The trunk circle is the top layer of soil around the tree, located within the crown. Garden trees are looked after through this piece of land (they carry out top dressing, aeration and watering). An island of earth around a tree can be tucked, dug up, loosened, mulched, sown or decorated with ornamental plants.
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Garden trees surrounded by care will quickly get stronger after fruiting, cope with diseases and harmful insects.
Pay attention to the garden tree three times per season
Pay attention to your garden pet three times per season. In the spring dig up, at the same time apply mineral fertilizer and cover with compost. In summer Water abundantly and loosen the near-trunk space (if the circle is not mulched). In autumn remove rotten fruits, twigs, leaves and dig up. Thus, you will save your garden pet from diseases and pests.
Work carefully, dig shallow (10-15 cm), place the shovel with the edge against the tree so as not to damage the roots. The roots of stone fruit crops are especially vulnerable. Just loosen the circle with a diameter of 20 cm near the trunk.
How to fertilize correctly
In the fall, after digging, add potash-phosphorus fertilizers or wood ash. Apply mineral fertilizers along the edge of the trunk circle, since this is where the suction roots of the tree are located. Apply by watering with a solution or embed in the soil, then water.
Cover the entire surface around the tree with wood ash. It will saturate the soil with potassium, fluorine and other necessary elements, is effective against pests, and prevent diseases. Cover the ash into the soil with a hoe, then pour abundantly. Alternatively, prepare an infusion (200 grams of ash per bucket of water).
Autumn work will help the garden pet to winter painlessly and bear fruit well next year. After watering and feeding, we advise you to mulch the tree trunk circle.
Mulching
A layer of mulch stabilizes the temperature of the soil: it heats up slowly and cools down slowly, so it does not overheat in the heat and retains heat when it gets cold. Mulched soil is looser and more airy, earthworms live and work comfortably in it, microorganisms actively multiply.
There are much fewer weeds in the closed trunk space, the mulch layer prevents moisture evaporation, reducing the need for irrigation.
What to use as mulch
For mulching, experienced gardeners use needles, rotted sawdust, wood chips, hay, gravel, compost. It is permissible to combine various components by laying them in several layers.
Important! When mulching the trunk circle, leave space around the trunk to allow the roots to breathe and cool.
Sawdust for mulch is prepared in advance: soaked in a solution of nitrogen fertilizers (urea). Then, wet, they are placed in closed containers for several months.
Rotten sawdust is a good material for mulching and loosening the soil, they retain moisture, repel pests, and do not contain weed seeds.
Flower bed around the tree
When the trunk circle is turfed, perennial grasses take away nutrients from garden trees. The space will have to be mowed and treated against pests. We offer an interesting solution - sow siderata on the near-stem island. The structure and quality of the soil will definitely improve. What's more, you will prevent weathering, drive out weeds and drive out pests. Decorative siderates (lupine, alfalfa, sweet clover), among other things, will decorate the garden.
In near-trunk circles mature trees in the spring we advise planting crops with shallow roots. Marigolds, chamomile, nasturtium and calendula will decorate the tree trunk circle and protect trees from diseases and pests.
Do you have flower beds in the near-stem space?
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