Apple trees — care, pruning

An apple orchard in which an apple tree does not grow cannot be called a full-fledged one. Every self-respecting cottager grows several varieties of apple trees in the backyard. We are ready to fight for a clean and healthy apple harvest almost all year round. Apple trees, which are cared for according to all the rules, will bear fruit annually and are unlikely to switch to periodic fruiting. By the way, non—annual fruiting is a scourge of modern amateur gardeners. Agree, everyone is familiar with this phenomenon.

With optimal care for young apple trees, they form flower buds for the future harvest every season, but for 5-6 years they still switch to periodic fruiting. One of the reasons is the cultivation of non-zoned varieties in your garden. For example, some apple trees of the old selection are very difficult to force to bear fruit annually. These are summer varieties of apple trees Grushovka, Arcade, Robin; autumn Anise, Aport, Titovka; winter Chestnuts, Babushkino. Also, do not get too carried away with varieties of foreign breeding, often they are not adapted to our harsh climatic conditions, they get sick for a long time, or even freeze out in the first winter.

CARE OF APPLE TREES IN SUMMER

You can get enviable apple harvests if you pay attention to the soil cover of the garden, fertilizers and fertilizing, timely pruning and crown formation. Caring for apple trees in summer is especially important. Everyone uses the aisles in the garden in different ways: someone welcomes the "black steam" method, another sows lawn grass or vegetable crops. All this is good, beautiful and convenient, but because of them the trees do not receive mineral nutrition and moisture. I think everyone knows that there should be no weeds in the trunk lane.

A well-formed crown and spring pruning of young apple trees from 4-5 years of age will provide you with excellent apple harvests. Just during this period, the illumination of the crown deteriorates, which is facilitated by shoots that have grown over the summer. As a result, the inner part of the crown is exposed, and it begins to grow only along the periphery. At the same time, an excess of fertilizers (especially nitrogen) leads to underdevelopment of fruit wood, and fruits are tied only along the edge of the crown. It turns out that the tree yields a mediocre harvest in one year, and rests for the next two or three years.

The lack of fertilizers also leads to the formation of defective fruit wood, flower buds predominate on short annual shoots. Measures to save the apple tree — care, pruning. The next year after the harvest, the care of old apple trees is to reduce the size of the crown. Cut out the broken branches, greatly shorten the skeletal ones, this will push for active growth and laying flowers. If you expect a bountiful harvest this year, remove the upper part of the crown, remove the interfering branches, and shorten the skeletal ones next season.

NECESSARY TOP DRESSING

Good tree development and excellent harvests are provided with sufficient moisture, mineral and organic fertilizing, pruning, and protection of apple trees from pests. Mineral fertilizers should be applied in three stages: early in spring before flowering; in June immediately after flowering; after the excess ovary falls off. Such a regime is necessary to maintain the growth processes of fruit twigs and the laying of flowers of the future harvest. Ringlets, spears and fruit twigs have a different development cycle, which ends at the same time.

Flower buds of annelids are laid first of all, they stop developing 7-11 days after flowering. A little later, with different terms, flower buds begin to form on the spears and growth twigs. The difference between cycles reaches 1-1.5 months. Caring for apple trees in July may also consist of foliar fertilizing, which increases the viability of the tree. They are used for abundant fruiting, freezing of apple trees or when signs of a lack of any element are clearly visible.

The bark and leaves are able to quickly absorb nutrients that contribute to the vital activity of the plant. Such sprays have a better effect on the growing process of the apple tree, since the tree receives the maximum amount of trace elements needed. Keep in mind that in dry weather, the concentration of solutions is slightly weaker to avoid burns. The lower leaf plate is most susceptible to foliar fertilizing.

CARE OF APPLE TREES IN AUTUMN

The apple tree in autumn brings new worries and requires careful preparations for the successful overwintering of trees. Caring for apple trees in autumn is, first of all, harvesting, destroying pests hiding for the winter, whitewashing trees and protective shelters. Apples for winter storage are carefully harvested by hand, trying not to damage the skin. It is best to do this in cloth gloves, so you will not damage the matte bactericidal coating on the fruits, and it depends on how long the fruits can be stored.

After leaf fall, most of the pests hide under the withered foliage, in the damaged bark of trees. Putting things in order in the garden — cleaning fallen leaves, pruning damaged branches, lime whitewash — will make your garden cleaner and healthier. In the care of apple trees in autumn, whitewashing of trunks and skeletal branches with lime is of great importance. However, do not whitewash young trees up to 5 years old with smooth bark. Before processing, it is advisable to walk along the trunk with a metal brush to remove dead areas of the bark. Pests can hide under it, so lay around the trunk something that will not be a pity to burn later.

Prepare such a mixture: 3 kg of lime, 1 kg of mullein, 1.5 kg of clay is taken for a bucket of water. The solution will turn out thick, like sour cream. Thanks to the clay, the lime mortar will turn out to be a pleasant beige color. For better adhesion of the whitewash to the trunks, add one or two glasses of fresh milk. Try to coat the branches higher, where you can get. Processing will make it easier for the apple tree to overwinter and reduce the risk of frost damage. Be sure to protect the tree trunks from the sharp teeth of hares and mice. It is worth tying apple trees with roofing material, cover with pine or spruce lapnik. We will only have to wait for a good harvest next year and delicious fruits.