It is necessary to prepare cherry seedlings for the cold weather. However, sometimes adult cherry trees also need special care - it all depends on climatic and constantly changing conditions. weather conditions. Wind strength, temperature fluctuations, and precipitation vary in different regions.
In mild frosts - at temperatures not lower than minus 5 degrees, you just need to take care of soil moisture and top dressing. Fertilizers for trees such as cherries can be found in every specialized store. If we are talking about a colder climate, then growing cherries becomes impossible without shelter for the winter.
Branches should be trimmed before covering. We are talking about the old and dry, as well as the sick - everything should be cut off and, preferably, burned. In this case, there is a chance that you will stop the disease for initial stage and this disease will not spread to healthy branches.
How to prepare cherries for the cold season - warming
After preparatory phase We are getting ready for winter already. The easiest way to insulate cherries is with ordinary snow cover. It is snow that helps to protect both branches and buds from freezing as much as possible. If there is plenty of precipitation, then you will need to cover all branches as evenly as possible. There is only one caveat - cherry shoots need to be bent in a circle or according to the “fan” principle. Which option to choose depends on what kind of cherry you have.
If your winter usually goes without snow, you can use haulm or straw. There are usually plenty of plant residues in every garden, so it will not be difficult for you to prepare them for these purposes. Sand or soil is usually also poured over such a layer. Some cover the tree trunk with a special bag or heat-insulating material.
So try to choose one of the above options. If you have plenty of snow, then you will periodically need to add some snow to the roots of the cherry seedling. This is how you save root system wood from the cold and thereby help fruit plant winter well. - a separate topic, which is covered in an article on our website.
Additional nuances for preserving the tree
Starting from the end of summer, it is not recommended to water the tree often - this can only harm you. As for loosening the soil, this process must be approached carefully. After all, digging up a piece of land near a tree, you can simply damage the roots. Such a procedure should be started along with top dressing from the beginning of autumn. Fertilizers you will need phosphorus and potash. If you use, for example, manure, compost or humus, then you will need to add a layer of soil on top.
After loosening, you need to water the cherry. Keep in mind that it is not worth pouring a lot of water on a fruit tree - from one to two buckets of water will be enough. If there is mulching material near the tree, you need to move it to the side so that the tree does not start to rot. Many gardeners use for watering special tubes in the form of cut plastic bottles that need to be deepened near the root.
Thanks to this, when watering, water will flow clearly for its intended purpose - directly to the root system of the cherry.
It is also important on the eve of the winter season to whitewash the stem of the cherry with a white solution - we are talking about slaked lime with the addition of iron sulphate and clay. Old and dried branches that have been cut should also be processed - they are usually lubricated with a special garden pitch. Deep cracks are also covered with them, if the tree has them. All these necessary procedures should be done before mid-autumn, otherwise it will be too late later.
And do not forget that all unnecessary garbage after pruning should be thrown away, and not left under a tree in your area. Another important point- so that there are no pests and fungal diseases on the tree, with the advent of frost, it is necessary to process the tree 5 percentage solution urea. Thanks to this care, very soon you will be able to harvest a decent harvest and cook a lot of delicious preparations, For example, .
People living in regions with a warm or temperate climate do not think about shelter fruit trees. However, in northern regions it is necessary to cover even some frost-resistant varieties. Today we will tell you whether and how to cover the cherry for the winter.
Almost all varietal cherries and cherries are different a high degree frost resistance, so you do not need to cover them. However, in regions with severe winters and strong autumn and spring frosts mature trees may also be affected, and young trees may not survive at temperatures of 25 ° C below zero. flower buds mature trees die at -26 °C, and uncovered branches freeze slightly at -30 °C. Frostbitten branches gradually die off: first the bark turns black, then cracks.
Branches suffer from sunburn during thaws after prolonged frosty temperatures. The contrast of night and day temperatures causes the tender bark to burst, leaving the tree vulnerable to fungal infections and pests. It is for these reasons that it is recommended to take care of sheltering not only young cherries, but also adults. In the conditions of the Far North, gardeners are gradually transferring standard trees in flexible creeping forms that are easy to cover for a period of cold weather.
Preparing cherries for winter begins with autumn care procedures. Before watering and fertilizing, you need to prepare the soil. soil in trunk zone loosen to a depth of about 7-8 cm. Loosening helps ensure normal air circulation in the root system. Then the surface is mulched. As mulch, you can use compost, rotted manure, chopped oak bark. Then the sweet cherry is fed with humus diluted with water (several buckets) and potassium-phosphorus or complex fertilizers. Nitrogen-containing top dressing should not be applied - it stimulates the growth of the tree and prevents it from preparing for a dormant period.
It is also necessary to moisten the tree abundantly, approximately to a depth of one and a half meters. Depending on the age and size of the tree, this may require from 2 to 10 liters. Another one necessary procedure autumn care- pruning. Dry and damaged branches are removed, which can become a haven for pests and fungal spores. Young shoots that have grown too much are shortened by ⅓. In autumn, the trunk and large skeletal branches are whitened to prevent the appearance of frost holes and protect from sunlight. After the completion of the care procedures and the onset of frost, the cherries begin to be insulated.
Video "Autumn pruning of cherries"
From this video you will learn how to properly prune cherries in the autumn.
Materials and technique of shelter
Covering should not only above-ground part tree, but also the root zone. Warming will help protect the root system from drying out and freezing, and upper part from frostbite and burns.
For roots
For warming the root system use natural materials, which do not release heat, but allow air to circulate. Peat, spruce branches, sawdust (from the bark of non-coniferous trees) are best suited for this purpose. They cover an area that corresponds in size to the width of the crown, because the branches grow to the distance of the spread of the root system.
Young seedlings, immature trees and transplanted cherries should be covered.
for the crown
Young trees and seedlings must be covered completely using wireframe method coatings. Mature strong trees can be covered partially (only the root and near-stem zone) in order not only to insulate the roots, but also to protect the cherry from small and large rodents. The branches are gathered together and wrapped with rope for compactness. Wooden pegs are driven around for the frame, which is wrapped with a special covering material. Pegs should be placed narrowing from bottom to top.
For shelter, you can use agrofibre, spunbond, burlap. The frame is wrapped to the top in such a way that a kind of cylinder or cone is formed. Such a shelter must stand firmly so as not to fall off from strong winds and a large amount of precipitation. An air cushion is formed inside the shelter, which will prevent the plant from drying out and retain heat. The branches of flexible trees are bent to the ground, covered with special material, put a load and sprinkled with foliage.
In order for the cherry to be more flexible, it is grafted onto bushy (felt) cherries.
Rodent protection
In the cold season, when everything is covered with snow, the amount of food for small and large rodents is significantly reduced. Therefore, they move to the bark of trees. Seedlings and young trees are at risk. In addition to the frame coating, pegs are driven in around the trunk, which are wrapped with paper or roofing paper and covered with soil. Also inside the shelter, you can set traps and pour grain treated with poison.
Cherry is famous for its good frost resistance. However, the tree needs to be prepared for wintering. Especially if the cherry is young. It will be difficult for a fragile plant to endure a harsh winter with little snow. And if a young tree starts to hurt, it will be difficult to get a rich harvest in the future.
The preparation of young cherries for winter should begin with the protection of its underground part.
Mulching the trunk circle
If, in order to protect an adult tree, it is enough to rake snow to the trunk circle in winter, then young seedlings are prepared for the cold in autumn. For this:
- trunk circle should be covered with mulch. For this, peat, sawdust, rotted foliage are suitable;
- if the necessary mulch is not at hand, an additional layer of earth can play its role. With the first snow, this shelter must be turned into a snowdrift;
- on top of the snow, it is advisable to additionally add a heap of straw or sawdust, this will help delay the early spring bloom young cherry.
Important. Before mulching, water-charging watering of the soil is carried out. It is carried out after leaf fall and digging of the soil near the trunk circle. Under each young tree, about 8 liters of water will be required.
Barrel cover
When the winter is predicted to be harsh, additional protection branches and trunk may also be needed. Shelter begins in the last decade of October. The stem is wrapped with newspapers, paper or burlap. The branches bend towards the trunk. A fabric cover is put on top. It is removed in the spring with the advent of heat.
Warming trees with covers
Young cherry trees are very sensitive and, without proper preparation, can hardly endure cold winters. Help the seedlings to overwinter in the first years after planting, and in the future they will no longer cause such trouble.
The cherry blossom season is over. But in order to get a guaranteed and good harvest V next year, trees need care at the end of summer.
Appearance
Shrub or tree up to 10 m high
Family
Rosaceae
Leaves
Petiolate, with pointed tips and serrated edges
White or pink; collected in small inflorescences
Fruit
Juicy spherical drupes of red or dark red color with a pleasant sweet and sour taste
Cherry care plan
1. In August, continue to weed, loosen and mulch (with peat, sawdust) the trunk circle.
2. In September, feed the cherry with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers that will help the tree prepare for winter (70 g of potassium chloride or potassium salt and 150 g of superphosphate per plant; close up for digging).
3. After leaf fall, remove all plant debris from the near-trunk circle and destroy. After the first frost, sprinkle the tree and the near-stem circle
5% solution of urea (or Azofos - 100 g per 10 liters of water) - this procedure will help to destroy a large number of pests, pathogens and prevent them from multiplying.
4. In dry autumn, carry out moisture-charging watering.
This is especially important for young cherry trees. Norm for each plant; for 3-5 year olds - about 5-8 buckets, 7-10 year olds - 12-15 buckets. Older trees are watered more abundantly. 5 "In late November - early December, whiten the trunks or paint them with white garden paint (to prevent sunburn in winter).
Trees of modern varieties of cherries start fruiting early - already in the 4-5th year, but they live only 15-20 years ...
Cherry does not tolerate stagnant water, so seedlings should not be planted in flooded areas, as well as in places where ground water lie very close to the surface.
6. To protect against rodents, cover the bole with a special net or juniper branches with tops down, etc. Scatter rodent seed (such as Storm).
Cherry in the pit
IN middle lane plant cherries better in spring. Seedlings acquired in autumn can be left in a prikope for the winter.
On the prepared site, they dig a groove 30-35 cm wide and 35 cm deep in the west-east direction and lay the seedlings with a slope to the south (this will protect the bark from sunburn). Thoroughly cover the roots and the base of the trunk for 5-10 cm with earth. The soil is evenly shed. Poisoned baits, branches of blackberries, wild roses and other thorny plants are laid out around the joke and together with seedlings to protect against rodents. At the end of winter, to prevent warming up, excess snow is raked from the priko-pa, leaving a layer of 10-20 cm.
After the snow melts, the seedlings are carefully dug up. To check how the plants overwintered, small cuts of bark and wood are made at the base of the roots with a knife. If the bark is light brown and the wood is greenish-white, there is no freezing, and if they are dark brown, then the seedlings are either frozen or propped up.
Autumn planting cherries
If, nevertheless, you decide to plant cherries in the fall, the optimal time for this is the beginning of October (3-4 weeks before the first frost). The site must be protected from the north winds. A good option- gentle southern or southwestern slopes, as well as places located on the south side of buildings.
IN landing pits(with a diameter of about 80 cm and a depth of at least 50 cm), it is enough to add 1-2 buckets of humus, as well as about 1 kg of ash and 0.4 kg of superphosphate. All this is mixed with the top fertile layer of the earth. Cherry loves neutral soils, therefore it is desirable to carry out liming on an “acidic” site: on light sandy soils, 300-400 g of lime per 1 sq.m is applied, on heavy loamy soils - 600-800 g.
When planting, the root neck should be at ground level (taking into account the possibility of soil subsidence, especially for loamy soil). Formative pruning of a seedling planted in autumn is done in spring.
The benefits of cherries
Cherry juice and cherry leaf tea in summer are good thirst quenchers. In case of exhaustion, loss of strength, it is recommended to drink a glass of freshly squeezed cherry juice a day.
In addition to fruits and leaves, traditional medicine as a healing agent, cherry stalks are also used. 1 tbsp dry raw materials pour 1 tbsp. boiling water, cook for 15 minutes, strain. Drink 1/3 tbsp. three times a day with increased blood pressure and edema of renal origin (as a diuretic).
With insomnia, anxiety 2 tbsp. dry fruits of cherries pour 0.5 l hot water, leave for an hour, strain and drink instead of tea during the day.