Shelter apple trees for the winter - advice from gardeners

The autumn season is the time to prepare the garden for the winter period. How the grower takes care of his trees will determine their well-being throughout the year. First of all, this is important for the most common fruit trees - apple and pear. The harvest is over, the last leaf has fallen, the apple orchard is preparing for a long, harsh winter. In order for the trees to again delight us with their fabulous flowering in the spring, and in the summer we can enjoy their magnificent fruits, apple trees need to be properly and competently prepared for winter, sparing no time and effort. Preparing apple trees for winter is a work that consists of several stages and activities. The main step in this important work is the sheltering of the trees. Many gardeners are interested in how to properly cover apple trees for the winter in order to protect them from frost and hares. If you are not yet an experienced gardener, then our tips will tell you the answer to this question.

Why do you need to cover apple trees

Most temperate apple trees are considered resistant to cold winters. If not severe frosts last only a few days, then they will not bring much harm to apple trees, unlike hungry hares. In extreme cases, weak root branches may suffer a little, or roots located close to the surface of the ground may slightly freeze. Therefore, before starting to cover apple trees for winter, it is important to understand why this should be done. It is recommended to cover the apple tree not only in order to protect the tree from frost; the main thing is to protect against a variety of rodents (hares, mice, etc.). Timely and reliable bark cover is a prerequisite for healthy growth and development of the tree in spring. Such a shelter is especially necessary for young trees, since damage to the bark can cause various diseases, and even lead to the death of the apple tree. Preparing apple trees for winter includes protecting the trees from hares and other rodents.

It is generally accepted that before you cover an apple tree (this also applies to pears) for the winter, you need to increase its resistance to frost for some time. Throughout the season, try to do everything so that the tree grows strong and healthy. To do this, you need to remember about timely watering, loosening the earth, applying top dressing and fertilizing. At the end of summer, it is recommended to stop watering and increase loosening. This will provide the tree with a supply of minerals, will help stop the growth of the root system, and only then will your measures for sheltering and insulating the apple tree be effective. For frost-resistant apple trees at the age of 5-7 years, insulation is considered optional. Provided that the bark of the tree is healthy, there are no visible damages and diseases on it, the apple tree can independently withstand frost. The ground part of the trunk without additional cover can withstand frosts up to 20-35 degrees. Columnar apple trees must be insulated for the winter, regardless of their size and age.

Video "Shelter for the winter of columnar apple trees"

The video shows how to prepare a columnar apple tree for wintering; how to cover the plant to protect it from frost and rodents.

How to insulate apple trees

Experienced gardeners believe that not only the quality of their further harvest, but also the period of fruiting will depend on how apple and pear trees are covered for the winter. Before you cover your apple trees for the winter, it is important to study the climatic features of your area.Sometimes careless gardeners naively hope that the winter will be warm, and do not pay enough attention to the insulation of trees. This is an unacceptable oversight. According to long-term observations of meteorologists, the winter air temperature often drops to -40 ° С, and on the surface of the earth to -42-46 degrees below zero. It should be noted that this amplitude on windless days can be up to 10 degrees and higher. In this case, if the apple tree is not insulated, then both the root and skeletal branches will die. This can be avoided if not only to cover the place of the root system with snow, but also to insulate the trunk well with improvised materials - burlap, paper, etc. Siberian gardeners should be especially serious about solving this problem, since long and frosty winters require careful shelter of trees not only from hares, but also from frost.

It is recommended in advance, at the end of November, to begin work on the insulation of the apple tree root system. After the first heavy snowfall, cover the tree trunk with snow to a height of about a meter, but do not forget to remove it in the spring. Siberian gardeners do it a little earlier, depending on the average daily air temperatures. Before snow falls, you can insulate apple and pear trees with spruce branches, paper, cloth or other materials, preferably to a height of 1-1.5 meters. From above, paper or thick fabric is fixed with a soft twine or strong rope. It is believed that this protects the apple tree not only from hares and mice, but also protects against strong gusty winds and sunburn.

Features of the shelter of seedlings

If trees were planted in the garden in the fall, then the question arises: how to protect apple tree seedlings in winter? Most often, it is recommended to do the same as with older trees.

The most important thing is a reliable root cover. In order for them to winter safely, you need to take care of them in advance. Put manure around the root system first, and sprinkle with a thick layer of sawdust on top. The root neck is well wrapped with any dense insulating material (agrofibre can be used for this purpose). You can tie the trunk of a tree with thick white wrapping paper. It is known that white color has good reflectivity, which means it will protect the seedling from harmful sun rays. It is not recommended to use a film or roofing material, podoprev during the thaw period, they can cause various fungal diseases on the bark. For these purposes, you can use the stems of reeds, corn or sunflower.

After warming, the young seedling should be covered with an earthen mound up to 30 centimeters high, provided that the soil is dry and loose. Rotting in winter, during thaws, and in spring, when temperatures above zero are established, manure will provide fertilization of the root system with minerals. This will promote strong growth and development of your tree. Only then is it recommended to sprinkle the apple tree seedling with the thickest possible layer of snow.

When preparing a columnar seedling for winter, you need to take good care of the apical bud. It can be insulated with old rags and wrapped with foil. It is advisable to tie a young tree to a support.

Video "Warming of fruit for the winter"

The video talks about why to insulate fruit trees for the winter, and shows how to do it correctly.