A pear seedling has frozen: what to do

If the pear is frozen in winter, there may be several reasons for this. Often, in combination with frost, the main factors are the lack of mulching and shelter. In all cases, it is necessary to determine the degree of freezing and remove all damaged parts. The basic rules of treatment and care are described in the article.

How to understand that the pear is frozen

Freezing of seedlings and mature trees can be determined by external signs. To do this, you need to carefully examine the plant. The main criteria are:

1. The bark of the trunk, skeletal branches or shoots became dark, as in the photo – in this case, the pear definitely froze.

   

2. Quite long longitudinal cracks are noticeable on the trunk, which are called frost cracks. They can be either superficial or deep. Moreover, this is a characteristic sign that not only the pear, but also other garden trees have frozen.
3. If you make a cross cut, you can see that the core of the shoots, branches loses their light beige, white color and becomes brown, brown.

In the spring (approximately at the beginning of April), it is even easier to determine the signs of freezing – they appear as follows:

• the kidneys do not open (a significant part died);
• the bark shrinks and begins to crack;
• the wood fabric is dyed dark brown, it is damp and smells of rot.

Determining the signs of damage is quite simple. But in order to understand how much the tree has suffered, it is necessary to make a more detailed examination. Treatment measures depend on this. For example, even if half the trunk of a two-year-old pear froze, such a seedling can still be saved. The same applies to trees up to five years old. When it comes to adult crops, it is very difficult to treat them – it is better to take care of planting new seedlings.

If the damage is less significant, the pear can be cured. To evaluate, you need to carefully cut off a small piece of bark and understand how frozen the pear is. To do this, evaluate the color of the cambium (the tissue that lies directly under the bark):

1. Green – damage is minimal, such a seedling can be saved, for example, it can be disinfected with brilliant green and covered with garden pitch.
2. Dark brown – strong defeat. It appears in those cases when the winters were severe, temperature drops were observed, especially with short-term thaws. The pear has frozen so much that it is very difficult to help it. If the roots are preserved, the tree can also survive. After the soil thaws, it needs to be dug up and cuts made on the surface of the roots – if they are not dark, treatment is possible.
3. Black is a sure sign that the pear is very cold. In fact, these are necrotic (dead) tissues, they cannot be restored. With a high probability, the tree will die – it is better to take care of planting other seedlings.

Why does a pear freeze

If the pear is frozen, this may be due to an objective reason. Even in the middle lane, especially in the Urals, in Siberia, in winter, the temperature can drop to -25 degrees and below. The situation is worsened by fluctuations and short-term thaws to positive temperatures. In this case, the bark is covered with ice, which has a detrimental effect on tissues. Another provoking factor is a strong cold wind, which literally dries up the plants.

Pear freezes in harsh winters with sudden temperature changes

If the tree is frozen, this may also be due to reasons that the gardener may well influence:

1. Wrong variety – sometimes summer residents begin to experiment, choosing what to plant on their site. This is quite normal, but the culture must be chosen in accordance with the climatic characteristics of the region. You can clarify the information in the description of the variety, the register of breeding achievements of the Federation, from experienced gardeners, as well as in nurseries.
2. Lack or improper preparation for winter – every autumn it is necessary to at least carefully mulch the near-trunk circle. And young seedlings are covered with agrofibre and other materials. It is also necessary to use other agrotechnical methods – moisture-charging irrigation, pruning, fertilizer with ash or potassium-phosphate compounds to strengthen the roots.
3. Wrong landing site. If the pear is frozen, this may be due to the fact that it is not protected from the winds, especially from the north side of the garden. In addition, you should not choose lowlands where water constantly accumulates. Dangerous and close suitable groundwater (to a height of less than 2 m from the soil surface).

What to do if the pear is frozen

First of all, it is necessary to trim the frozen pear. It is not necessary to start the procedure immediately in March – this can be done in the second half of April or even in early May. The fact is that it was at this time that it was possible to reliably determine exactly where the pear was damaged (the main trunk, young shoots, skeletal branches or other places).

All frozen branches are cut off, if possible avoiding large wounds. Otherwise, black cancer may develop or an infection may penetrate through them, and the overgrowth itself will go slowly. If the pear is frozen, then after pruning, all places should be treated with garden pitch. Trees are given settled water without fertilizers weekly.

If a large area has frozen, frost holes have appeared, then they are preliminarily cleaned to healthy parts. To do this, take a sharp garden knife and gently scrape off the bark, which is frozen, to tissues of a healthy color. Then they are treated with garden pitch or a mixture of mullein and clay 1: 1 (plasticine consistency). The entire surface that is frozen is covered with burlap or plastic wrap.

If the surface or deep layers of the bark are frozen, then it is also necessary to clean the near-stem circle, dig it up by 7-10 cm and mulch. To do this, use humus, peat, sawdust, straw, hay or other natural materials. If the pear is frozen, you can help it with regular weeding, loosening the soil.

First of all, you need to completely cut or clean the affected parts

What to do if a pear seedling is frozen

If a young pear is frozen, a seedling under the age of three, it is much easier to save it. Even if it is very blackened, it is possible to restore the plant. In this case, all affected branches must be cut to healthy parts, then mulched with humus and watered regularly.

Other agricultural practices are similar – sections are treated with garden pitch or a mixture of clay and mullein in a 1: 1 ratio. I do all the work with a sharp garden knife – with its help, the bark is cleaned to a healthy area. But if it is very frozen, it is easier to cut the branch.

What to do if shoots from the root appear

If shoots have gone, although the bark has frozen, this is a clear sign that the plant has survived. But whether it will fully recover or not depends on care. In practice, two situations are possible:

1. Root growth is formed, while the crown is frozen and looks ugly.
2. Wolves are forming.

In the first case, the leaves will be small, and the growth rate will be extremely insignificant. Moreover, if the wood is frozen, it will have blackened or brown spots on the cut. This is not the most dangerous case – the tree may well recover in one or more seasons. Moreover, if the seedling is used as a stock (grafted), the root shoots are removed, since it still will not give the desired variety – it will grow on the shoots.

Also, if the pear is frozen, it can give tops. This is a sign of poor development of the crown and buds of both types – growth, fruit. It is necessary to cut off the affected branches and begin to form a new crown based on fatty shoots (leave the strongest ones).

Further Care

If the bark is frozen, the tree needs to be carefully cared for. It comes down to a few steps:

1. Regular watering with warm, settled water. If they are usually given 1-2 times a month, then during the recovery period it is advisable to do it every week.
2. If the pear is frozen, it is necessary to organize fertilizing with nitrogen compounds, mullein 1:10 or fermented infusion of grass (1:7).
3. Treatment of foliage and shoots with fungicides or insecticides in the presence of signs of disease, pest invasion. Also, as a preventive measure, spraying is planned at the end of March. To do this, you can use Bordeaux liquid or other copper-containing products.

If the pear does not recover in 3-4 years, and does not produce a lot of crops, it should be replaced with another seedling

The described actions help to quickly restore a tree that has frozen in winter. But if it has not begun to grow by the end of July, all measures are useless. It remains only to throw away the seedling and burn it, and then plan the planting of new plants.

Conclusion

If the pear is frozen in winter, treatment should be started as soon as possible. Already in the second half of April, it is possible to outline the main affected areas and clean them to a healthy bark. Then the sections are treated with garden pitch and enhanced care is organized – watering, fertilizing and other activities. If the pear is frozen and does not recover, it is removed from the site.