period, when fertilizer is most fully used, should not be missed.
Once again, it should be recalled that this soil condition occurs for a short time and it is very important not to miss it. On light sandy soils this period begins earlier and ends faster than on heavy clay soils.
Fertilizers are applied by scattering them over the surface of the soil. If it is ammonium nitrate, then 10 g of fertilizer is applied per 1 m 2 of tree trunk circle, if ammonium sulfate or calcium nitrate - 15-20 g, urea - 5-8 g. The second fertilizing is carried out in May - June.
Re-grafting of trees
In gardens, grafting of fruit trees is often used to quickly change varieties, without planting new trees; for better preservation of some low-winter-hardy varieties by grafting them into the crown and, finally, for the treatment of trunks and bases of skeletal branches if they are damaged by rodents or have bark that has died from sunburn or frost.
Almost all fruit and berry plants can be re-grafted, but in country gardening, grafting is used on a limited number of plant species. Thus, any varieties of apple trees are grafted onto an apple tree, including wild ones, pear varieties - onto cultivated and wild pears, as well as onto quince, and chokeberry and red mountain ash varieties - onto forest rowan.
The most convenient time for grafting in the spring is the period of active sap flow, when the bark of plants (where this grafting is done) is easily separated from the wood (late April - first half of May).
From large number For your first experience, we recommend using cutting grafting using the “bark” method.
The grafting of a new variety should be done onto the trunk or into the main skeletal branches of trees that have proven themselves to be highly winter-hardy in the garden. These include many apple and pear seedlings that have survived harsh winters, selected forms of china, a number of varieties of Siberian, Ural and northwestern origin, as well as a number of zoned varieties.
In the gardens of the Moscow region there is a fairly high percentage of trees that have sufficient frost resistance, but their quality cannot be considered good. Roughly, we can assume that gardeners in the Moscow region grow about 6% Moscow Pear, 5% Anise, 1% Chinese, 5% Striped Cinnamon. This is a very large reserve for improving the assortment through regrafting. All these varieties are good skeleton-formers. And finally, the Antonovka common variety, which accounts for about 30% of all apple tree varieties. If there are several trees of these varieties in the garden, then some of them can be regrafted into new, more valuable ones.
Using regrafting, you can carry out a radical reconstruction of your garden without planting new trees, spending minimal effort and money.
What is the re-grafting technique?
Take, for example, a ten-year-old tree of the Cinnamon striped variety. The variety is quite winter-hardy, so there is no reason to think that the tree was frozen in winter. First of all, you need to decide whether to remove the entire crown or re-graft at two years. It depends on the location of the vaccination. You can, for example, graft into a standard, then you need to do the least number of vaccinations; can be grafted into the base of skeletal branches, then the subsequently grown branches will replace the existing crown; You can graft cuttings onto two to three year old wood, i.e. almost along the periphery of the entire crown; in this case, you need to do a lot of vaccinations (this technique is used very rarely).
Cuttings grafted along the periphery of the crown begin to bear fruit the earliest, and cuttings grafted into the trunk come later than everyone else.
Regrafting along the main branches of a ten-year-old tree of the Cinnamon Striped variety can be traced in Fig. 11. It has a good crown, however, the left side branch has somewhat outgrown the leader shoot, and the front right branch is planning to form a fork.
Rice. 11. A – general form 10-year-old tree before regrafting; B – the crown of an undesirable apple tree variety has been cut off; B – a different number of cuttings are grafted into each main skeletal branch depending on its diameter (one variety can be grafted into each branch); D – in the summer of the year of grafting, strong growths are formed, which create a new crown of the tree.
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Rice. 12. Highly winter-hardy varieties were adopted into the non-winter-resistant trunk and main skeletal branches. After a harsh winter, the trunk and main skeletal branches died, so all grafted varieties will also die.
Rice. 13. If the variety is not winter-hardy, then new varieties must be grafted into the root collar of the tree. |
When cutting the crown, the leading branch should be left central. and cut the remaining branches lower. The cuts themselves should not be made strictly horizontal to the soil surface, they should be perpendicular to the axis of the branch. The sections are cleaned with a sharp garden knife and grafting begins. They start with the leader branch, then re-graft the side branches and behind them the lower branches. This gardening work cannot be carried out in reverse order, since here you can inevitably touch the already grafted cuttings. In each branch, the part closest to the center of the tree is first grafted. The places where branches are cut are cleaned with a garden knife. Then a perpendicular cut in the bark is made with a copulating knife. It is better to start grafting at horizontal and inclined branches in their upper part. After grafting one cutting, the grafting site, part of the end of the rootstock and the end of the cutting, if it does not end with an apical bud, are covered with pitch. Then they proceed to the next vaccination. Having finished it, several turns of strapping tape are applied to the edge of the rootstock; they check the quality of coating the parts subjected to this operation with garden varnish and finally hang a label indicating the variety, the number of grafted cuttings, and put the date of grafting on the back of the label.
Very often in gardens there are non-winter-hardy varieties that freeze above the standard from year to year. Then the gardener decides to regraft such a tree. In this case, cut off all branches previously damaged by frost; At first glance, the trunk is completely healthy. But it is not a winter-hardy variety. In the event of an unfavorable winter with little snow, the grafted parts may not freeze, but the trunk will freeze, and then a lot of work in the garden will be in vain. In Fig. Figure 12 shows a Kulon-Chinese tree regrafted with new, quite resistant varieties. Years passed and the grafts grew into strong branches with an abundance of good quality fruit. But after a harsh winter, the bark of the trunk froze severely. The flow of sap was disrupted, and the dying trunk of the non-winter-hardy variety Kulon-Chinese brought death to all the grafts, although they were not damaged by the past frost.
It is completely unreasonable to graft new varieties into the crown of such non-winter-resistant varieties as Papirovka, Melba, Pepin saffron, Bellefleur-Chinese and similar ones. Even the Antonovka and Anis varieties are especially unfavorable conditions cannot always be used for this purpose, since both the trunk and skeletal branches can be damaged in some very severe winters.
When regrafting trees, it is necessary to especially carefully look for completely stable skeleton-forming materials.
But what if the variety is not winter-hardy and you still want to replace it with another, better variety? In this case, in early spring it is necessary to cut off the entire part of the tree to the grafting site (preferably along the root collar) and graft cuttings (Fig. 13) of a new variety into it.
Raspberries
In early spring, raspberries tied and bent in autumn must be untied and then tied either to a trellis (stretched wire) or to a stake. Some gardeners pay little attention to this work in the garden and carry it out late, when the buds on the shoots have already swelled or, even worse, the shoots themselves have appeared. The decoupling and distribution of shoots on the trellis at this time leads to the fact that many buds or tender shoots are mechanically broken off, which reduces the yield of this crop.
Bending down raspberries in the fall sometimes leads to the hollowing of individual shoots in the bush itself. Therefore, in the spring, before tying raspberries to the trellis, you need to inspect and remove all damaged shoots.
After tying, the ends of the tops of all shoots are cut off with pruning shears. They are shortened by 10-15 cm. This technique helps to enhance the growth of branches, which give the most valuable and high yield of berries. Raspberry shoots should not be cut to size, like an ornamental crop.
In gardens, raspberries are propagated by offspring. They form on the roots and can grow close to the bush, as well as 1.5 m from it. It all depends on how far the superficial root system of the raspberry bush spreads.
Under normal growth conditions, an adult raspberry bush produces a small number of offspring. Those of them that are on the periphery and come out from the general row of plants (in row planting) are dug up in the fall and used for new plantings.
If it is necessary to propagate a new valuable variety and obtain a large number of offspring, then in late autumn or early spring the above-ground part of the plant is cut off and the center of the old rhizome is removed. In the spring, a large number of shoots will develop from dormant buds on the raspberry roots. They will not produce a harvest this year. Digging up shoots is usually done with a garden fork in order to reduce damage to the roots of the plant.
For better growth new shoots, care for such a mother bush consists of early spring mulching of the soil with peat and several waterings, which must be completed at the end of July.
It is important to protect young shoots from raspberry flies. To do this, during the period when buds appear (monitored by nearby fruit-bearing bushes), periodic spraying is carried out with a chlorophos solution (20 g of an 80% preparation per 10 liters of water).
Strawberries
In the non-chernozem zone, spring work in the garden on the strawberry plot begins in late April - early May. The strawberries at this time look rather pitiful: the leaves are almost all dry, dusty, drooping, and only two or three fresh green leaves stretch from the middle of the bush. The soil between the rows became compacted, dry and cracked in places.
First of all, in such an area, all last year’s leaves are removed (Fig. 14).
What's the best way to do this?
With your left hand you grab the leaves located on one side of the row, and with your right hand you use a garden knife to cut their petioles closer to the base of the bush. The cut sheets are taken out and immediately burned.
The leaves can also be used for composting. In this case, they are placed in heaps so that gusts of wind do not blow the leaves throughout the area.
After removing last year's leaves, they begin shallow (5-8 cm) digging of the plantation. Before this, phosphorus-potassium fertilizer and manure are applied, if these fertilizers have not been applied since the fall of last year. After this, the plantation is loosened with a rake and mulching material is laid out along the rows.
Peat is often used for this purpose. It not only promotes good moisture retention in the soil, but also creates a favorable temperature regime for the root layer of soil.
If the seedlings were not planted in the fall (they remained not removed from the soil on the plantation), then they begin to select and plant them. Since the weather is clear at this time, planting must be done quickly so that the strawberry root system does not dry out. The soil for planting must be prepared in the fall.
In some years, young strawberry plantings bulge, which is expressed in the appearance of the base of the roots on the soil surface. Such seedlings must be deepened into the soil to the level of the heart. This work in the garden is done as early as possible in the spring, while the soil is in a soft plastic state.
Strawberries two weeks earlier. The dream of every gardener is to receive the earliest first berry or first fruit. A dream turns into a real necessity if there are small children in the family.
Growing early strawberries with high yields began to be found in last years a large number of fans.
They start by choosing a place on the site illuminated by direct sun rays. Then, in early spring or in the second half of summer, high-quality strawberry seedlings are planted, mainly early varieties. It should be planted in one row. The distance between plants in a row should be 25-30 cm. Each row of strawberries is covered separately. For this purpose, a tunnel shelter is used. Due to the fact that the edges of the covering material are either buried in the soil or strengthened in some other way, the distance between the rows of strawberries has to be 100-110 cm.
In the first year of growth, strawberries are carefully looked after. All whiskers are immediately removed as soon as they appear. Late in the fall, frames are installed along the rows. For this purpose, it is best to use hollow tubes with a diameter of 15 to 25 mm, made of plastic materials, an iron rod with a diameter of 5 to 8 mm, willow branches and, finally, a frame can be made of wooden slats. In the first cases it will be semicircular, and in the latter - in the form of a trapezoid.
The height of the frame should be 35-50 cm, and the width (at the ground) should be 60-70 cm. Individual arcs are placed with a distance between them of 80-100 cm.
It is more advisable to install the frame in the fall, but it is also possible in the early spring, as soon as the snow melts and the soil thaws.
If the frame is installed in the spring, then before covering it with covering material, twine or soft wire should be stretched between the arches. This is done so that the material does not sag in case of rain.
Usually it is enough to stretch the twine along the very top of the arches and along the sides. The ends of the twine are pulled tightly to a stake driven obliquely into the soil, which is located in the center of one of the ends of the tunnel shelter. This ensures sufficient rigidity of the entire structure (Fig. 15).
The covering material is cut 100-120 cm longer than the length of the entire frame. In calm weather, excess material can be spread out. First, it is placed on the frame and trimmed. Then, for better tension, bricks are placed along the edges. Now, along one long edge of the frame, soil is selected to a depth of 10-15 cm. The end of the material is tucked into it and compacted with earth, if it is a film. The same is done from opposite edges. The edges of the covering material can be pressed to the soil with a brick or board.
If the frame is made of slats, then the covering material can be strengthened using thin strips.
Strawberries should be covered in early spring, as soon as new leaves begin to appear. Before sheltering, you should loosen the beds and remove all old leaves.
During April, watering strawberries is not necessary, since the moisture supply is sufficient. When flower stalks appear, the bushes should be sprayed with a chlorophos solution (20 g of 80% chlorophos per 10 liters of water) to destroy the weevil. After spraying, close the bed tightly again. If the bed is covered with film, then on hot sunny days inside moisture appears in the film. This is good. At the beginning of flowering, either the ends of the shelter or one of its sides (preferably the south) are opened for a day. Berry picking is carried out daily. Towards the end of the harvest, strawberries begin to ripen on a regular plantation. By this time, the covering material is removed (the frame can be left). Further care consists of loosening the soil, removing weeds and tendrils, which form very early and in large quantities.
Currant propagation
Among berry crops, currants, especially black currants, are easily propagated, and in more than one way. If a gardener wants to get two or three seedlings, then for this purpose they root branches from a perennial bush; if you need to get larger number plants, then use lignified cuttings.
For any method of propagation, branches or cuttings are taken from the most productive and free from kidney mite and terry bushes. In order to make sure that they are free from diseases and pests, the bushes are carefully inspected in early spring, when it is easy to detect rounded buds damaged by mites; During flowering, check whether the flowers are damaged by doubleness. And finally, the final conclusion about the condition of the bush is helped by determining the yield from it, since the healthiest plant can produce the greatest yield. But due to the fact that the yield is sometimes reduced due to low temperatures not only in winter, but also during the flowering period, as well as after flowering, when negative temperatures may set in and the ovary falls off, a real assessment of the degree of yield of a blackcurrant bush should be given only after three to four years of fruiting. By this time, you can accurately evaluate the plant.
In spring, the soil under the bushes is dug up and harrowed. Then, stepping back from the center of the bush by 30-60 cm, make a hole half a spade deep. Compost, rotted manure or garden soil are placed in it. Then a two- or three-year-old branch is bent and, if it is difficult to do this, pressed to the hole with an iron pin 40 cm long (with a rod diameter of 3-4 mm), the base of the branch is covered with peat (one or two shovels), and earth is poured on top. The entire mound is compacted. By autumn, the bent part of the branch forms roots; if they are weak, then the cuttings are not separated for another year. White and red currants usually form very weak roots in the first year, so both are grown for two and sometimes three years.
In case of drought, the mounds are moistened. In the autumn of the first or second year of cultivation, the cuttings are separated from the mother bush with pruning shears and planted on permanent place. The above-ground part of the layering is somewhat shortened. In the first year, from one bush you can get from 5 to 12 cuttings, depending on the variety and type of currant.
The roots of the cuttings form faster if you make a longitudinal cut in the part of the branch that is sprinkled with soil, or make semicircular cuts in the bark and treat them with growth substances (one tablet of heteroauxin per 1 liter of water). This solution is used to either treat the wound or water (once) the hole with the branch at the time of its installation.
Currants of all types are also propagated by cuttings. To do this, use annual strong shoots, which are not cut from the end of perennial branches, but take so-called zero shoots, i.e. those formed from the soil or from the base of perennial branches.
The thicker the shoots in diameter, the better quality the resulting plant. Therefore, from a shoot 65 cm long you can get three cuttings of 20 cm each, with the lower and middle ones producing good bushes, while the upper one will give worse ones.
To obtain a large number of annual shoots High Quality In the spring, almost all perennial branches are cut out of the bush. By autumn, the bush forms new shoots that are not only of high quality, but also in large quantities.
For cutting blackcurrant cuttings, bushes from two to five years old are used, and for red and white currants, it is permissible to use older plants for this purpose.
The cut cuttings are immediately planted in previously prepared soil. The depth of its digging is 30 cm. It is very good to add peat or compost to the soil before digging in the amount of three buckets per 1 m2.
The best time for currants when planting cuttings is autumn. The cuttings are buried obliquely into the soil so that one or two buds are on the surface. The distance in the row is 15-18 cm, between the rows - 30-35 cm. In late autumn or early spring, after loosening the rows, mulch with peat.
In some unfavorable winters, cuttings may bulge from the soil. Then in the spring, as soon as the soil thaws, they are buried again and the soil is trampled down.
During the summer, the area is periodically watered using sprinkling. If it has not been mulched, then loosening is carried out.
At the end of June, a young one-year-old shoot is pinched above the third or fourth leaf. At first, this retards growth, but then more and more new shoots are formed from dormant buds, and by autumn the annual shoot turns into a branching plant that can be planted in a permanent place.
To obtain high-quality seedlings, black currant plants are not dug up in the first year, but in the spring of next year, the entire above-ground part is cut off, leaving three to five buds. In the second year, they develop into strong two-year-old seedlings, which produce a harvest in the first year.
May. Spring work in the garden
Check the planting of young seedlings of fruit crops. Sometimes fruit and berry crops are planted incorrectly - for example, apple, pear, cherry, and plum plants are too deep. Subsequently, this leads to inhibition of the growth and development of the tree, to a decrease in yield, and in conditions of heavy wet soils even to damping off of the bark on the trunks. After a few years, such trees die.
It is better to carefully check last year’s plantings and, if it is discovered that the root collar of the trees is buried, immediately correct the mistake.
Usually, when planting, it is recommended to raise the root collar of a tree above the soil level by 3-4 cm on light sandy soils and by 5-6 cm on heavy loamy or clayey soils.
How to correctly determine the location of the root collar in a grafted apple, pear, cherry, plum or rowan tree? The root collar is the place where the roots pass into the above-ground part of the tree, i.e. in standard To accurately determine this place, you need to wipe part of the trunk and the beginning of the main roots with a damp cloth: the border of the color change of the bark from greenish to light brown will be the root collar.
Sometimes a thickening on the trunk is mistaken for the root collar, whereas this is the part of the tree where the graft was made. And this mistake entails another: focusing on thickening, trees are planted incorrectly - very deep.
It is equally important to pay special attention to the advance preparation of planting holes. Often landing hole dig up and fill up on the day or the day before planting the tree; the necessary fertilizers are placed in it and filled with soil. This is completely unacceptable. The hole should be dug five to six weeks in advance and filled with soil and fertilizer three to five weeks before fall planting.
If planting is carried out in the spring, then the hole must be prepared in the fall. Only in this case will the loose soil settle completely and the tree planted later will not have a deep root collar.
In spring, a gardener has a lot of urgent things to do in the garden, and the weather often cooperates. But, despite the short deadlines for spring work in the garden, young grafted fruit trees buried by improper planting or settled ones must be raised before the leaves bloom (Fig. 16).
How to do it? Carefully remove the top layer of soil above the roots with a shovel, then pull the tree (if it is a new plant) up until the root collar appears (2-4 cm above the soil horizon). When a young tree is pulled out of a hole, it must be held by the wild bole, i.e. that part of it that is located between the root collar and the grafting site.
Add soil to the resulting hole and compact it, especially under the roots (you can use a stick with a blunt end). After this, make a hole in the hole and pour one or two buckets of water into it.
It is much more difficult to lift mature trees - five years or more. In this case, you have to dig up a lot of earth, removing a large layer of soil above the roots, under which, in order to carefully lift the tree, you bring a tree wrapped in soft material. (Mature trees that have undergone such an operation are given especially careful care.) Unfortunately, sometimes I do this incorrectly. A layer of soil is removed above the roots until the root collar is exposed, sometimes buried by 10 or even 25 cm, and at this point the work is considered complete. And it turns out that tree plantings end up much lower than the garden soil surface level, i.e. the tree turns out to be sitting in a hole. In spring or late autumn, water flows into this depression, and the bole remains in conditions that are abnormal for it for a long time. And the tree sooner or later dies from damping out of the lower part of the trunk. This is one of the reasons for the annual death of a large number of trees in country gardens.
As for berry bushes - currants and gooseberries, a slight deepening does not harm them; on the contrary, it creates favorable conditions for further growth. These crops can be planted in both spring and autumn.
The central non-chernozem zone is located in a zone of sufficient moisture, but in May and June there is still little precipitation, which is not enough for the fruit tree at this time. Early in the spring they start digging. Unlike autumn, Spring digging must be carried out followed by harrowing (with a hand cultivator or rake).
Fine-clumpy soil better retains moisture accumulated during the autumn-spring period and protects it from evaporation. This technique is called “moisture sealing.”
Sometimes, having dug up the garden, they begin harrowing only after one or two weeks. This cannot be allowed. Over such a long period of time, large lumps of soil quickly evaporate moisture from the surface, harden, and later they are no longer easy to break.
If on soils of heavy mechanical composition you have to work in the garden with a shovel and rake, then on sandy soils, if the garden was previously kept under black fallow (subjected to loosening throughout the summer), the soil can be loosened either with a cultivator or a rake.
Since spring, the soil in the garden has been harrowed without digging. Over the summer, the earth is covered with a green carpet of different herbs. They are mowed down: the first time - at the time the cress and dandelion begin to bloom, and then - as the grass grows to 15 - 20 cm.
The mown grass is evenly scattered under the crowns of fruit trees. In this case, it takes on the meaning of mulch. They mow the grass in the garden not only in those places where the garden is kept under turf, but also in others where the most malicious weeds have grown: dandelion, rapeseed, wheatgrass, creeping buttercup, etc. At the same time, the grass is also transferred to the tree trunk circles.
True, sometimes neither weeding nor other techniques help clear the garden of weeds. But mowing the grass during flowering protects the garden area from self-seeding of various weeds. This is very important for a gardener to know. In addition, sodding a fruit-bearing garden helps improve the mechanical composition of the soil. However, it can also be a harmful technique. This usually happens in dry summers, when the garden is left without water.
This situation is especially dangerous for fruit-bearing trees, since a lack of water in the soil can lead either to the shedding of the ovary or to the production of small and poor quality fruits. This happens because the grass that has grown in the garden takes a lot of moisture from the root layer of the soil, thereby weakening the general condition of the trees. Therefore, if your garden is turfed, we recommend watering it in case of prolonged dry weather.
It is more advisable to keep gardens located on waterlogged soils under turf and periodically mow the grass.
The following grasses can be sown for turf: meadow fescue - 1.2-1.6 g per m2; meadow timothy - 0.5-0.6 g per m 2; wheatgrass - 0.9 g per m2; meadow bluegrass - 0.5-0.7 g per m 2; awnless bonfire - 0.4-0.5 g per m2; hedgehog team - 0.4-0.5 g per m 2; white clover - 1.2-1.5 g per m2; perennial ryegrass - 1.5-2 g per m2.
To insulate the roots of fruit trees, some gardeners cover tree trunk circles with peat or manure (mulch) in the fall.
How should digging be carried out in the spring in this case? The amount of mulch applied matters here. If its layer is 5 cm or more, then in the spring they are created bad conditions to warm the soil. In this case, the vital activity of the root system is somewhat delayed, while the above-ground part of the tree is already showing signs of growth.
Therefore, first of all, the mulch from the tree trunk circle must be removed with a rake, and the soil must be dug up and harrowed. After one to two weeks, when the soil in the tree trunk circle has warmed up, it can again be covered with mulching material. If mulch was laid in a layer of 2-3 cm in the fall, then heating of the soil in the tree trunk circle will proceed normally; if only peat was used as mulch, then it will be faster.
Should mulch be dug up with soil in the tree trunk circle in the spring and will it improve the nitrogen nutrition of the tree?
First of all, we must proceed from the fact that, firstly, if the amount of mulching material is limited and it is not possible to provide the garden with sufficient watering, then it is better to keep the mulch on the surface of the tree trunk circle; secondly, almost any mulching material either does not contain nitrogen at all, or contains it in small quantities (if straw manure was added in the fall), or, even worse, reduces the nitrogen content in the soil.
For example, if sawdust, sawdust manure (containing 80% sawdust), shavings, wood chips, forest litter, etc. are used as mulching material. The soil gives up a lot of nitrogen to decompose this wood waste, and in order to replenish it, when digging up such mulch, it is necessary to apply nitrogen mineral fertilizer.
As you can see, mulching materials like nitrogen fertilizer are of no value. They only help conserve moisture in the soil, and when digging, they create a better soil structure in which air exchange and the beneficial activity of microorganisms are enhanced.
Watering
From the beginning of the snow melt until the last ten days of May, fruit and berry plants are provided with a sufficient amount of moisture in the soil. At this time, watering can be replaced by loosening, especially after heavy rains, when compacted soil quickly forms a crust on its surface, which promotes the evaporation of moisture from the soil. Loosening to a depth of 6-8 cm with rakes, cultivators or rippers protects the soil from intense evaporation.
In the first half of summer, when shoots, leaves and ovaries are actively growing, water consumption by plants is especially high. Therefore, they need watering at this time (June - July).
If during the summer months, when the weather is clear, rain does not fall for 5-10 days, then some crops begin to experience a lack of moisture. This is primarily observed on light sandy soils in high relief conditions or in areas where perennial forest trees grow. Watering is also necessary here. Among the crops that need them, first of all, we must name all the plants planted either in the spring of the current year or in the fall of the previous year. Plants transplanted in adulthood require mandatory watering, and primarily during the first two to three years.
The sequence in watering adult plants is approximately as follows. First, water the raspberries, then the strawberries, currants, plums, gooseberries, cherry, pear and apple trees.
If possible, watering should be timed to coincide with certain phases of growth and development of a particular crop.
Apple and pear It is best to water in June, when fruiting trees shed excess ovary. During this period, trees begin to experience increased growth of fruits and shoots.
The second watering is carried out a month after the first (July 15-20), two to three weeks before harvesting summer varieties, the third watering is in August (autumn and winter apple and pear varieties are watered first).
Stone fruits - plum and cherry The first time is watered after flowering, the second time two weeks before harvesting the fruits and the third time after harvesting.
Black, white, red currants and gooseberries Water once every two weeks before harvest and after harvest.
Strawberries in case of drought, water for the first time during the flowering period. Frosts often occur at this time, and watering can be timed to coincide with the days preceding the cold snap. Strawberry flowering is extended, so if watering is carried out even at the end of flowering, it will still have a great impact on the growth and enlargement of the ovary. The second watering is carried out two to three weeks after harvesting.
Raspberries are watered for the first time in dry summer conditions at the end of May, then every 10-15 days. Finish watering during the period of maximum harvest.
In the garden it is difficult to control the effect of watering, i.e. how deep the water penetrates into the soil and how much it saturates the soil layer where the bulk of the horizontal roots lie.
In favorable conditions, the bulk of the horizontal roots of fruit and berry crops in the Moscow region reaches a depth: for raspberries - 20 cm, for strawberries - 30 cm, for currants and gooseberries - 30-40 cm, for plums and cherries - 30-40 cm, in for pears - 50 cm, for apple trees grafted on dwarf rootstocks - 40 cm; grafted on semi-dwarf rootstocks - 50 cm and grafted on seed rootstocks - 70 cm. The depth of the bulk of the root system on sandy soils is 10-15 cm more.
For each crop, it is important to moisten the soil precisely and to the specified depth. Approximately per 1 m 2 of the tree trunk circle, i.e. zones where the root system is located, it is necessary to spend water during one-time watering of apple and pear trees (at the groundwater level below 3 m) on sandy loam soils 4-5 buckets, on light loamy soils - 5-6 buckets, on loamy soils - 6-7 buckets, on heavy loamy and clayey soils - 8-9 buckets.
The irrigation rate for strawberries, currants, gooseberries, plums and cherries can be reduced by 2 times, and for raspberries - by 3 times.
In dry summer conditions, three waterings are carried out. You should not water your garden uncontrollably, saturating most of your garden with water. Such watering often causes harm rather than benefit, since water completely fills the soil, displaces air, and therefore normal gas exchange is disrupted. The growth of the root system and the vital activity of microorganisms are suppressed. When excessive watering is replaced by a long period of rainy days, fruit and berry plants find themselves in a critical situation, in which the vital activity of the active (suction) root system ceases, which is partly manifested in the abundant and premature yellowing of leaves and their falling off. Overwatering is especially dangerous on dense, non-structural soils with high groundwater levels.
Young fruit trees up to 10-12 years old, grafted onto ordinary seed rootstocks, apple trees grafted onto dwarf rootstocks, up to 15-18 years old years, it is possible to irrigate within the tree-trunk circles both by pouring water along the tree-trunk zone and along the annular grooves. In the latter case, the duration of watering increases, since the water in the groove is slowly absorbed. Currants and gooseberries are watered within the crown of these plants. Raspberries and strawberries are watered over the entire area occupied by these crops. Sprinkler irrigation works very well for these two crops.
Watering of mature gardens aged 15 years or more is carried out using furrows arranged either around the trees or along their row. The distance between furrows on light soils should be 50-60 cm, on heavy soils - 80-100 cm. The first furrow is placed 80-100 cm from the trunk, its depth should not exceed 15 cm, the depth of the second is 20-22 cm. Furrows are better do it with a hoe, not a shovel. Furrow irrigation produces poor results in sloping areas because it increases soil erosion in the garden. It is also not suitable in places where mature trees have been meadowed for many years. Because it is not always advisable to spoil an area with grass sowing by making furrows. In such cases, it is most convenient to water the gardens using a hose with a special nozzle that sprays water.
Irrigation by sprinkling is most suitable for a country garden.
Monitoring the water level during irrigation is carried out as follows. If the garden is watered using furrows, then you need to note how many minutes it takes to fill a bucket with water supplied from a hose, then calculate the area occupied by one furrow. Roughly, we can assume that one furrow serves one square meter soil layer. If you need to calculate the watering of a tree at the age of 10 years with a furrow 3.5 m long, then, for example, for light loamy soils you need 5 - 6 buckets multiplied by 3.5.
When irrigating by sprinkling or another method, the degree of soil moisture can be determined as follows: the next day after watering, a hole is dug under the crown of the fruit tree to the depth of the bulk of the root system. Take a handful of soil and squeeze it in your palms. If a lump forms that does not crumble, then the soil is sufficiently moistened.
In dry autumn, the last, so-called pre-winter watering is carried out. First of all, fruit-bearing apple, cherry, plum and pear trees need it. The rate of this last watering per 1 m2 is increased by one or two buckets compared to what was already indicated above.
Berry crops do not need winter watering as badly as fruit crops, because the rains that fall in the fall are enough for them.
Watering the garden during drought should be done as sparingly as possible. The most complete absorption of moisture occurs on loose soil or on previously loosened and mulched soil (with a pincushion, grass, shavings, straw manure). Peat mulch (dry) does not absorb quickly, so watering the soil covered with peat must be done by intermittent sprinkling with a finer spray of water.
In a mature garden, if it is under perennial turf, the soil is somewhat compacted, and therefore water runoff is possible. In this case, the watering rate is increased slightly.
Gives good results deep watering, when the tip is from a hose with a jet of 1.5-2 atm. injected into the soil to a depth of 40 - 50 cm.
As can be seen in Fig. 17, watering with one watering can did not allow deep penetration of moisture into the soil. Watering the same soil with three watering cans already provides better moisture for the root systems of berry crops, as well as cherries and plums (a, b).
Rice. 17. Scheme of moisture penetration in the garden to different depths (cm) with different waterings:
a - along the furrows; b - on black steam; c - on perennial turf. The top three diagrams show the penetration of moisture when watering one bucket at a time, the bottom three diagrams show three buckets per 1 m2.
However, in both the first and second cases, watering the turfed soil by sprinkling did not provide the necessary penetration of moisture to the roots (c). Deeper penetration of moisture into the soil was facilitated by irrigation using a furrow (a). This suggests that during drought, a garden kept under turf should (per one square meter, in loamy soil conditions) have a high watering rate - no less than 4-5 buckets. And in order for the soil to absorb all this moisture, watering itself must be done intermittently, otherwise some of the water that was not absorbed into the soil at the time of watering will flow to lower places.
Protecting the garden from spring frosts
In the Moscow region, frosts are observed once every 5-7 years during the flowering period of the apple tree. The likelihood of damage to flowering plum, cherry and pear trees is higher than apple trees, due to the fact that they bloom a week earlier.
The danger of frost damage to flowers is especially great in early spring, when gardens can bloom in the second decade of May. This is especially true for gardens located in lowlands, basins, ravines, and also in tight clearings. Gardens located on the upper parts of the relief, as well as near large bodies of water, are less susceptible to frost.
Apple tree buds die at temperatures from -2.75 to -3.85°, stamens and pistils of a blossoming flower - at temperatures from -1.5 to -2.5°, and young ovaries - at -1°.
Due to the uneven blooming of flowers, a fruit tree with light frosts manages to retain its ability to bear fruit so much that in the future it can produce relatively good harvest. The selection of varieties with different flowering periods also helps to equalize the overall garden yield, for example, the saffron Pepin variety always begins to bloom much later than other varieties.
When the temperature drops below critical, heat-loving crops in the garden receive damage from which they die. It is interesting to note that such critical temperatures occur for 1.5-2.5 hours, and temperatures below 0° are observed for 4-5 hours.
When forecasting weather with critical temperatures in the garden, smoke should be carried out for fruit crops, for berries and strawberries - shelter or for both - general watering.
What is the essence of such plant protection? Frost in spring occurs due to the influx of cold air masses and heat loss from the soil and plants (at night).
When smoking, the intensity of heat transfer from the soil decreases, thereby weakening the cooling of the plants themselves, for which it is enough to increase the temperature by only 1-1.5°.
When watering, the soil and plants receive additional heat, since the temperature of the irrigation water is always higher than the air and soil surface during freezing hours. When watering, deeper horizons of warm soil are moistened, which increases its thermal conductivity, as a result of which the upper layers receive a large influx of heat and the effect of freezing is reduced.
In recent years, increasing attention has been paid to crown spraying and watering the soil under trees. Water is applied to the flowers, leaves and branches in the form of a fine spray. During frost, they are covered with a thin crust of ice, which protects the plants from the cold.
When covering berries and strawberries, the plants cool less.
Strawberries under film (if early harvests are obtained) are additionally covered with burlap, cloth or matting on frost days.
In a country garden, wood chips, shavings, sawdust, rotted straw, hay, pine needles, forest litter, last year's leaves, tops of potatoes, phlox, irises and other perennials, as well as small branches from tree pruning and raspberry cuttings, and moss are used to create smoke piles. , peat.
Smoking can be increased by adding pieces of roofing felt or roofing felt to the pile, and combustion can be increased by pouring waste mineral oils or fuel oil onto it. You can also add waste of various resins.
Smoke heaps are placed perpendicular to the direction of the wind, the distance between them should be 5-8 m. In a garden of 6 acres (600 m2), 6-9 heaps are lit. In a garden of 12 acres (1200 m2), 12-18 heaps are lit.
The smoke heap is arranged as follows. First, dry material is placed on the ground, which can easily burn. Dry branches are inserted into the middle of it and a layer of dry material is poured on top. Peat, forest litter or other damp material is placed on top of it. Then the whole pile is covered with sawdust or garbage. The diameter of the heap is 1-1.5 m, the height is 1-1.2 m. If the heap produces a lot of fire, then it should be sprinkled with damp material or earth or watered with water from a watering can. In the presence of required material one gardener can prepare a garden for frost protection in 4 to 5 hours.
All these methods are well known to gardeners. However, it must be said that not all of them are applied correctly. Often one or two fires are burned in the garden all night and early morning, “just in case.” Even if there was a frost, a small number of fires would not heat the entire area. Work in the garden in the spring is wasted, material is wasted.
In addition to the forecasts that can be heard on radio or television, a regular outdoor thermometer should be posted in the garden (in the flowering area of fruit trees). If the temperature begins to drop to 0.5°C and continues to fall, then it is time to start smoking the garden. Here we must take into account that critical temperatures occur for 1.5-2.5 hours, and temperatures below 0°C last for 4-5 hours.
It is better to carry out smoking in collaboration with neighbors, through joint efforts. After all, if one gardener burns heaps in his garden, and another - no, then in calm weather the smoke will cover the trees of the neighboring garden with a thick veil. But your neighbor needs to take care of you too, otherwise your garden will be in trouble.
There will be no benefit from smoking if instead of smoke from the fire there is a strong flame. After all, you need a smoke screen, and the richer it is, the more reliably it will protect the blooming garden.
A good material for smoking is smoke bombs. They are very convenient to use, as they can be moved from place to place and thereby regulate the density of smoke generation in the garden.
The most severe drop in temperature occurs an hour before and during the first and second hours after sunrise. You must always be prepared for this: prepare piles for the fire in advance, and prepare material that can easily be used to light them.
If the air temperature at sunrise does not drop below 0.5°C, then smoking must be stopped.
There is an opinion that morning frosts are only terrible for fruit trees. It is not right. They suffer from them very often berry bushes, and first of all gooseberries and currants, both in the state of flowering and at the moment of formation of the ovary (the berries that have just set fall off).
Perhaps strawberries are more susceptible to spring frosts than other garden crops. This is due to the fact that in spring frosts occur on the soil surface much more often than at the level of the crowns of fruit trees.
There are a number of ways to protect berry plants.
First way. Tie the currants with a rope, and cover the bush with paper, some kind of material or film.
Second way. Using sprinklers, constantly spray the bushes with water during freezing hours.
Third way. Cover the strawberries with straw or rolled strips of paper, film and especially good covering material. Before covering, the beds must be watered, and in order for the shelter to hold tighter, the edges of the paper or film are covered with earth. Work in the garden should be carried out on the eve of the expected frost.
Remontant strawberry
It is possible to extend the harvest of strawberries until August - September only by using them. remontant varieties: Ada, Inexhaustible, Sakhalinskaya, etc. But there is one peculiarity here. The first fruiting in remontant varieties occurs at the same time as in ordinary ones. And after a pause it resumes again. But since the first fruiting coincides with the fruiting of ordinary varieties, it is advisable to remove all the first flower stalks on remontant strawberries by plucking. Then growth intensifies, mustaches appear, and flowering resumes on them and on the mother bush.
In September, when cold weather or frost sets in, flowers are poorly pollinated, and the ovary is either deformed or completely absent, and often at this time there is not enough heat for its growth and development. In this case, a frame must be placed on the bed with remontant strawberries and covered with material. On sunny days it should be opened slightly.
Remontant strawberries bear fruit abundantly and for this they require not only rich soils, but also large distances when planting. The best ones are 70x40 cm.
The peculiarity of this variety of strawberry is that flower stalks form on the tendrils that appear during the summer. They take a lot of food from the mother bush. Therefore, you can remove all the tendrils; this will ensure more abundant fruiting of the main bush.
Remontant large-fruited strawberries produce the highest yields in the second or third year. Therefore, by the end of the third year, the plants are removed, but before that, the most rooted rosettes are isolated for new plantings.
With good agricultural technology, gardeners receive slightly more than 1 kg of berries from 1 m2, and the main harvest occurs at the end of summer and beginning of autumn, which is very important.
Hunting belts
In the last days of May, trapping belts are placed on the trunks of fruit-bearing trees: these are strips of paper, ribbons made of burlap and some other material. They are reviewed periodically. All pests found under the belts are destroyed.
Hunting belts should not be applied very high - at the point where the main skeletal branches depart from the trunk. The most suitable place for them is the lower part of the trunk, approximately 15-20 cm from the soil surface (Fig. 18).
Rice. 18. A catching (sticky) belt placed on the apple tree trunk. If there is no clearly defined trunk, then one hunting belt is applied to each skeletal branch
Removing dead branches
In May, you can notice that individual twigs and branches of fruit trees and shrubs are either very delayed when buds open, or do not bloom at all. These are those who died from various reasons branches. They need to be cut off. For example, currants are very damaged by glassworm and gall midge, causing shoots and entire branches to have a depressed appearance.
In raspberries, some young shoots that have begun to grow this year have drooping tops, which usually darken and dry out. This means that young shoots are damaged by raspberry stem fly larvae. They should be cut off and destroyed immediately. Gardeners should be firmly aware that under no circumstances should dead branches be left on fruit trees or shrubs; uncut, they can be a breeding ground for various fungal diseases, as well as wood-boring pests.
It happens that in the middle of summer or at the beginning - mid-autumn, some fruit trees, berries or ornamental shrubs suddenly 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 the current year’s growth.
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 in fruit crops is not widespread; only single inflorescences bloom. A small number of summer-autumn flowers usually does 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. There are known examples of abundant flowering, for example, of chestnuts in very warm autumn conditions. Secondary flowering in such cases can lead to a general weakening of the plant and even death in winter.
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.
Spring pruning of trees stimulates vegetative growth and accelerates the ripening of branches. Arborists of the Industrial Climbers company will professionally clean trees in early and late spring in Moscow and the Moscow region. We serve organizations and private clients. Branches are pruned on large trees growing in any conditions. We remove the cut pieces of wood and clean up the work site.
Why is spring pruning important?
The debate about when is the best time to prune trees seems to be forever. Spring cleaning is favored by the establishment and formation of young branches, as well as favorable weather conditions. This procedure is performed before the start of sap flow (until the buds swell). For fruit trees, breaking this rule is unacceptable (otherwise the yield will decrease). Ornamental species can be cleared after foliage has formed.
Having removed even a small branch, you must immediately cover the cut with garden varnish or other special means.
Trees such as maple, chestnut, mulberry, poplar can be safely cleaned after the end of sap flow. When injured, they have active oozing. Therefore, this procedure is not scary for them even in late spring or summer.
Among conifers, they tolerate haircuts well different kinds juniper, thuja, yew and spruce. Other types of evergreen large trees undergo light spring sanitary pruning. Their crown should be formed not by cutting branches, but by pinching young shoots. Moreover, working with conifers is quite difficult - the juicy, light green tips of the branches are quite fragile, easily bent and broken. And there is a high risk of breaking the top.
The slightest damage to evergreen plants, if the crown is formed incorrectly, will lead to disruption of the verticality of the tree. When two tops grow, one of them must be urgently removed.
In the spring fruit trees pruned annually. This stimulates productivity and helps prolong the life of the plant. However garden trees should be trimmed correctly - otherwise you can forget about large and abundant fruits.
Rules for spring pruning of trees
The most important rule for any (including spring) removal of branches is to use a rust-free tool. In this case, the tools must be well sharpened. Gardening tools should not tear the plant tissue, but carefully cut off the excess. You should work extremely carefully, without harming the remaining branches.
This is especially true when removing large branches. Before you prune them, you need to remove as many small branches growing on them as possible. And only then can you start cutting down a massive branch, cutting it off in parts. The edges of large cuts are carefully protected. Such an operation will promote the rapid growth of callus (connective tissue that promotes the healing of wood wounds).
I rarely overgrow cuts made not near a post. Therefore, such places, when pruning in the spring months, must be carefully treated with a wound-healing composition.
In addition to torn edges, the cuts should be without grooves. They will become a place for water to accumulate, which will lead to rotting of the wood. The putty used must be waterproof, sterile and antiseptic. Only in this case will the microorganisms and spores that get into the wound die and leave no chance for new pests to settle at the cut site.
Types of tree pruning in spring
In early spring, both heavy and light tree cleaning is performed. U flowering species strong promotes active flowering, weak produces many small flowers. During this period, the following types of branch removal are performed:
- Formative. Helps create a special crown shape. This creates a certain type of “green cap” with the required density of temporary and skeletal branches.
- Regulating (supporting). In addition to preserving the shape, such pruning maintains certain parameters of the crown in terms of light level.
- Rejuvenation. It is especially indicated for aging and old trees, since as a result of such pruning, the growth of young branches is activated.
- Recovery. Returns to victims weather conditions and neglected, decrepit large trees flowering, fruiting and growth.
- Sanitary. Makes it possible to remove damaged, intersecting, dead or diseased branches and helps increase leaf light.
In a metropolitan area, it is quite difficult to prune large trees in spring. Cramped conditions, a large number of people and vehicles make such work difficult and dangerous. Therefore, this work requires obtaining a felling ticket. The steeplejacks of the Industrial Climbers company will not only provide this service quickly, professionally and at a reasonable price, but will also remove the cut material and clean up the area. Contact us, we will trim the trees as needed!
