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In autumn, after harvesting, the trees prepare for hibernation. At this time, gardeners carry out preparatory work to help them safely survive the cold period. It is especially important to know how to cover an apple tree for the winter.
Preparing for hibernation, apple trees slow down their development.
In this moment:
- biochemical processes are slower, nutrients descend to the roots to strengthen them;
- shoots that have grown over the summer become woody.
Need for shelter
At the beginning of summer, buds for the next year are laid on apple trees. And the shoots that have grown during the season should already be woody by the end of summer. Improper care of the apple tree in the fall can lead to its continued growth and development. As a result, she will not have time to prepare for the cold, young buds will freeze. The tree may die or weaken and be susceptible to disease. The apple tree will no longer be able to produce a good harvest.
Particular attention should be paid to seedlings of the first year, since their root system has not yet had time to gain a foothold in a new place.
The resistance of the apple tree to cold must be formed throughout the summer season with the help of:
- своевременной подкормки;
- loosening near-trunk circles;
- pest control.
There is also a danger of drying young apple trees under the winter sun and wind, so it is necessary to provide shelter not only for the stem, but also for the crown. It is also necessary to protect the apple tree from rodents that gnaw at the bark in winter, sometimes causing irreparable damage to it.
Apple trees usually need to be insulated in the first few years, and then it is enough to protect the boles of healthy trees from rodents, and treat the bark and tree trunks from pests and cover with a thick layer of snow.
preliminaries
Preparing an apple tree for winter for the middle lane should begin at the beginning of autumn with tree pruning. By this time, the apple tree is already loaded with extra shoots that have grown during the year. They take away some of the nutrients, weakening the root system. At the same time, when pruning, it is freed from damaged or weak branches.
At the next stage:
- you need to collect fallen leaves and other debris and burn it – some gardeners dig up tree trunks along with leaves, using them as fertilizer;
- it is also necessary to clean the trunk of dead bark – pests can hide under it, the bare area can be disinfected with garden pitch;
- apple trees are processed from pests and diseases;
- trees are fed with potash and phosphorus salts – during this period, nitrogen fertilizers should not be applied, as they stimulate the further development of the apple tree;
- the boles are whitewashed with a mixture of solutions of lime and copper sulfate – it will protect the trunk from the cold and protect against pests, as well as from the appearance of lichens;
- примерно в октябре проводится полив яблони для предохранения корней от обезвоживания – для него надо выбрать теплую сухую погоду.
The video shows the procedure for preparing apple trees for shelter:
Seedlings preparation
Very often, insect pests find shelter in the bark of apple tree seedlings, which cause them great harm during the winter. The tender bark of the seedling contains a large supply of nutrients, and in addition, it provides pests with a warm shelter where they have time to breed during the winter months.
Insect pests that hide in the foliage under trees can damage the roots of seedlings that have not yet strengthened. Not knowing how to cover apple trees, some inexperienced gardeners make the mistake of leaving foliage under the seedlings to warm the roots. However, it must be all collected and burned. To protect seedlings from pests, you should:
- treat a young apple tree with copper sulfate, which will protect the tree from insect penetration;
- carefully inspect the seedling and decontaminate all damage with garden pitch;
- whitewash the trunk and twigs with lime mortar.
Shelter terms
It is important to choose the right timing for sheltering apple trees for the winter. They depend not only on the region, but also on the location of the garden – on a hill or in a lowland. Every year, the timing of the onset of cold weather also changes, and winter can be frosty or warm and rainy. Therefore, the best indicator is the trees themselves, it is necessary to monitor their condition. In no case should apple trees be warmed for the winter until the sap flow stops and stable cold weather begins. Otherwise, they will continue to grow, which is fraught with complete freezing of the tree. It is possible to cover apple trees for the winter only after the onset of constant frosts with an air temperature of at least -10 degrees.
Material selection
To shelter apple trees for the winter with your own hands, a variety of improvised material is suitable:
- old newspapers or light-colored wrapping paper;
- sunflower and reed stalks;
- sackcloth;
- old stockings and tights;
- tol;
- agrofibre;
- lapnik;
- fiberglass.
Insulating materials cannot be fixed to the trunk with a wire – you can injure the tree. It is better to use twine or tape for this purpose.
Warming methods
How to insulate an apple tree for the winter? Shelter of an apple tree should begin with warming the trunk circles – you can mulch them with sawdust or fill them with 3-centimeter garden soil. The best protection against frost is snow, which is why it should be used to warm apple trees for the winter. As soon as the first snow falls, it is necessary to rake it to the base of the tree and build a mound around the stem, and cover the trunk circle with a thick layer. Raking snow to the base of the apple tree, you can not expose the trunk circle. Otherwise, its root system may freeze.
During the winter, it is necessary to periodically pour snow into the near-stem circle of the apple tree and trample it down. Then he will linger longer under the tree, and it will be more difficult for rodents to get close to the tree. A little trick will help keep the snow on the branches of the apple tree. The tops of healthy plants should be laid out on large branches – snow mass will accumulate on them, which will protect the crown from frost.
Spruce branches spread around the trunk with needles down will help protect the apple tree from rodents. An effective protection against mice will be the winding of the bole with glass wool or nylon tights. Especially carefully you need to cover the basal neck. The next layer of wrapping is done with the help of sugar bags – they need to wrap the entire bole. And if you surround the trunk with a fine mesh over the winding, the bark of the apple tree will be reliably protected from both mice and rabbits. The lower branches can be covered with paper.
Seedling shelter
For seedlings, all rules regarding the insulation of apple trees and protection against rodents apply. Novice gardeners often do not know that they need to cover a young apple tree for the winter along with the crown. Particular attention should be paid to warming the roots.
Gardeners advise:
- first spread a 5 cm layer of manure around the root system;
- sprinkle a thick layer of sawdust over the manure;
- wrap the root neck with several layers of burlap or other insulating material;
- the trunk can be covered with paper – it should be white in order to reflect the sun’s rays;
- pour a mound of loose dry soil around the seedling;
- sprinkle it on top with a thick layer of snow.
Навоз, постепенно перегнивая в периоды оттепелей, будет расщепляться на минеральные вещества. Таким образом, к началу весны корневая система саженцев будет обеспечена минеральной подкормкой, которая ее укрепит.
Shelter of seedlings in a trench
If the planting of apple seedlings is planned for spring, then during the winter you can cover the seedlings in a trench:
- a place for a trench must be selected on a dry and elevated area, its depth should be no more than 50 cm with a width of 30-40 cm;
- before laying, the roots of seedlings should be dipped in a thick clay mash;
- after laying in a trench, the roots are sprinkled with a mixture of dry peat with humus;
- seedlings are covered from above with spruce branches to protect against rodents, and on top of it – with agrofiber;
- in winter, the trench with seedlings should be tightly covered with a mass of snow.
By the end of winter, when the snow begins to thicken and thaw, it is necessary to make sure that the tender branches of the seedling do not break off under its weight. When the frosts go away, you can remove the protection. But this should be done gradually – it is necessary to remember about the possibility of return frosts.
If the apple tree is provided with proper rest during the winter, it will give a wonderful harvest next season.
