Fall peach care and winter preparation

Peach is a moody fruit tree. The homeland of his habitat is the southern regions.

If this plant is grown in the central or northern part of Russia, then its growth and fruiting must be constantly monitored. If you do not follow certain procedures for care and pruning, and also do not prepare the peach for winter, then it can not only stop bearing fruit, but also completely die.

Peach care features in the fall and when preparing for winter - general tips and tricks

It is very important to prepare the peach for the winter period and carry out the appropriate maintenance and pruning measures. All procedures are performed at different moments of autumn, you should gradually prepare for the first frost.

There is the following list of activities that should be performed before wintering a peach in the fall:

1. Digging up the earth near the roots - digging up the top layer is necessary to lift out the lying parasitic insects.The shovel should be fully immersed on the bayonet, without loosing the inverted earth clods. The first frost will independently kill possible pests and qualitatively loosen the soil.
2. Application of mineral fertilizers - for this purpose, recesses are dug 25 cm in size and no more than 30 cm in length. They should be introduced according to the scheme: phosphorus - soil layer - potassium - soil layer.
3. Watering - No heavy watering required. Moderate application of nutrient moisture is necessary in the last days of October - in the first week of November. Later irrigation can damage the crop roots.
4. Pruning - it is recommended to carry out it from the middle of the first autumn month within a month. During this period, all types of removal of unnecessary shoots are performed.
5. Whitewashing of the basal trunk and lower skeletal branches is necessary so that the plant does not get burns under the bright winter sun.
6. Treatment of branches and trunk from pests - chemical insecticides are used.
7. Warming - for this, the trunk near the root is closed with fir branches or wrapped in straw mixed with sunflower stalks. The insulation material is tied with ropes, and from above is supplemented with either thick paper or burlap.

Having prepared a peach in the autumn, you can not worry about its condition in winter. In such conditions, the tree overwinters well and in the spring will please with abundant flowering.

Peach pruning in autumn

Elimination of peach branches that have grown during the period must be carried out in order to increase the future yield, so that the crop will favorably survive a strong drop in temperature.

Peach is a plant that requires pruning at different times of the year:

• Spring - held "on the rosebud"... For old trees, a rejuvenation procedure is required. Young seedlings 2-3 years old are pruned to form a crown. It is also advisable to restore - to cut off all the sprouts bruised by frost.
• Summer - thinning of grown young shoots, which contribute to the thickening of skeletal branches. Removal of dry branches that were missed in the spring, beaten by pests and diseases.
• Autumn - sanitary cleaning of diseased sproutsinfested with pests. Elimination of branches that broke off under the influence of weather conditions and the severity of the crop.

Each period of elimination of excess growth is important in its own way. For quality growth and good fruiting you need to monitor the condition of the fruit tree throughout the year.

Autumn peach pruning is recommended immediately after the harvest, but not later than mid-October. In addition, you need to choose a dry, calm and sunny day. In damp weather conditions, the atmosphere favorably affects the attachment of infections and bacteria to fresh sections.

Note! Pruning peaches in the fall is essential to prepare the plant well for wintering. In addition, all root stepchildren are eliminated. Harmful insects that can crawl from an infected seedling to a healthy peach can hibernate there.

Removal of excess growth is carried out only clean, disinfected with potassium permanganate garden tools... For different branches, a certain device is taken: a garden saw, a knife and a pruner.

The following procedures are included in the autumn peach pruning scheme:

1. The upper branch is cut at the very base.
2. The upper branches from the lateral side are removed along the apex, while leaving 2-3 eyes on the lower growth.
3. It is required to thoroughly thin out the shoots growing inward so that the skeletal branches are not thickened, and future fruits have a space where to grow and be saturated with sunlight.
4. Diseased, dry or mechanically broken shoots are removed completely.
5. Thin and long green shoots that have not matured should be shortened by 50%.

Young peach seedlingplanted for permanent residence, the crown must be formed in the first autumn... The top of an annual peach is trimmed so that the tree is 50 cm from the ground.

At the 8-10th year, the peach is recommended to rejuvenate... To do this, carry out the following actions:

1. Broken and dried branches are cut.
2. Fruiting shoots, on which the formation of fruits is not observed, must be cut off by a third of the entire length.
3. Control the growth of the peach so that it does not exceed 3 meters.
4. All skeletal branches must be cut to the level where they were at 3-5 years of age. The stump is made near a young and strong branch. It will further become a continuation of the skeletal one.
5. If the forecast for the winter is disappointing, with severe frosts and heavy precipitation, it is worth removing all thin and green branches.

Important! Not all varieties need to be pruned according to the same pattern; some require special care. Such types of peaches as Boxer, Royal, Autumn Blush, Glory, Skif, Krasnodarets are recommended to be additionally trimmed using "household" pruning.

A large number of fruiting buds are formed on the branches of these trees. During ripening, the fruits greatly burden the branch and prevent each other from fully developing and being saturated with sweetness.

Starting from September, part of the summer growth is shortened - weak and undeveloped shoots. They need to be cut into 3 buds or 15-25 cm. Fruiting branches are cut off 30-40 cm from the total length. They should have a maximum of 8 previously fruiting buds.

Video: pruning peaches in the fall

Thus, pruning should be carried out not only in spring or summer, but also in autumn before the cold weather. In addition, you need to know exactly the variety of the peach in order to correctly perform the procedure for removing excess growth.

Peach shelter for the winter

Attention! Peach is a delicate, demanding and delicate culture. He is very afraid of strong drops in air degrees and cold, piercing winter hurricanes. Therefore, it is necessary to form protection for the roots, trunk, basal neck and crown.

Video: preparing a peach for winter shelter

Proper preparation will allow the tree to survive any frost favorably without loss. To do this, the following activities should be performed:

• Dig in the soil next to the trunk, water it... Moisture, thanks to the loosened soil, will flow to a depth of 1 meter. This will allow the roots, provided with nutrient water, to freeze less.
• Spray with fungicides or Bordeaux liquid - will prevent the appearance of pests and diseases.
• Mulch the territory under the crown - fallen leaves, sawdust, humus are suitable for this. The procedure is carried out after frost in dry weather.
• Warming with sacking - it is wrapped around the trunk in several layers.
• Peach crown protection from frost - it is better to erect supports next to the tree, wrap the crown with material for shelter. Any material is suitable for this - roofing material, thick paper, old wallpaper, agrofibre. It is not worth using polyethylene, condensation often forms under it, which contributes to rotting and the appearance of fungus.

Video: how to cover a peach for the winter with spunbond

Such a peach shelter for the winter is made with all varieties of fruit crops. Differences between species are not highlighted. A well-insulated tree is able to winter in a warm place, without diseases and pests. The main thing is to bloom in abundant flowering in the spring.

Video: how to prepare and cover a young peach for the winter

What are the features of preparing a peach for winter in certain regions

Peach is planted not only in southern cities, but also in other parts of immense Russia. So that he can winter well, different regions use peculiar ways of sheltering the tree for the winter.

By the way! There are no special differences in the shelter of the peach for the winter among the regions. So in the Urals and in Siberia, as well as in the Moscow region and the Volga region, volcanic huts or wooden frames are erected in the same way. This method allows you to maximally preserve the growth of the culture and preserve the fruit-bearing buds.

In the Moscow region and in the Volga region, some farmers do not shelter their trees, and most varieties of peaches survive the winter safely.Wood does not suffer much, which cannot be said about flower buds - after all, a lot of them freeze. That is why gardeners came to the conclusion that it is better to cover peaches in the middle lane for the winter.

Warming is carried out after the first frost (-5 ..- 10 C). For this, huts are erected. Under them, the branches are pulled together with ropes to the trunk, and on top of them, wood bars are applied, fastened to each other with screws. Sheets of mineral wool are placed on the structure, which are covered with polyethylene from above so that the structure does not get wet with rain.

Video: sheltering a peach for the winter with slate

The southern side is covered with additional slate to keep from the bright sun. But in the spring, on the first sunny days, all insulation is removed so as not to provoke rotting.

Thus, shelter is essential in any situation and in any frost. The more frost, the less the likelihood of a successful outcome for the fruit crop.

Typical mistakes in peach care in autumn and when preparing for winter

Important! Caring for the plant must be carried out tirelessly, control its growth, and remove broken and damaged branches.

If you do not perform simple operations, then the peach overgrows, stops bearing fruit, and in winter it can freeze. The following gardeners mistakes are distinguished:

1. Late pruning - if you start to perform it while there is foliage on the tree, then the plant will suffer, lose a lot of nutritious juice and weaken the immune system.
2. Raw cut it is an excellent entrance for viruses and pathogenic bacteria, for placing pests for the winter.
3. If do not prune damaged or diseased branches, then when the first rays of the sun appear, the pests will take over the weakened tree with renewed vigor.
4. After the digging of the trunk circle has occurred,no need to loosen clods of earth... If you loosen them, then all the pests will again hide in the soil.
5. In wet rainy weather, you should not take up insulation - all the material will get wet and instead of warming it will serve as a refrigerating chamber for wood.

Thus, following the simple rules for caring for a peach in the fall and preparing it for winter, and trying not to make mistakes, in the spring you can get not only a healthy tree with high immunity, but also ready to give a bountiful harvest. The main thing in obtaining a large number of fruits is the safety of the fruit buds in the winter.