Preparing fruit trees for winter is the main task of a horticulturist. After all, only this will help the trees safely survive the harsh time and be protected from possible freezing. The greatest danger is represented by frosts for the roots of trees, the lower part of the trunk and the fork of branches.
Frost severely damages the roots in fruit crops with a superficial arrangement of the root system. Plums, cherries, apple trees - these trees in winter suffer the most. On sandy soils, as in the less severe severe winters, the likelihood of damage increases. Damage to the root system can lead to a weakening of growth, to loss of crops, the dryness of trees and their further death.
We prepare trees for winter
To protect the roots from freezing in the fall, the truncated circles cover approximately 3-4 cm with a layer of mulch. For these purposes, the most suitable is peat, because it does not nest the mice. Do not use manure or straw. In harsh winters, gardeners still hibernate the trees with snow until the fork of the main branches.
Damage to the lower part of the trunk and the base of the branches usually occur at the end of winter due to the alternation of strong heating on sunny days and a sharp drop in temperature during frosty nights. Such damage is called sunburn and frost. They appear as dry dead spots, most often on the south or south-west sides of the trunk. Later, the dead cortex lags behind and expels the wood.
Such damage is very dangerous, because the exchange between the root system and leaves is disturbed. And in damaged areas mushrooms settle.
To prevent frost cracks, trees fall in lime with lime, adding copper sulfate: for 10 liters of water they put 2-3 kg of lime, 300 g of copper sulfate and 1 kg of clay. In March, whitewashing must be repeated, but at that time snow often falls. Therefore, it is not uncommon for the trunk to wrap up the skeletal branches with a thin soft paper of 3-4 layers and fix it with twine or wire.
Preparing young trees for winter
In low places, in case of flooding of gardens, young tree trunks are covered with ice crust, which mechanically damages the trunk cortex at the root or somewhat higher. In these places melt water accumulates, and due to winter-spring dampness, the above-ground part and the root system may be damaged in young trees. Most often this happens on clay soil. It should be remembered that in areas where meltwater stagnates and the heating is delayed, gas exchange of the soil is disturbed. All this slows the growth of roots and depresses the tree as a whole. Therefore, in such areas it is necessary to take measures in early spring to remove water.
Many troubles to the young garden in the winter can bring mice and hares.
Mice often find shelter in a cluster of plant debris, in heaps of manure, straw, brushwood, or in the clogged areas of the garden. Therefore, the purity of the site is the main measure for protecting young tree trunks from damage by mice. In order for the mice to not make their way to the trees on snow passages,
How to hide trees for the winter? Often, for this use only. At first, the tree trunk is wrapped in a newspaper, then it is densely superimposed and fixed with twine. The lower part of the roofing roof is slightly deeper into the ground and sprinkled. Instead of roofing, some amateur gardeners use old kapron stockings. Traditionally, the stems were covered with reeds, sunflower stems, wormwood, raspberry shoots. It is not recommended to use fir branches.
Strapping simultaneously protects the trunks of young trees from winter damage by frost.