August is the best time to correct mistakes made in planting and caring for horticultural crops. Our consultant Dmitry Lukyanov, agronomist-vegetable grower, candidate of agricultural sciences, tells how to eliminate the shortcomings.
August 10 2016
Now the plants have gained the maximum volume of shoots and leaves, and you can draw up a real plan of the garden and vegetable garden. A tape measure and a checkered notebook will come in handy: when measuring the beds and flower beds, write down or sketch their true sizes.
The most common mistake gardeners make is trying to plant as many plants as possible in a confined space. In the spring, when there are still no leaves on the trees, it seems that there will be enough light and space for all plants. But now it is clearly visible that the shrubs, which until recently created a beautiful composition, have turned into impenetrable thickets. And a young apple tree begins to dodge to the side, hiding from the shadow of an overgrown plum tree. After taking measurements, plan important work for the fall: what to transplant, what to cut, and what to completely uproot or cut down.
Only in summer can you notice health problems in plants. Several dried branches have appeared on the apple tree, or foliage has suddenly withered on them – this may be a sign of a bacterial disease. These branches should be cut back to clean, healthy wood using a hacksaw and then a garden knife. Be sure to cover the cut with var. Wipe tools after work with alcohol to avoid spreading the infection.
Forced summer pruning should be gentle, try to damage the bark as little as possible. It is now inconvenient to remove the long-dried branches of apple trees, the fruits interfere. Just mark them with paint so you don’t miss out on spring pruning.
Beginners often plant the plants too deep. As a result, the earth subsides, the seedling sinks into the hole and begins to wither slowly due to the weak growth of the shoots and the barking of the bark. Basically, the error is discovered only after a few years, but it is better to notice it immediately and correct it in the year of planting. To do this, cut a clod of earth with a shovel (to the width of the crown), pull the tree to the desired height so that the base is just above the soil surface. The soil with humus is stuffed under the bottom of the coma. After completing the work, the tree is well watered.
The desire to “feed” the plants as best as possible leads to excess doses of organic fertilizers. Summer residents use fresh manure and poultry manure, not allowing these fertilizers to overheat. The result is a luxurious green crown or tops and almost no fruit. At very high doses, the roots get burned, rot and die off. The fruits become friable, prone to disease. For example, on carrots, root crops are branched, covered with many small roots. You can try to save the fed plants. To do this, you need to add sawdust or chopped straw to the beds, about a bucket of 10 square meters. m. During the decomposition of fiber, soil bacteria will actively use excess nitrogen, thereby helping plants.