Apples - bulk, ruddy, fragrant! How they attract the eye in late summer or early fall! How do you want to enjoy this fabulous fruit, its taste - sweet or sour. To get a truly wonderful harvest, you need to know how to care for the apple tree.
From planting a young plant to the fruiting phase, it can take from three to ten years, depending on the variety. During the period of tree growth, pruning is performed to form the crown of the apple tree. It is necessary for the convenience of harvesting, helps to accelerate fruiting and the formation of new fruit twigs. Pruning improves the lightness of the crown, helps to better supply the plant with nutrients and water. Therefore, the apple tree on the site needs regular thinning of the crown.
Not only young seedlings, but also already old trees require special attention. During the fall season, it is necessary to carefully examine the trees on the apple trees in order to detect lichens that appear on time. They pose a threat to plants. The bark beneath them becomes moist, which attracts pests, and in winter it may crack. To combat lichens, a mixture is prepared: water and lime are taken in a ratio of two to one. Two hundred grams of iron sulfate should be added to the bucket of the resulting solution .
Not only the future harvest, but also the life of the plant itself depends on how to care for the apple tree. Therefore, whitewashing trunks is not enough. Rotten fruits must be removed from tree branches so that they do not become a breeding ground for pests. If the fruits and leaves of apple trees suffer from powdery mildew, which appears as a white coating, pruning of the affected branches or spraying the tree with a sulfur-containing solution is carried out. It is necessary to remove the shoots coming from the roots, as it can deplete the soil.
If plants suffer from waterlogging, the following can be recommended as an advice on how to care for an apple tree. Compost and baking powder are added to the soil. If signs of gray rot appear (gray-white plaque), then the affected fruits must be removed and destroyed.
In the fall, they recommend digging near-trunk circles. In this case, care must be taken, since the roots of the trees can be damaged. Therefore, it is better to use garden pitchforks and to cultivate the land not deeply, only raising the soil. Regular watering of the apple tree is also necessary, because this crop is very demanding on moisture. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the condition of the soil, the amount of precipitation, and also irrigate as necessary. Abundant ripened fruits can lead to breaks. To protect the trees, the branches of the apple trees are propped up with special supports with a flyer at the end.
Seasoned gardeners know how to care for an apple tree. They monitor the humidity of the tree trunks and apply fertilizer to nourish the plants. Soil sodding also helps the safe development of apple trees, for which under-growing grasses are grown under trees, for example, shoot-bearing woodgrass.