Content
Due to the harsh climatic conditions, Siberia is classified as a “risky farming region.” Even apple trees, which are distinguished by their hardiness and frost resistance, do not always take root here and bear fruit. However, local gardeners successfully cultivate these fruit trees. The main thing is to choose a zoned variety, wait for the right time and plant the apple tree correctly in the spring in Siberia.
Features of the climate in Siberia
Siberia is not only about long and harsh winters with long-lasting frosts of -40 °C or more. The region is also characterized by variability, unpredictability of climate, and frequent strong winds. Summer here is short and not hot; most often, after planting in the spring, apple trees do not receive enough heat and sunlight.
When to plant apple trees in spring in Siberia
Planting apple trees in spring is the only option for gardeners in Siberia. Frosts are very likely here already in the first half of September, and a newly planted tree will definitely not survive subzero temperatures.
After planting in the spring in Siberia, over the summer the apple tree has time to adapt to the new habitat and properly prepare for winter - its root system is formed, the bark, leaf and flower buds ripen. The gardener has the opportunity to control the condition of the seedling and “maintain” it with competent care.
The risk of tree death in the first winter after planting in the spring in Siberia is much lower, especially if it is a zoned apple tree
It is impossible to pinpoint the right time for disembarkation. It is necessary to wait until the snow melts, the soil and air warm up sufficiently, and the likelihood of return frosts is minimized. In spring in Siberia, apple trees are planted at the end of May or even in the first ten days of June.
Planting an apple tree with seedlings in spring in Siberia
The procedure itself follows the same algorithm as in other regions. For beginning gardeners, this video will help you visualize how to plant an apple tree in spring in Siberia:
But when it comes to preparation, there are certain nuances.
Preparation of seedlings
The best option for planting in spring in Siberia is a 2-3-year-old apple tree seedling of a zoned variety with a closed root system, purchased from a specialized nursery or other organization that can guarantee the quality of planting material. In this case, its preparation for planting is limited to abundant watering about an hour before - this will make it easier to remove the tree from the container, preserving the integrity of the earthen coma.
Before planting in the spring in Siberia, the “bare” roots of apple trees are carefully examined and all dead or rotten tissue is cut off. Then the seedlings with an open root system are placed in a container with warm (28-30 ° C) water or a biostimulant solution for a day.2-3 hours before planting, the roots can be dipped in a “mash” of cow dung and powdered clay, drying them in the open air.
Proper preparation helps seedlings quickly adapt to a new place
Selecting a location
To plant an apple tree in spring in Siberia, you need to choose a place on the site that is best illuminated and warmed by the sun, but at the same time protected from the wind.
Other important criteria that it must meet:
- Groundwater lying at least 2.5 m below ground level. Soil that becomes acidic at the roots provokes the development of root rot.
- Water- and breathable, fairly fertile substrate. The worst soil for planting apple trees in spring in Siberia is “poor” and “heavy” soil. Loam and forest gray soil are optimal.
- Neutral or slightly acidic pH. From alkaline or acidified soil, the roots of apple trees cannot extract the substances they need in the volume required for the normal development of the tree after planting in the spring in Siberia.
With a lack of light, even varieties released for planting in Siberia refuse to bear fruit
Pit preparation
The hole for planting an apple tree in the spring in Siberia must be prepared before mid-autumn of the last season. When determining its dimensions, they are guided by the size of the earthen lump on the roots of the seedling. The average depth is 0.8-1 m, diameter is 0.5-0.7 m.
Any drainage material is poured onto the bottom of the hole, forming a layer at least 12-15 cm thick.On top of it, about a third of it is filled with a nutritious soil mixture - high turf with humus and complex fertilizer for fruit trees (120-150 g).
You can also add “additional ingredients” that allow you to correct the characteristics of the substrate that are undesirable for apple trees. Suitable deoxidizers for alkaline soil are peat, pine needles, and sawdust from coniferous trees. Acidified soil is converted into neutral soil using dolomite flour, ground eggshells, and wood ash. The “heavy” substrate becomes looser after adding sand, the “light” substrate is mixed with powdered clay.
Due to the waterlogging of the soil in Siberia, drainage in the planting hole is indispensable
Planting scheme
When trying to “save space,” the process of caring for trees and harvesting becomes much more complicated, the risk of developing diseases and pest attacks increases, the quality of the fruit deteriorates, and the yield decreases.
To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to follow the landing pattern. The spacing between trees and the width of rows depends on the varietal characteristics, primarily the height of the apple trees, the shape and dimensions of the crown, the type of scion and rootstock:
- tall self-rooted - 4-4.5 * 5-5.5 m;
- tall on a “wild” rootstock – 3.5-4*5-5.5 m;
- slowly growing on a dwarf rootstock - 2-2.5 * 3.5-4 m;
- columnar – 0.5-0.7*1-1.2 m.
Excessive “crowding” when planting apple trees in spring in Siberia is very harmful to plants and inconvenient for the gardener
Care instructions
Most of the zoned varieties of apple trees suitable for planting in spring in Siberia are easy to care for. However, some features of agricultural technology are determined by the nuances of the local climate - and you need to know about them in advance.
Watering
Compared to trees growing in regions with a more favorable climate for gardening, apple trees in Siberia are watered much less frequently after planting in the spring. Here the soil is often waterlogged; if the gardener is overzealous with watering, the development of root rot is almost inevitable.
Most of the zoned varieties of apple trees are distinguished by a powerful and developed root system, capable of “pulling” water from the deep layers of the soil. Even in the first season after planting in the spring in Siberia, they can make do with natural precipitation. Trees are watered only if dry weather persists for a long time, moistening the soil once every 12-15 days.
The approximate rate of water consumption is 10 liters per 1 m² of the tree trunk circle (the same diameter as the crown)
Towards the end of July, watering of apple trees is stopped so that the quality of the harvest does not suffer. An exception is made only for very abundant (up to 150 l) moisture-recharging irrigation in mid-autumn (if there are no prolonged rains).
Top dressing
In the first season after planting in the spring in Siberia, apple trees do without additional fertilizing if the pit is prepared according to all recommendations. Next, fertilizers are applied four times:
- 7-10 days after the apple tree “wakes up” in the spring, it is fed with nitrogen, watered with a solution of mineral fertilizer. It is necessary for the active growth of green mass.
- At the budding stage, just before flowering. You can use both folk remedies and complex store-bought fertilizers.
- At the moment of formation of fruit ovaries. Here it is better to feed the apple tree with special preparations for fruit trees. This helps to increase the volume and quality of the harvest
- 2-3 weeks after picking apples, in preparation for winter. Nitrogen is excluded, the tree needs only phosphorus and potassium. There are special “autumn” fertilizers; wood ash is also suitable.
Without “support” in the form of fertilizers, abundant harvests of apples in the Siberian climate can not be expected
Trimming
Most of the work on pruning apple trees in Siberia is carried out in the spring; in the fall they are limited only to sanitary measures. Here trees are formed, mainly by practicing the method of cutting to a side branch (also known as “translation”) at an angle of 45°, without leaving “stumps”. Its advantages:
- the ability to change the direction of growth of the apple tree;
- activation of the branching process;
- increasing the growth rate of shoots;
- formation of a sparse crown.
The experience of gardeners shows that tall trees freeze out more often
Graft
Grafting allows you to grow even insufficiently frost-resistant apple tree varieties in Siberia. A regionalized variety or local wildflower is used as a rootstock, with cuttings of the desired variety attached to it.
In principle, any method of grafting apple trees after planting in spring in Siberia is suitable. Gardeners choose a method based on the condition and other characteristics of the scion and rootstock.The most suitable method, even for not very experienced gardeners, is grafting into clefts.
Taking into account the peculiarities of the local climate, the scion is placed a maximum of a meter above ground level. At the same time, up to six cuttings are grafted onto one rootstock, leaving intervals of 10-15 cm between them.
Preparing for winter
Despite their frost resistance, apple trees suitable for planting in spring in Siberia require careful preparation for winter. It begins with clearing the tree trunk circle of any debris and deep loosening it. Then, if the autumn is dry, water-recharging watering and fertilizing are carried out.
The tree trunk and skeletal branches must be whitened. After planting in Siberia, the roots of apple trees are “insulated” every autumn by covering the tree trunk circle with mulch. The approximate thickness of the layer is 10 cm; a “hill” 20-25 cm high is poured at the base of the trunk. Before the first fork, it is wrapped with covering material in several layers.
In the first season, seedlings after planting in the spring in Siberia can be covered entirely - as a rule, their dimensions allow this. They use special covers or homemade “huts” on a frame of poles, covered with burlap or the same covering material. They are filled inside with straw or wood shavings.
Preparing an apple tree for winter in Siberia is a whole range of activities, each of which is equally important
Protection from diseases and pests
The general hardiness and “stress tolerance” of apple trees suitable for spring planting in Siberia includes good resistance to disease and pest attacks. Therefore, with proper care, they rarely suffer from pathogenic microflora and insects.In most cases, two preventive treatments with insecticides and fungicides are sufficient - at the beginning and at the end of the active growing season. If there is no desire to use chemicals, during the season, once every 2-3 weeks, the apple trees themselves and the soil in the tree trunk are sprayed with folk remedies.
The only specific problem of trees suitable for planting in spring in Siberia is non-infectious. The combination of severe frosts and bright sunlight provokes “burns” of bark and wood of varying degrees of severity. To minimize damage, in preparation for winter, after planting in the spring in Siberia, apple trees have their trunks and skeletal branches whitened every fall.
The darker the frost damage on bark and wood, the higher the “severity” of damage
Conclusion
If you plant an apple tree correctly in the spring in Siberia, the tree will successfully take root and bear fruit. However, the local climate requires knowledge of many important nuances regarding the choice of variety, determining the optimal time for planting, and preliminary preparation for the procedure. Further care of the tree is no less important, otherwise the seedling will most likely not survive the coming winter.
