How to prepare fruit trees and shrubs for winter

A garden's harvest depends largely on the condition of shrubs and trees in the spring, as they emerge from winter. Frost, cold winds, snow pressure on the crowns, bright winter sun, and alternating thaws and frosts can all cause localized damage or even the death of the entire plant. Resistance to weather conditions depends on the tree or bush's immunity, the maturity of young shoots, and the concentration of sugars and proteins in the cell sap—all of which can be improved by implementing a few maintenance measures.

Work plan

Preparing a garden for winter can be a challenging task for novice gardeners due to a lack of understanding of the timing and sequence of procedures. Timing depends on the cold snap and autumn weather patterns, which can vary significantly from season to season, even within the same region. However, the sequence of tasks can be defined quite clearly:

1. After harvesting, trees and shrubs should be fertilized, as their roots grow actively after fruiting, absorbing nutrients from the soil.
2. Branch pruning should be done when the trees enter dormancy, indicated by leaf fall. At this point, the plant will tolerate the traumatic procedure more easily than before the sap stops flowing.
3. After pruning, it is necessary to carry out sanitary procedures in the garden - cleaning leaves, removing weeds, and clearing the trunks of old bark.
4. Once you've finished cleaning, you should dig up the soil around the tree trunks, whitewash the trunks, and treat them for diseases and pests.
5. When the air temperature reaches a level slightly above zero, it is necessary to carry out pre-winter watering and mulch the tree trunk circle, insulating the roots.
6. Only after completing these procedures can you install shelter for young trees and trunks.

Cleaning

Cleaning the garden is a necessary step in preparing trees and shrubs for the coming winter. Some gardeners postpone pruning until spring, as well as disease treatments, if they are purely preventative. Depending on the weather and region, pre-winter watering or covering may not be required, but cleaning is necessary in any case. Fallen leaves often become a winter haven for fungi and pest larvae, so collecting and burning the litter is a simple yet effective disease prevention measure. Weeds should be removed and burned along with the leaves.

Fallen leaves can be used as mulch or added to a compost pile. However, if trees or shrubs have suffered from any fungal or viral disease, even a mild one, the fallen leaves should definitely be burned, otherwise the infection will spread into the following year. Broken branches and branches left after pruning, especially those affected by scab or powdery mildew, should also be collected and burned.

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Trimming

Autumn pruning branches can have several purposes:

• disease prevention – it is necessary to remove shoots that are infected or potentially vulnerable to pathogenic microflora and harmful insects;
• crown thinning – excess branches deprive the fruits of the amount of sunlight necessary for ripening and provoke the development of fungi;
• Rejuvenation – involves removing old branches whose fertility is declining, or shortening shoots, which stimulates the appearance of young growth.

To perform this procedure, you'll need a well-sharpened knife or pruning shears—a dull blade will prevent a clean cut. For older branches, use a hacksaw. Exposed living tissue on a shrub or tree can become a breeding ground for fungi and viruses, so treat the cuts with garden pitch or a 0.5% copper sulfate solution.

Garden varnish can be prepared from the following ingredients:

• 400 g resin (pine or spruce);
• 400 ml of turpentine;
• 100 g fat;
• 100 g beeswax.

The cuts can also be painted over with oil paint or, as a temporary measure, covered with clay.

First, remove branches damaged by disease or insects, as well as dead and broken ones. After this, if necessary, perform rejuvenation pruning or begin thinning the crown. When removing excess branches, prioritize weak, underdeveloped, and those with visible growth deviations. In addition, the bush should be cleared of all branches growing toward the center of the crown.

Peculiarities of pruning fruit trees

Branch removal when preparing young trees for winter in an orchard is limited to minimal sanitary pruning. Losing a large portion of the crown causes dense growth and delays the formation of flower buds, as the plant devotes all its energy to regenerating the cut shoots. As a result, the tree produces a smaller harvest than without pruning.

Pruning, on the other hand, has a beneficial effect on the yield of mature and old trees, especially if shoot growth has slowed. In this case, pruning all branches will stimulate growth. Pruning old branches completely allows for the removal of no more than 1/3 of the total crown volume. The number of branches pruned at a time should be minimized, so pruning should be performed annually. When removing a branch, it is recommended to leave a small stump to prevent the living wood from freezing, but this should be removed in the spring.

Specifics of pruning berry bushes

Shrubs require more pruning to rejuvenate. Once the plant reaches a certain age, all old branches should be removed annually, leaving 10 to 15 shoots on the bush, with the majority of these shoots being those at the peak of their fertility.

The principles of pruning shrubs differ for different crops:

Top dressing

In autumn, garden plants require nutrients to support the maturation of the current year's shoots. Young growth, unable to develop lignification before the onset of frost, can freeze, weakening its immunity and reducing yields in future seasons. This eliminates nitrogen, which stimulates shoot growth, from autumn fertilization. Important elements during this period are phosphorus, which stimulates lignification of green tissue, and potassium, which also increases frost resistance and plant immunity.

Organic fertilizer

For organic fertilizing in the autumn period you can use:

• cow dung;
• chicken manure;
• compost;
• wood ash.

Manure is the best fertilizer for poor, depleted soils. Wood ash is a source of potassium, has fungicidal properties, and is ideal for acidic soils, as it can be used for liming. Fertilizers such as cow manure and chicken manure should not be fresh. Manure should be used dry; it should be rotted for at least four months, but older material—2-3 years—is preferable. Compost should be aged for at least a year before application.

Fertilizers can be added to the tree trunk circle during digging, burying them into the soil to a depth of 15 cm.

Another option for organic feeding is sowing green manure around the trunks of garden shrubs and trees. This should be done in September, cutting the stems when they reach a height of 20 cm. After this, dig the soil without removing the cut foliage. You can also incorporate the green manure into the soil with a flat-bed hoe. The best green manure options for the garden are oats, rapeseed, and rye.

Mineral fertilizers

Mineral fertilizers can be applied as a watering solution or poured into a hole prepared near the plant's roots. For bushes, dig holes about 10 cm deep, and for trees, 15 cm. After adding the required amount of fertilizer, add water, and fill the hole back in.

Fertilizer rates for mature plants:

Pre-winter watering

A plant won't develop good winter hardiness if it doesn't receive sufficient moisture in the fall. During the rainy season, supplemental irrigation isn't necessary, but during dry autumns, fruit trees and shrubs require moisture-replenishing watering.

The procedure should be carried out when the temperature drops to +2…+3°C. The water for irrigation should be approximately 5°C warmer than the air temperature. It is necessary to soak the soil to a depth of one meter; to do this, you should pour an average of 10 buckets of water per square meter. For young bushes or trees no more than 1 meter in height, 5 buckets per each will be sufficient.

Water should be applied in several increments, applying no more than 10-15 liters per square meter every hour. After watering, it's helpful to apply a layer of mulch (peat, compost, humus, or spruce branches) around the tree trunk to retain moisture near the roots.

Pest control

Before winter, preventative measures against diseases and pests in the garden should be carried out. At this time, there is no longer a risk of poisons accumulating in the fruit after treatment, so you can use strong solutions such as Bordeaux mixture, copper sulfate, and iron sulfate. All substances effectively combat fungi, and iron sulfate is also effective against lichens, mosses, and a number of pests, while Bordeaux mixture at a 3% concentration is effective against mold. Treatment with a urea solution is also effective against scab, coccomycosis, and powdery mildew.

Both the above-ground portion of the plant and the soil around the trunk should be sprayed with medicinal solutions. The soil should be dug up first, turning over the layers at a depth of 10-15 cm—this is where many pest larvae overwinter; if they reach the soil surface, some will freeze to death. The soil between rows should be dug to a depth of 15-20 cm. Any larvae discovered during digging should be removed from the soil to prevent them from burrowing deeper.

Many types of pests hide under tree bark, where bacteria actively reproduce. To disinfect, scrape off any remaining bark with a wire brush or garden scraper, and, if necessary, remove moss and lichen from the trunks. Cleaning should be done carefully, removing only the dead wood that is peeling away from the trunk. Damaging living wood, which conducts sap, injures the plant. This treatment is not necessary for young trees. Spray both the above-ground portion of the plant and the soil around the trunk with medicinal solutions. The soil should first be dug up, turning over layers at a depth of 10-15 cm—this is where many pest larvae overwinter; if they reach the soil surface, some will freeze to death. The soil between the rows should be dug to a depth of 15-20 cm. Any larvae found during digging should be removed from the soil to prevent them from burrowing deeper.

The peeled bark should be burned to prevent the spread of diseases. Before starting the process, it's a good idea to lay a sheet of plastic or tarpaulin around the tree trunk to prevent pest larvae or bacteria from entering the soil.

Bark-stripped trunks, as well as skeletal branches of shrubs, are recommended whitewash with limeThis procedure will protect plants from harmful microflora. To enhance protection against fungi, you can add copper sulfate to the whitewash, as well as glue to improve the mixture's adhesion to the trunk surface. The dosage of the components for this solution is:

• 6 kg of lime;
• 1 kg of copper sulfate;
• 200 g wood glue;
• 30 liters of water.

It is permissible to add 3 kg of clay to this mixture.

During lean winter months, rodents can attack the garden, gnawing away sections of the bark, which can lead to freezing of the wood. Protecting the lower 0.5-1 m of the trunk is usually sufficient to prevent animals from reaching it. Special plastic nets are available commercially; their breathability ensures that the trunk does not rot when temperatures rise. Tree trunks can be wrapped with strips of roofing felt, bamboo mats, construction tape, kraft paper, spruce branches, or nylon stockings. However, if there are strong thaws in the winter, such protection can be harmful, and it should be removed in the spring as soon as the snow begins to melt.

Weather protection

When preparing fruit trees and shrubs for winter, it's important to remember that frost poses the greatest danger to the roots. Depending on the severity, damage to shoots can take two to three seasons to completely resolve. Reviving a plant with a frozen root system is a difficult and often impossible task. Therefore, before the first frost, the trunk area should be covered with a thick layer (5-7 cm) of compost or peat. In acidic soils, peat should be replaced with sawdust or shredded bark. In regions such as the Moscow region, this procedure should be carried out in late October, or at the latest in early November.

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Tree trunks are covered to protect them from wind, moisture penetration into bark cracks, which can damage the tree if frozen, and sunburn. Covering is especially important for trees with damaged bark.

Young trees and shrubs are most vulnerable to inclement weather, especially those overwintering outdoors in their first or second year. Lacking reliable protection from bark, the shoots of young plants are susceptible to the drying effects of wind and sun and grow rapidly during warmer periods. If temperatures drop below freezing following a thaw, the newly sprouted foliage will be damaged by frost, and the branches will begin to rot.

The shelter should be erected at temperatures no lower than -5°C. The branches of the seedlings should be tied beforehand to ensure their resistance to gusts of wind or the weight of snow. Grapevines should be bent to the ground.

The following are used as shelter:

• film;
• agrofibre;
• spruce branches;
• shields.

The choice of material depends on the weather conditions in the region. Film provides moisture insulation but is a weak frost barrier, as is agrofibre. Wooden panels, plywood sheets, or slate protect plants from gusts of wind and snow pressure, making them ideal for preparing the garden for harsh winters. Spruce branches provide air circulation, trap a layer of snow for additional insulation, and repel rodents.

Beginner gardeners should note that most of the work should be done after the leaves fall but before temperatures drop below freezing. If the cold snap is sudden, most of the work will have to be completed within a couple of days. Therefore, it's important to prepare equipment and chemicals in advance.