Fruit trees are quite susceptible in the first years after planting. At any time, young trees lie in wait for adversity. But the most difficult period in the life of seedlings is the winter season. Not all plants manage to survive the winter safe and sound.
In cold weather, even mature cultures have a hard time - and then what to talk about young ones!
What misfortunes await young trees in winter
Winter is a period of increased risk for any fruit tree, especially young seedlings. What are the grave risks to newly planted crops?
- Unexpected temperature drops: a sudden thaw awakens the plants - the buds that have appeared die under the influence of the returned frost.
- The sun: from aggressive February or March rays, burns form on the bark and even frost cracks may appear.
- Wind: from the harsh winter winds, the delicate bark dries up, and besides, sufficiently strong wind gusts can damage a weak seedling.
- Freezing: large winter frosts, especially during a snowless winter, can damage the roots of a weak seedling, from which the plant dies.
- Snow: during heavy snowfall, thin shoots break freely under the weight of snow.
- Rodents: hungry mice and hares can damage the bark of the crop.
Proper preparation of young trees for winter
Summer residents, before the onset of winter, even prepare adult plants for the upcoming cold, but for seedlings under the age of 5 years, preparation for the difficult season should be carried out with great care. It should start in the fall.
- With the onset of autumn, garden trees are no longer irrigated. Closer to the last days of October, it is necessary to carry out water-charging irrigation of crops. This process is especially necessary if the autumn turned out to be dry. When watering with water load, the soil must be impregnated to a depth of at least 40-60 cm.
- As soon as the leaves crumble, remove all debris, broken branches and fallen leaves from the area. Leaves are often damaged by diseases, and various parasites arrange winter "apartments" under them. All collected debris must be removed from the garden and burned. The soil around the trees needs to be loosened up. This procedure helps to expel insects: from this they end up at the top and die from the frost or fall into the depths of the earth, where they also die. In addition, after loosening, air freely penetrates to the root system.
- The branches of the seedling (if any) are pulled together and tied with a string. This process is carried out before frost appears. The contraction of the shoots protects them from breakage.
- When frosts settle, mulch around the trees. To do this, you can use any material that is not compressed. To additionally insulate the plants, snow is poured on top.
- The final step in preparing a garden plot for winter is to shelter the trees.
How young plants are covered
Not all crops require shelter. For example, zoned apple and plum varieties do not need shelter. But annual seedlings need to be insulated.
Trees begin to cover when the temperature stabilizes below -5 ° C. With earlier shelter, the bark can be straightened out, and the buds will awaken.
Spruce branches or junipers are well suited for insulation. They cover the plant, tied with twine to the trunk.
However, not everyone has the opportunity to use the spruce forest. In this case, you can use other material:
- burlap;
- soft construction mesh;
- covering non-woven material;
- roofing material;
- old clothes.
If you are using roofing material or linoleum, first wrap the barrel with breathable material: burlap, matting.
Shelter seedlings
Before creating a shelter for young trees, you need to pay attention to the following points:
- Young saplings, especially annual ones, cover both the stem and the crown.
- For stability, the trees create a temporary support.
- With the prepared material, the trunk is twisted and tied with a rope or wire. During work, the lower parts of the material are buried in the ground and sprinkled with soil. After that, the crown is covered in the same way.
- If the trunk is closed with a cloth or paper, an additional shelter is created from above in the form of a chain-link netting, roofing material or shoots of thorny crops so that rodents do not penetrate the trunk.
To scare away rodents, various smelling solutions are used that cannot be tolerated by pests. For example, you can dilute creolin (5-10 g) in a liquid (1 L) and douse with sawdust solution, and then put them around the trees.
From invasions of mice, poisons are used, spreading them next to the seedlings.
Read also: How to say goodbye to ants in the garden
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