Caring for fruit trees and shrubs in autumn

Autumn care for fruit trees begins after leaf fall. When all the foliage has fallen, the dormant stage begins, so you need to help the plants go through the stage of preparing for winter.

To begin with, the trees are inspected and the remaining fruits on them are removed. If there are rotten fruits or carrion, there is no need to put them in a compost pit, but it is better to bury them somewhere not on the site, so that pathogens that can infect healthy plants do not begin to appear from them. After this, maintenance work begins. There are calendars for autumn work. You can stick to them or act in accordance with your experience and observations.

What needs to be done in the garden in the fall: work calendar

An approximate list of tree care work in the fall is broken down by month.

In September:

remove trapping belts from trees: they can be burned or treated with anti-pest compounds to be used next season;
they remove carrion and spoiled fruits from the ground and take them to a landfill, bury them outside the site;
they remove supports and other devices that supported branches heavy with leaves and fruits: they are either taken out or burned so as not to leave caterpillars and other pests on the site that can overwinter in them.

In September, the range of work is minimal, because this month is still little different from the summer. Basic autumn care for trees and shrubs begins in the second month.

In October:

check and carefully inspect the plants to find pests;
carry out sanitary pruning, remove unnecessary shoots, tops, damaged branches;
The trunks are tied with protective nets, instead of which you can use sunflower stems or reeds to protect the plants from rodents.

In November:

they collect leaves and cut branches in a heap and burn them;
dig up the soil in tree trunk circles;
apply fertilizers;
remove dead bark;
They insulate, support, and protect young trees from snow blows.

The division of work between October and November is conditional and depends on weather conditions.

Collecting falling leaves and carrion

Sanitary measures include the collection of falling leaves and the mandatory collection of carrion. The accumulation of rotting fruit under fruit trees is the best “helper” for pests, which will continue to spread unhindered. The orchard should leave before winter clean of fallen, damaged fruits and leaves.

It is better to collect carrion as it appears, if there is absolutely not enough time - several times. It is not necessary to throw away the carrion; many gardeners successfully use it in composting.

It is not a good idea to burn leaves, wasting precious organic material and harming the environment. The exception is the leaves of trees affected by fungal diseases.

Top dressing

When the harvest is harvested, fruit trees are fertilized. This must be done to improve the properties of the soil, which provides everything necessary for the ripening of fruits. In the fall they add:

Phosphorus fertilizers. This is simple or double superphosphate, as well as ammophos. Double superphosphate is more useful because it contains twice as much phosphorus and less gypsum. Ammophos has a high concentration, so it must be used with caution so as not to overfeed the plants; moreover, it contains nitrogen, which is not advisable to add in the fall.
Potash fertilizers. This is mainly potassium chloride or sulfate. They contain enough potassium oxide. Chloride contains chlorine, which can accumulate in plants and, when a certain concentration is reached, inhibits growth. This is especially true for fruit bushes, but trees should also be fertilized with caution.
Phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. The best option is monopotassium phosphate - a mixture in which phosphorus is 52 percent and potassium is 34 percent. This mixture is completely absorbed. But this drug is more expensive than others; it is used to feed capricious plants that require special support during the cold season.

In the fall, only root feeding is carried out, that is, preparations are applied under the roots, in the circles around the trunk. Fertilizers come in dry or liquid form. Liquids are poured into grooves dug around the tree. There may be several such grooves around one plant. It is better if there are more of them, then the fertilizer will be distributed evenly over all the roots.

To feed with dry fertilizers, dig up the soil in the tree trunk circle, or even better, remove the topmost layer a couple of centimeters thick. Then add fertilizer according to the instructions and return the soil to its place.

Dry fertilizers are preferable to liquid ones in the autumn, since the plant will absorb them gradually, including with melted snow.

Putting the tree trunk circle in order

Digging under trees, in tree trunk circles, is often carried out only in November, before the start of winter snow retention measures. But it is much safer to choose the period after fruiting and before the beginning of autumn root growth - at the very beginning of the yellowing of leaves on the trees. Digging in tree trunk circles is carried out shallowly, for apple trees - 10 cm, for pears - 20 cm, for other types - about 15 cm.

The row spaces also need digging and cultivation (if they are not mulched and filled with ground covers or herbs). In autumn, the sufficient depth for row spacing is about 15 cm. In November, it is better to dike the tree trunk circles around the perimeter, helping to retain snow.

Mulching is a step required only for columnar, standard, and dwarf trees. But a protective layer about 6 cm high of sawdust, peat, substrate, organic fertilizers will only benefit any fruit tree and, if possible, it is better to create it for everyone.

For young seedlings, you need to take care of additional protection from freezing - hilling. On cleared soil prepared for winter, it is not at all difficult to carefully hill up the “young growth”.

From October it is worth starting to fight rodents and placing baits and traps in tree trunk circles.

Autumn pruning

Autumn care for fruit trees includes sanitary pruning. Weak, broken, dry, intersecting branches and shoots are removed from them. There is no benefit from them, but at the same time pathogens and pests can live on them. Pruning is carried out after harvesting and before the first frost. There is no need to prune trees after the onset of cold weather.

First, carefully examine all the branches, check whether they are growing correctly and whether they interfere with each other. Unnecessary and disturbing ones are removed. The crown is formed with pruning shears or loppers.

Removing tops

Fattening shoots are called tops. They usually have dense foliage, and the buds develop poorly or not at all. Such branches appear on old skeletal branches. Their growth is stimulated by excessive application of nitrogen preparations or excessive watering. They consume a lot of nutrients, taking them away from the tree and leaving less for fruit development. In addition, the tops make the crown too heavy, dense, and not letting in enough sunlight. All this reduces productivity. The tops are removed onto a ring, and after cutting off the damage on the tree, they are smeared with garden varnish for speedy healing and restoration.

Protecting fruit trees from rodents

All this must be destroyed immediately. When cuts with a diameter of more than 2 cm are formed, they are covered with garden pitch. The trunks of young trees are tied along the entire length with a special non-woven material or other available means to protect against damage by mouse-like rodents with the tying material being buried 3-5 cm into the soil.

For example, I do this. I wrap young trees with narrow bandages cut from spunbond or lutrasil. And then I start digging - the ends of the bandage are buried in the earth, as if buried.

Watering

Fall care also includes watering. It is not needed only if there is a lot of precipitation in the fall, that is, the ground is filled with moisture. Trees need to be watered to prevent the ground around them from cracking. Cold air penetrates into these cracks and reaches the very depths of the root system.

Water at the rate of four buckets per square meter; do this not immediately, but gradually, so that all the soil is evenly saturated with water. They spill the entire circle around the trunk, and for large trees - soil in a diameter equal to the crown.

If the soil is dense, make holes about 10 cm deep, pour water into them, and then cover them with earth.

Pre-winter watering

Well-moistened soil helps plants survive the winter easier and increases their resistance to frost. Also, moist soil better conducts heat from the lower layers of the earth to the roots of plants. But it should be remembered that excessively moist soil can, on the contrary, displace all the warm air. In this case, the roots of the plants begin to suffocate, which leads to their death. Pre-winter watering is important for berry bushes. Therefore, you need to look at the condition of the soil: if it rained in the fall and the soil was sufficiently moist, then you should not water it. But if there was no rain at all during August-September, the soil has dried out, and winter watering is necessary. In this case, you need to pour at least 40 liters of water (4 buckets) under each adult bush.

Cleansing the bark

During the life of a tree, the bark on it cracks and dies. Pathogens, fungi, eggs, larvae, and adult insect pests accumulate in cracks and scutes that have fallen behind the tree. This bark needs to be cleaned. This will also help improve gas exchange and increase vitality. You cannot peel the bark of young trees!

After the autumn rains, at the end of October or beginning of November, on a good day without precipitation, wind, or frost, you need to spread a tarpaulin or film under the tree. Dead bark is removed with a wire brush, scraper, or chisel. It is important to remove all damaged bark and not to disturb the integrity of the new, living bark, which is hidden under the old one. If there are lichens on the tree, they also need to be removed. Fallen pieces of bark should be collected and burned or taken outside the site so as not to leave pests in the garden.

After cleaning, whitewashing is carried out to further disinfect the trunk and branches, as well as to protect them.

Mechanical assistance to trees

At this time, you need to do a number of simple manipulations with the trees that will not take much time.

First of all, after the leaves fall, remove everything around the tree trunk circle within a radius of 1 m, water the weeds, and rake away the old mulch.

Trim dry, broken, damaged branches.

Using a metal brush, very carefully, without damaging living tissue, clean the trunk, removing dead bark, moss, and lichens.

Dig up the trunk circle, without going too deep, so as not to damage the roots.

Whiten the trunk and bases of the branches with lime mortar. This will serve as disinfection and prevent early spring sunburn.

When persistent frost sets in, in order to protect against rodents, tie the boles with waterproof paper, burlap, and special materials. In spring, don’t forget to take off this “coat”.

When snow falls, cover the tree trunks with it and take measures to retain snow in the garden.

If there are old trees that have outlived their useful life, do not put off removing them from the site - do it first. Remove the above-ground part, then dig up the skeletal roots at a distance of 1-1.5 m from the stump and cut them. It is necessary to do this in a timely manner in order to prevent diseases and pests from “hiding” on the old tree.

Protection from frost and sunburn

Frosts and sudden temperature changes cause so-called frost holes - cracks - to appear on the bark. They can be very deep. Also, cracks and damage appear from the bright sun and strong wind. Insect pests make cracks worse.

To protect the wood from cracks, it is whitewashed and covered with protective nets. The nets also protect against rodents. Instead of nets, sunflower stems or reeds are sometimes used. It is especially important to protect this year’s seedlings from frost and sun.

Whitewashing tree trunks

Whitening trees is necessary not only to protect against pests and fungal diseases. Lime mortar protects against freezing. In winter, temperature changes are often observed in the Moscow region - the sun is hot during the day, and there is severe frost at night. As a result, the tree bark becomes covered with cracks. They are inhabited by various pests that destroy the trees. The lime layer creates a protective film on the surface of the bark.

There are different recipes for whitewash solutions. You can prepare the product at home:

For 2 kg of lime you will need 400 g of copper sulfate (vitriol).
Dilute in 10 liters of water.
To add viscosity, add 1 liter of paste.
You can add 1 kg of mullein and clay to the preparation.

It is better to cover young seedlings not with lime, but with chalk. In this case, not only the trunk is processed, but also large branches. The solution must be made thick. You cannot add paste to it for treating young trees - the bark will not be able to breathe through such a dense barrier.

The solution for seedlings is prepared according to the following recipe:

Lime - 3 kg.
Clay - 1.5 kg.
Cow dung - 1 kg.
Mix everything and dilute with water to the consistency of liquid sour cream.

You can purchase a ready-made mixture in the store. However, it is often unstable and is completely washed off by spring. In this case, you will have to whitewash the trees again.

To protect trees from rodents and hares, a solution of carbolic acid can be added to any solution.

Mulching

This event is designed to protect the roots of fruit plants and shrubs from freezing. Sometimes tree trunk circles are insulated with peat, compost, rotted manure or humus, but it is worth considering that this is not only mulch, but also fertilizer. That is, you can not only warm the roots, but also overfeed the plant, especially if fertilizers have already been applied in the fall. In addition, in the fall, adding organic matter is undesirable in any case due to excess nitrogen.

Fallen leaves and branches cut from trees should also not be mulched. Pathogenic microorganisms and harmful insects live and overwinter in them.

The best option is sawdust or shavings, spruce branches or pine needles. It is better not to use spruce needles, because it will be difficult to remove in the spring.

Autumn fertilizer

At different times of the year, plants need different ratios of nutrients. In autumn, increased levels of phosphorus and potassium are required. These macroelements contribute to good ripening of wood, the accumulation of substances necessary for overwintering and a good spring start, have a positive effect on root growth and the formation of a future harvest, and increase plant resistance to certain diseases. They are also useful for improving the taste of fruits and their intense coloring.

But nitrogen fertilizing in the fall must be excluded. This element provokes untimely growth of shoots and makes it difficult for wood to ripen. As a result, without having time to prepare for the cold, trees and shrubs are easily damaged even by slight frosts.

Features of autumn care for fruit bushes

In the fall, after leaf fall and harvesting, sanitary pruning of berry bushes is carried out. Remove sick, weakened, dry, damaged, excess shoots. Oblique media are made over the kidneys, which are directed outward.

Branches of currant bushes that are more than 5–7 years old are pruned. Ovaries do not appear on them, so you need to remove them so that they do not take away nutrition from the young shoots that bear fruit. Also, branches older than 6 years are removed from gooseberries. When pruning, the root growth is also removed - it will take nutrients from the bush.

After pruning, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers are applied. Usually add 1 - 2 tablespoons of superphosphate, 1 tablespoon of potassium and add 200 grams of ash per bush.

All shoots from the previous year are removed from raspberries, and fresh ones are bent to the ground and covered with spruce branches or covering material.

Proper care of fruit trees and shrubs in the fall is a guarantee that they will survive the winter cold well and will enjoy large harvests next year. If you are not confident in your knowledge or strength to carry out autumn garden care work, entrust it to us.

Caring for trees and shrubs in autumn

The end of summer is an important period in the life of every summer resident and gardener, because in addition to harvesting the grown crops, one also has to deal with preparing the vegetation for the winter season. Caring for trees and shrubs in the fall is a complex of various activities that help them endure the cold season of the year.

It would seem that the harvest of fruits and berries at the dacha has been harvested, what else can you worry about? But it turns out that harvesting in the garden is just the beginning of other worries and troubles. After all, the most important task at this time for the owner of the plot is the preservation of the orchard in the cold winter, which includes preliminary care for it, and this can only be done if a certain list of work is carried out with trees and shrubs in the fall.

Pruning fruit trees in autumn

The main purpose of this procedure is to prepare trees and shrubs for winter, as well as pruning them, which will help increase yields next year. It can be carried out both in spring and autumn, taking into account the type of plant.

The following types of pruning should be highlighted, which are widely used by amateur gardeners in the fall:

Cutting off branches at the base of the plant is called thinning;

Carrying it out not only improves plant nutrition, but also increases access to light flux to tree branches. Young dacha plantings require this type of pruning every year until the crown is fully formed. Mature trees do not need to carry out this procedure as often; it is enough to prune unnecessary shoots once every few years.

Removing the upper part of the shoot at the bud level is called shortening.

This type of pruning helps control the growth of shoots and also helps to increase fruiting.

It is advisable to engage in the formation of the tree crown after the cessation of sap flow and right up to the frost. Unlike spring pruning, in autumn it should be gentle, which will help avoid severe weakening of the plant.

At the end of summer, you can start removing weak shoots, as well as clear the garden of dry and broken branches. After all, next year they are unlikely to be able to please their owner with a good harvest, but will produce only weak and underdeveloped fruits.

The process of pruning fruit trees in autumn can be divided into the following stages:

1. Removal of dry and broken branches, the growth of which is directed towards the inside of the crown.

2. Visual assessment of two branches growing nearby and removal of the weakest one.

3. Removing branches from the crown of the tree whose growth is directed upward or at an acute angle.

4. Wounds formed on the plant as a result of pruning must be treated with special solutions: garden pitch, oil paint.

5. The final stage is to clear the area of cut branches and then burn them to ash.

Crown formation

Not all of these plants growing in the garden need this procedure. To visually assess the correctness of the crown, you should carefully examine the branches on the trees and draw a conclusion about their growth. If there are very elongated branches on the site, the growth of which is directed upward towards the sun, it is recommended to lower them slightly and give them a horizontal direction of growth. This can be done by placing weights on tree branches, which will help change the direction of shoot growth.

However, you should be careful when choosing the weight of the load, since too much weight can lead to broken branches. The ideal option would be to gradually increase the weight of the load every day, which will ensure an even distribution of the load throughout the tree.

Another way to form the correct crown is to use pruners. Don’t forget that the plant spends a lot of energy on its prolific flowering, so molding it in the fall will help distribute the fruits evenly throughout the tree. Pruning shoots with pruning shears should be carried out with caution and according to all the rules, without fanaticism, otherwise next year you may be left without a harvest.

Autumn sanitary cleaning of the garden

In addition to removing damaged and weakened branches, it is necessary to pay attention to the sanitary condition of the garden. Fallen autumn leaves do not need to be harvested, as they are an excellent nutrient fertilizer for trees and shrubs. In addition, during a snowless winter, dried leaves will help retain heat and also protect the root system from severe cold. We can always remove it and make it beautiful in the spring.

The use of chatter or garden whitewash will help protect fruit trees from sunburn and frost damage. Many summer residents consider it sufficient to carry out whitewashing only in the spring, however, this opinion is very erroneous. After all, treating trunks in the fall not only helps the plant get rid of various microorganisms living in the bark, but also protects trees and shrubs from the effects of various external factors in winter.

Without much hassle, you can purchase a solution for treating trees in a specialized store, or you can prepare it yourself at home, which is what most summer residents do. The main components of whitewash are lime, water, wood glue and copper sulfate, which are taken in given proportions - 2 kg of lime, 10 liters of water, 100 grams of glue and 500 grams of copper sulfate. All components are placed in one container and mixed thoroughly until they are completely dissolved. After a few hours, the resulting mixture becomes usable and is used for whitewashing tree trunks and shrubs.

One of the most dangerous garden pests is the mole cricket, which can be gotten rid of in the following way: fill a small container with manure and place it at a shallow depth in the ground. It is this structure that will become a home for mole crickets, where they will definitely go for the winter. In winter, we dig up a bucket of insects and scatter them in the cold, which leads to their death.

Autumn is a favorable period for planting fruit trees, namely apple trees. A few months will be enough for the root system to strengthen and be able to provide the plant with everything it needs during its period of intensive flowering. Trees must be planted in a well-prepared planting hole with sufficient nutrients for their growth. The planting hole is filled with nutritious soil, the components of which are manure, peat and compost with the addition of dry mineral fertilizers.

Timely harvesting

Late varieties of fruit trees are harvested in late autumn. Keeping fruits on the branches for a long time helps to preserve a large amount of useful substances in them, however, we clearly monitor the first frosts in order to have time to harvest. It is recommended to pick apples and pears only by hand, without using any mechanical pullers or other devices. Their use causes the formation of dents and cracks in the fruit, which significantly reduces their shelf life. For storage, we select fruits without any damage and preferably with the stalk intact, otherwise healthy fruit from the diseased plant will rot.

Preparing tree bark for winter

The bark plays an important role in the normal life of any plant, so one of the important points in preparing the garden for the winter is to protect the bark from various external factors. Sudden changes in temperature, which are characteristic of winter, as well as the activity of garden pests, lead to the appearance of cracks in the bark of trees.

To avoid these troubles, it is necessary to pay due attention to proper tree care in the fall. Whitewashing or simple rags will help prevent cracks from appearing, which will protect the trunk from the scorching rays of the sun.

Rodents and insects become unpleasant guests in the winter garden, for which the bark becomes a tasty product. The most frequent guests of summer cottages are hares who want to feast on the bark of young trees. It is to preserve such plantings that gardeners widely use kraft paper or spruce paws.

Kraft paper is a material that formerly contained cement. Its feature is its high density, and special impregnation ensures its integrity and safety in any weather. This paper is cut into small strips, which are used to carefully bandage the tree along the entire length of the trunk. Then the resulting structure is covered with spruce legs or bags of building material. The use of such bags allows you to maintain air access to the tree trunk, keeps plants from overheating in strong scorching sun, and is also a good repellent material for rodents and hares.

In order to protect against their attacks, we use special preparations for treating tree trunks, or we put a special protective net on the plant.

Caring for fruit bushes

Shrubs, like trees, need careful preparation for winter. Until the thermometer shows the temperature outside is below 10 degrees, raspberries (for those interested, a list of their varieties) must be combined into small piles and bent to the ground. This is done so that during cold weather and severe frosts the thin shoots do not become hypothermic and die. Also, autumn is a good time to transplant young shoots of this shrub or remove them from the site.

We carefully inspect the currant, yoshta (here is how to grow it) and gooseberry bushes in order to identify broken and old branches on them, which we must remove. We transplant young currant shoots, which were previously sprinkled with soil for rooting. Preparing shrubs for winter also includes thoroughly loosening the soil and adding the necessary fertilizers. If desired, you can partially trim them back in the fall.

Applying fertilizers to the soil under trees and shrubs

Autumn feeding of trees and shrubs helps not only improve the quality of the soil, but also compensate for the insufficient amount of nutrients in the soil necessary for the normal development of the plant. The leading place at this time is taken by root feeding, with the help of which the soil is filled with mineral and complex fertilizers containing calcium, phosphorus and potassium.

One of our most common assistants among phosphorus fertilizers is superphosphate, which is used both during the period of planting shrub seedlings and to feed them throughout the entire period of their growth. Phosphorus is characterized by low mobility in the soil and even a slight removal of its particles from the root system leads to the fact that the process of phosphorus entering the plant is hampered. The main way to fertilize trees and shrubs is to apply phosphorus to the root layer of the soil, since its surface application does not bring the desired result.

Monopotassium phosphate is a ballast-free fertilizer that is completely absorbed by the plant. It is better to use this fertilizer for fastidious trees that are prone to freezing, such as apricots and cherries, adding it to the root layer of the soil.

Many summer residents refuse to apply nitrogen fertilizers to the soil, since they lead to protracted growth of shoots, which significantly reduces resistance to winter.

It is recommended to begin autumn feeding of shrubs at the end of summer, since plants need several weeks to use the applied fertilizers. In warm soil, there is active work of the root system, which absorbs all the necessary substances, and during cold weather the roots freeze and do not accept fertilizers. That is why fertilization must be completed before the onset of cold weather, and sometimes frosts.

Features of hardening trees

Many summer gardeners pay close attention to hardening the root system of trees, which helps them survive in conditions of severe frosts and severe winters without snow.

What is the hardening process? It turns out there is nothing complicated. A small layer of soil is removed from the tree trunk and placed in a cool, dry room. The exposed root system develops resistance to a gradual decrease in temperature, which increases its endurance in bad weather conditions. When the first frost approaches, the removed layer of soil must be returned to its original place. This procedure is recommended for plants that react especially strongly to severe frosts (apple trees and pears).

Autumn preparation of the orchard for the coming winter will help make its existence much easier during this difficult period. Carrying out the necessary measures to care for the trees and shrubs of the site will lead to the fact that next year’s harvest (from which you can prepare a lot of things for the winter, for example, chokeberry liqueur inspires other liqueurs - here is their general recipe) will be much more successful last year, and all the plants will survive and continue to delight their owner.

Autumn planting

In autumn, a huge number of seedlings go on sale. After all, right now nurseries are digging up young trees from the fields. It is also better to purchase seedlings in the fall. But it is better to postpone planting trees until spring, especially if we talk about stone fruits (cherries, sweet cherries, cherry plums and others). It is unknown what kind of winter it will be. And when planted in spring, the tree will have time to take root well and become stronger.

The seedlings purchased in the fall are stored in a trench in the winter, laying them at an angle, the crowns of the seedlings are oriented to the south. It is best to place them in a place protected from the wind and midday sun. To protect against mice, the trunks are wrapped with agrospan or other non-rotting materials, and poisoned baits are laid out. To ensure that the soil settles well, holes for spring planting are prepared in the fall.

Autumn planting is good for berry bushes. In the spring, starting the growing season in a new place, they take root well and form a good bush in the first year.

Rodent protection

And of course, do not forget about protecting garden trees from rodents. In winter, mice and hares love to feast on the succulent bark of young trees. To protect trees, trunks and skeletal branches are wrapped with non-woven material from the ground itself; sometimes cattail or sunflower stems are used. Good protection is a fine-mesh plastic mesh, which is wrapped generously around the trunks. The net can be left on the tree for several years; the remaining protective materials must be removed in the spring.

The time has come to dig up fruit and berry bushes and apply mineral fertilizers. The end of September is the best time for digging in the gardens. When digging, the shovel is held with its edge towards the trunk; dig in carefully, touching only the upper part of the soil, without breaking or cutting the roots. For digging, organic matter is added once every 3-5 years - 2-3 kg of manure per square meter. And annually - mineral fertilizers (depending on the crop) and stove ash.

AUTUMN IS A HOT TIME FOR A GARDENER, IT IS A TIME OF ACTIVE WORK: HARVESTING, Pruning, PLANTING AND TRANSPLANTING, AND ALSO SUMMING UP THE RESULTS OF THE SEASON. LET'S TALK ABOUT WHAT WORK NEEDS TO BE CARRIED OUT IN THE VEGETABLE GARDEN. DON'T POSTPONE til SPRING WHAT YOU CAN DO IN AUTUMN - AND THE GARDEN WILL FREAKINGLY THANK YOU FOR THE WORK DONE, AND YOU WILL BE ABLE TO LET IT GO TO REST WITH A PEACEFUL SOUL

September is the golden time

Root crops are dug up, dried and stored. When harvesting potatoes, tops and plant residues are collected from the field. They are burned or at least removed from the ridges as an effective phytosanitary measure. Carrots, beets, horseradish, root parsley and root celery are stored in a dark, cool place, sprinkled with damp sand. Zucchini and pumpkins are stored. They begin harvesting cabbage.

Don't forget to plant green manure crops for plowing in the spring. Crown horned and annual lupine are suitable. September will delight you with a fragrant garden bed. Hyssop, lavender, oregano, sage, and thyme still bloom on it. While enjoying fresh fragrant tea, do not forget to dry these plants for the winter.

October – first snow

Plant residues are removed from the site after growing vegetables. The stakes and supports are cleared of plant debris and stored. At the beginning of the month, they begin to prepare beds for winter crops: onions and garlic. They choose higher places so that during prolonged autumn rains and spring floods the water never stagnate. If you have acidic soils, then the ridges must be limed in advance. Good predecessors for onions and garlic would be tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, cabbage or green crops. Bad ones are, respectively, onions, garlic, wild garlic and potatoes. They are also preparing beds for winter sowing of other vegetable crops, which will be sown in early November. If you do not prepare the ridges during this period, then in November it will be difficult due to the snow cover and frozen ground. Spruce branches are prepared to cover beds and plants. It can be difficult to get spruce branches, so cut shoots of perennials are used.

ON A NOTE
The root crops of carrots and beets left in the ground after digging are good for greenery. Their greens are no less healthy than the root vegetables themselves, and are very tasty in salads and borscht.

Before the onset of frost, they clean, twist and remove the hose, remove the forms of small decorative ponds, and drain the water from the barrels.

In the middle of the month, they begin to harvest plants for growing greens at home. Root celery and parsley, as well as very useful petiole celery, are dug up and transplanted into indoor boxes. They also dig up small clumps of herbs and medicinal plants - oregano, peppermint, catnip, lemon balm. They are taken out of the ground with a small lump of earth and planted in pots on the windowsill. Fresh leaves of these plants will provide you with vitamin and aromatic tea until spring.

Until the last decade, onions, winter garlic, and shallots are planted before winter. There is no need to soak the onion sets in advance, since there will already be plenty of moisture in the soil. Garlic is planted with cloves of the same size.

Planting at such a time will allow onions and garlic to take root well before the onset of frost, but at the same time, the bulbs will not germinate. Immediately before planting, rotted manure or compost is spread over the surface of the ridge, mineral fertilizer is added and dug into the bayonet of a shovel.

Onion sets are planted densely (at a distance of 3 - 4 cm from each other) and to a depth of 2 - 3 cm. It is better to plant more densely before winter, so that there is something to thin out in the spring. Another advantage of spring thinning of seedlings is early vitamin greens. The place for the shallots is chosen so that a lot of snow is retained. Its plantings most need snow protection in winter. Sprinkle the top of the planting with a 2 cm layer of peat, humus or compost. Before the onset of the snowy period, additionally cover the bed with spruce branches or dry leaves. The site is dug up later without crushing the soil. If you have warm beds and Russian greenhouses, then plant residues are placed in them without digging, the sides are straightened, and mulch is added.

November is the month of closures in the garden

As a rule, only by November are your hands free to put the greenhouse in order. Clear ridges and passages of plant debris so that pathogens and pests do not remain over the winter. Dig up the soil or add compost, add soil, add dry leaves. If necessary, clean the polycarbonate or glass. There may not be time for these events in the spring.

Before the onset of spring, the trunks of fruit trees are rubbed with lime milk. In addition, white color reflects the sun's rays, which allows you to avoid overheating during intense sunlight and a sharp drop in temperature at night, especially below zero.

In the spring, the moisture-protective bowl around the tree is filled with dry soil, compost, peat or plant debris, this prevents the rapid evaporation of moisture.

During the growing season, especially during dry periods, fruit trees are watered thoroughly and abundantly. Watering often, but little by little, is useless. Moisture does not reach the roots, remaining in the surface layer of the earth, on which a crust then forms. To retain moisture around the tree even before it begins to bloom, it is useful to lay peat, straw manure or grass in a layer of 5-10 cm.

If a tree does not bloom in the spring, it must be dug out of the ground, the roots trimmed, and for several days (preferably in the cellar) the roots should be placed in water or covered with damp soil. Only after it turns green can it be planted in the ground again.

During the growing season, especially after rain (before the formation of a dried earthen crust), the soil around the tree must be finely loosened several times. It is necessary to loosen in May-July, when shoots and fruits are mainly formed. In August and September, the soil is not disturbed, which ensures better ripening and coloring of the fruits.

In the fall, the earth is dug up around the tree to a depth of no more than 10 cm, and in row spacing - up to 15 cm. Digging around the tree is carried out only with a fork-shovel, which does not damage the roots as much. Even better than loosening is a shallow trench. In summer, loosening the soil is generally not recommended. After the soil dries out in the spring, it is treated with the back of the rake (also in order to reduce moisture loss from evaporation).

To enrich the soil with humus, various plants can be grown under fruit trees. The most suitable for this purpose are field peas, fodder vetch, white mustard, buckwheat, phacelia, white clover, multi-flowered ryegrass, annual ryegrass, etc., and on sandy soils - lupine.

Seed material is introduced from early July to early August into moist soil. Plants are planted only in spring. In winter, this planting material protects the soil from severe freezing and helps to better retain snow. It is not recommended to grow green manure plants in areas with precipitation levels below 500 mm, as well as in young fruit plantings.

Vegetables can be grown between newly planted trees, between dwarf plantings in the case when they have not reached 3 years, and among taller seedlings - up to 8 years. The most suitable vegetables for this purpose are bush beans, peas, lettuce, early cauliflower, kohlrabi, cucumbers, celery, tomatoes, carrots and early potatoes. However, you cannot plant vegetables directly under fruit trees.

Fertilizer

The basis for fertilizing fruit trees is organic fertilizers. Typically, well compacted or composted manure is used; in the fall it is introduced into the soil to a depth of 10-15 cm or over the entire cultivation area under the trees, sometimes along the diameter of the crowns under each tree. Lighter soils are fertilized annually or every other year, heavy soils - once every 3-4 years. Large doses of fertilizer are applied to weakly growing trees. Instead of manure applied in the fall, you can often use compost in the spring. Dry bird droppings are also used (100-200 g per 1 m2).

Along with organic fertilizers, mineral and chemical fertilizers should also be applied to the soil. If green manure plants are also grown under trees, the dose of manure or compost can be reduced by half.

One tree at the age of 2-3 years requires 12-15 kg of fertilizers; every year the dose of fertilizer increases, i.e. for an eight-year-old tree, 40-50 kg of fertilizer is required, and older trees with a crown diameter of 6 m consume 120-160 kg of fertilizer.

Mineral fertilizers are used taking into account the reaction of the soil, the age and fruitfulness of the tree. In the fall, when plowing the soil, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers are usually applied so that these substances are already absorbed during the growing season. With the onset of spring, nitrogen fertilizers are applied. You can also use combined fertilizers in autumn and spring, which gives a noticeable effect. During the growing season, nitrogenous fertilizers are applied additionally, and they are applied shallowly into the soil.

In the year when the soil is fertilized with a full volume of compost or manure, the dose of mineral fertilizers is reduced by half. If the trees grow too wildly and the shoots ripen poorly, the amount of nitrogen fertilizers applied is reduced, and more phosphorus and sulfur fertilizers are added. If predecessor crops are grown under trees, the amount of fertilizer applied should be increased according to their needs.

To feed weakly growing trees, it is also possible to use liquid fertilizers during the growing season. For example, fermented bird or rabbit droppings diluted in 10 parts of water are useful. You can also use a solution of complete fertilizers that dissolve well in water. These liquid fertilizers are poured into grooves 10-15 cm deep around the circumference of the crown. After the liquid is absorbed into the soil, the grooves are leveled.

Lime is added to the soil in accordance with its reaction. It is especially necessary for stone fruits; Berry crops are less demanding in this regard. It should not be overlooked that calcium fertilizers and manure, as well as superphosphate and chemical nitrogen fertilizers, cannot be introduced at the same time.

In case of acute lack of nutrients, when their supply from the soil is limited in some way (waterlogged soil, damaged roots), it can be recommended to spray the leaves with a nutrient solution. 400 g of ammonium nitrate with limestone or 500-600 g of urea, 500-600 g of potassium bisulfate and an extract of 3-4 kg of superphosphate are dissolved in 10 liters of water. The most favorable period for such spraying is the period after flowering. If there is a clear lack of nutrients, spraying is repeated one or two more times after 10-14 days. If necessary, such spraying is combined with spraying against diseases and pests of trees.

Protection from diseases and pests

The best defense is prevention. If fruit plants are provided with good conditions and properly cared for, they will not cause much trouble to the gardener.

And if you also provide everything to attract birds as your helpers, then your worries will be completely reduced. To do this, it is enough to install bird feeders in the garden for the winter, replenish the feeders with food, and for some useful birds, install titmice and birdhouses so that the birds hatch their chicks directly on the site. The birds will repay their owners with kindness - they will engage in useful work: destroying pests.

If any controversial issues arise, you should try to find out the reason and, after consulting with a specialist, make the appropriate adjustments to care for the garden and combat pests. Chemicals are used only as a last resort.

When the fruits are collected, the plants send waste substances into the foliage, thereby cleansing their body. Fruit buds are being laid. Plants reduce the water content of their tissues, significantly reducing sap flow. If in the summer garden plants were in active growth, then in the fall their wood matures and the bark thickens on young shoots.

Plants thus prepare for wintering. But what if, suppose, the wind came and tore off the already weakly sitting, but not yet yellowed foliage?

Or the gardener, out of inexperience, carried out formative pruning of the crowns, and it rained all autumn - and the young shoots continued to grow. In addition, the trees were attacked by herbivorous mites, aphids, wasps, butterflies and beetles - always a gardener's headache. As a result, the plants were incorrectly or insufficiently prepared for wintering, or even turned out to be unprepared for it.

And in the spring we will see black branches beaten by frost, cracked bark, frostbites, dried fruit buds, rampant ticks, flies, aphids, moths, butterflies and other uninvited guests.

If this happens to wild trees and bushes, for example, to a wild apple tree, blackthorn, or rowan somewhere outside the site, many will not even pay attention. But in a garden plot this is striking and indicates the reluctance or inability of the garden owner to handle his pets. We live in a risky farming zone and therefore are simply obliged to carry out the entire annual cycle of activities to care for our garden.