Spring has come into its own, which means it’s time for summer residents to prepare trees and seedlings for the season. Our consultant Andrey Tumanov, the host of the programs “Fazenda”, “Gryadka”, “Our Garden”, “Village Hour”, “Field Work”, tells.
April 14 2016
City trees are whitened mainly for beauty, but the paint will protect garden vegetation from some April problems. Now the sun has become more active – in the daytime it is hot almost like summer. And at night the temperature can drop dramatically, sometimes even to minus 10. We will tell you how in this case to protect the plants.
The bark on the south side of the tree thaws and heats up on such a warm day, and freezes at night. As a result – sunburn, rupture of the bark. Such wounds on the surface of the trunk are very dangerous – they are happily colonized by pathogenic bacteria and fungi, the case may end in black cancer, and this is the guaranteed death of the tree. The whitewash reflects hot sun rays and prevents the bark from heating up. This is why she is so popular. In addition, experienced gardeners have long noticed that whitewashed trees are less populated by a flower beetle that lays eggs in buds. It usually rises to the crown along the trunk, and the color of lime scares it off.
However, this treatment also has its drawbacks. For example, lime clogs the pores, and the bark breathes less well. And how much trouble with whitewashing in the garden before the snow melted! It’s still cold, you need to heat the water, dilute the lime, and then climb over the snowdrifts, processing the boles. You get dirty, you get tired. But there is a simple way that will take you exactly three minutes per tree. Take any newspaper, wrap it around the trunk and wind it with a simple thread. This protection is fragile, but we need it for a maximum of a month. And if you like the beauty of bleached trunks, just schedule this job for May, when it is easy and pleasant to do such processing.
For an inexperienced gardener, growing seedlings in an apartment is a big headache. In city houses it is too hot, dry and there is not enough light at all. We sincerely advise summer residents who are not confident in their abilities to buy greenhouse seedlings in May, just before planting, in quality they are much better than homemade ones. But if you have already received the plants, it is important to reduce the temperature in the room by all means, to keep the vents or balconies open. Too elongated seedlings must be highlighted. Buy a cold glow light bulb (to bring it as close to the plants as possible without heating them).
If the tomato seedlings are stretched so far that they fall, they can be corrected. Use a pencil to make a dimple in the soil next to the stem. Gently roll the stem into a ring and put it in this hole, sprinkle with soil, slightly crush it with your finger. After a few days, additional roots will form on the “ring” and the plant will harden.
There is another way – for stretched seedlings in a pot or bag. Cut the bottom of the pot so that three petals are formed, bend them back. With a spoon, pick a little soil from the sides and bottom. Now siege the ground by gently hitting the pot on the table. Pour the resulting soil on top of the stem. You will get a short plant, and additional roots will soon form on the sprinkled part.
To prevent viral diseases in seedlings, it is sprayed in the phase of the first true leaf with skim milk: a glass of milk and 1-2 drops of iodine are taken in a glass of water