Only the garden blooms and smells that feels love, care and attention. A garden devoid of even minimal care, quickly loses its harmony and charm, loses its beauty and unique, inimitable image.

Those who are engaged in improving their garden plot are interested in the question: “How to care for the garden?” All objects landscape design require constant care, but green spaces especially need this.

What does the concept of “garden care” include?

Shrub and tree care

Especially increased attention should be given to the young garden, i.e. newly planted trees and shrubs. In the first few months it is very important regular watering and treatment with root formation stimulants.

Because during this time the seedlings feel in the ground like a bouquet in a vase. After all, new roots have not yet appeared, and old ones do not have the opportunity to receive moisture from the deep layers of the earth. So the seedlings will have to be watered abundantly every day for the first 5 days after planting, and in dry weather for 10 days.

In the future, in addition to watering, you will need:

Loosen and mulch the soil in the area around the tree trunks. The trunk circle is the area around the trunk of a tree or shrub. Size trunk circle a tree is approximately equal to the area of ​​its crown, and for a bush it will be an imaginary circle with a radius of 30-50 cm (from the base).

Treat plants by special means from pests and diseases. The most common remedy is copper or inkstone both individually and mixed with lime.

Timely carry out root and foliar feeding using organic and mineral fertilizers. The composition of the fertilizer and its application rate depend on the season, as well as the type, age and condition of the plant.

Carry out pruning - sanitary, regulating or formative, depending on the season and condition of the plant. When sanitary pruning, dry, damaged branches are removed and the crown is thinned. During rejuvenation, old branches are removed. When forming, they give the crown a certain shape and size. For various types For trees and shrubs, pruning methods and timing vary greatly.

Lawn care

A new lawn that has just been laid, and especially one that has just been sown, also requires daily watering. A month after laying (sowing) you can start feeding lawn grass. But first make sure that the grass has taken root, i.e. started to grow.

Further lawn care is as follows:

Regular mowing. The lawn will need to be mowed approximately every 7-10 days, depending on how fast the grass is growing. The height of the shoots may depend on several factors: species diversity herbs, depending on the type of lawn or your preference. On average, the height can be from 2 to 5 cm.

Weed control. Even if the soil has been carefully prepared, weeds may still appear over time. The most accessible and reliable way their destruction is by hand weeding. The best results come from weeding at the seedling stage.

Pest protection. Unfortunately, in some cases you cannot do without chemicals.

Fertilizer application. In order for lawn grasses to develop normally and have lush green color, regular application of complex mineral fertilizers will be required.

Aeration and sanding. Aeration is the process of piercing the soil with special tools over the entire area of ​​the lawn. This procedure is carried out 1-2 times a year, depending on the composition of the soil. It allows the roots to have greater access to water, fertilizer and oxygen. Sometimes sanding is carried out simultaneously with aeration - the entire surface of the lawn is covered with a thin layer of sand of 2-3 mm. Some of the sand penetrates into the holes formed after aeration and prevents excessive accumulation of humus in the soil.

Lawn cleaning or combing. It is held twice a year – in autumn and spring. In the spring, the remains of dry grass (felt) are combed out, and in the fall, fallen leaves are collected.

Caring for flower beds

Flower beds are those elements of the garden that attract the eye more than others. Therefore, they must have an impeccable, well-groomed appearance.

Basic measures for caring for flower beds:

Watering. It is necessary to take into account that different types Plants require different amounts of moisture. The most intensive watering is required during the stages of active growth, bud formation and flowering. Watering, as well as spraying, should be done in the evening, when the sun is almost on the horizon.

Loosening the soil. Again for different colors loosening should be carried out differently, depending on how close to the soil surface the roots and stems of the plants are located. For example, if a plant has horizontal rhizomes that form in top layer soil, then you can loosen it no deeper than 2-3 cm.

Mulching. Used for mulching various materials: expanded clay, brick chips, gravel, composts with the addition of peat, etc. For young flower beds, a layer of 2-3 cm is enough, for 4-5 year olds – 5-8 cm.

Weed control. It is easier to remove weeds from moist soil. Perennials should be uprooted to prevent them from reproducing.

Fertilizer application. Nowadays, any fertilizer says how to use it. The main thing to remember is that nitrogen fertilizers cause intensive growth of greenery (tops), and phosphorus fertilizers accelerate the process of flowering and ripening of fruits.

Cleaning. It is necessary to promptly remove dead parts of plants: leaves, shoots, faded flowers.

Rejuvenation. Perennial crops should be rejuvenated (divided, pruned) every few years, because they lose their decorative effect.

Provide your garden with competent, and most importantly, regular care. Don't leave it unattended even in winter. And then you will be able to grow a real Garden of Eden.

As soon as the snow begins to melt, and in the morning one can hear the singing of birds, gardeners gradually prepare for spring work in the courtyard. Garden care in spring includes mass important works: pruning old trees, planting new ones; application of fertilizers and so on.

Also, garden care in spring and summer is to ensure safety from all kinds of pests. Preventive procedures are carried out periodically to protect against possible diseases.

Mandatory work

Garden care in early spring most often starts with clearing plantings of melted snow. Wet snow cover is dangerous due to its heaviness, a large number of melted snow may well break thin branches. If your area had a lot of snow at the end of winter, don't wait for it to melt off along with some of the crown. Shake it off the branches periodically.

The next item on a gardener's to-do list is checking bait poisons. Don't think that with the arrival of spring, rodents will stop eating. Until plant food appears in large volumes, parts of your plantings are tasty morsels for pests.

Also include in your garden care in spring whitewash, if you forgot to do this in the fall. Carefully inspect the trunks whitened in the autumn. You never know, maybe they are also partially not “painted” white.

Pay special attention to young animals. As a rule, fruit bearings planted in the fall begin to actively grow in May. Trees may require additional watering. Since they won’t be able to tell you anything personally, when caring for a young garden in the spring, include periodic inspection of the soil in the trunk circles of small trees.

“The grass is turning green, the sun is shining...” - before the described fragment of the children’s poem appears in the yard, remember that the trees also want to “turn green.” They can help them in this difficult matter fertilizers. In the spring, nitrogen compounds are introduced into the tree trunk circles; they contribute to the activation of vegetative processes.

You can help your garden wake up after hibernation yourself. If you don’t want to spend spring days at work, contact us. Professional gardeners will carry out everything necessary work instead of you. We will “feed” the plants, prune them, and competently build defensive structures against pests... Entrust the care of your garden in the spring to experienced gardeners. The plan is this: we work, you enjoy the birds singing :)

Care orchard in the spring

Before the buds appear on the branches, you need to have time trim off excess shoots. Pruning is an entire art, to which a separate section of our website is dedicated.

In care orchard In the spring, be sure to include the option of constructing barriers for insects. As soon as they wake up, they will rush to your plants in order to gain permanent home and a huge supply of food (in the form of foliage or fruit). You don’t have to protect the plants in the spring, but wait for the insects to invade. But then they will have to be exterminated using special chemicals.

Don’t forget to remove the “roof felt coats” from the trunks. Let the plant breathe through its full trunk :)

We figured out how to properly care for the garden in the spring. Good luck in your work and may your garden reciprocate in the form of a great harvest! :)

Garden care in spring video

Caring for trees and shrubs in the garden in spring is the key to successful cultivation of any crops. If a summer resident misses the time to carry out one or another necessary procedure, he may simply lose his harvest in the future. It is so important to know when caring for trees and shrubs in the spring, how to correctly perform certain actions with them.

When performing the following work, it is necessary to take into account biological nature trees and shrubs and their physiological state. To get the highest possible yield, it is necessary to produce a whole series gardening work at the dacha, starting from the very early spring.

In order for the harvest of fruits and berries to be as high as possible, every summer resident must perform the following types of work in the garden in the spring:

In the spring, clearing trees and shrubs (as well as the greenhouse where I grow and) from heavy wet snow is especially important in March and April (in more northern latitudes). The danger of such spring snow lies in its heaviness, under the influence of which it can break or damage branches. Heavy wet snow poses the greatest danger to young plants. That is why during spring snowfalls, and even more so the danger of further icing of branches, it is necessary to shake it off from trees and bushes in a timely manner. If on summer cottage a thick layer of snow has been preserved from the winter itself; with the onset of thaws, it is necessary to throw away excess snow from the bushes.

Protecting garden trees and shrubs from frost

We leave snow near the tree trunks for as long as possible, covering it with a layer of sawdust, peat, humus, and compost. In order to prevent damage to tree trunks from severe spring frosts, we compact the snow around the trunk more firmly. Only after the final melting of the snow cover do we finally remove the winter shelters (tying the trunks). Earlier removal of protection from the cold leads to damage to the trunk by spring frosts.

Formation of the crown of trees and shrubs in spring

This necessary care procedure, carried out in the country before the start of sap flow, slows down the growth of unproductive shoots, due to which nutrients flow to fruiting shoots, which contributes to the production bountiful harvest. Most often, tree pruning is performed in February-March. When performing this type of work, not only the desired crown is formed, but also excess, damaged, dry and diseased branches are removed. During spring pruning Be sure to remove dead and old branches. If the winter was very cold and damage on the branches is clearly visible, we carry out pruning a little later, namely in April, when it is possible to identify severely damaged shoots by the visible surviving buds and remove them. If it becomes clear that there are very few living buds, then we carry out gentle pruning, trying to preserve as many fruit buds as possible.

If the generative organs are overweight and their growth is weakened, intensive pruning should be performed by thinning and shortening the shoots. Thanks to this pruning, the plant will be more leafy and the fruits will be larger. During pruning, we pay special attention to treating the cuts with garden varnish. Do not leave open wounds on trees and bushes. Through them, various pathogens can penetrate into the plant.

When forming the crown and pruning, it is necessary to clearly distinguish which shoots are productive and which are not. The easiest way is to determine which branch will benefit the buds. Thus, the fruit buds of almost all fruit and berry plants are thicker, rounder and shorter. Leaf buds are elongated and thin. If there are no fruit buds on the branch or there are very few of them, then you can safely say goodbye to it. If the shoot is strewn with fruit buds, it is better to look for a replacement in the form of another unproductive shoot, so as not to deprive yourself of several additional fruits in the future.

The procedure for cutting shoots is carried out only with sharp pruning shears. To cut thick branches you will need a sharp hacksaw. For trees and shrubs in spring, the following are distinguished:

Types of pruning

Formative

When, by removing excess branches and shoots, we form the necessary silhouette of the plant. Thanks to it, you can limit the growth of the plant upward and in breadth.

Regulatory

Allows you to maintain the shape of the crown without overloading the skeletal branches. It also promotes uniform illumination of all shoots of the plant.

Rejuvenating

Stimulating the growth of new shoots, necessary for old trees and shrubs.

Sanitary

Essential for removing broken, dry and damaged branches.

Trimming order

• We remove unproductive shoots and old branches;
• we cut out all the processes directed downward;
• We remove young shoots that interfere with the growth and development of other branches.
• We treat the cut areas with garden varnish.

Pruning various fruit crops has its own nuances:

• Apple and pear trees have one trunk and branches that extend from it at an obtuse angle.

The main thing for these crops is to prevent thickening of the crown, since this greatly affects the yield and size of the fruit.

• The shape of a plum most often resembles a bush, so when pruning it, forming a cup-shaped crown, we remove the central conductor. Every year we cut out old branches and shoots that are close to each other.
• Cherry branches cannot be shortened, since its fruit buds are located only at their ends. We cut out old branches completely only if the goal is to thin them out.
• Spring pruning of apricots and peaches should be very careful. To form a compact crown, the top of these crops is cut off. We also remove shoots growing low or drooping.
• There are differences in pruning berry bushes depending on the crop grown (for example, from). But the principle of shaping and pruning is almost the same as for trees: removing old, dry, damaged and diseased branches. To maintain the shape of the crown, the outer shoots are shortened to the desired shape. The middle of the bush is thinned out especially carefully, since a heavily thickened plant produces a small harvest.

Spring protection of trees and shrubs in the garden

From overheating

When spring comes, the bark of trees and shrubs tends to be often damaged by the scorching rays of the sun. This results in burns that are dangerous to the health of the plant. To prevent this, it is necessary to treat the trunks and skeletal branches of trees and shrubs with an aqueous solution of lime. IN last years In specialized stores you can find a variety of protective mixtures that are designed to protect trees and shrubs from sunburn.

From rodents

With the onset of spring, we check the condition of the anti-rodent baits left for the winter. If they have become unusable or are no longer there, they need to be updated. Upon examination country garden and planting shrubs, we destroy all detected rodent nests. Wet snow compacted around tree trunks and the bases of bushes also prevents damage to the bark by hares and other rodents.

From diseases

All plant remains that were not removed from the garden in the fall (leaves, fallen fruits, small twigs) are carefully removed and burned. Such plant residues are a source of spread of dangerous fungal and bacterial diseases. Therefore, as soon as the snow has melted, before the buds bloom on the trees and shrubs, we spray with various chemicals designed to prevent various fungal and bacterial diseases. For each tree or shrub, it is necessary to select appropriate drugs that prevent certain specific diseases of a given crop.

In case of severe infestations of trees and shrubs, it is preferable to use combination preparations that protect fruit and berry crops from most common diseases. We bring aqueous solutions of drugs to a certain concentration immediately before spraying so that their effectiveness does not decrease. Before spraying, carefully clean the trunk and skeletal branches of plants with a coarse cloth or brush. This procedure helps remove dead bark, moss and lichens that impede absorption. chemicals into wood. Ideal for this procedure is a special hand sprayer that allows you to reach any branch on the tree.

From insect pests

Before the buds open, we spray trees and shrubs with special insecticides designed to destroy wintering pests. Special trap belts that are placed on tree trunks give good results. An indispensable condition for obtaining high yields is the collection and destruction of oviposition, cocoons and nests of wintering birds. garden pests. It is necessary to completely cut out the shoots, with obvious signs of ringed silkworms wintering on them. Such branches must be burned.

If the old foliage has not been removed from the garden since the fall, we must carry out this procedure in the spring. In this case, it is necessary to remove not only fallen leaves, but also fruits that fell last year, in which insects such as hawthorn, sawflies, and lacewings can overwinter. We also carefully remove all dried fruits remaining on the tree using a special hook on a long stick. Such plant residues must be burned or buried away from the summer cottage.

Processing the trunk and branches

We clean tree trunks and large branches from dead bark, mosses and fungi. When cleaning plants, we use sharp gardening Tools, carefully cover all damage on the surface of the bark with garden varnish to promote rapid healing of wounds and prevent secondary infection with various diseases.

Inspection of fertilizer and pesticide stocks at the dacha

In order not to rush around specialized stores in search of the necessary drug, it is necessary in the spring to check the availability at your summer cottage of all the necessary mineral fertilizers and means of protecting trees and shrubs from diseases and pests. In this case, the ideal is to draw up a special plan-scheme, in which all the crops available to the summer resident, the necessary preparations and the time for carrying out this or that treatment are noted. Thus, every month the summer resident will know what type of tree and shrub care he will have to do and will not miss them out of forgetfulness. This way he will be able to carry out preventive spraying of plants in a timely manner and apply necessary feeding, which will have a beneficial effect on increasing the yield of fruits and berries.

Post-planting care of garden trees and shrubs

Survival times for seedlings

Spring is the time for planting young trees and shrubs. There is a special significance here in their survival rate and further development plays post-planting care. The time it takes for different plants to take root and fully resume their normal life activities can vary significantly. It directly depends on the biological properties of the fruit crop, the physical condition and age of the seedling. Various varieties take root most quickly shrubby plants, but even for them the period of complete restoration of vital activity and development lasts up to 3 years. The survival period of small trees lasts up to 4 years, and large trees - up to 5 years. That is why it is so important to properly carry out post-planting care in the spring. It depends on whether the plant will survive at all.

Watering, loosening and mulching

So after spring planting trees and shrubs must be abundant watering. This is especially true if the spring is dry. Without well-moistened soil in the spring, any seedlings of fruit and berry crops are simply doomed. That is why young plants, even 2-3 years after planting, must be regularly watered in the spring so that the soil is always moist. Thanks to this, the plant will emerge from the winter dormancy period faster. It is also necessary to regularly loosen and mulch the tree trunks so that the roots of young plants have good access to oxygen and the soil does not dry out. To water young trees, 10-50 liters per plant are needed, and for shrub seedlings - 10-20 liters. The rate of survival of planted plants largely depends on compliance with this standard of watering the seedlings. Before watering, we adjust the rollers of the holes and rake away the mulch. After watering the hole, mulch with peat.

Plant growth stimulants

Having planted young trees and shrubs for active root formation in irrigation water we add growth stimulants using heteroauxin and beta-indolylacetic acid. For 10 liters of water, 1 tablet of root growth stimulator is enough. To water shrubs, only 5 liters of this solution is enough, and for trees, at least 10 liters are needed. After watering the plants, mulch the tree trunk circles with peat. Subsequent feeding with growth stimulants is carried out no earlier than a week after planting. Stimulation of root formation is simply mandatory for very weakened seedlings.

No matter how much they say and write, warning about the mistakes of novice gardeners, some omissions still happen. Apparently, the proverb is appropriate here: “He who does nothing makes no mistakes.” As a result, individual trees may still end up deeply planted, that is, with the root collar immersed in the ground. Such trees need to be raised. To do this in the spring, dig a small trench of the same depth around the tree at a distance of 40 cm from the trunk and carefully lift it on both sides with shovels located under the plant. Add soil under the raised plant so that your seedling is at the desired height.

If you find a tree planted too high, add enough soil to root collar and the roots were not out. It happens to see a tree that is strongly tilted. In this case, you will carefully straighten it, giving it a vertical position with the help of a rope tied to a stake firmly driven into the ground.

At the beginning of life, the roots of a fruit tree extend no further than the trunk circle. Then this circle expands annually by about 60-70 cm. In the second year, the width of the trunk circle must be increased to 2 m. Then it is increased annually by at least half a meter.

Since in young gardens trees in the first years do not fully use the area allotted to them, it is necessary to plant vegetables and potatoes in the spaces between the rows. The row spacing of apple trees can be used for about 15 years, and the row spacing of, say, cherries and plums - half as long. A wide variety of crops are planted, such as cucumbers, pumpkins, potatoes, tomatoes, beets, carrots, parsley, rutabaga, onions and turnips. Peas, beans and beans are especially useful. Being leguminous plants, they enrich the soil with nitrogen.

About two misses. In the inter-row spaces you can also plant strawberries for 4-5 years, currants and gooseberries for 12-15 years. Under no circumstances should you occupy the inter-row spaces with grains and corn. This will cause you harm fruit crops. Do not make another mistake, which, unfortunately, does occur - do not occupy tree trunk circles for any crops.

Processing tree trunk circles

As already mentioned, the tree trunk circles gradually expand, reaching 3 or more meters in the tenth year. Keep the soil on the tree trunks clean and loose. In the fall, you need to dig up the ground. On the trunk circles of apple and pear trees it is deeper (up to 18-20 cm), and on the trunk circles of cherries and plums it is shallower (up to 15 cm), since the roots of stone fruit trees are located close to the surface. Dig the soil like this. First, at a distance from the tree, deeper, and as you move towards the trunk - very shallow. To avoid cutting the roots, keep the shovel with its edge facing the tree. The best way to dig is with a garden fork.

Early in the spring, as soon as the opportunity arises, again, only smaller, dig up the soil that has compacted over the winter or loosen it with a hoe to a depth of 6-8 cm. From spring to the first half of summer, carry out this treatment (in the central region of the Non-Black Earth Strip) 3-4 times.

It is very useful, especially in dry years, to mulch the soil between the rows, that is, cover it with humus, peat, straw manure, rotten straw, in a small layer of 5-8 cm. Just don’t put the mulch directly to the trunk, step back 10 cm. Here it is necessary to protect gardeners from two common mistakes. The first is the use of fallen leaves for mulching. You can't do this. The second mistake is using dark synthetic film as mulch. We believe that this is also not worth doing, since it creates too much favorable conditions for rodents that cause great damage to trees. Mulch the soil in the spring, immediately after the first loosening. If you are dealing with straw, then you need to lightly cover it with earth so that the wind does not blow it away. Mulched tree trunk circles are not loosened, but weeds are only regularly removed from them. In the fall, during the main digging, manure and peat are incorporated into the soil as fertilizer, and it is better to put straw and other dry materials in the compost heap.

Watering

In the first years after planting, fruit trees need watering. Even short dry periods can be detrimental to young trees. In Moscow and nearby regions they water three to four times. It should be watered abundantly. To do this, you need to pour 2-3 buckets of water under one planted tree. For older trees the rate increases. On average, it is necessary to pour 1-2 buckets per 1 m2 of tree trunk circle.

The main amount of water should get under the very crown of the tree. To do this, it is recommended to make compacted ridges of soil along the borders of the crown. After watering, it is advisable to loosen the soil.

Fertilizer

In order for fruit trees to grow and develop well, and then bear fruit, you need to regularly apply fertilizer.

It is best to fertilize the garden with manure, compost, peat and peat feces. These organic fertilizers, along with the fact that they provide plants with the necessary nutrients, also restore and improve the structure of the soil, which is destroyed during its cultivation.

It is better to apply manure in the fall at the rate of a bucket per 1 m2 of tree trunk circle. This is perhaps the best way to fertilize the soil. But gardeners everywhere experience difficulties in purchasing manure, and therefore it would be a mistake to rely only on this type of organic fertilizer.

Still more experienced gardeners find a way out of the situation. They prepare compost on their plot, which helps good action on fruit trees. To prepare compost, wood leaves, potato tops and vegetable crops, weeds, strawberry leaves and tendrils removed during processing, rotten straw and chaff, house waste and kitchen waste.

The compost heap is placed on a cleared area approximately 1.5-2 m wide at the base at the bottom, 1-1.5 m high and of arbitrary length. The planting is carried out from early spring, when the first material appears in the form of old leaves from the strawberry bed, and ending in late autumn, when cabbage leaves are placed in the compost. In order for compost to rot, you need to periodically water it with water, or even better with slop or slurry. Add ash or lime to the pile. It would be good to shovel the compost heap to the very bottom twice a summer. By shoveling we speed up the decomposition of waste. Compost is ready after 2 years. Most often, gardeners lay not one, but two heaps. Then they have usable, well-decomposed compost year after year.

On garden plots, it happens that feces are used for fertilizer. They are best used in the form of peat feces, that is, peat mixed and aged for 2 years with feces. Peat feces can be prepared separately by spreading fine peat in a layer of 15-20 cm and generously watering it with liquid feces. It is easier to prepare peat feces directly in the latrine, periodically pouring portions of fine, well-decomposed peat into it. Then the toilet is cleaned and the resulting mixture is placed nearby in a pile, which is left to decompose for 2 years.

Bird droppings can also be used to fertilize the garden, especially since local poultry farms now widely offer it. In addition, many gardeners, not to mention villagers permanently living in villages, keep poultry in their backyards.

Dry bird droppings should be added at the rate of 120-150 g per 1 m 2 of tree trunk circle.

An excellent fertilizer is wood stove ash, which contains potassium, phosphorus and lime. Ash is consumed approximately one glass (120 g) per 1 m2.
Very useful for fruit trees mineral fertilizers. Of the main fertilizers, the most common are ammonium nitrate (nitrogen), superphosphate (phosphorus) and potassium chloride (potassium).

Fertilizer doses vary and depend mainly on the age of the trees. Below we present the average rates of fertilization in tree trunk circles per tree (established by scientists and practice).

Note to gardeners: One glass contains 120-125 g of ash, 200 g of ammonium nitrate, 150 g of superphosphate and 250 g of potassium salt.
Apply potassium and phosphorus fertilizers in the fall, before deep digging, and nitrogen fertilizers in the spring, during the first loosening. When applying mineral and organic fertilizers (manure, compost, feces) together, their application doses are reduced by half compared to those given above.

Not everyone who has been gardening for more than a year knows that caution must be exercised when mixing mineral fertilizers; For example, you cannot mix them with nitrogen fertilizers. Ammonium nitrate can be mixed with superphosphate, but shortly before adding them to the soil. Do not mix superphosphate with lime. Any mixing with potassium chloride is permissible only before application.

Fertilizing fruit trees is very effective. Use solutions of bird droppings and mullein, feces, slurry and urine first. Dilute slurry and animal urine for liquid feeding with 4-5 parts of water, and bird droppings and feces with 10 parts.

Mineral fertilizers are also suitable for feeding. If the weather is dry, then before applying fertilizer, water the tree trunk circles with water.
How much should I deposit? Divide the norms that were previously named by the number of feedings, say, into shares. Give the first feeding in the spring, when the buds are just opening, the second - 20 days after the first, and the third - three weeks after the second.

A big mistake is made by those gardeners who, having properly treated the fruit trees at the beginning of spring, believe that then little, “cosmetic” care for the apple tree is required.
In fact, all summer you need to not only keep the soil under the crowns clean of weeds, but also take measures to prevent pests and diseases from entering the garden, and also supply fruit trees in a timely manner and in the proper quantity and quality nutrients. To do this, you should regularly feed the plants with minerals, and, if possible, organic fertilizers. Fruit buds of apple trees begin to form at the end of July - beginning of August, that is, the gardener should already be preparing the base for next year's harvest at this time.

You need to fertilize your garden regularly. True, in the first year you can limit yourself to mulching alone. In other years, it is advisable to apply mineral fertilizers at least once every two years.
If your soil analysis shows that your soil is acidic, add lime. It needs to be applied once every 7 years, scattering 0.5 kg per 1 m 2 of tree trunk circle. Apply lime only in the fall.

Pruning young trees

Their productivity and longevity largely depend on how you carry out the formation of fruit trees. Crown formation is achieved by creating a strong tree skeleton, a strong trunk (trunk) and well-developed, correctly, evenly spaced and tightly connected main branches to the trunk.

If you planted a one-year-old apple or pear seedling, it needs to be shortened. Such pruning will stimulate the growth of lateral buds and the appearance of strong branches, from which the skeleton of the tree will subsequently be formed. Annual plum and cherry trees usually have a well-developed crown and therefore do not need pruning.

If you planted two-year-old apple and pear seedlings on seed rootstocks, then do light pruning in the first year. Remove dry, broken branches. If there are more than six branches in the crown and they are well developed, then move the extra ones to a horizontal position. Do this by tying it up or hanging a small weight on the 7th, 8th, etc. branches, and then it will take a drooping position. In subsequent years, this will contribute to the formation of buds on these branches, and, consequently, fruits.

They deal with seedlings on dwarf rootstocks somewhat differently. If they have a well developed root system, then after planting, make emerging pruning, in which the conductor should be 18-20 cm above the side branches. At the same time, move all branches that will not be used as future skeletal ones to an inclined position.

It happens, often in a three-year-old or older seedling various reasons the crown has died, and a new strong shoot has appeared from the trunk, then in the spring, cut off the entire dead crown and form a new one using the young shoot that has appeared.

For trees 3-5 years old, very little pruning and pruning is done. Do this only when you notice that you need to fill the skeletal branch more with overgrowing branches or change the direction of its growth. When strong annual branches are formed during this period, they are transferred, tied, to a horizontal position or simply intertwined with each other.
Pruning must be done so that the ends of the main skeletal branches are at the same level. The semi-skeletal ones in the middle of the crown need to be thinned out a little. In a word, the crown of the tree after your pruning should have open center where sunlight and air can easily penetrate. Over time, the harvest of fruits will ripen evenly throughout the tree, without creating unbearable weight on any branch. This, to put it briefly, is the essence of all pruning and shaping the crown of trees. To those gardeners who have not yet mastered the technique of this rather complex task, let us say: trim tree branches only when you clearly understand that this needs to be done. Without a justified need, do not pick up the pruning shears; allow the plant to grow and develop on its own in its natural form.

Every gardener annually faces the problem of spring preparation of the garden after winter. Trees and shrubs require inspection, as well as the necessary procedures, so that in late summer or early autumn you can get the expected harvest, so we will discuss the main stages of garden preparation, as well as talk about problems and their solutions.

Where to start

In early spring, when the temperature is rapidly approaching zero or above zero, we need to do a lot of work to prepare fruit trees and shrubs. Let's start with snow removal. Many crops have fragile shoots, so sticking melting snow, the mass of which is not so small, can damage shoots and young branches. To prevent this from happening, you need to walk around the garden and carefully shake off the snow on the ground.

After you have removed snow from the above-ground parts of the plants, you should examine the skeletal branches of trees and tall bushes. If some of them bend, care should be taken to construct a support. As it you can use iron rods welded in the shape of the letter “Y” or find a branch like a slingshot of sufficient length.

If the lower branches bend, they can be tied to the upper ones. At the same time, it is worth understanding that it should be tied to thick skeletal branches that will definitely withstand the weight of the sagging shoot. If a similar problem arose with a small shrub, then for a while all the shoots can be tied into one bunch. When the snow melts, you can prune, or, if everything goes well, the shoot will remain in the position in which you secured it.

Next we need to take care of site humidity. If your garden is located on a slope, you need to create natural obstacles, otherwise melt water will drain into the lowlands, and trees and shrubs will be deprived of the necessary moisture.

Important! Melt water collected in a container will help you save on watering. Also, such water is soft and contains trace elements, so it is better to preserve it.

To prevent this from happening, create small banks of melting snow across the area. So that the flowing water collides with an obstacle, and does not continue its movement along the slope.

Next, you should make sure that if or appears, you have everything at hand. To do this, check stocks of poisons and other chemical substances that you used last year to combat uninvited guests. Many of them have a short shelf life, so you may automatically apply an expired chemical. The effectiveness of such a remedy, as you understand, will be close to zero.
After the snow melts, you need to start cleaning the area from plant debris. All leaves, branches, dry grass should be removed, and care should be taken to first weeds.

Inspection of fruit and berry crops

After the initial inspection, we begin to identify possible problems with plants planted in the garden. You cannot hesitate, as the lack of timely intervention will lead to a decrease in yield or death of the crop.

We start with the bark. We inspect the shoots and trunk of plants for the presence scratches, cracks, burns, lack of bark. If there is damage, you need to find out the cause of its occurrence. If they are caused by activity, then various poisons should be prepared in advance. If the problem was provoked sunburn- we carry out whitewashing.
Cracks may appear on the branches and trunk. It is impossible to leave everything as is, since violating the integrity of the shoot or trunk leads to further damage by pests. To prevent this from happening, you need to properly seal the crack. To do this, you should first cut off the dead bark and then remove the dead wood. If you don't do this and simply seal the hole, the dead tissue will begin to decompose, causing rot. It is necessary to strip away dead tissue until living wood and bark are exposed.

After cleaning, you need to give it time to dry. This will take 1-2 days, after which the “wound” needs to be treated and closed. Treated with any copper-containing substance, it is best to take or. At the end, the problem area is covered with a liquid clay solution or special putty products.

Video: cleaning and treating a wound on a fruit tree

Let's move on to problems with broken or dry shoots. If you notice that some shoots on the tree are too dry and there are no living buds on them, then you need to take care of their removal. Dry branches should be trimmed with a hacksaw or pruning shears. We cut until we see living tissue. The cut should be smooth. After pruning, be sure to cover all cuts so that the tree is not damaged.

Separately, it is worth talking about what to do with the hollows formed in the trunk. We will solve the problem in the same way as in the case of cracks. First, we clean the hollow from dead tissue, after which we treat it with copper-containing preparations and completely cover it with cement mortar.

Did you know? Levens Hall, located in the north-west of England, is considered the oldest garden in the world. The garden was created in the 17th century, and the trees that were planted at the time of its foundation still grow in it.

Protection from spring frosts

Spring frosts are the most big problem, since they are capable of destroying the crop for even initial stage. Not only do they suffer small gardens, but also huge plantings, from which the products are supplied to many stores. Next we will figure out whether this is possible to do.

This frost protection technology came to us from the USA. There, farmers purchase special installations that produce fog. It not only reduces visibility, but significantly increases the air temperature, which saves trees from a sharp drop in temperature. Of course, such installations are not cheap, but if you grow particularly valuable crops that will yield a lot of expensive products, then it makes sense to purchase such an installation in order to solve problems with unexpected frosts for ten years.
Fumigation of the garden. It’s worth saying right away that this method only saves from minor frosts. If the temperature drops below -5°C, smoking will not help your plants in the garden.

This is done in the following way: at a distance of 4 meters from each bush or tree, a small “hut” is built, which consists of thick logs and thin twigs for lighting; wet leaves or straw are placed on top of the “hut”. After you set such a “structure” on fire, it will begin to smoke heavily, causing the garden to fill with smoke. Smoke increases the air temperature, so trees do not suffer from frost.

Video: fumigation from frost using grapes as an example

Of course, you will have to fumigate the area for almost 12 hours, since frosts most often occur at night and last until morning or noon. At the same time, fumigation will not bring pleasure to your neighbors, and especially timid ones may call the fire department. For this reason, fires should be used carefully, especially after the snow has completely melted.

Important! Smoke fires can be replaced with smoke bombs, which can also slightly increase the air temperature.

Bonfires. An open source of fire can increase the temperature, however, as you understand, this same source can cause many problems, because the trees themselves can suffer from fires if the flames reach them. At high temperatures branches and foliage dry out quickly and then begin to burn - as a result, you can simply burn your entire garden.
It makes sense to light fires only if you have collected a lot of plant debris that has nowhere to go. Then you can dispose of garbage and at the same time warm up the air a little. However, you should not assume that such a remedy can save you from severe frosts, especially in the presence of wind.

Pruning fruit trees and shrubs

Pruning is carried out only before the sap begins to flow, that is, until the buds swell. If pruning is carried out later, the tree will suffer greatly, and tree sap will begin to ooze at the cut sites. It would seem that everything is clear, there are no problems, but sap flow begins at different times, even in the same region, so you need to know exactly when to prune so as not to cut the plants when the first unformed leaves begin to appear on them.

It is also worth noting that sap flow may begin earlier in some crops, and later in others, which causes serious difficulties in the case of working with a large garden.

Why pruning is done:

1. To form the crown of a young plant.
2. To remove old shoots that do not produce a good harvest.
3. To remove diseased branches that were not cut at the first inspection.

Regarding the differences in pruning young and old trees.

Young trees need crown formation, since they need to be given the desired appearance every year in order to ultimately get mature tree with a beautiful and convenient crown for collecting products.

Mature and old trees need it, since their crown has already formed. Every year, old 2-3-year-old shoots that bear fruit poorly and cause thickening of the crown are removed. As a result, the plant accelerates the growth and formation of new shoots, which produce more buds, and as a result, more fruits are formed.

Separately, it is worth mentioning that the most productive branches are those that extend to the sides. Vertical shoots are not distinguished by good yield, and hanging shoots do not really bear fruit at all. It all has to do with the fact that horizontal branches receive more sunlight Therefore, they ripen more fruits, which have a better taste.

Tree pruning

Did you know? Those familiar to us can boast the longest life expectancy. garden trees. Homemade can live up to 120 years, and many varieties will grow for 2-3 centuries. Moreover, the life expectancy of the same is only 20 years.

We start by removing all old shoots in early spring. They will die anyway, so we don't need them. Removal should be carried out before young branches appear. During the entire growing season, it is necessary to shorten the upper part of the shoots, since the berries are formed on side branches, and upward growth of the main branches reduces the yield. Pinching is carried out after the shoots have reached a length of 90 cm.
Pruning is also carried out if the shoots fall to the ground under the weight of leaves and berries. In this case, the main shoot should be shortened, otherwise the product will begin to rot after contact with the soil.

Fertilizing garden crops

Let's move on to an important topic, which concerns feeding plants in the garden. We will talk about all crops, so we will consider those fertilizers that both shrubs and shrubs of various types and varieties need.