How to prepare a summer cottage for winter: tips

The beginning of autumn is the time to prepare for winter. To get a good harvest next year, it is important to feed the plants.

9 September 2017

All perennial plants, especially fruit and berry crops that bring a crop every year, need additional feeding. Apple trees, pears, plums, cherries, strawberries, currants, gooseberries and others give fruits and berries a lot of minerals. And in order to quickly make up for the loss, fertilization is necessary. How many flower buds – future fruits and berries – will appear next year depends on proper care and feeding. A plant, like a person, needs proper balanced nutrition for life, getting all the nutrients to maintain health, growth and immunity.

The most important thing is the introduction of phosphorus-potassium fertilizers into the soil, which contribute to the establishment of flower buds of the future harvest and contribute to the winter hardiness of plants. When working on the site, be sure to comply with the fertilizer application rates indicated on the cans and sachets. Increasing the dosage is detrimental not only for plants, but also for beneficial microorganisms living in the soil.

• We stop applying nitrogen fertilizers – mineral (urea, urea) and organic (liquid manure and others). This will help to stop the growth of young shoots and save the roots from freezing.

• We protect trees and shrubs from pests and diseases with simultaneous foliar feeding with microelements. We use karbofos, actelik, fitoverm and other preparations against pests. For diseases – 1% Bordeaux liquid, 1% solution of urea or potassium nitrate or biological products “Baikal EM-1”, “Agat-25K”, “Humat EM” and others.

• We support plant immunity. We use immunomodulators, such as Ribav, Epin, Zircon, Kornevin.

• We increase the fertility of the land. If the soil is peaty, it is poor in phosphorus, potassium, calcium, plant residues decompose poorly in it, liming is required. Nutrients are quickly washed out from sandy soils, therefore, constant application of organic fertilizers with the addition of potassium, magnesium and trace elements is necessary. Clay soils are rich in minerals, but for their assimilation by plants, the soil must be made loose and moisture-consuming. To do this, add organic residues (humus, peat, etc.) and sand to the clay.

• We mulch beds with plants of various organics. This will help protect the root system from freezing. Humus, rotted manure (not liquid!) Will work like mulch – there will be a gradual assimilation of substances, and by early spring the soil will receive the maximum amount of nutrients.

• We feed with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers, they are necessary for all wintering perennial plants. The fertilizer packages indicate how much to apply, because the concentration of the substance can be different. The dosage must be observed by analogy with drugs. It is good to use complex mineral fertilizers, which already contain phosphorus and potassium with a small amount of nitrogen, for example “Fertika” or “Kemira”, marked “Autumn”; use fertilizers that are designed for specific crops. We also add trace elements (magnesium, boron, iron, manganese, etc.). Wood ash is the main source of trace elements. In natural agriculture, natural fertilizers are used for wintering plants – bone meal, wood ash, approximately a bucket for one fruit tree.

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