Shelter for plants: 5 mistakes of preparing plants for winter

Outside the window, the sun is shining brightly, birds are chirping, bees are buzzing. And few people now think that summer is followed by autumn, and autumn is followed by winter. And this means that very soon the season for sheltering plants for the winter will come. Surely, every Gardener has his own story about how He planted a bad seedling or a very harsh winter. However, such "punctures" often speak not about the poor quality of the seedlings or unusual natural conditions, but about their own mistakes in preparing the plants for winter. Many people believe that it is enough just to lay a “blanket” on the plants, roll up its root system more tightly and wait for spring. However, it is not. And caring for plants before the onset of winter is a special set of activities that you need to do without fail. We will analyze the most common plant shelter mistakes for gardeners.

Shelter for plants: not the right material at all

Probably, many gardeners feverishly begin to cover everything before wintering. However, they forget that most of the seedlings were probably bought from a local nursery or market, which suggests that they are already adapted to the local climate. This means that they can safely survive the winter, if, of course, it is not too abnormal. Also, you need to remember that the plants that were planted in previous years may well overwinter the coming season on their own. They have already adapted enough to the local climate, and they perfectly endure all the winter hardships. You should still cover southern plants, and also pay attention to young seedlings and plants in containers.

Shelter for plants: covered and that's it

Do you think that it is enough to cover the plant before wintering and forget about it until spring? However, this is also wrong. Before the shelter, you need to carry out a whole special complex of pre-wintering measures. This is necessary in order for the growth of shoots to stop in autumn, and by this time all shoots have become lignified and covered with a protective sheath. Surely, you all observed one simple phenomenon: when the water in any container freezes, it expands and breaks the shell. Now do you understand what you need to take care of? Before wintering, the plant should not have a lot of water, since the plant buds can burst when frozen. But how can this be achieved? On the eve of winter, you should do moisture-charging watering. This is such a deep soil moisture that draws heat from the depths of the earth closer to the surface, to the roots of the plant. This event will not allow the root system to "freeze". This means it will help fight the cold weather. Also, before wintering, it is necessary to loosen the soil around the trunk circles. This exercise helps to avoid the penetration of winter air to the root system of the plant. Such an airy soil structure is a kind of thermal insulation. Additionally, you can also cover the area around the plant with a layer of some kind of compost. Before wintering, it would be good to fertilize the plants, and it is best to use complex fertilizers. This will help the plants to “survive” the cold.

Covering not quite in time

Another common mistake gardeners make is the very early "covering" of plants for the winter. In any business, everything must be done on time. Therefore, in order to properly cover the plants, you need to choose the very ideal moment. If small frosts appear at night, then it is too early to cover the plants.If at this time you cover the root system with a kind of blanket, then from an excess of water and heat, the plant may begin to rot or rot. But if you cover late enough, the plant will just freeze. How do you choose the perfect time for everything? It is necessary to cover the plant when in the morning and during the day the air temperature is not higher than plus 1 degree, but at night it can be up to -4. Of course, this is all theory, but in practice it is desirable to approach these parameters.

Harboring wrong

Many gardeners go to a wide variety of tricks, so they cover the plants for the winter with anything they get. However, you need to cover it with the right materials. So, for example, it is enough just to cover the grapes with earth, and garden roses must be covered with a covering material and covered with a layer of insulation on top. Dry leaves from a wide variety of trees and shrubs are excellent for insulation. For external insulation, coniferous spruce branches are often used.

Not the right material at all

And the gravest mistake of gardeners is considered to be covering the plant with an airtight film. From such care, the root system, and the seedling itself, will surely shake out. Remember that the purpose of a shelter is to retain heat, but not completely seal the topsoil. Therefore, always let your "pets" breathe, even during hibernation. Rescue your fruit trees and bushes from the cold correctly, and successful wintering!