According to so many novice gardeners, to get good harvest fruits, it is enough from time to time to simply water the plants. But this opinion is erroneous, since for normal growth and development fruit trees they must be properly provided with fertilizers and moisture.
As you know, about 60 - 70% of the organic matter synthesized by trees is spent on fruiting without prejudice to general condition the plant itself.

Let's take the following calculations as an example. When synthesizing 1 kg of dry matter, a fruit tree needs to absorb and bind in the process of photosynthesis 5 thousand kilocalories of solar energy. Water consumption ranges from 300 to 400 kg with the absorption of up to 45 g of various mineral elements by the root system (20 g of nitrogen, 10 - 155 g of potassium and phosphorus, 10 - 15 g of magnesium, manganese, sulfur iron ...).

Fruit trees absorb 1% of solar energy. To increase this indicator of solar energy consumption from 1% to 5%, which of course will lead to an increase in the future harvest, it is also necessary to choose the right seedlings. It is recommended to purchase seedlings grown on local rootstocks.

Thanks to a properly formed tree crown, it will be more efficiently captured by the plant and solar energy. There are a lot of ways to form a crown, but no matter which method you use, it is imperative to adhere to the following rules:

1. The thickness of the crown in one direction (north - south) should not exceed 2 - 2.5 m, and the height should not exceed 3 m.
2. In cases where the thickened crown caused a deterioration light regime, without fail we carry out thinning.

How to water fruit trees in summer?

Many gardeners sin by watering little and often. Such watering, only wetting the surface of the soil, does not bring any benefit. The plant needs watering infrequently, but moistening the soil to the depth of active roots. For pome crops, this is about 60-70 centimeters, for stone fruits and berry bushes- somewhat less.

For 3-5 year old plants, you need about 5-8 buckets at a time, for 7-10 year old plants - 12-15 buckets. Older trees should be watered more abundantly. On the lungs sandy soils frequent watering is required with a small rate of water consumption, and on heavy clay soils, on the contrary, watering should be rare, but plentiful.

There are three ways to water: surface, sprinkler irrigation and subsoil irrigation.

Thanks to summer watering, plants are provided with moisture and mineral elements. But at the same time, remember that the land after watering should be wet, but not swampy. Soil oversaturated with moisture can cause the roots to suffocate. With weeds, we fight them with the help of cultivation tools.

It is also worth noting that it is not recommended to get involved in nitrogen fertilizers. They are usually included in spring. A large amount of nitrogen fertilizers and their application in July - August can cause a belated retirement of trees. And because of this, they will not have time to properly prepare for winter period, and therefore may suffer from frost.

An excess of nitrogen can block the intake of magnesium and calcium.

So that moisture is well retained in the soil, organic matter must be present in sufficient quantities. Compost, consisting of manure and peat, can have a beneficial effect on improving soil structure.

Remember! Proper care, moderate watering and crown formation can be the key to a generous harvest.

In the spring, before bud break, when growth begins and plants especially need water, and it is not enough in the soil, it is necessary first watering.

Second watering obligatory approximately 15-20 days after the end of the flowering of the trees, since at this time the growth of the ovaries occurs, and due to the dryness of the soil, the fruits may fall off.

15-20 days before harvest, but only not during their maturation, water the garden a third time.

Watering immediately before harvest leads to falling and cracking of the fruit.

Final watering falls in late autumn - the period of leaf fall. Such watering is also called moisture charging.

Any plant in the warm season needs moisture. Trees are no exception and also require watering. Watering fruit trees is a very important event that should not be neglected. However, before moistening the soil near the trunk, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the basic rules of watering so as not to harm the plantings.

A young seedling needs watering immediately upon planting. In the future, systematic soil moistening will allow the young tree to quickly take root, develop properly and prepare for the formation of the first fruits. Watering fruit-bearing trees, you can achieve a plentiful and high-quality harvest.

Watering before and after fruit flowering

As soon as spring comes, you should take care of your garden. Spring watering is no less important than summer watering. Experts have developed a number of recommendations regarding the timing of spring and summer watering, which will help inexperienced gardeners to properly and timely moisten the soil near the trunks of fruit trees.

Advice! Young trees require less soil moisture than adults. Frequent watering can contribute to the continued growth of the shoots, which will prevent them from reaching full maturity and provoke freezing in the winter.

How much water should be applied under the trunk at a time so as not to cause root rot. It is very important to observe watering norms when moistening, they change depending on the age of the crop:

• It is enough for seedlings to add about 40-45 liters of water.
• Five-year-old trees will need more than 60 liters for watering.
• 10-year-old plantations need 130-150 liters of water. Old trees require 40 liters of water for each square meter of the near-stem circle.

In addition to compliance with the norms, it is necessary to take into account the composition of the soil on garden plot. With sandy soil, experts recommend increasing the number of waterings, but slightly reducing the amount of water poured under the trunk at a time. For a clay substrate, on the contrary, pour large quantity water than specified in the norm, and reduce the amount of sprinkling. It is also worth paying attention to the landscape feature of the garden plot. On the slopes, water drains quickly and the crop may receive less moisture.

On the slopes, the water flows quickly

Watering when transplanting trees

After transplanting a seedling, it is very important to water it. AT this case it does not matter at what time of the year the transplant was made. The first irrigation of the soil near the trunk of the tree helps to saturate the seedling with moisture and compact the soil around the root of the crop. That is why it is unacceptable to simply pour water from a bucket under a seedling and watch how it spreads throughout the site. Experts recommend installing a sprinkler near the tree and, with a slight pressure, leave it to work for about 1-2 hours. It is very important to pre-adjust the zone into which water will be supplied. It should not spray further than the trunk circle.

In cases where there is no running water nearby, you can water the tree using a watering can. To do this, you need to pour the same 2 buckets of water under the seedling.

fruit tree seedlings

When watering seedlings during transplantation, it is important to observe the following recommendations:

• In the case when, after planting, the weather is hot and there is no rain, it is very important to systematically moisten the soil under the trunk of the tree on your own. Until the soil in the planting pits becomes dense, it is better to irrigate with a sprinkler. Then you can simply water the seedlings with a hose. If you ignore watering, the seedling will not take root during the dry season.
• In moderately rainy weather, watering plants is required only when the soil is very dry.
• In the rainy season, nature will independently cope with soil moisture.
• In the first months after planting, it is recommended to water the crop every 5-7 days, including a sprinkler for 90-120 minutes at low pressure.

Advice! Before planting young trees, it is very important to dip their root system in a mash of black soil and mullein. This mixture prevents the roots from drying out.

• As soon as the culture has been planted, a hole should be built around the circumference of the tree, equal to the diameter pits. The surface of the bottom of the hole should be straightened, which will allow the water to be evenly distributed throughout the hole. The first time the seedling is poured with 3-4 buckets of water. Watering the seedling immediately after transplanting allows the soil to envelop the roots and contributes to their settling.
• As soon as the water is absorbed by the soil, the trunk circle is loosened and mulched with manure or rotted straw. In the absence of such materials, you can simply sprinkle the surface with dry soil.

Watering in summer

Most beginner gardeners are interested in the question of how often to water. fruit trees summer. In hot summer, any plant needs abundant watering. Trees are no exception. It is in summer that they actively grow, the crop is formed and flower buds are laid for the next year. Soil moisture during this period should be kept under constant control.

Watering fruit trees

How often to water fruit trees in summer so as not to harm the plants? There are a number of recommendations that must be followed.

• Pears and apple trees in the fruiting period need abundant watering in early summer (June 5-10).
• For the second time, pour the tree already in the 15-20th of July to contribute to the filling of fruits and the laying of flower buds. The fruit in this case will grow juicy and large.
• The next time apple and pear trees are poured in the last days of August. The third stage of moistening is especially important during prolonged dry weather.

• For the first time after spring, fruit trees are abundantly flooded with water in early June. Cold soil must be filled with cool water.
• In mid-June, trees are watered with water that contains chalk (3 tablespoons per 10 liters of liquid). This will help not only to moisten the soil, but also to avoid abundant fall of the ovaries.

Important! Water intended for irrigation should be warmed up during the day. To do this, it is enough to leave the liquid collected in the barrels open. sunbeams. warm water well absorbed by the root system. However, before watering, it is important to touch the water to prevent hot liquid from getting on the root system of the plant.

It is better to water more abundantly and less frequently than daily, but in small doses. In addition, it is recommended that you always loosen the near-stem soil with a chopper so that a hard crust does not form. It is advisable to adapt to weather and water fruit trees when it rains. This contributes to the physiological acceptance of moisture, the culture will grow more actively than when watering on sunny days.

Do not rely on natural watering. Short summer rains are not able to fully saturate the trees growing in the garden plot with moisture.

How to water trees in summer

The older the plant, the more abundantly it should be poured. There are several ways to irrigate:

Thanks to systematic summer watering, plantings can be provided with mineral elements and moisture. However, it is important to ensure that the soil is only wet, and not waterlogged. Otherwise root system suffocate from moisture.

timely and proper watering seedlings will help grow a healthy tree that will please you with a good quality crop and will not be susceptible to most ailments.

Mistakes when planting seedlings of fruit trees

Oddly enough, but often when planting seedlings, even experienced gardeners make a lot of mistakes. Therefore, let's try to honestly answer ourselves - what is necessary for successful cultivation fruit crops? Many answers can be given to this question. But today we will try to figure out the main mistakes that we make when planting seedlings of fruit trees.

The main mistake of gardeners (including those with experience) is their desire to buy seedlings as large as possible. But a large seedling is not necessarily the best, but more often than not the worst. The thing is that in nurseries, plants are dug up with a plow, which leaves no more than half of the suction roots in a large seedling, and sometimes much less. In order for such a seedling to take root in a new place, it is necessary to remove almost its entire crown, and such a plant will hurt for a very long time.

And in nondescript seedlings - one-year-olds and two-year-olds - the crown is not developed or it is not at all - one twig, but their roots are much less damaged when dug up. Such a seedling takes root much faster and in the future noticeably outstrips three-year-old seedlings in growth.

In no case should you buy seedlings from cars parked along roads and driving into gardens, as well as in spontaneous markets. Here you can sell anything. It is necessary to buy seedlings only in a nursery and, most importantly, zoned.

It is these seedlings that were bred and zoned for our often capricious and harsh weather. Therefore, think carefully before buying on the market a little cheaper, but "a pig in a poke."

Another serious mistake is to purchase and plant seedlings with an open root system too early. Optimal time planting seedlings of the majority horticultural crops - from September 15 to October 5-10, and for cherries and plums - until September 25.

But many gardeners, with their premature rush demand, provoke the early start of digging up seedlings in nurseries and their sale. Already at the end of August, on the streets of the city you can meet people with seedlings, more like tops of overgrown tomatoes with green leaves. withered leaves and drooping top. This seedling could not be dug up for at least another 2-3 weeks, but in our "wild" market, demand always determines supply.

Plant such a seedling in autumn on permanent place useless. It can only be saved in a pit under a snow cover or in a cold basement with a constant temperature of 0 to -3...4°C. But why create such unbearable difficulties for yourself in order to then try to overcome them?

A very serious mistake is planting young seedlings on the ground that has just been poured, “not settled” in the pit. That is why planting of young trees can be started only 25-30 days after the preparation of the pit (at least after 10-12 days), i.e. only after the soil in the filled hole has settled and settled.

Why is it so important? Yes, because in order not to make a mistake and correctly place the seedling in the pit, and for this it is necessary to be able to correctly determine its root collar. The root neck (the border between the roots and the crown) should be at the level of the soil or be 2-3 cm above it.

But seedlings from the nursery usually also have a graft. It is made on a wild 4-8 cm above the root neck. Beginning gardeners often confuse the root neck and the grafting site, and therefore plant seedlings very deep, deepening them into the soil to the grafting site.

The root neck of a young seedling is not difficult to detect. To do this, wipe the main shoot and root with a wet rag. The root neck of the seedling will be just on the border of the transition of the color of the bark from greenish to light brown.

It is impossible to allow a significant deepening of the root neck into the soil during planting, otherwise the growth of trees will be slowed down and depressed, especially on heavy clay soils. But also shallow planting of seedlings is also unacceptable, in which the roots dry out, the plants take root worse. Shallow planting in spring in dry years is exceptionally harmful.

To prevent these gross mistakes, when planting seedlings across landing pit it is necessary to put a board with a cut in the center and use it (and not by eye) to determine the level of the root neck. When planting, the seedling should be kept near the stake so that the root neck is 4-5 cm higher than the edges of the pit.

One of serious mistakes- introduction into the planting pit is very a large number mineral fertilizers. From their excess, the very bacteria that must process nutrients into a form accessible to plants, they die, because these very excess fertilizers created such an aggressive environment in the planting pit in which such bacteria cannot live.

Similarly, fresh or slightly decomposed manure should not be introduced into the planting hole. The point is that any organic fertilizers with a low degree of decomposition, falling into lower part planting pits, especially on heavy clay soil, with a lack of oxygen there, they decompose poorly, intensively releasing ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, which greatly inhibit the root system of plants and have a bad effect on the survival of seedlings.

Before planting, the root system of seedlings is carefully inspected and cut, removing torn or soaked roots to a healthy part. Seedlings with dried roots must be immersed in water for 1-2 days.

Then for better contact with soil, plant roots must be dipped in a liquid mash of clay and mullein (3 parts of clay per 1 part of mullein), into which it is desirable to add growth substances - root, epin, novosil or others. Planted apple seedlings must be cut in early spring before bud break.

Immediately after planting, the tree must be tied with a figure eight with twine to the stake so that its trunk does not split under the influence of the wind and, swaying, does not break off new tender roots, preventing the seedling from taking root properly. On the stem, in the place where it is tied, it is advisable to put on a ring made of roofing material or birch bark in order to eliminate the risk of damage from possible friction of the twine against the tree bark.

Then over landing pit make a hole and water it with water at the rate of 2-3 buckets for each tree, regardless of soil moisture and weather. After water has been absorbed into the soil, the hole within a radius of 0.5-0.7 m must be mulched with a thin layer of manure, humus or peat chips. This will prevent the rapid evaporation of moisture and will contribute to a good survival of the seedlings.

A day after this operation, earth is added to the hole to close up the gullies formed after the first watering. In this case, a rather significant subsidence of the earth will occur along with the planted tree, and its root collar will settle to a normal soil level in the garden.

Unfortunately, many mistakes that affect the survival and further development of a young tree occur after planting seedlings.

It has already been said above that immediately after planting young trees, it is necessary to water the earth, spending at least 3-4 buckets of water per pit, regardless of soil moisture, so that the earth sticks to the roots. Unfortunately, everyone understands this simple rule in their own way.

Often, other gardeners try to water such plantings as often as possible, but little by little. Such watering, especially in dry and hot weather, on the contrary, only dries up the soil in the planting hole and leads to the formation of a soil crust. We seem to be trying to provide planted plants with water, but in fact we are taking it away from them. But excessively abundant and frequent watering is also harmful to young plants. Watering is especially dangerous (not only for young trees), taken directly from an artesian well.

Very, very harmful for young plants in the year of planting (especially the first 1.5-2 months) watering with water dissolved in it mineral fertilizers, primarily with urea and ammonium nitrate. As you can see, these most common and most useful fertilizers for plants during this period are generally contraindicated for young seedlings.

You can make a serious mistake when mulching the soil in the planting hole. Please note - it was indicated above that after planting the seedlings, the soil must be mulched with a thin layer of peat. The purpose of this mulching is to prevent moisture from evaporating from the soil. And already late autumn, after freezing of the soil, this layer of mulch must be significantly increased in order to protect young plants from death in case of very low temperatures.

If this order of mulching is violated and immediately after planting, young trees are placed in near-stem circles very thick layer peat, then with a probable long, warm and rainy autumn in seedlings, the bark can be strongly supported, and they will be in danger of death.

Well, with the onset of stable frosts, it is necessary to tie the seedlings with spruce branches, paper, etc., in order to protect young plants from low winter temperatures, sunburn of the bark in early spring, and at the same time from voracious rodents.

V. Shafransky

("Gardener")

An important task of the gardener is to organize the watering of the garden correctly, because nature does not always take care of watering our gardens on time. Watering is especially importantwhen the fruits are filling and ripening, and the month is usually hot.

When and how much water the garden needs?

When and how much water each tree needs in order for water to bring him only benefit, no one but you can determine, because it depends on many factors known only to you: how old is your garden, and what trees grow in it, what kind of soil is in the garden and soil moisture when last time it rained in your area...

When to water the main horticultural crops?

It is advisable to irrigate at the beginning of the phenophases:
- active growth
— crop formation,
- laying flower buds for next year's harvest.

Young trees planted in the spring of this year are watered 2-3 times a month.

Apple tree and pear

Apple and pear trees are watered more abundantly in May-July and moderately in August-September. In dry summer - 3-4 waterings, in case of severe drought - 4-5 waterings. For trees with early term fruit ripening, the number of irrigations is reduced by one, with late - by one increase.

- 1st watering - in early June, after the excess ovary has fallen;
- 2nd - in mid-July, 2-3 weeks before fruit ripening summer varieties(this watering contributes to the filling of fruits and the laying of fruit buds for the next year's harvest);
- 3rd - in a dry summer and high yield in August, the entire garden is additionally watered;
- 4th - in early September for trees of winter varieties.

Cherry and sweet cherry

Cherries and sweet cherries need a lot of water. They are watered during the same growing seasons and in the same doses as apple trees.

- 1st watering - at the very end of spring, during the growth of shoots;
- 2nd - two weeks before fruit ripening;
- 3rd - immediately after the harvest.

Plum and cherry plum

Plum and cherry plum are very demanding on soil and air moisture. Plum trees do not tolerate both lack and excess moisture. The greatest need for water is in spring and in the first half of summer.

- 1st watering is carried out in the spring, during the growth of shoots;
- 2nd - at the end of June-beginning of July, during the period of formation and filling of fruits and to prevent the dropping of the ovary;
- 3rd - after and cherry plum.

Infertile young cherry and plum trees need to be watered in June and July.

Sea ​​buckthorn

Sea buckthorn is very responsive to watering during the filling of berries.

The watering rate for sea buckthorn is 30-35 l / m².

In a dry autumn, water-charging watering of the entire garden is necessarily carried out in October at the rate of 4-5 buckets per 1 m².

Monitoring the moisture content of the soil layer, in which the bulk of the tree roots are located, will also help you determine the watering period:

- for a young garden, the thickness of the wet soil layer is 20-50 cm,
- for fruit-bearing apple trees - 70-90 cm,
- pears - 40-50 cm,
- cherries - 30-40 cm,
- plums, cherry plums, sea buckthorn - 20-30 cm.

How much water do fruit trees need?

I think there is no need to say that watering is rare, but plentiful, many times better than watering frequent, but scarce.

Irrigation rate for fruit trees:

- for a non-fruiting seedling - 3-5 buckets (30-50 l),
- for a 3-5 year old tree - 5-8 buckets (50-80 l) of water,
- for a 7-10-year-old tree - 12-15 buckets (120-150 l) of water,
- for a tree older than 12-15 years - 3-5 buckets per 1 m2 of the near-trunk circle.

For example, on sandy soils, the number of irrigations should be increased, and the water rate should be reduced, and on clay, vice versa.

One must also take into account landscape features plot - part of the water can drain down the slope or, conversely, stagnate if the garden is located in a hollow.

On hot sunny days, if possible, you can carry out refreshing sprinkling of the entire garden, which is very good for the condition of the plants.

Today you learned how to organize garden watering - when and how much water fruit trees need, and we will discuss the garden and how it is easier to deliver water to plant roots later. I am sure that the information received will help you keep your garden fresh and productive in any weather.

Immediately after tree planting the trunk circle is loosened. This helps retain moisture in the soil and prevents weeds from growing. For support in inclement weather plants tied to supports. At the same time, they regularly check that the garter material does not crash into the bark, and also prevent friction against the support, since damage to the bark can lead to the death of the plant. To protect against tissue drying out in spring, in dry windy weather stems are wrapped with a damp cloth or moss. In case of a pronounced imbalance between the volume of the root system and the aerial part of the plant, post-plant pruning. Usually the shoots are shortened by a quarter.

Fresh leaves of young plants are a delicacy for leaf-eating caterpillars and green aphids. Pest collection is carried out manually. If this fails, biological or chemicals protection.

top dressing

In the 1st year of growth the root system of the plant develops within the planting hole, using fertilizers applied during planting. Fertilizers are not applied during this period, however, if the top dressing was not fully applied and the seedlings do not grow intensively, 10 kg of rotted manure, 120 g of superphosphate, 40 g of potassium chloride, 60 g of ammonium nitrate.

For the 2nd year(if the plants gave insufficient growth in the 1st year), the same amount of fertilizer should be applied to the near-stem circle, which should be expanded in diameter by 50 cm. Since young trees in spring feel the need for nitrogen fertilizers, you can increase the dose of ammonium nitrate to 80-90 g, and also add urea.

If soils are poor, fertilizers can be applied in parts, superficially, and then sealed with a rake, watered and mulched with peat or compost.

Watering

Fertilizer is recommended to be combined with watering, which must be carried out throughout planting year. Otherwise, the top of the aerial part of the seedling will begin to gradually die off until it is restored in the root layer. normal humidity and nutrient medium.

Average for fruit crops on loamy and clay soils, 3 waterings are enough: immediately after planting, in the 2nd half of May and in July - at least 3-4 buckets under a tree. During a hot dry summer or belated spring planting you need at least 4-5 waterings: 2 spring and 2-3 summer. On the lungs sandy soils at least 5-6 waterings are required.

Suspend watering in August and early September, allowing young growths of plants to lignify well and prepare for future frosts. In late September - October, abundant watering (double rate) promotes root growth even under snow. Podzimnye watering strengthen the winter hardiness of the seedling.

Mulching

Mulching contributes to the accumulation and preservation of moisture in the soil - coating trunk circles humus, compost, straw manure, peat, mulching paper, plastic wrap, chopped straw and weeds . It is not recommended to use sawdust for mulching, especially softwood.

Mulch is laid out a layer of 3-5 cm around the entire near-trunk circle, with the exception of small area around the trunk in a radius of about 10-15 cm. This work must be carried out immediately after the first loosening. Late mulching, especially with dry peat, when the ground has already dried up, does not give a positive result, and in dry years it can even reduce the yield. During the summer, as the soil is compacted, the soil under the mulch is loosened by moving the mulch material to the side. After loosening, it is again distributed along the trunk circle. In autumn, the mulch is embedded in the soil for fertilizer.

Autumn digging

Proper tillage not only improves the nutritional conditions of plants, but also contributes to the accumulation and further preservation of moisture in the soil, which increases the overall immunity of trees. Basic tillage with fertilizer application produced in late autumn, when fruit trees finish growing and leaf fall ends. The soil is dug up with shovels with the turnover of the layer, without crushing the soil clods. When digging the soil in the trunk circles, care must be taken: the shovel should not be too deep to avoid damaging the roots. In this case, the shovel should be facing the stem with an edge. Near the young trunk, it is desirable to use rippers or cultivators to a depth of no more than 6-7 cm, further from the trunk, you can work deeper, by 14-15 cm.

At digging with seam turnover they turn out onto the day surface and pests wintering in the upper soil layers die. In addition, the lumpy surface of the soil retains moisture better. Please note that before digging the soil, you need to remove weeds and burn fallen leaves.

Spring tillage

In the spring, loosening is carried out without turning the layer and leveling the soil surface. First loosening trunk circles in order to maintain a supply of moisture, they carry out how the snow melts and the soil dries out a little. In the future, during the spring, summer, autumn, the tree trunks are loosened at least 3-4 times, while carefully removing weeds.

The need for loosening is determined by the degree of compaction, clogging of the soil, crusting after rains. The size of the near-stem circles depends on the age and development of the plants. They should be slightly larger than the width of the crown. In the first two years after planting at an apple tree, cherry, pear, sea buckthorn, it is enough to process a circle 1-1.5 m wide.

pruning

For the 2nd year of growth carry out cutting. This makes it possible to bring the rapidly developing aerial part of the plant into line with the root system and lay the foundations for crown formation. Usually fruit trees vigorous rootstocks they form according to a sparse-tiered scheme, in which the tree has 5-7 skeletal branches of the 1st tier and 4-5 of the 2nd. To do this, in the 2nd year, the side branches are cut by a third with a shoot length of 70 cm and by half with a shoot 100 cm long. If the intended future skeletal branches are the same in development, then the lower shoots are cut weaker than the upper ones. To obtain the 2nd tier of the crown, the central conductor is also shortened, leaving it 45-50 cm long. Please note that proper care behind the soil should ensure the growth of shoots in one season by 60-70 cm for pome crops and 80-100 cm for stone fruits.

First wintering

To avoid damage to plants by snow, branches of future crowns at the end of autumn are pulled together soft material . This operation is carried out together on frost-free days in order to avoid breakdowns. In addition, in late February - early March, when there is no stable temperature, damage to plants is possible. sunburn. Whitewashing used as a means of protection is not always effective for young trees. Best result gives tying the bole with special fabrics which simultaneously protects it from rodents. Please note that it is recommended to release the tree from the fabric strapping on cloudy, preferably rainy days, in the late afternoon.