Spring garden care. Spring protection of garden plants from pests and diseases

Winter is already over, the air smells of spring freshness, thawed patches are visible everywhere, and in some places the first flowers have already bloomed. There is very little time left before the start of the new summer season. After a long winter break from basic gardening work, missing our summer cottage, we are full of energy, but we need to distribute it correctly, because there is so much to do, and time flies very quickly. Therefore, it is necessary to draw up a plan for working in the garden in the spring.
We bring to your attention a short list of priority tasks during spring garden care.

Feeding plants at the beginning of the season.

Already at the end of April, if the soil has thawed early, you can apply complex fertilizers with a high nitrogen content for all ornamental and fruit crops in the garden, calculating the dose of fertilizers taking into account the size and age of the plants. For heather and coniferous crops, it is better to use special fertilizers intended for conifers, since these plants have a higher need for certain microelements. Long-acting fertilizers are applied once per season, but if you use azofoska, then re-feed at the end of May.

The beginning of spring is the most optimal time to apply organic fertilizers. Compost, peat, humus, rotted manure, and fresh garden soil will become a source of nutrition for your crops. Organic matter is also a good mulching material that retains moisture in the soil. After feeding the plants, decorative mulching is restored.
As soon as the snow melts, it is necessary to check the planting of garden strawberries after wintering. It often happens that strawberry bushes planted in the fall end up with bare roots. Such bushes should definitely be replanted, but sometimes it is enough to add soil. Dry, old, diseased leaves, excessive rooted tendrils must be removed, weeded and the plants fed with mineral or organic fertilizers.
If pests or diseases appear on any plants during the season, then treatment of the plants should begin in early spring. Against a number of diseases, it is recommended to spray with 3% Bordeaux mixture (300 g of copper sulfate + 400 g of quicklime per 10 liters of water) before buds open. After the buds open, in order to avoid burning the leaves, it is recommended to use a solution in 1% concentration. As soon as the leaves bloom on the viburnum and roses, spray them with any systemic insecticide. Fruit crops are treated with chemicals as needed, but before the flower buds open. During flowering, spraying with chemicals is not recommended, so as not to poison bees and other pollinators.
Treatment against pests and diseases can and even should be carried out for preventive purposes, without waiting for the occurrence of plant diseases or the proliferation of various pests.

In spring, many primroses bloom in the garden: snowdrops, anemones, crocuses, white flowers, muscari and, of course, tulips, daffodils, hazel grouse and many other bulbous plants. After flowering ends, the leaves of primroses should die off naturally. To cover unsightly areas with wilting leaves, you can mulch them with fresh compost. This will also be additional feeding. Don't forget to mark the places where the spring bulbs are located, so that later you don't accidentally dig up this place, thinking that it is free.

Caring for perennial plants.

Caring for perennial plants begins with removing plant debris, dry leaves and branches left over from last season. We rake old leaves and tops, put them in compost or burn them if the plants were sick last season. It is not recommended to bury them in the ground right on the spot, because pest larvae can overwinter in them. If plants such as peonies or phlox were not pruned in the fall, old, overwintered shoots are removed to the soil level. You should be very careful when removing last year's leaves from heucheras so as not to damage the young rosettes. Better yet, do not rush to remove old leaves from them, as they help the plant gain strength and protect new leaves from burning in the bright sun.

It is necessary to add soil to the plants, since their roots are often exposed after winter. At the end of April, it is time to loosen the top layers of flower beds, giving the roots the opportunity to breathe and, at the same time, weed out the first weeds. They are easily pulled out by the roots, since there is still enough moisture in the soil.
Do not rush to unplant the peonies, you can easily break off very fragile sprouts, and as soon as reddish young shoots appear, carefully loosen the ground and immediately apply a protective spray against rot.
With the arrival of above-zero temperatures, the snow begins to melt and the ground gradually thaws, which means that it is time to begin gradually removing the winter shelter from roses, clematis and other heat-loving plants. It is best to do this in cloudy weather so that the plants gradually get used to bright sunlight and do not get burned. Full opening is best done in several stages, gradually accustoming the plants to the sun's rays. After removing the cover, it is best for the plants to provide light shading for another week and a half, depending on the weather, for example, with an ordinary box.
If the plants were covered only with soil, you need to carefully rake the soil away from the base of the bush to avoid damping off the stems and the spread of mold. You can immediately carry out sanitary pruning: cut out diseased, moldy and winter-damaged stems. Immediately after pruning, we treat the plants to prevent fungal diseases. It is important that the solution gets not only on the stems of the plant, but also on the ground around the bush, since there may be fungal spores there, which can later cause disease.
If the plants have been exposed to severe frost and are frozen, try watering them generously with plain water, but under no circumstances feed them with nitrogen. And don’t rush to throw them away, maybe they can still be saved. You can spray with Epin, Zircon or other drugs of similar effect.
Another spring problem for many plants is damping off or getting wet. This is observed in damp areas with high groundwater levels, under dense, airtight cover, or in shady places where snow lies for a long time. Affected plants must be cleared of old leaves, stems, branches and treated with antifungal drugs.
Prepare flower beds and beds for planting in the new season.

Caring for shrubs and fruit trees.

Shrubs, both berry and ornamental, require a lot of attention and proper care in the spring. First, we carry out sanitary pruning, paying special attention to those that spent the winter under cover.

We cut out blackened, rotten, dry, broken branches. We trim to healthy tissue. In addition, we cut out weak shoots. Don’t forget to remove last year’s folded leaves from the crown; they may contain nests of harmful insects.
Fast-growing decorative deciduous shrubs can be pruned by 1/2 - 1/3 of their volume every year to form a beautiful crown and rejuvenate old bushes. You can prune white dogwood, barberries, cinquefoil, bladderwort, tree paniculata hydrangeas, and summer-blooming spirea in this way. Large-leaved hydrangea, spring-blooming spirea, and mock orange bloom on last year's shoots, so it is recommended to radically prune such shrubs only after flowering. In the future, the need for pruning is dictated by the growth pattern of a particular plant species. Slow-growing specimens, for example, Erica, some varieties of rhododendrons and heathers, are pruned minimally.

On currant bushes, before the buds open, it is necessary to cut out dry, broken branches and weak shoots. Branches with many buds affected by bud mites must be cut out and destroyed. Gooseberries and raspberries are trimmed in the same way. In raspberries, the shoot is shortened by 1/4, to a well-developed bud to stimulate the growth of side shoots.
In the orchard, pruning is also carried out: branches from young trees that form sharp angles in relation to the trunk are removed and shoots growing at an obtuse angle from the trunk are left. When pruning, it is necessary to evenly distribute the branches around the circumference of the crown.
It is not recommended to radically shape the cherry tree, as the seedling may develop severe gum production and the tree may die. The formation of cherries is carried out gradually, over several years.
If actinidia grows on your site, do not even think about pruning it in the spring; the plant will sap and most likely die. Actinidia is pruned in the fall, after the end of the growing season, cutting out broken, underdeveloped, thickening shoots. Since the fruit buds of the plant are located on the stem within 50-70 cm, all annual shoots are pruned leaving this length.

Caring for evergreens.

In spring, evergreens require special attention: conifers, heathers, mahonias, rhododendrons, a whole range of perennial flowers, herbs and cereals that retain their foliage in winter. Most often, there is a danger of yellowing leaves or needles, indicating sunburn. Sunburn can occur on clear, sunny days when the snow cover reflects a lot of sunlight and the plant is not protected from the sun.

It is necessary to begin protection against burning in the fall; conifers, which are prone to burning in the bright sun in the spring, are recommended to be wrapped in burlap or fine mesh. If the tops of rhododendrons or mahonias are exposed early from under the snow and the leaves are burnt in the sun, then you will have to cut out the burnt shoots to the green tissue.
There is a misconception that plants get sunburned only in February-March; sometimes such cases occur in April-May. This is facilitated by early removal of cover.
You need to pay very close attention to the evergreen perennials in the flower garden. At the beginning of spring, bright and fluffy clumps of flowers appear from under the snow, but if they are not protected from the sun at first, then after two weeks the leaves of the flowering plants will be scorched in the sun, dry out, and the plants will take a long time to recover.
In the spring, conifers damaged by sunburn are fertilized along the crown with a weak solution of nitrogen fertilizer, but very carefully, otherwise the plant may also receive a chemical burn. At the beginning of summer, as the shoots grow, use a weak solution of complex mineral fertilizers with additives of magnesium and microelements. If the damage from sunburn was minor and everything was done on time, then the burnt crown of a coniferous tree can recover in one or two seasons, but a badly damaged plant will have to be cared for for a long time. In May, you can still plant and replant coniferous plants, but this work should not be postponed until the end of the month.

Caring for ponds and lawns.

If you have a pond with fish, then at the beginning of spring, clear the snow and drill a small hole in the ice. The inhabitants of the pond will have access to the oxygen they need.
When the soil dries out, it’s time to clean the lawn. Carefully, without making much effort, comb it with a rake, first in one direction and then in the other direction. Then use a fork to make 2-3 punctures on every square meter of the lawn to allow oxygen to enter. In order for the grass to grow well and have a rich green color, the lawn must be fertilized with any mineral fertilizer with a high nitrogen content.

The frost is crackling outside the window. The ground is covered with snow. It seems that trees and shrubs do not need care. But this is not true at all. At any time of the year, plants require attention. Caring for a garden involves many very important tasks. Their implementation affects the future harvest and the full development of garden crops. But before this, the plants must overwinter. At this time there are many moments that should not be missed.

Protecting plants from freezing

In early December, attention is paid to young trees and shrubs.

In order for them to overwinter well, you should ensure that the plants are insulated. Snow can be used as insulation, which is distributed under trees, around bushes and compacted. It will provide protection from frost and rodents. Hilling of plants with snow continues throughout the winter.

Rodents are pests of dormant plants

Garden care in winter and spring involves various activities. And each of them has its own deadlines. In winter, attention is paid to protecting trees from rodents. Mice and hares can damage tree bark. Annual and biennial crops are especially affected. The tree trunk is protected in the autumn. It is wrapped in various materials. At the end of winter, drugs are used that will repel rodents. They are placed around trees.

Garden care in spring: spring work

With the onset of March, a busy time for gardeners begins. This is a crucial period. With the beginning of the snow melting and the first streams of water, work on personal or summer cottage plots intensifies. How to properly organize garden care in spring? What to do in the first days of March? During this period, the snow becomes loose. It gradually melts, and there is no need to speed up this process. The exception is snowdrifts that completely cover the bushes. To prevent the snow from damaging the branches when it melts, it is raked, freeing the plants.

Tree pruning

The main condition for this event is the air temperature. You should not carry out work if it is frosty outside. In the case when the thermometer recorded readings below minus ten degrees Celsius, trees should not be pruned. Peculiarities of climatic zones make their own adjustments to garden care in the spring.

Proper pruning is carried out before the buds swell. It is performed on sunny days at zero air temperature.

The first to be pruned are fruit-bearing trees, whose flower buds precede the awakening of leaf ones. This event involves the removal of:

Damaged, frozen shoots;

Branches growing inside the crown;

Branches that interfere with crown development.

At the same time, they adhere to the rule, which provides for the maximum pruning of large branches. In this case, no stumps are left. When removing branches with a diameter of more than fifteen centimeters, use garden varnish. It is used to treat the cut site. After all the trees have been cultivated, it is the turn of the young plants that do not bear fruit. For such trees, this technique involves, first of all, the formation of a crown. The annual gradual removal of branches that are undesirable for proper growth allows you to grow a productive healthy tree within several years, which will reward you with a high harvest.

Caring for a garden in early spring involves pruning not only trees, but also shrubs. Old shoots of currant berry bushes, as well as raspberries and gooseberries, must be removed. Frozen, damaged branches are cut off at the base. Fruiting shoots are shortened by ten or fifteen centimeters.

Tree grafting

Caring for a garden in early spring involves a lot of work. One of the important measures is the grafting of fruit crops, which is performed before the buds swell.

There are several such methods. Among them, grafting with cuttings into a split or behind the bark is popular and often used. They are harvested at the beginning of winter, before the onset of severe frosts. Shoots of annual growths are suitable for grafting. The cuttings used for this activity have three or four buds. As a rule, stone fruits will come first, followed by pome crops. For young trees, the grafting zone is no more than two meters above the soil surface, and for shoots - one and a half meters from the trunk. Branch cutting diameter:

For stone fruit crops - 3 cm;

For pome crops - 5-6 cm.

All operations are performed on the day of vaccination. The junction of the cutting with the tree branch is wrapped with insulating tape, which can be removed three or four weeks after the operation or left until next spring.

Planting trees and shrubs

Caring for a garden in early spring is not only about activities that ensure excellent growth of planted plants. At this time, young trees and shrubs can be planted. This event is carried out before the buds open. In the spring, crops that have insufficient winter-hardy qualities are planted. After planting, ensure constant soil moisture.

Preventive actions

One of the important agricultural practices is pest and disease control. Caring for your garden in early spring is the best time of year for this. Chemical treatment of plants will require gardeners to have practical skills and knowledge. Without plant protection, it is impossible to grow a healthy and full-fledged crop.

Spraying fruit and berry crops can be divided into three stages:

Before the buds begin to swell;

Before flowering;

A week after flowering.

The garden is treated with special preparations. When working with them, you should strictly follow the instructions.

In addition, caring for the garden in early spring includes another very important activity - whitewashing tree trunks with a solution of slaked lime.

After the snow melts and stable warm weather sets in, fallen leaves are removed and burned.

Caring for fruit trees in the photo

From the time of planting to the end of their life, fruit trees undergo a number of significant changes, different in each age period.

First period- P a period of enhanced development of vegetative (growth) parts. In the process of caring for garden trees in this phase, it should be taken into account that at this time the development of growth organs predominates over fruit ones. The number of the latter increases by the end of the period; Fruit buds are laid on them.

The second period is the period of fruiting. It is characterized by an increase in the number of overgrowing branches and fruit buds to the greatest extent, and a decrease in the growth of vegetative parts. This is the longest period in the life of a tree. It is especially important.

The third period is the period of mass death of skeletal (main) branches. It is characterized by a gradual weakening of fruiting and increased death of individual, mainly peripheral parts of the crown, with new shoots (tops) appearing on the older parts. When caring for fruit trees during this period, one must not forget that the peripheral part of the plant root system at this time begins to die, and new roots appear on the old ones closer to the base of the tree.

These periods are interconnected by a number of transition periods.

Berry plants also go through the same periods, only they proceed faster.

Fruit plants, like perennial woody plants, go through periods of vegetation and dormancy every year. During the growing season, a number of phenophases of growth and fruiting occur in a certain order.

Caring for fruit trees, as experienced gardeners advise, should take into account the main phenophases:

• Spring growing season: a) swelling of buds - growth and fruit; b) bud opening; c) separation of inflorescences and buds; d) the appearance of curled petals in the buds.
• Flowering - beginning, mass flowering, end of flowering.
• Fruiting is a phenophase from the beginning of fruit set until the onset of their removable maturity.
• Shoot growth is a phenophase, covering a period of increased growth and ending with the formation of the apical bud.
• Autumn vegetation - from the end of shoot growth to the end of leaf fall.

The dormant period in fruit plants lasts from the fall of the leaves in the fall to the swelling of the buds in the spring. It is associated with the cold season.

The duration of each period, as well as the passage of individual phenophases of fruit plants depend on the species and varietal characteristics, as well as external conditions and agricultural technology.

The care of trees in the garden in spring, summer and autumn is largely determined by the qualitative changes of plants in individual age periods. Separate techniques, or agricultural complexes, should be applied in accordance with the passage of phenophases and taking into account the breed and varietal characteristics of fruit plants in specific conditions.

Caring for fruit tree seedlings should be aimed at creating favorable conditions during the first period of fruit tree development, ensuring strong vegetative growth, formation of fruiting organs and accelerated entry into fruiting.

As practice shows, it is necessary to care for trees in the garden in such a way that all activities contribute to the timely annual passage of the growth phases of fruit plants during the growing season, their complete completion and sufficient hardening for the winter. This is achieved by using a system of agrotechnical measures for cultivating the soil in the garden and caring for fruit plants.

How to properly care for young fruit tree seedlings in the garden

You need to care for young fruit trees as carefully as possible to ensure complete survival of the planted plants, their good condition and complete growth at the end of the growing season. The soil in the garden in the first year of planting should be kept moist and free from weeds. When caring for young fruit trees in spring and summer, it is necessary to make 4-5 waterings and destroy all weeds by weeding. After each watering of the trees in the garden, the cover of the holes should be adjusted.

The spaces between the rows of young plantings can be used for vegetable crops, provided that weed control is obligatory and the soil is loosened at least three times during the summer. Berry crops must be kept especially free of weeds.

During the summer, it is necessary to monitor the development and condition of planted trees. Emerging pests - caterpillars and beetles that eat buds and leaves - must be immediately destroyed by collecting or pollinating and spraying with pesticides, since damaged trees sharply reduce their survival rate and sometimes die.

In the process of caring for fruit trees in the fall, after autumn tillage of the soil in the inter-rows, trunk circles and strips, to protect the plants from frost and rodents, the trunks and crowns should be tied, and to protect the roots from freezing, they should be hilled up with earth.

When caring for garden trees in the spring, the mounds are leveled and the binding is removed.

Here you can watch a video on caring for fruit trees in the garden:

Pruning garden trees in the photo

One of the main works in the general complex of agricultural measures for caring for trees in the first years after planting is the formation of the crown, on which the condition and durability of the fruit tree largely depend.

The formation and pruning of garden trees is aimed at creating a stable crown skeleton, firmly connected to the trunk and capable of supporting a full harvest without support. Also, pruning trees when caring for a garden promotes the correct and uniform distribution of branches along the trunk and in space, ensuring free access of air and light into the crown, and the possibility of mechanizing production processes for caring for plantings and crops.

These conditions are most fully satisfied by the formation of the crown when pruning garden trees using a tieless system. With this system, the crown of the apple tree should have at least 6-8 main skeletal branches, the three lower branches should be brought together at a distance of 8-12 cm, and the overlying ones should be distributed 15-20 cm from each other. In plums, all main branches are distributed at equal distances - 5-10 cm.

In order to properly prune trees in the garden, the height of the trunks of apple and pear trees with a medium spreading crown (Anise, Antonovka vulgaris, Borovinka, Alabaster, etc.) should be left at about 40-50 cm, and for varieties with a spreading crown (Skrut, Khoroshavka, etc.) 60 cm. For a grafted cherry, the trunk height should be about 40-50 cm. But in some cases it is better to form trees in a low-trunk and even bush form, especially in the Volga region, as mentioned above.

For trees planted with crowns established in the nursery, in the first year the three main branches and the extension shoot should be cut by 1/3-1/4; the branches between them should be shortened by 4-5 internodes, i.e., left as thickening shoots.

To lay the main (usually two) and side branches of the crown from the second year, and in trees that have given weak growth, from the third year until the crown is fully formed (usually within 3-5 years), you need to continue pruning the conductor by 30-40 cm. Thickening shoots on the trunk and main branches over a distance of 25-30 cm from their base are pinched (in the green state) into 3-5 buds. To regulate the growth of the main branches, the lower ones are cut smaller than the upper ones.

When laying new branches, it is necessary to ensure that they are correctly spaced from each other (15 - 20 cm) and evenly distributed in all directions. After the last lateral branch has been established, it is necessary to cut out or weaken the continuation shoot by strong pruning.

During the entire period of crown formation, the development of lateral branches should be subordinated to the development of the trunk. Therefore, with all pruning, the continuation shoot is left longer than the main branches, and the latter, in turn, are longer than the thickening shoots.

After the completion of crown formation, thickening shoots between the lower skeletal branches are gradually, over 3-4 years, cut out “into a ring”. At this time, pruning of the ends of branches is usually stopped, and thinning of excess branches is mainly used

The video “Pruning trees in the garden” will help you better imagine how this agricultural technique is performed:

Garden care: how to prune fruit trees correctly

Young gardens in central Russia were usually planted with trees formed according to the type of five-legged or tiered crown. Most of the planting material with this formation is still produced by nurseries.

The formation of the crown is based on the tiered arrangement of branches. When planted in the garden, two-year-old seedlings must have five strong lateral branches (first tier) and a vertically directed continuation shoot. The main branches usually develop from buds located nearby on the trunk, less often through one (whorled crown).

The second tier of branches is laid on the guide in the second or third year after planting in the garden at a distance of 40-50 cm from the first. The side branches of the second tier should be in the spaces between the branches of the first tier. For the second tier, usually three branches are left, thinning them out through one internode.

If desired, the third tier can be laid in the same way. Three-year-old seedlings released from the nursery usually have a second tier of crown already established.

In the next 2-3 years, pruning is done mainly to regulate the strength of development of individual branches. The upper branches are pruned more heavily than the lower ones. The lateral branches between the tiers and skeletal branches are cut short or pinched, and when thickened, they are cut out completely.

Compared to a tiered system, tiered pruning of trees in the garden has a number of disadvantages:

• whorled arrangement of the main branches of the first tier, which does not ensure their strong fusion with the trunk, therefore, under the weight of the harvest, the branches may break (if supports are not placed), which reduces the durability of the tree;
• crowding of branches, creating less favorable conditions for lighting and air access to the internal parts of the crown, as a result of which the central conductor and main branches develop poorly and some of them often die. In some varieties (Anise, Antonovka vulgaris, etc.) these shortcomings are expressed to a lesser extent.

A five-year-old tree formed according to a five-legged (tiered) system.

A relatively stronger five-legged crown is obtained by thinning the lateral branches on the trunk by cutting them out one or two at a time.

In order to properly prune fruit trees, as experienced gardeners advise, you need to start this activity in early spring before the sap begins to flow, since pruning a tree that has begun to grow can weaken its development.

To avoid thickening of the crown, branches should be cut to the outer bud. In cases where the branch strongly deviates downward or is directed to the side, pruning should be done either on the inner bud or on the lateral one.

Soil care in the garden: processing techniques

Agrotechnical measures for caring for the soil in a young garden should be aimed at increased growth of trees in the first half of the growing season and at the timely completion of growth with full ripening of the wood and its hardening for the winter - in the second half of the growing season. To do this, it is necessary to create the best conditions for water supply and nutrition of fruit trees from early spring to the end of summer.

The soil in a young garden must be kept under black fallow. This soil cultivation technique promotes the accumulation and retention of moisture in the soil, the penetration of air into it, which promotes the accumulation of nutrients and their better absorption by plants. To do this, every year in the fall, the row spacing of the garden, not occupied by perennial crops, should be plowed to a depth of 18-20 cm, leaving the arable land unharrowed; plowing the row spacing should be carried out in the longitudinal and transverse directions, which reduces the area of ​​digging near the tree trunks, or - one year in the longitudinal direction, and the other - in the transverse.

To retain moisture on slopes, plowing is carried out across them.

Unplowed strips and trunk circles are dug up to the same depth.

To avoid damage to the root system, digging near trees should be done to a shallower depth (8-10 cm), and when digging, the shovel should be placed with its edge facing the tree. Garden forks are very convenient for digging.

The diameter of the treated trunk circle should be approximately 1-1.5 m larger than the diameter of the crown; annually when digging, it should be increased by an average of 0.5 m.

In order to preserve moisture in the soil, use it economically and control weeds, several surface loosening is carried out in the spring and summer. In early spring, depending on the degree of readiness of the soil for cultivation, the row spacing is loosened with an ordinary harrow. You can also use a disc harrow for this purpose.

In case of severe compaction of the soil after snow melts, which is usually observed on heavy loamy and clay soils, it must be loosened with a cultivator or harrow and then harrowed, without leaving large clods.

Simultaneously with loosening the row spacing, tree trunk circles and row strips of both the main planting and compactor crops are hoeed and harrowed with a rake.

In case of strong floating and compaction of the soil, tree trunk circles and row strips need to be dug up again and at the same time the surface should be leveled with a rake. After loosening, the tree trunk circles are mulched with manure, small straw, wood leaves and other materials to a thickness of 6-10 cm. This event is especially useful where it is not possible to carry out systematic watering. Mulching has a beneficial effect not only on preserving moisture in the soil, but also on preserving its structure, and also creates more favorable soil nutrition conditions for fruit plants.

When digging in autumn, mulching materials should be mixed with the soil.

During the spring-summer period, as the soil surface compacts, crust forms after rains and weeds appear, it is necessary to carry out another 4-5 loosening of both tree trunk circles and strips, and row spacing, using hoes, horse-drawn or tractor cultivators, hullers and other tools. .

By the end of summer, with significant soil moisture and the observed delay in tree growth, soil loosening should be stopped. In dry summers, when shoot growth has ceased normally, loosening continues until autumn.

Tilling the soil in the garden: what fertilizers to apply to fruit trees

How to fertilize fruit trees in the garden? To improve the physical properties of the soil, which change sharply under the influence of long-term cultivation (strong spraying), as well as to improve the nutritional conditions of trees, it is necessary to systematically apply organic fertilizer - manure, compost, peat feces, etc. - in the tree trunk circles and strips. complete mineral fertilizer - nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

Only good quality manure is used to fertilize the soil. It must be applied, like other organic fertilizers, annually or every other year for the first 3-5 years, and in subsequent years - after two years on the third at a rate of 4-6 kg per meter; apply mineral fertilizers annually, except for the next year of manure application, at the rate of 10-12 g of active substance (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) per square meter. meter (approximately 25-30 g of ammonium nitrate, 50-60 g of superphosphate and 20-25 g of potassium salt).

The best results are obtained by annual joint application of organic and mineral fertilizers for fruit trees (in half doses).

Fertilizing garden trees with liquid nitrogen fertilizer - mineral or organic - has a great effect on the growth of young seedlings. For fertilizing, ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate and other mineral fertilizers are used at the rate of 40 - 60 kg of active substance per hectare, or 4 - 6 g per square meter. meter, and from organic ones - cow and bird droppings, slurry.

Manure and other organic, as well as phosphorus-potassium fertilizers for fruit trees should be applied in the fall when digging tree trunks or plowing strips, nitrogen - in early spring and in fertilizing.

How else to fertilize garden trees

Fertilizers applied in liquid form have a faster effect on plants, so fertilizing should be done in relation to a certain phase of tree development.

Knowing how to fertilize garden trees, do not forget about the rates for applying mineral fertilizers: about 30 g of ammonium sulfate or 25 g of ammonium nitrate per bucket of water - 3-4 buckets per tree, organic - 3-5 buckets. Organic fertilizers are diluted at the following rate: a bucket of bird droppings with 8-10 buckets of water, a bucket of cow droppings with 4-5 buckets, a bucket of slurry with 3-4 buckets of water.

Fertilizers are poured into holes or grooves around the tree (along the periphery of the crown). Fertilizing is usually timed to coincide with rains, and in the absence of them, preliminary watering of the circles is carried out at the rate of 3-7 buckets of water per tree, depending on its age and the size of the trunk circle.

What other fertilizers can be applied to fruit trees to speed up their growth? This could be bird or cow droppings. Such dressings are prepared in advance as follows: pour water to the top into a large tub (tub) or barrel filled 14-1/3 with clean droppings, cover the top, and then leave for 4-5 days to infuse. The resulting infusion is diluted when watering with the specified amount of water.

In irrigated gardens, fertilizing with mineral fertilizers is carried out simultaneously with watering. Fertilizers are scattered evenly over the entire irrigated area. After watering the fruit trees, the holes and furrows are leveled.

Watering fruit trees and snow retention when caring for the garden

During the summer, fruit trees in a young garden need to be watered 3-5 times, depending on the properties of the soil and the amount of precipitation. On lighter soils, watering should be done more often than on heavier soils. Watering is especially necessary in the first half of summer (May - June), when trees grow most vigorously.

In young gardens, especially in open areas, in order to accumulate moisture and warm the soil, it is necessary to carry out snow retention with shields, snow banks and other means for snow retention; planting berry bushes - currants or gooseberries in rows of trees with a distance between bushes of 2 m - is of great importance. Berry bushes can be planted either in each row, or after 1-3 rows, depending on the protection of the garden and its size.

It is also necessary to take measures to retain spring melt water by installing snow dams, embanking individual areas on light slopes, and on steeper slopes - mulching the snow with straw, manure and other materials, under which water from slowly melting snow will not flow off, but will be absorbed by the soil .

Caring for garden trees in spring and summer: inter-row crops

The row spacing of young gardens, not occupied by berries and other fruit crops, can be used for sowing and planting vegetables, melons, row crops, herbs and other crops.

The row spacing of apple and pear trees can be occupied by these crops for 10-12 years, cherries and plums - for 4-6 years.

Inter-row crops are selected in accordance with planned targets, taking into account natural conditions, and the possibility of mechanized or horse-drawn processing.

In order to care for fruit trees correctly, as many years of gardening experience have shown, crops are selected for row spacing that, while developing well, not only do not interfere with the development of the main plantings, but, on the contrary, create relatively favorable conditions for their growth. The best interrow crops in a young garden in the middle zone are row crops - root crops and vegetables and melons (, pumpkin). These crops require deep tillage and fertilization of the soil. Their development mainly takes place in the second half of summer. All this creates favorable conditions for tree growth and its timely completion at the end of the growing season.

Annual legumes (lentils, etc.), which enrich the soil with nitrogen, can also be used when sowing them late in rows as interrow crops. On wetter or irrigated soils, perennial grasses (alfalfa and wheatgrass) can be introduced for a period of no more than two years. They improve the structure of the soil, enrich it with nitrogen and clear it of weeds.

You should not occupy the row spaces with industrial and grain crops, as they greatly deplete the soil. Among berry crops, it should not be used as row spacing (compactor), which strongly dries out the soil and clogs it with offspring.

More efficient use of row spacing is possible by establishing proper crop rotation for interrow crops. Mineral fertilizers and manure, as well as soil care between rows, are determined by the requirements of each crop in the crop rotation.

Caring for trees and shrubs in the garden in spring is the key to successful cultivation of any crops. If a summer resident misses the time to carry out one or another necessary procedure, he may simply lose his harvest in the future. It is so important to know when caring for trees and shrubs in the spring, how to correctly perform certain actions with them.

When performing the following work, it is necessary to take into account the biological nature of trees and shrubs and their physiological state. To get the highest possible harvest, it is necessary to carry out a number of gardening works at the dacha, starting from the earliest spring.

In order for the harvest of fruits and berries to be as high as possible, every summer resident must perform the following types of work in the garden in the spring:

In the spring, clearing trees and shrubs (as well as the greenhouse where I grow and) from heavy wet snow is especially important in March and April (in more northern latitudes). The danger of such spring snow lies in its heaviness, under the influence of which it can break or damage branches. Heavy wet snow poses the greatest danger to young plants. That is why during spring snowfalls, and even more so the danger of further icing of branches, it is necessary to shake it off from trees and bushes in a timely manner. If a thick layer of snow from the winter itself has been preserved on a summer cottage, with the onset of thaws it is necessary to throw away excess snow from the bushes.

Protecting garden trees and shrubs from frost

We leave snow near the tree trunks for as long as possible, covering it with a layer of sawdust, peat, humus, and compost. In order to prevent damage to tree trunks from severe spring frosts, we compact the snow around the trunk more firmly. Only after the final melting of the snow cover do we finally remove the winter shelters (tying the trunks). Earlier removal of protection from the cold leads to damage to the trunk by spring frosts.

Formation of the crown of trees and shrubs in spring

This necessary care procedure, carried out in the country before the start of sap flow, slows down the growth of unproductive shoots, due to which nutrients flow to the fruiting shoots, which contributes to a bountiful harvest. Most often, tree pruning is performed in February-March. When performing this type of work, not only the desired crown is formed, but also excess, damaged, dry and diseased branches are removed. During spring pruning, be sure to remove dead and old branches. If the winter was very cold and damage on the branches is clearly visible, we carry out pruning a little later, namely in April, when it is possible to identify severely damaged shoots by the visible surviving buds and remove them. If it becomes clear that there are very few living buds, then we carry out gentle pruning, trying to preserve as many fruit buds as possible.

If the generative organs are overweight and their growth is weakened, intensive pruning should be performed by thinning and shortening the shoots. Thanks to this pruning, the plant will be more leafy and the fruits will be larger. During pruning, we pay special attention to treating the cuts with garden varnish. Do not leave open wounds on trees and bushes. Through them, various pathogens can penetrate into the plant.

When forming the crown and pruning, it is necessary to clearly distinguish which shoots are productive and which are not. The easiest way is to determine which branch will benefit the buds. Thus, the fruit buds of almost all fruit and berry plants are thicker, rounder and shorter. Leaf buds are elongated and thin. If there are no fruit buds on the branch or there are very few of them, then you can safely say goodbye to it. If the shoot is strewn with fruit buds, it is better to look for a replacement in the form of another unproductive shoot, so as not to deprive yourself of several additional fruits in the future.

The procedure for cutting shoots is carried out only with sharp pruning shears. To cut thick branches you will need a sharp hacksaw. For trees and shrubs in spring, the following are distinguished:

Types of pruning

Formative

When, by removing excess branches and shoots, we form the necessary silhouette of the plant. Thanks to it, you can limit the growth of the plant upward and in breadth.

Regulatory

Allows you to maintain the shape of the crown without overloading the skeletal branches. It also promotes uniform illumination of all shoots of the plant.

Rejuvenating

Stimulating the growth of new shoots, necessary for old trees and shrubs.

Sanitary

Essential for removing broken, dry and damaged branches.

Trimming order

• We remove unproductive shoots and old branches;
• we cut out all the processes directed downwards;
• We remove young shoots that interfere with the growth and development of other branches.
• We treat the cut areas with garden varnish.

Pruning various fruit crops has its own nuances:

• Apple and pear trees have one trunk and branches that extend from it at an obtuse angle.

The main thing for these crops is to prevent thickening of the crown, since this greatly affects the yield and size of the fruit.

• The shape of a plum most often resembles a bush, so when pruning it, forming a cup-shaped crown, we remove the central conductor. Every year we cut out old branches and shoots that are close to each other.
• Cherry branches cannot be shortened, since its fruit buds are located only at their ends. We cut out old branches completely only if the goal is to thin them out.
• Spring pruning of apricots and peaches should be very careful. To form a compact crown, the top of these crops is cut off. We also remove shoots growing low or drooping down.
• There are differences in pruning berry bushes depending on the crop being grown (for example, from). But the principle of shaping and pruning is almost the same as for trees: removing old, dry, damaged and diseased branches. To maintain the shape of the crown, the outer shoots are shortened to the desired shape. The middle of the bush is thinned out especially carefully, since a heavily thickened plant produces a small harvest.

Spring protection of trees and shrubs in the garden

From overheating

When spring comes, the bark of trees and shrubs tends to be often damaged by the scorching rays of the sun. This results in burns that are dangerous to the health of the plant. To prevent this, it is necessary to treat the trunks and skeletal branches of trees and shrubs with an aqueous solution of lime. In recent years, specialized stores have sold a variety of protective mixtures that are designed to protect trees and shrubs from sunburn.

From rodents

With the onset of spring, we check the condition of the anti-rodent baits left for the winter. If they have become unusable or are no longer there, they need to be updated. When inspecting a country garden and shrub plantings, we destroy all detected rodent nests. Wet snow compacted around tree trunks and the bases of bushes also prevents damage to the bark by hares and other rodents.

From diseases

All plant remains that were not removed from the garden in the fall (leaves, fallen fruits, small twigs) are carefully removed and burned. Such plant residues are a source of spread of dangerous fungal and bacterial diseases. Therefore, as soon as the snow has melted, before the buds bloom on the trees and shrubs, we spray with various chemicals designed to prevent various fungal and bacterial diseases. For each tree or shrub, it is necessary to select appropriate drugs that prevent certain specific diseases of a given crop.

In case of severe infestations of trees and shrubs, it is preferable to use combination preparations that protect fruit and berry crops from most common diseases. We bring aqueous solutions of drugs to a certain concentration immediately before spraying so that their effectiveness does not decrease. Before spraying, carefully clean the trunk and skeletal branches of plants with a coarse cloth or brush. This procedure helps remove dead bark, moss and lichens that prevent the absorption of chemicals into the wood. Ideal for this procedure is a special hand sprayer that allows you to reach any branch on the tree.

From insect pests

Before the buds open, we spray trees and shrubs with special insecticides designed to destroy wintering pests. Special trap belts that are placed on tree trunks give good results. An indispensable condition for obtaining high yields is the collection and destruction of oviposition, cocoons and nests of wintering garden pests. It is necessary to completely cut out the shoots, with obvious signs of ringed silkworms wintering on them. Such branches must be burned.

If the old foliage has not been removed from the garden since the fall, we must carry out this procedure in the spring. In this case, it is necessary to remove not only fallen leaves, but also fruits that fell last year, in which insects such as hawthorn, sawflies, and lacewings can overwinter. We also carefully remove all dried fruits remaining on the tree using a special hook on a long stick. Such plant residues must be burned or buried away from the summer cottage.

Processing the trunk and branches

We clean tree trunks and large branches from dead bark, mosses and fungi. When cleaning plants, we use sharp garden tools; carefully cover all damage to the surface of the bark with garden varnish to promote rapid healing of wounds and prevent secondary infection with various diseases.

Inspection of fertilizer and pesticide stocks at the dacha

In order not to rush around specialized stores in search of the necessary drug, it is necessary in the spring to check the availability at your summer cottage of all the necessary mineral fertilizers and means of protecting trees and shrubs from diseases and pests. In this case, the ideal is to draw up a special plan-scheme, in which all the crops available to the summer resident, the necessary preparations and the time for carrying out this or that treatment are noted. Thus, every month the summer resident will know what type of tree and shrub care he will have to do and will not miss them out of forgetfulness. This way he will be able to carry out preventive spraying of plants in a timely manner and apply the necessary fertilizing, which will have a beneficial effect on increasing the yield of fruits and berries.

Post-planting care of garden trees and shrubs

Survival times for seedlings

Spring is the time for planting young trees and shrubs. Here, post-planting care plays a special role in their survival and further development. The time it takes for different plants to survive and completely resume their normal life activities can vary significantly. It directly depends on the biological properties of the fruit crop, the physical condition and age of the seedling. Various shrub plants take root most quickly, but even for them the period of complete restoration of vital activity and development lasts up to 3 years. The survival period of small trees lasts up to 4 years, and large trees - up to 5 years. That is why it is so important to properly carry out post-planting care in the spring. It depends on whether the plant will survive at all.

Watering, loosening and mulching

So, after spring planting of trees and shrubs, it is necessary to carry out abundant watering. This is especially true if the spring is dry. Without well-moistened soil in the spring, any seedlings of fruit and berry crops are simply doomed. That is why young plants, even 2-3 years after planting, must be regularly watered in the spring so that the soil is always moist. Thanks to this, the plant will emerge from the winter dormancy period faster. It is also necessary to regularly loosen and mulch the tree trunks so that the roots of young plants have good access to oxygen and the soil does not dry out. To water young trees, 10-50 liters per plant are needed, and for shrub seedlings - 10-20 liters. The rate of survival of planted plants largely depends on compliance with this standard of watering the seedlings. Before watering, we adjust the rollers of the holes and rake away the mulch. After watering the hole, mulch with peat.

Plant growth stimulants

Having planted young trees and shrubs, for their active root formation, we add growth stimulants to the irrigation water using heteroauxin and beta-indolylacetic acid. For 10 liters of water, 1 tablet of root growth stimulator is enough. To water shrubs, only 5 liters of this solution is enough, and for trees, at least 10 liters are needed. After watering the plants, mulch the tree trunk circles with peat. Subsequent feeding with growth stimulants is carried out no earlier than a week after planting. Stimulation of root formation is simply mandatory for very weakened seedlings.

Treatment of trees in spring begins as soon as the snow melts and the air temperature is +5. There is no universal date; you need to rely on the thermometer and weather conditions.

Trimming. Trees can be pruned in the spring at above-zero temperatures before the buds open. Remove branches that are broken, thickening and directed towards the middle of the crown. All sections are treated with copper sulfate and covered with garden pitch.

Whitewash. Before whitewashing trees in early spring, they are removed from protection against frost and rodents, if it was installed in the fall. The mixture for whitewashing trees can be purchased ready-made at garden centers and stores. Or you can cook it yourself.

Recipe one

• bucket of water (10 l)
• 400 grams of copper sulfate
• 2 kg lime
• 100 grams of wood glue or casein glue.

Recipe two

• 1 kg clay
• 2 kg lime
• 1 shovel mullein
• 250-300 g copper sulfate

Trees are sprayed 4 times in spring

The first treatment of trees in spring is carried out before buds open at a temperature not lower than +4. It is advisable to spray the garden in sunny, windless weather in the morning or late afternoon.

The choice of drugs is quite large. You need to focus on the condition and age of the fruit trees, as well as the degree of damage by diseases and pests.

Young healthy trees are given preventive spraying before bud break and after flowering. And if the garden has entered the phase of full fruiting or the trees are already at a respectable age, you need to work hard. Below are the most common options for garden treatment in spring.

Spraying trees at the beginning of sap flow

Urea (urea):700 g per 10 liters of water + 50-75 g of copper sulfate.

Important! Urea cannot be mixed with superphosphate, chalk, or lime.

This is a good remedy for many diseases and overwintered pests. Plus, treating trees with urea in the spring delays flowering, which means it will help preserve the ovaries from negative effects return frosts. This solution is also a good fertilizer for wood.

inkstone

• 50 g per 10 l for young trees;
• 100 g per 10 liters for an adult garden.

Important! Iron sulfate should not be mixed with lime.

The drug is used to treat apple, cherry and plum trees. He not only fulfills the role fungicide, but also saturates the tree with iron. Increases tree productivity and accelerates plant growth. Spraying with iron sulfate is not recommended more than 2 times per season. The old garden is sprayed with iron sulfate and.

Spraying the garden in the budding phase (green cone)

From diseases

3% Bordeaux mixture(300 g of copper sulfate + 350 g of lime + 10 l of water). Cook according to instructions. For better adhesion, add grated laundry soap (20 g) to the solution.

Spray apricots and cherries with Bordeaux mixture substitute: Kuprosat, Blue Bordeaux, HOM, Abigo-pik, Champion or others

From pests

• Horus+Aktara
• Decis
• Bi-58

To treat trees in the spring against diseases, and then against pests, you need to choose ONE of the options. The drugs are used at intervals of 4-5 days.

Garden treatment in the pink bud phase

Preparations for spraying trees in spring from pests and diseases complex action: Aktara+Karate+Horus; Speed+Topaz; Fufanon.

Spraying trees after flowering

For diseases + feeding:

• Urea (50 g per 10 l).

From pests:

• Horus+Skor+Aktara
• Decis
• Karate
• HOM, etc.

Select one option. Frequency of processing – 2-3. We wrote about when and what to spray grapes in the spring.