Apple tree in spring after winter: what to do, care, advice from experienced gardeners

Caring for an apple tree in the spring after winter includes several activities at once. Even before the snow melts, the plants are fed with ammonium nitrate granules. Then they remove the shelter and tidy up the tree trunk circle. The soil is thoroughly loosened and new mulch is laid. It is equally important to feed the trees in the spring. At this time, the emphasis is on nitrogen compounds.

How to properly care for an apple tree in spring after winter

In spring, apple tree care is especially important. In most Russian regions, winters are frosty, so the shoots inevitably suffer from extreme temperatures, and some of them die. It is recommended to gradually remove the shelter, tidy up the tree trunk circle, and loosen the soil.

Some types of work (applying fertilizers on snow) are carried out in March. The main care activities are carried out already in April.Moreover, it is important to focus on the weather forecast in order to protect trees in time from returning spring frosts.

Removing winter shelter

In many regions, proper care of an apple tree in the spring begins with removing the winter cover - tapes, nets or other devices. You need to start working when there is a stable above-zero temperature outside, i.e. even in summer it will be above zero. The timing varies in different regions - approximately this is the first half of April.

However, there is no need to rush, as the young bark may suffer from sunburn. If you used non-woven porous material for the cover, through which air passes well, you can remove it closer to mid-April. Around the same time or a little earlier, the mulch is removed from the tree trunk layer.

Treatment of damage

Caring for young and especially old apple trees in the spring includes eliminating damage that the bark may receive from rodents. As a rule, the lower part of the trunk suffers. You need to act depending on the nature of the damage:

1. If the surface layer is broken throughout the entire circle, i.e. ring, the correct care measure is to graft the cuttings. To do this, the wound is first covered and a bridge from the cutting is secured with a special tape, as shown in the diagram.
2. If only some part is damaged (and not the entire circle), you can simply cover it with garden varnish. Other affected areas are treated in the same way.

Grafting a cutting with a bridge will help restore the plant

Cleaning from moss and lichens

Caring for young and old apple trees in early spring includes cleaning of lichens and mosses. They can grow throughout the season; pests often overwinter in such plants. Therefore, it is necessary to remove them - for this they use a stiff brush.

To prevent the further appearance of mosses and lichens, it is recommended to treat the area after cleaning with the following means:

• potassium permanganate solution – 1 g per 2 liters of water;
• iron sulfate (2%);
• copper sulfate (0.5%).

Trimming and shaping

Spring care for apple trees includes pruning. First you need to remove all diseased, frozen shoots that did not survive the winter. Then proceed like this:

1. Remove branches that interfere with the old ones (shade them from the sun).
2. Several second-order shoots are cut out so that there is an interval of 40-70 cm between the skeletal ones.
3. Another rule of care in spring is to remove the top (if the tree is taller than 4 m). The crown is shortened by a third for three years in a row. This is necessary for rejuvenation and strengthening of skeletal branches.

Young seedlings need to pinch off the growing points to begin forming the crown. The procedure is carried out annually, ensuring that all branches grow at approximately the same pace.

Whitewash

Caring for an apple tree after planting in the spring includes whitewashing the trunks. The procedure is carried out annually at the beginning of the season to protect the shoots from sunburn and pests. You need to start working immediately after removing the cover. Some gardeners bleach apple trees in the fall, but this is a maintenance mistake, since the layer will be washed off over the winter.

For whitewashing use ordinary lime. The sequence of actions is as follows:

1. Stir 300 g of lime in 2 liters of water.
2. Add a few crystals of copper sulfate.
3. Mix thoroughly and apply to the trunk to a height of at least 1.5 m. You can also treat skeletal branches up to 20-30 cm from the central trunk.

Watering

If the winter was snowy, the soil will remain moist for a long time after the cover melts. Therefore, additional water is not required. But if the soil is dry, watering is necessary. Young trees are given 1-2 buckets of water, and adults – 5-8. The consumption is quite large - this is necessary for the liquid to reach the deepest roots.

Watering apple trees is carried out after the soil has dried from melted snow.

Caring for apple tree seedlings after planting in the spring includes weekly watering with 1-2 buckets of water. For mature trees, it is enough to give water once in the spring and twice in the summer, and then once in the fall.

Loosening and removing weeds

Spring care for apple trees includes loosening. It is recommended to start work after heavy watering or heavy rain. If you leave the soil as is, a dense surface layer is formed, which prevents the penetration of oxygen to the roots of the plant.

Loosening is done using a rake or other tools. The soil needs to be dug up to a depth of 5 cm. At the same time, weeds are removed. It is not advisable to use herbicides as this can lead to the destruction of beneficial soil bacteria.

Mulching

Mulching is an effective procedure that allows you to properly care for adult and young apple trees in the spring. Thanks to the protective layer, the soil will remain moist longer, and the roots will not be damaged by night frosts and temperature changes. Another important function is the prevention of pests and weed growth.

To do this, the surface layer of soil is first cleared of plant debris and old mulch, and then new material 5 cm high is laid. Use:

• straw;
• rotted sawdust;
• compost;
• peat;
• bark;
• humus.

Organic materials that enrich the soil with nitrogen and other elements are suitable as mulch.

Top dressing

Caring for apple trees in the spring includes feeding. In order for the trees to wake up as early as possible and recover after a difficult winter period, they are given the following fertilizers:

• in early spring (on snow) - ammonium nitrate granules in the amount of 20 g per 1 m²;
• on the eve of the appearance of flowers - potassium sulfate (40 g per 1 m²) and superphosphate (50 g per 1 m²);
• after flowering - a similar composition.

If ammonium nitrate is not available, it can be replaced with urea in the same amount. Also, after the snow melts, it is recommended to lay out a layer of organic mulch, such as peat, humus or compost. This is an important rule of care that almost all experienced gardeners know about.

However, caring for two-year-old apple trees and older trees in the spring necessarily involves regular feeding.

Fertilizing ensures rapid leaf growth and abundant flowering

Protection from pests and diseases

Care in early spring necessarily includes treatment against diseases and pests. Back in March, before the buds begin to swell, it is recommended to peel off the old bark and treat the damage with garden varnish.

After this, total treatment is carried out with copper sulfate (solution concentration 0.5-1%) or special fungicides:

• "Abiga Peak";
• "Bordeaux mixture";
• "Ridomil Gold";
• "HOME."

After the buds begin to swell and the air warms up to 12-15 degrees during the day, it is recommended to spray the apple trees with insecticides:

• "Coragen Expert Garden";
• "Aktellik";
• "Inta-Vir";
• "Fufanon";
• "Spark".

We recommend using Coragen Expert Garden to prevent the appearance of apple moths on plants. To do this, process according to the instructions, observing the rules and dosage.

Another important rule of care in spring is the installation of catching belts. The tape is glued to a small height of the trunk. This allows you to protect shoots and leaves from dangerous pests such as weevils.

Caring for young apple trees in spring after winter

Young apple tree seedlings need to be cared for especially carefully in the spring. They need good shelter. To do this, the trunk is wrapped in thick non-woven fabric, and the root collar is mulched with fresh manure or sawdust.

In early spring, this cover is removed, gradually unwinding the agrofibre. There is no need to rush, as spring frosts may return. In addition, young bark can be damaged by bright sun. Therefore, caring for young apple trees, for example, in the Urals and Siberia, involves removing the cover in mid-spring. And in the middle zone, work can begin a week earlier.

Another important rule for caring for one-year-old apple trees in the spring is regular watering. As soon as the soil dries from melted snow, young seedlings should be given water at least once a week (1.5-2 buckets). It is preliminarily settled - the liquid should not be cold.

You should also prune in the spring.For a newly planted seedling (first 2 years), all side branches are shortened by a third of the length. They do this in order to stimulate new growth points.

How to care for an old apple tree in spring

Caring for old apple trees should also be quite thorough. In spring, it is necessary to trim off all dried, diseased, broken branches. They operate according to the following scheme:

1. Large branches are removed first, and then small ones.
2. The crown is trimmed, but not more than a third.
3. Clean all edges with a sharp knife.
4. Next, the wounds are treated with garden varnish.

Also, caring for an old apple tree in the spring includes stripping the bark of moss and lichens. All damaged areas are treated with garden varnish.

Old trees must be pruned for rejuvenation

Features of caring for different types of apple trees

When carrying out care in spring, it is necessary to take into account the characteristics of different varieties. For example, for growing columnar apple trees it is useful to know the following rules:

1. They have a shallow root system. Therefore, digging up the soil under them should be avoided, and loosening should be carried out very carefully. If the roots are damaged, the tree may die.
2. Compacting the surface layer of soil is unacceptable. To prevent it from compacting, cereals can be sown in the tree trunk circle.
3. Another rule for caring for a columnar apple tree in the spring is to remove all side branches. They take up too many nutrients and water.
4. The first feeding with ammonium nitrate granules is given after the snow melts, and the second - immediately after a week.
5. In the spring, it is recommended to water with slurry twice.

There are specifics for caring for dwarf apple trees in the spring. Their root system is also superficial, so you can’t dig up the soil. During loosening, you need to work with extreme caution.Such trees have to be watered regularly because the soil dries out quickly. After moistening, loosening and mulching must be carried out.

Protection from spring frosts

In almost all regions of Russia, recurrent frosts are observed annually in the spring. Therefore, one of the main care requirements is to protect apple trees from adverse weather. You can do this in the following ways:

1. Carry out smoke - burn a fire nearby so that the smoke falls on the apple tree. It is best to use damp firewood that does not burn, but rather smokes. This is a good option, but it only protects against light frosts down to -4 degrees.
2. Rain the crown - spray it with a sprayer or hose in the evening or at night. The method only works if the weather is not windy. Otherwise, the effect will be the opposite.
3. If the apple tree was not protected during frosts, and there was no subsequent flowering, it is recommended to furrow the surface of the bark. Vertical cuts 5-7 cm long are made on it using a sharp garden knife (as shown in the diagram).

Furrowing an apple tree is necessary to overcome the effects of frost

Conclusion

Caring for an apple tree in the spring after winter is not too complicated, but it involves several types of work. In order for the tree to produce a rich harvest, it is necessary to fertilize, prune, whiten the trunk, and treat it against pests. These events are carried out for all varieties without exception.

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