Apple trees are probably one of the most common trees in gardens. Some of their species live for about 100 years. But for trees to bear fruit, they need proper care. Therefore, it is important to know how to process apple trees in spring. After all, early preparation of the tree for the new season is a necessary procedure.
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How to care for apple trees in the spring
They clean up the garden in early spring in March. This also applies to apple trees. To begin with, remove all the debris around them. The bark, which has exfoliated, must be removed, because this is where the source of various diseases can be. These places are also convenient for wintering insects.
The branches can be damaged by frost and pests. The lower part of the trunk sometimes suffers from rodents. If it is superficial damage, then it is sufficient to treat it with garden var. If the bark is eaten before wood, then a bridge grafting is necessary.
When the tree stem is freed from the old dead bark, on it whitewash from the ground to the skeletal branches below. This measure is especially relevant for young trees, it protects them from sunburn, but not only. It is also effective against pests that have settled in the bark.
There is a ready-made acrylic-based mixture on sale. Can use lime mortar... Copper sulfate is often added to it. The whitewash holds well and is not washed off by rain. In old trees, which are 10-15 years old, the bark is not susceptible to sunburn. Therefore, for this purpose, it is not necessary to whiten them.
Also, before pruning from trees, you need to collect the cobwebs, the fruits left over from the fall. All this is burned together with the garbage. The apple tree is examined and for wounds, if any, the bark is simply peeled with a knife to healthy tissue.
This place must be disinfected, then the garden var is applied. Good for disinfection copper sulfate solution... In a bucket of water, 300 g of the product are diluted and the damaged areas on the apple tree trunk are treated with this mixture.
All cuts are also treated with garden pitch or putty for the prevention of diseases and pests. You can make such a composition based on wood resin. 50 parts of resin are heated to a liquid state, 13 parts of pork or lamb fat and 20 parts of turpentine are added to it. All this is thoroughly mixed.
There are ready-made compositions on sale, but many gardeners do not advise using them, since they contain rosin and drying oil. They are considered harmful to trees.
Pruning apple trees
Now you can start spring pruning. It is important to take into account the location of the branches, because their growth and fruiting depends on this:
The least fruit can be produced by a branch that forms an acute angle with the trunk; they are removed first.- Erect branches grow more intensively than others, but they bear little fruit, spending most of their energy on growth.
- Most of the fruits are formed on the horizontally located branches of the apple tree.
- It is important to remove damaged and diseased branches.
It's not so simple with the crown shoots. They are not recommended to be pruned from apple trees younger than 3 years old, as they are needed for their growth. As for the skeletal branches, they are simply shortened.If the procedure is carried out for anti-aging purposes, then they do it for the length of the annual growth.
Pruning young apple trees helps regulate growth and fruiting... Trees that are 1 year old usually do not have large branches. They are cut at about a meter from the ground.
Up to 5 years on an apple tree, it is better to produce formative pruning, and you should be careful with shortening the branches. It is best to cut them to a minimum to avoid any delay in tree development.
Mature apple trees require special care. When rejuvenating a tree, it is necessary to take into account whether there has been an increase in the last 2 years. If it was not observed, then the fruit formations are partially removed and carefully cut off skeletal branches.
Working with very old trees, pruning is guided by the zone of dormant buds. It is located at the bottom of the shoot. Such trees are cut to about 7-year-old timber.
The result of this concern will not be long in coming. Recovery processes will begin next year. Thinning the crown contributes better ventilation of the apple tree and its lighting. All this has a positive effect on the condition of the tree and its yield.
How trees are sprayed in spring
There are many different pest control drugs now. They can be divided into 2 groups according to the method of exposure: systemic and contact.
What is the difference? Contact drugs work very well for early wood processing... They are effective against pests that have successfully overwintered under the dried bark.
Insecticides of this type, getting on pests, destroy them immediately. But their minus is the short duration of the action, its duration is only a week, moreover, they are easily washed off by rain.
Systemic drugs differ in the principle of action. After processing, they get inside the apple tree, which leads to the death of pests... The insecticide lasts about 2 weeks.
At the same time, the drug does not harm the fruit in any way, because it quickly decomposes. They are optimal for later processing of apple trees. Here are just a few of the existing drugs:
- Voliam targo - effective against ticks and moths.
- Nurell D. This systemic drug is good against complex pests.
- Insegar destroys not only the moth, but also the leafworm.
- Benzophosphate. Its main action is aimed at leaf pests, while pollinating insects are practically not affected, it lasts up to 1 month.
- Oleocobrite helps in the fight against aphids, ticks, scale insects.
- Karbofos. It is effective against foliage pests during the growing season, but not applicable during pollination.
In addition to insecticides, there are natural products... For example, a solution of wood ash helps with caterpillars and apple aphids. In addition, it contains various beneficial trace elements: magnesium, iron, copper.
For spring processing of apple trees, use a solution copper or iron sulfate, he fights well with various pests. Various infusions are also applicable: onion peel, garlic, tobacco. Laundry soap solution is also effective.
Due to the fact that the period of activity of pests is different, it is possible to apply certain means selectively. Or use universal insecticides of complex action. Each gardener chooses what is convenient for him.
Using drugs for pests, it is important to observe the dosage... Do not forget about safety measures when working with them.
Pest control
When the tree is finished pruning, it's time to treat it against pests. It is much better to carry out prevention in the spring than to kill insects during the period of fruit ripening.
Processing apple trees has its own subtleties. It is divided into several stages. In early spring, in March, before the start of sap flow, the very first procedures are carried out. The crown of the apple tree is sprayed with special solutions. It is possible here apply Bordeaux fluid.
You can cook it yourself. This is done as follows: add 250 g of quicklime to 10 liters of water (cold) and filter.Then a solution of copper sulfate is made, for this, 250 g of copper sulfate are taken for 2.5 liters of warm water. This mixture is poured into a lime mortar and mixed well.
This composition sprayed tree crowns... The minimum temperature for the procedure is +3 ° C. Various contact insecticides are also applicable. They are also needed in the next step. They cultivate the trunk, branches and the ground near the apple tree.
The second processing takes place in April. When the buds have already formed, but the apple tree is not blooming yet. Here, the use of a mild systemic insecticide is optimal so as not to burn the kidneys. Alternatively, you can use bio-based contact products that are safe for pollinators.
Processing apple trees during flowering
During the budding period, they fight against the apple blossom beetle and pests that feed on foliage. For these purposes, solutions of drugs such as Benzophosphate, Karbofos, Rovikurt are suitable.
When the buds start to turn pink, you can protect the apple trees from caterpillars. It is quite applicable here Bitoxibacillin solution... It is also worth checking the leaves for fruit mite larvae. They are fought with Karbofos, and sulfur preparations are also used.
Processing is not carried out during the budding period, so as not to disrupt the formation of ovaries. When the flowers on the apple tree have blossomed, procedures such as weeding the weeds, and those found on the tree pests are removed by hand... At this time, it is impossible to spray the apple trees, since you can harm the insects that pollinate them.
The next stage of the spring processing of apple trees begins at the end of flowering. At this time, they fight against insects that harm foliage and fruits, such as the leafworm and moth.
Can be hung butterfly traps... These are the final activities of the spring processing of apple trees and a very important stage. Sometimes, repeated processing of trees may be required.
Diseases of apple trees - treatment and prevention
An important point is the prevention and treatment of diseases of the apple tree. Fungicidal preparations are often used for this. They are effective against fungal infections and more.
For example, Horus is used for late processing of apple trees. It can be used before flowering. He protects against powdery mildew and at the same time it is low-toxic. The same disease is fought with the help of colloidal sulfur.
It will help in the treatment and copper sulfate... He treats the apple tree against fungal diseases, lichens and mosses, in which various pests can be found, moreover, they interfere with the normal "breathing" of trees.
For spraying a tree, prepare the following composition: 200 g of copper sulfate per 10 liters of water. In early spring, the tree is simply cleared of lichens by removing the bark. And the affected areas are treated with this solution. Bordeaux liquid is also effective in such cases.
A good prevention of scab is treatment with copper chloride... A mixture of copper sulfate with slaked lime will also help from it, it is bred in 10 liters of water and trees are treated. Carbonate fungicides are also used.
Fertilizing apple trees in spring
Spring care for an apple tree includes fertilization. Immediately after the snow melts in the near-trunk circle, they carefully dig up the soil and add ammonium nitrate.
At the beginning of the growing season, compositions with a high nitrogen content are relevant. Before that, weeds are removed and very carefully loosen the groundso as not to damage the roots. You can use a solution of manure in water 1:10, bird droppings 1:15. Copper sulfate diluted in water 2 g per 10 l is also useful.
A good fertilizer can also be made from wood ash. For 10 liters of water, you will need 100 g of ash and st. l. urea. The mixture is brought under the tree. Humus is also used for these purposes. With a rather poor soil, it will be useful to fertilize with the beginning of flowering.
It can be prepared in liquid form by dissolving in 10 liters of water:
- potassium sulfate 40 g;
- superphosphate 50 g;
- bird droppings 250 g (it can be replaced with 0.5 l of slurry).
Good during flowering organic fertilizers, but you should not forget about the mineral compositions. Fertilization of young trees is especially necessary, it is recommended to fertilize them 3 times with a break of half a month. After top dressing, it is useful to loosen the soil again.
Spring care of the apple tree is very important. it pledge of normal development trees. Only with some effort can you get a good harvest.
