Stages of preparing cherries for winter frosts

It is not worth counting on the natural resistance of the tree to frost, because climatic conditions and weather can play a cruel joke, and even frost-resistant cherries will not withstand such a temperature drop. Therefore, in order to protect the tree and protect it, to be sure that in the spring you will be pleased with the sprouts and flowering of the tree, you can make jam and compote, it is best to prepare cherries for winter in the fall, approaching this issue with all responsibility ... This way you will protect the tree and get a good harvest in the spring.

Autumn preparatory procedures

When exactly should you start preparing cherries for winter? This training is not considered mandatory for every region. In mild climates and snowy winters, it is not at all necessary to cover and hide shrubs from snow and frost. You can simply sprinkle the soil with fertilizers, thereby allowing the tree to bear fruit much better next season, and also carry out the final watering, which will charge the soil with moisture. If the winter is harsh, then autumn care should include various mandatory procedures. They include sanitary pruning of branches, processing of a circle around the trunk and its watering, pest control and prevention, mulching and whitewashing of the trunk. Autumn work can begin in September, or rather - from its beginning. You can cover cherries for the winter by the end of October. This can be done even when the first snow appears. Based on the weather, the timing of the shelter may vary.

Preparation depends on where the tree is growing, on weather conditions and on the climate. Based on these factors, you can choose how to cover the trunk and protect the root system from frost. If the frosts in the area you are protecting are not very strong, then the soil can be simply moistened and fed using any type of fertilizer. If winter promises to be stronger, then taking care of protecting the tree is worth more seriously, giving the cherry bush more time and attention. As a result, you will get a good harvest and flowering in the spring.

Cherry pruning scheme in autumn

The first stage of preparation is considered to be cutting off excess and old branches. Dry branches are removed using a sharp garden shears. It is very important to remove diseased branches in a timely manner. Thus, you protect healthy shoots from disease.

The most common way to protect a tree for the winter is to warm it with an ordinary snow cover. Maximum protection of branches and buds can be ensured by even covering them with snow. So the shoots are collected in a bunch in a circle or fan. How exactly to collect them depends on the type of tree. Better winter protection can be achieved by covering branches with straw or tops. If the branches do not want to stick tightly to the ground, then a layer of sand or earth is laid on them.An original and alternative option for sheltering branches can be called the use of a bag or any other heat-insulating material.

Even during the winter, the garden can be looked after. What do they do for this? Sometimes an extra amount of snow is raked up to the cherry. Thus, the root system can be protected from hypothermia. All available methods of protecting and covering the trunk, roots and earth above them, as well as deflection of branches will be described later in the article.

Shelter from the cold

How to start covering a tree, what do you need to know before starting this procedure? The first step is to bend the branches. Branches of eight and older are cut out. Up to five young branches are left for replacement, as well as the main branches and fruiting ones. The pressed branches are covered with tops or straw. Shrub cherry takes cover in a slightly different way - in spring, the slope remains, so the branches sag more easily. They bend in a circle. Steppe cherry is not very tall. It flexes in a circle as well as fanly. An ordinary cherry sags in a circle. Sandy cherries bend like a fan, and when the first frosts come, the branches gather in a bunch. In order to protect the roots of the tree, the soil under the bush is covered with a thick layer of snow. Sometimes the snow needs to be scooped up, from this a volumetric snowdrift is formed.

The tree trunk can be hidden under a burlap cover or wrapped in paper. In the spring, such a shelter is removed very easily and, as a result, the cherry will not suffer from moisture accumulation.

It is very important to protect young cherry seedlings for the winter, and in the first year, the trunk circle is mulched. For this, peat or sawdust is used, in extreme cases - an ordinary earthen layer. Having covered the trunk with a good layer of earth, the earliest snow falls on top. Experienced gardeners mulch snowdrifts with sawdust or straw - on top of the snow, such a coating leaves the ground frozen a little longer than without it. Early flowering begins ten days later than usual.

Blooming very early is undesirable as spring frosts can cause flowers to freeze. If they freeze, then after a while, abundant flowering, as well as a good harvest, will not work. An important role in the question of how well the tree will winters is played by the land plot, which was chosen for planting the tree. The chances of a good winter running are increased if the tree is protected from wind and snow well enough. It is best not to plant cherries near the fence, otherwise there is a danger that the bushes will be covered with snow under the very top of the crown.

In preparation for winter, autumn watering is a must. Such water recharge watering is very important, and it should be done after the leaves fall off. Before watering, you can dig in a near-trunk circle, and for each adult tree, up to fifteen liters of water is taken for irrigation. For young trees, eight liters are enough. Abundant watering will help the bushes to winter well, and the tree's root system to feel more confident.

The most dangerous months for a tree are considered to be January and May. In January, the tree is at rest, and a slight frost is not terrible for it. However, cold temperatures of 20-25 degrees are very difficult to endure even for sleepy trees. If other horticultural crops such as apples, pears or cherry plums can cope with the cold, peach crops can be severely affected. The kidneys are the first to suffer in January, since they are poorly protected.

Video "Preparing cherries for winter"

The recording shows how to prepare young trees and seedlings of fruit crops for winter.