In the cold season, both adult trees and seedlings are subject to the negative effects of subzero temperatures, and may also suffer from hares and small rodents, for which the bark is an attractive food.
Preparing for insulation
It is necessary to begin preliminary work with the onset of the autumn months. Learn in advance all the information on how to cover apple seedlings for the winter. Prior to this, the trees must be abundantly watered and fertilized. First, clear the earth of decayed fruits and various debris. When laying humus, make sure that the layer thickness is at least 5 cm - it will not only insulate, but also provide top dressing of the root system. It is important to know about the preparatory stages, and not just about how to shelter apple trees for the winter. Preparing apple trees for winter is an opportunity in the autumn to provide them with the necessary amount of nutrients. In the spring, all your labors will be rewarded. If you are dealing with creeping apple trees, then do not forget to bend their branches and fix using iron hooks. Then around the trunk you need to scribble the earth - thus, during frosts, the tree will be better protected.
After the onset of cold weather watering stops. Tree pruning is also carried out until the temperature drops below zero. After the end of leaf fall, one can take up the removal of dead trunk bark, whitewashing trees. At this point, stock up with a solution of iron sulfate, which can prevent the appearance of lichen. After preparatory work, carefully study the question of how to insulate an apple tree for the winter.
What to cover?
The protection of a tree in severe frosts will directly depend on the choice of material for insulation. It is recommended to use reeds, sunflower stalks, tobacco, reeds, roofing paper or light wrapping paper. Avoid the film and roofing material, because during the thaw, such insulation can become the enemy of the apple tree. Earthen mounds around the stem will help not only save the tree from the cold, but also protect it from hares. Please note: the soil must be selected dry and loose. After laying in ditches, seedlings need to be covered with the help of spruce branches, cardboard, straw, glass. Old linoleum is also suitable for this.
Shelter crowns should be carried out with the onset of winter (if there is a suitable amount of snow). If you fastened the branches to the ground, then cover them with white cover. Further, the crown can be covered with burlap, and pour snow on the edges and insulate without leaving loopholes for rodents. It is very important to understand in advance how best to shelter apple trees for the winter. If you do this before the snow falls, you can inadvertently make cozy minks with a sufficient amount of tasty provisions for mice. Therefore, you need to know exactly how to warm the apple tree for the winter, otherwise in the spring instead of branches you can find only bare sticks. But do not expect severe frosts to warm the branches and crowns.
Adult apple trees and seedlings
How to warm an apple tree for the winter, if it is still young? Autumn seedlings undoubtedly need more attention. Build a cover of paper at a small distance from the ground, for this you will need many newspapers (in several layers). It is very important to know how to cover apple seedlings for the winter, because they suffer during severe frosts the most. As for the trees, which are no longer related to young plantings, they should also be insulated, however, it will be enough to cover the trunk circle so that the roots do not suffer during frosts. As insulation material, earth (taken, for example, from row spacing) is suitable. Mulching also helps increase soil temperature and keep it from freezing. The best materials are natural: sawdust, straw, leaves, peat, humus, tree bark, etc. You can also use thin branches and shredded cones.
Take into account
If the temperature rises, in this case, a careful shelter can lead to overheating of the kidneys. To prevent it, open and ventilate seedlings (mature trees too). Do not allow the soil to become wet - this can cause rotting of the root system. Free the trunks from the insulation materials as early as possible, because the soil needs to be warmed up in the sun, and the roots grow.
Rodent protection
An experienced gardener is sure that you need to know not only how to insulate a planted apple tree for the winter, but also how to protect it from mice and hares. Especially when it comes to young and creeping apple trees. With the onset of spring, damaged trees can become sick and will not bear fruit. Synthetic fabric will be a good helper in sheltering the trunk and branches from small rodents. Wrap the root of the neck of young landings with old stockings. Having the covering material, make sure that there are no loopholes and small spaces - the mice will try to get to the tender bark of seedlings. Also, the lower part of the trunk can be protected with roofing.
Myths about snow
There is an opinion that a white winter cover can also serve as additional insulation. Many advise raking snow closer to the trunks of apple trees. However, this cannot be done in any case, because in this way you remove it from the aisles, where the root system is located (additional warming is very necessary here). By removing the natural winter cover, you leave the unprotected soil freezing. Also, you are depriving the apple tree of the opportunity to get enough of melt water during spring. When freezing, the soil becomes very hard. Melt water will drain before reaching the root system. Many will think that there is nothing wrong with having a water supply. However, during their journey to the earth, snowflakes are saturated with oxygen and a mass of other useful substances, and then share all this with the roots. It follows that the snow must be preserved, and the soil should be insulated with cover materials.
It is possible to contribute to the retention of the white cover with the help of large branches scattered around the site, and shields placed in the open. Planting sunflower and other rocker plants will serve for additional snow retention. Now you know not only how to insulate an apple tree for the winter, but also what mistakes should be avoided in order to protect trees from diseases and death.