Apple tree care

It is very important to know how to properly care for apple trees in order for the tree to bear fruit well. The main points of care include: maintaining an optimal soil composition, timely watering, forming the crown of a tree, protecting against insects and other pests, preventing the occurrence of various diseases, timely weeding, and preparing the tree for winter.

If you let the growth of a tree take its course and do not provide proper care for it, then the harvest is unlikely to please you. In addition, a weak and neglected tree can become the cause of the spread of various fungal diseases, as well as an object of attraction and shelter for insect pests.

Care rules depending on the season

Each season has certain care rules. In order for the apple tree to live comfortably on your site, at the onset of spring, help the tree to stimulate the growth of green mass, as well as activate the flowering process.

When summer comes, you need to feed the tree regularly to help it form ovaries and ripen fruit. Also here it is necessary to carefully monitor and protect the tree from the attack of insects, since their detrimental effect during this period can greatly affect the harvest.

In the autumn period, the main goal is to qualitatively prepare the apple tree for the winter season. At this time, a crown is formed, sanitary pruning is carried out.

Care rules depending on the age of the tree

When the seedlings are still young, just planted on the site, the main task of the gardener is to provide him with comfortable living and adaptation, monitor the growth of branches and form the crown correctly, do everything necessary to prepare the tree for the ripening of a good harvest. All of the above is done not without the help of, of course, special complexes of fertilizers and, if necessary, chemicals.

When the tree is mature, care must also be continued, since the apple tree needs constant growth of new branches. The plant needs to be watered and fed.

To form the crown, old dry branches should be regularly cut off, and it is also necessary to process the culture against common diseases, rot, and also in order to prevent insect pests.

Feeding

In order for the apple tree to bring a good harvest of tasty fruits annually, fertilization should be regularly applied. It is necessary to feed the soil with all useful microelements in order for the root system and all parts of the tree to receive the necessary substances. In addition to a high-quality harvest, this will increase the immunity of the tree, which means that it will be invulnerable to diseases and pests.

So, mainly organic fertilizers, microbiological fertilizers, mineral fertilizers, and a complex of microelements are used.

Crown formation

Pruning apple trees is a whole series of procedures, the main purpose of which is to control the growth of branches and give the necessary shape and growth of the tree. Thus, the crown of the tree is maintained throughout its entire life.

Support

Sometimes, during especially fruitful periods, there are so many apples on the tree that even the strongest branches are unable to hold such a load. Under the weight of the fruit, they can crack and break, which is risky by bending and drying the entire tree. It is necessary to put props here. They are divided into external and internal. The outer supports are placed directly under the branches, and the inner ones are tied with wire to the branches from the inside.

If suddenly, despite the establishment of the support, something happened that the branch broke, then it must be cut down into a ring, and the place of the saw cut must be cleaned up and painted over. These measures are permissible in case of a break-off and a young branch. If the branch is old, thick and fruitful, then its loss can disrupt the fruiting of the remaining branches. In this case, the branch should be fastened directly to the trunk.

Sometimes a phenomenon such as the appearance of a hollow occurs. If it is found, it is imperative to treat the affected area and eliminate the defect with any special drug or material.

Pre-winter procedures

Since the winter in Russia is very harsh and frosty, the apple tree should be carefully prepared for this period. First of all, you need to make high-quality abundant watering, it is also necessary to heal all formed hollows or wounds and carry out sanitary pruning.

Tying an apple tree

Usually you need to tie up a young seedling. This is necessary so that it does not fall and break under the influence of bad weather. And also to form the required crown shape. For this, a trellis or a peg is usually used.

But an adult tree sometimes needs to be tied up when there are a lot of fruits on it or they are heavy. So that the branches do not break under load and weight. In this case, it is best to use twine, wire or other materials such as a belt.

Slicing processing

If you had to cut a branch, or cracks and wounds formed on the tree, or a section of peeled bark appeared, you must cover each such moment with special means. Since wood is a very vulnerable place, where various microbes, larvae, spores can get, and, accordingly, the tree will get sick.

It is recommended to choose such products that do not contain harmful and toxic substances for the tree. This is done in order to save the saw cut from direct sunlight, from bad weather. For example, strong winds and a sharp change in temperature, snow - all this will negatively affect an open wound. You should also choose such products that will adhere well and stick to the cut, as well as to the bark and other parts of the tree. The most popular products are garden varnish, oil paint, clay and many others.

You can often see white or gray cobwebs on the apple tree. It can cover both branches and leaves. Basically, this symptom appears when insects - pests, namely caterpillars, attacked the apple tree. It can be a honeyberry, it can also be spider mites, leaf-gnawing caterpillars or moths. The apple tree is often attacked by hawthorn cocoons. In order to rid the apple tree of the listed pests, it is necessary to use insecticides that are sold in specialized stores or follow popular recommendations.

Whitewash

It is best to whitewash the apple tree trunk at the end of winter. This procedure is usually applied to young plantings in order to protect them from sunburn. The most popular remedy is a solution of copper sulfate, as well as lime. The consistency of the product should resemble pancake dough.

Sometimes the trunk of an apple tree can crack. In this case, it is pulled very tightly. It is advisable to do this as soon as possible. The cracked areas are connected. If you manage to do this within 24 hours, then the crack can overgrow without affecting the yield and plants. The crack can be tightened with wire or bolts.

Watering rules

The apple trees grown in the plots should be constantly watered for good fruiting. Sprinkler irrigation, drip irrigation method, as well as furrow irrigation are used as irrigation. The choice of this or that method will depend on the soil, on where the water comes from and on the characteristics of the site. It is important to remember to keep in moderation here to avoid over-wetting the soil.

Recommendations

If black dots, the so-called scab, appear on the fruits of the apple tree, and the leaves, meanwhile, look very healthy, the apple tree is probably experiencing a deficiency of molybdenum. In this case, the tree is fed in the spring to help prevent scab.

In order for the harvest to be as large as possible, during the formation of flowers, the tree should be sprayed with a solution of honey mixed with water, prepared at a rate of one to nine. This is done to attract pollinating insects.

It is very useful to plant siderates. This is a useful plant that fills the earth with organic matter and helps to escape from insect pests.

Conclusion

Compliance with simple rules of care apple tree will allow you to get a tasty and high-quality harvest. If you pay more attention and time to the apple tree, then very quickly it will generously reward you with delicious and beautiful fruits.