Winter is a difficult time for young fruit trees.
There is a risk of damage to plants during severe frosts.
Their delicate bark can be damaged by mice. Therefore, it is important to take care of preparation for the winter period in order to save young trees.
General rules for preparing young trees for winter
In autumn, fruit trees should not be watered. But if the weather is dry, it is advisable to carry out moisture-charging watering at the end of October. Try to saturate the soil with moisture well to about half a meter.
Collect trash, fallen leaves and burn them. They may contain harmful insects and microscopic fungal spores.
Loosen the soil under the crowns so that air can reach the root system. Loosening helps fight insects that go into the ground for the winter.
When this procedure is carried out, many pests end up on top, which contributes to their death when frost sets in. Other insects may go too deep, which is also an unfavorable factor for their survival.
The branches of young seedlings need to be tied with twine so that they do not break from the snow. This must be done before frost sets in. At this time, the branches become brittle.
When temperatures drop below zero, mulch the tree trunks with any humus, peat, or sawdust to protect the root system from freezing.
Trunks and skeletal branches should be wrapped with roofing felt to protect against rodents. You can use plastic bottles cut lengthwise, pine or spruce branches and other materials for this purpose.
When the temperature drops below 5 degrees Celsius, cover the trees for the winter.
You can use burlap, roofing felt, old clothes, foam rubber, soft construction mesh and other materials for this purpose.
These measures will allow the trees to survive the winter well.
