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Few novice gardeners know that non-compliance with the technology of preparing fruit crops for wintering negatively affects the fruiting of plants. Today we will share tips on how to insulate a pear for the winter in order to improve the harvest of the next growing season.
Preliminary measures
With the arrival of autumn, every summer resident thinks about how to prepare a pear for winter so that the tree does not freeze and quickly recovers with the onset of heat. First of all, fruit crops are examined for the presence of parasites and signs of disease. If necessary, the garden is treated with special preparations that protect against insects and pathogens of various infections.
In early September, potassium sulfate and superphosphate are added to the soil. Nitrogen-containing preparations are best reserved until spring. Approximately in the middle of autumn, water-charging watering of fruit trees is carried out. However, if the autumn turned out to be rich in precipitation, you can refuse to water or reduce the amount of water several times. The soil should be saturated by 1 m. After the water is absorbed, the ground in the near-trunk circle is mulched with peat, sawdust, straw, coniferous branches or dry fallen leaves. Make sure that there are no harmful insects in the foliage. A layer of mulch protects the pear from cooling during an unexpected thaw and a sharp further cold snap.
One of the stages of preparing a pear for winter is sanitary pruning of the crown. Every autumn, the branches of fruit trees need to be cut, removing old, dried, injured and damaged shoots by diseases and insects.
Video “Preparing a pear seedling for wintering”
From this video you will learn how to protect a pear seedling recently planted in open ground from small rodents.
Insulation of the trunk and branches
They begin to warm the pear after harvesting and with the onset of the first cold weather. The method of sheltering fruit trees depends on the climatic features of the region of growth. It is equally important to take into account the varietal characteristics and age of plants. So, sheltering young pears for the winter requires more attention and time when compared with older trees.
Choice of materials
The procedure for warming a pear for the winter begins with the selection and preparation of a covering material. So, fruit crops cultivated in the southern regions are wrapped with burlap, white polypropylene bags, non-woven fabric, agrofibre or lutrasil. A pear grown in the Leningrad region, in Siberia, in the Urals and other regions with severe frosts is additionally covered with spruce branches, brushwood, wooden boards and slate sheets.
Cover technique
It is not difficult to prepare fruit trees for wintering if you follow simple rules for warming plants. So, let’s figure out how to properly insulate a heat-loving fruit crop.
Covering a pear tree begins with the root collar. The trunk circle is mulched with peat, humus, straw, sawdust and dry foliage. The height of the mulch layer should be within 3–5 cm. It is especially important to warm the root neck of a young, not yet fully strengthened pear. During an unexpected thaw, a layer of mulch protects the tree from excess moisture and icing during further frosts.
The next stage is the insulation of branches and a tree trunk. First you need to remove all the props so that the branches fall to the ground. In order for young shoots and skeletal branches to fall as low as possible, they use “weighting agents” in the form of sand, dry earth, vegetable tops, coniferous branches and other vegetation. It is recommended to carefully wrap the trunk of a pear tree and the bases of skeletal branches with covering material, in which there should be small holes for air circulation.
Please note that the use of synthetic and waterproof covering materials leads to the accumulation of moisture inside, which is fraught with rotting of the tree.
Features of insulation in different regions
Autumn pear care and preparation for the upcoming cold weather depend on the characteristics of the climatic zone where the tree grows. For example, the Volga region is characterized by a temperate climate. Therefore, the preparation of fruit crops does not take much time. First of all, it is recommended to cover the root neck, and then insulate the pear trunk with strips of thick paper. Pears aged 4 years and older are mulched, but not insulated with covering material.
The middle zone of Our Country, including the Moscow region, has a warm climate. Preparing a heat-loving pear for frost consists in proper pruning of the tree and competent shelter of young shoots and root collars.
The trunk circle is mulched with a layer of peat, sawdust and coniferous branches. The first snow that has fallen is collected and poured over a layer of mulch.
As for regions with cold and severe winters, it is necessary to approach the warming of fruit trees more responsibly and carefully. During the period of severe and prolonged frosts in Siberia and the Urals, the pear is completely insulated with covering material. For more reliable fixation, the insulation is covered with boards and spruce branches.