As soon as the snow melts in the garden, around the end of March, spring chores begin for gardeners, and fruit trees are the first to require our undivided attention. Let's look at how to care for apple trees in the spring to ensure a good harvest. Yes, spring is when the future harvest is established, and the quality and quantity of the harvest will depend on how we prepare our trees.
After gardening, let's get to work on the vegetable garden. Take a look: planting strawberries under black covering material.
Pruning branches
Once in the garden, armed with pruning shears and a small saw, we begin inspecting the trees. Any branches that point inward or parallel to the sky are ruthlessly removed. Branches that point sideways and downwards are also removed. Even if they bear fruit, they will break under the weight. If the apple tree is over six years old, we remove the tops, essentially pruning away any small shoots that won't produce fruit but will instead suck the sap from the tree. It's also much easier to harvest from a shorter tree.
We treat bark and cuts
After pruning, trees are left with wounds that are ripe for pests, so they need to be treated with "brilliant green," or garden pitch. It's easy to make yourself, so it's better to put in the effort than to buy store-bought stuff with all sorts of harmful additives.
Garden varnish can be prepared in the following way:
Slowly heat 10 parts wood resin over low heat until it liquefies, add 4 parts turpentine, stir with a stick, and then add 3 parts lard. Mix everything together, and your healthy, chemical-free garden pitch is ready. You can treat branches, cuts, and peeling bark with our homemade pitch.
Fertilizing apple trees in spring
In spring, every tree needs some fertilizing. After removing weeds, carefully loosen the soil under the trees, being careful not to disturb the roots, make small furrows, and add fertilizer. Boric acid works well, using 2g per liter of water, or copper sulfate in the same ratio, dilute one part manure with ten parts water, or dilute one part bird droppings with about fifteen parts water. Ash is also a good fertilizer; use one cup per liter. After applying the fertilizer, rake the furrows smooth.
Watering
In a wet spring, you can water the plants after flowering begins, generously, to ensure good root penetration. However, in a dry spring, this watering is needed immediately before bud break. After that, continue watering infrequently but generously.
Pest control
Caring for our apple trees doesn't end there; they also need to be treated for pests, otherwise, before you know it, all sorts of little pests will attack and start eating our trees. Products such as Inta-Vir and Fury are suitable for this treatment; copper oxychloride and Strobi have proven effective.
And now all the preparatory work with the trees is complete, your plants are fed, watered, disinfected, pruned, and fully prepared for the future harvest and a wonderful fruiting season. And you can calmly get down to gardening, sowing radishes, lettuce, and dill, and preparing the beds for your vegetable garden.
In the meantime, take a look: What flowers to plant in your dacha so they bloom all summer (photo).
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Well, what can I say, everything's aptly noted, and in principle, any tree is cared for in the same way, because the effort you put in now will determine the harvest later. Besides that, of course, even after such thorough treatment, the apple tree should be monitored throughout the summer, as various kinds of parasites can appear at any time. Additionally, the apple tree is sprayed with poison, and if, as they say, there's a worm infestation this year, it's sprayed again. Of course, you can't eat such apples until you wash them, otherwise there's a risk of serious poisoning. Incidentally, such cuts are also covered with a mash; it's said to be very effective.