Caring for berry bushes in spring

Step-by-step instructions for caring for berry bushes in spring

For berry bushes, winter is a difficult period. They have to withstand frost and this is not always possible – it happens that the bushes freeze slightly. They are harmed by heavy snowfalls, freezing rains and mice. In addition, in winter, plants spend their nutrient reserves – although they sleep, time does not stop. As a result, by spring, our green pets are exhausted. And they need to increase the green mass. They need to bloom in order to give a harvest. Therefore, now more than ever it is important to help them gain strength.

There are 4 important events that need to be done as early as possible – at the very beginning of April.

To uncover

This applies to grapes that have to be covered for the winter. It is necessary to remove the shelter from the vines as soon as possible – as soon as the air temperature will stably stay above 0 ° C.

First of all, massive shelters are removed, the task of which was to press the vine to the ground: slate, boards, bricks, and so on. But the spruce branches and dry leaves, with which the vines were insulated, should be left for now. But not on a permanent basis – ideally, they should be removed for the day (otherwise the grapes will soak), and at night they should be laid again on top of the vine (they will protect from the cold). But to leave plants without protection is not yet possible. During the day they need to be covered with a non-woven fabric – it will protect from frost.

As soon as the buds swell on the grapes, the leaves and spruce branches are completely removed. The vines are lifted and thrown over the lower supports. And on top of the supports – the same non-woven material. The lower ends of it must be pressed to the ground, and the sides should be fastened with clothespins so that cold air does not penetrate inside. Under such light cover, the grapes should remain until the end of May, when the danger of a return of frost has passed.

Experts note that grapes under non-woven fabric will not only not suffer from cold weather, but will also begin to grow faster. As a result, it will give a harvest a week or two earlier.

untie

This advice applies primarily to raspberries, which are tied into bunches for the winter and bent to the ground. All strappings must be removed as soon as possible, as soon as the snow melts (1) and the shoots must be returned to a vertical position.

The same applies to currant bushes – some gardeners, which is correct, tie them up so that branches do not break under the weight of snow in winter.

crop

One of the mandatory care items for berry bushes in spring is sanitary pruning.

First of all, cut out all dried, frozen and broken shoots (2). Then – sick, twisted, with noticeable thickenings (there, as a rule, stem pests hibernate). Slices must be covered with garden pitch, plasticine or oil paint based on drying oil. And burn the branches themselves so that the infection does not spread throughout the site.

If you didn’t do a rejuvenating pruning in the fall, you need to do it now – it’s pointless to wait for a good harvest from old thickened bushes.

For raspberries, it is imperative to cut the tops of the bushes – by about 10 cm. After that, the plants will branch better and give a bountiful harvest, because flower buds are laid on second-order shoots, that is, on lateral branches.

Currants need to cut all branches older than 5 years (3) – they are usually very thick, the bark on them often cracks and flakes off. They practically do not give a harvest, but they strongly thicken the bush, provoking outbreaks of diseases and an invasion of pests.

At the gooseberry, it is necessary to remove all the branches that lie on the ground: since they are in contact with the soil, pathogenic fungi settle on them first of all, the spores of which hibernate in the ground. And then the infection spreads throughout the plant. After that, you need to cut out all the intertwined and too thin branches – the gooseberry bush should be sparse.

To begin with, shoots are removed that practically lie on the ground, broken, intertwined, very thin and diseased. The remaining stems are cut off the tops to the first strong lateral branch. Do this before bud break.

Frozen, dried and broken shoots should be cut out from grapes.

Feed

Raspberries. It is enough to fertilize it in the spring only 1 time – in mid-April: 3 tbsp. tablespoons of urea or ammonium nitrate per 1 sq. m. The fertilizer is evenly scattered between the rows, after which the soil is loosened.

Currant. It needs to be fed immediately, as the buds began to bloom: 2 tbsp. spoons of urea or ammonium nitrate diluted in 10 liters of water. Watering rate – 1 bucket per bush.

How to properly fertilize

There is no doubt that the harvest directly depends on plant nutrition, that is, on the timely application of fertilizers. However, it is not enough to make them just in time, it is important to do it correctly. And here there are nuances.

Here are 5 rules to follow when fertilizing berry bushes in the spring.

Observe fertilizer doses. They are always listed on the packaging. If you contribute less than you need, you will not get the desired effect. If more, you can burn the roots of plants.

Do not mix fertilizers. Sometimes in the spring it is required to add not only nitrogen, but also phosphorus with potassium, for example, if you did not do this in the fall. And many summer residents, for convenience, interfere with them in a bucket, and then bring them all at once. And this is wrong. Many mineral fertilizers in some combinations lose their properties.

For example, powdered superphosphate, when combined with urea, forms a sticky mass that cannot be evenly applied to the soil.

Ammonia fertilizers (ammonium sulfate, ammophos, nitroammophos, nitroammophoska) must not be mixed with ash – part of the nitrogen will turn into ammonia and evaporate.

In no case should urea be mixed with organic matter, especially with peat, straw and sawdust, such mixtures can ignite spontaneously and even explode!

Apply fertilizer where the bulk of the roots are.

Pouring nutrient solutions and scattering pellets at the base of the bush is a waste of time. There is the main root, which holds the plant in the soil. And small roots, which just suck up nutrients, are located in the periphery of the bush – along the outer diameter of its crown. This is where fertilizers need to be applied – it doesn’t matter if they are liquid or dry.

Water the plants before feeding. If the soil is dry, granular fertilizers will lie dead weight in it – until they dissolve, the roots can not get nutrients. And liquid fertilizers are usually too concentrated – in the right dose, they will not harm shrubs, but they can destroy soil microflora, which is important for plant nutrition.

Liquid top dressing can only be applied after watering. If you come to the dacha for the weekend, water the berry bushes well on Saturday, and feed them on Sunday – this is the best option.

Dry fertilizers are applied differently – first they are scattered over dry soil, then covered with a rake, and then watered. It is very inconvenient to introduce granules into moist soil – you will not be able to harrow them later. And watering after application will help them dissolve and, together with water, penetrate to the depth of the roots.

Water only the soil with liquid fertilizer.

It is important that nutrient solutions do not fall on young leaves and shoots: they can easily be burned.

Popular questions and answers

We talked about caring for berry bushes at the beginning of the season with agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mikhailova.

Sources of

1. Egorov V.I., Nazaryan E.A. Handbook of gardening // M.: Profizdat Publishing House, 1957 – 264 p.
2. Emelyanov F.A., Kruglova A.P., Kulikov V.A., Sazhin N.S., Gryazev N.D., Kinkovskaya N.I., Berkut O.D., Molchanov A.I., Khramov P .BUT. Fruit and berry garden and vineyard // Saratov, Saratov book publishing house, 1955 – 472 p.
3. Kudryavets R.P. Pruning garden plants. Self-instruction manual in diagrams and drawings // M .: Eksmo, 2021 – 192 p.