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A good garden will delight its owner for many years.

But to get such a treasure, you first need to work hard.

At any stage you can make a mistake, which will bring all efforts to naught.

The “wrong” seedling may simply not take root. Taking an apple tree seedling yourself without a clear understanding of how to choose an apple tree seedling is too risky, and it doesn’t matter at all how much the apple tree seedlings cost.

In this article we will tell you how to avoid these mistakes and successfully grow an apple tree that will delight you for many years.

This first step should not be underestimated. It is the choice of seedling that largely determines whether you will be able to grow a healthy tree.

Take this issue seriously:

• Find out which apple tree varieties suitable for your region. This is very important, because a young tree that is not adapted to such a climate can die long before it begins to bear fruit.
• It is best to contact your local garden organization or nursery with this question.
  Their addresses can be found on the Internet.
• Pay attention to customer reviews. Choose a company responsibly.
• The most difficult stage of selection is practical. It all depends on knowledge and attentiveness.

First of all, everything seedlings can be divided into three groups, depending on the level of the rootstock, i.e. the stem and root system. When choosing one type or another, you need to take into account the characteristics of the site.

There are these types:

IMPORTANT! If the seedlings have thorns, do not buy it. Most likely they are passing off a wild apple tree as a varietal apple tree.

Contact of the root system with groundwater is extremely undesirable. Such an apple tree will be weak and sickly, its harvest will be extremely meager. When purchasing a seedling, do not forget about the importance of this factor.

The ideal age of a seedling is 1–2 years. The youth of a tree is a guarantee that it will take root better in a new place.

How visually determine the age of the seedling? An annual plant should not have developed branches; a two-year-old plant can have 2-3 additional branches.

Inspect the root system. It must not be damaged. Healthy roots a little damp, but by no means rotten; they should be elastic, not brittle.

The condition of the cortex is also of great importance. Gently pick off the bark with your fingernail - the stem should be green.

Better do not buy trees that have leaves. They most likely will not take root.

Saplings with an open root system are cheaper than those sold in a container. The cost of an apple tree seedling depends on the variety and quality of the tree, as well as specifically on the selling company. On average, focus on a price of about 300 rubles, although some nurseries may ask for 800 rubles.

Watch the training video on how to choose the right apple tree seedling:

How are apple tree seedlings grown?

Daring gardeners can try grow a seedling yourself. It’s not that difficult, especially if you have at least basic knowledge in stock school course biology. Let's look at the main methods.

Growing apple tree seedlings from seeds

Method one - . Even small children wonder whether an apple tree will grow from an accidentally dropped seed.

In reality, everything is not so simple. There have been cases where a beautiful tree with delicious fruits grew from a seed, but there is a possibility that a grown apple tree will not lose its “mother” properties and all your efforts will be in vain.

But if difficulties and possible risks do not frighten you, follow our advice:

1. Rinse the mature brown seeds in running water to remove the substance that prevents it from germinating. Best place the seeds in water for 3 days.
2. Then place the seeds in the refrigerator (this process is called stratification). To do this, you need to prepare a bowl filled with slightly damp sand. The seeds should stay in the refrigerator for about two months. It is best to start stratification in early January..
3. The seeds should germinate in the refrigerator. They need to be planted in specially prepared boxes (drainage should be poured at the bottom and a nutrient mixture on top). The boxes should be placed on a well-lit windowsill.
4. It's easy to recognize a wild one still on early stages: its leaves are bright green, and the shoots already have short spines. It's better not to waste your time on them.

From a cutting

Apple trees can also be propagated by cuttings.

How to make a seedling from an apple tree branch has been known for a long time. In order to grow a tree in this way, you need prepare the rootstock– choose a tree grown from a seed, or (which is much better) a wild one.

You need to graft a cutting from the tree you want to the roots of such a tree. It is very important to correctly combine the rootstock and cuttings.

For a wild dwarf tree, a cutting of a columnar apple tree is better suited, while an apple tree grown from a seed will take well to a cutting of an ordinary tall tree.

The stalk must be no older than one year. We will tell you in detail how to make a seedling from an apple tree below.

How to grow apple tree seedlings from a branch

Another way is bury a branch in the ground.

In autumn, the tree is planted at an angle so that the young shoots touch the ground. In spring, the branches are attached to the bud with staples. During the summer they need to be earthed up, and in the fall ready-made seedlings are obtained.

Air layering or how to get seedlings from an old apple tree

It is more difficult to graft a seedling from a branch, so it is often more advisable to use the air layering method.

For the twig to begin to take root, you need to surround her wet soil. To begin, select a twig that will become a seedling - healthy, without branches, and as thick as a regular pencil.

When the snow melts, this branch needs put on a polyethylene sleeve. It is advisable to attach it with electrical tape. It will remain on the apple tree until steadily warm weather arrives. Then the sleeve is removed.

Need to find the boundary between an adult branch and new growth– from this point about 10 cm is retreated and a circular incision of about 1 cm is made, small incisions are also made to the left and right of it. All buds above the incisions must be removed.

Then a sleeve with a container is put on the branch. In the first three days in a container (you can use trimmed plastic bottle) place root growth stimulating liquid, then specially prepared soil, which must be kept moist at all times.

You can try any of these methods yourself at home. It is advisable to additionally consult with competent specialists.

Watch a detailed video on how to get a seedling from an apple tree using the air layering method:

You can take a seedling from an apple tree yourself. You don’t have to be an experienced gardener to do this.

If you want to receive varietal apple tree, then you can use the parent shoot, which sometimes just needs to be dug in correctly.

The procedure is carried out in the spring. You can use young shoots no more than 1 year old.

They are placed in a hole about 10 cm deep. The branch is attached to a peg. Thus, a shoot of 30–40 cm should remain above the ground. It also needs to rid the nearest area of ​​weeds.

To be sure, root several branches in this way. In a year, some of them will take root. In the fall, the seedlings will be ready for transplanting.

IMPORTANT! Remember that large-fruited apple trees root worse in this way than other varieties.

Pruning an apple tree seedling

Don't forget that it's pretty complex process, which must be carried out strictly according to agrotechnical instructions m.

The seedling needs to be pruned when it is dormant.

In warm climates, the ideal time would be autumn-winter, in moderate climates - the end of winter. Anyway Pruning cannot be carried out at temperatures below -10°C.

The first pruning takes place in the first year after planting. Trimming in this early age will provide the laying of future skeletal branches.

One-year-old seedling it is necessary to remove side shoots located up to 70 cm from the ground level.
Above this point, only those branches that form with the trunk are removed. acute angle. If the angle formed by the branch with the trunk is close to 90°, the branch is cut to the fifth bud.

Two-year-old seedling looks almost like an adult tree. In this case, how to prune apple tree seedlings is pursued next goal– leave 3 to 5 of the strongest shoots, forming a wide angle with the trunk.

In the future they will become the main branches of the tree. It is necessary to form and center conductor. It is best to do this from the most developed bud, which is located about 3 buds higher than the others. The lower branches should be longer than the upper ones.
So wood.

Next 3–5 years It is better not to touch the apple tree, let it develop on its own.

How to distinguish a pear seedling from an apple tree?

Distinguish between different types of trees in such at a young age Sometimes it can be difficult even for experienced gardeners.

This is almost impossible before the leaves appear.– the seller at the market could experiment with vaccinations.
Let us remind you general rules, which will allow you not to become a victim of deception and determine how to choose an apple tree:

1. Annual apple trees have dark red-brown shoots, while pears have yellowish-green shoots.
2. The shoots of apple trees have slight pubescence; pears usually do not have this feature.
3. The shoots of pears have more pronounced geniculation.
4. The buds of apple trees are wide and large. They fit tightly to the shoot. Pear buds are pointed and small, and do not fit tightly to the shoot.
5. The buds of apple trees swell and bloom later than those of pear trees.
6. The root system of apple trees is more branched, while that of pears is stem-like.

There is no need to know about the characteristics of pear and apple tree leaves when purchasing a seedling. If the seedling already has leaves, you should not buy it. It is unlikely to take root successfully, and your efforts will be in vain.

How to grow an apple tree from a seedling?

First to any gardener you need to choose the time to plant the apple tree.

This could be spring or autumn, depending on the specific circumstances and climatic conditions of your region.

In any case, tree care begins in the spring.

Before planting you need to prepare the soil. This means that the soil needs to be loosened well, rid of weeds, fertilized (depending on the time of year) and dug up again.

The planting hole will be a house for the seedling, it will reliably nourish it.

Choose your location responsibly. This should be a well-lit place, preferably protected from the wind.

IMPORTANT! Preparation of the planting pit should begin 2 months before the actual planting.

The seedling is still too vulnerable. Our task is to protect him from negative factor weather conditions. The tree needs to be secured to a stake. It can be removed 2 years after planting. This must be done with extreme caution so as not to damage the root system.

In the first week after planting, regular watering is very important, which will help not only saturate the tree with nutrients, but also compact the soil. Gradually watering intervals needs to be reduced, but in hot weather it is impossible to spare water for a young tree.

A near-trunk area is a must mulch. To do this, use compost, chicken manure, vermicompost and rotted manure; put a small layer of straw on top of this layer.

Watch the video on how to mulch trees:

Necessarily One-year and two-year apple trees need to be pruned to form its skeletal branches.

In summer, all care consists of regular watering and protecting the tree from pests. To avoid using chemicals, try attract birds to the garden.

It's easy to do - Arrange feeders on tree branches. This will let the birds know that there is a tasty treat waiting for them in your garden.

If pests appear, you can collect them by hand from a young tree.

In hot weather, do not water the tree during the day to avoid burns.

To allow air to flow to the root system make punctures 30 cm deep at a distance of 60 cm from the trunk.

• a young apple tree needs to be hilled to a height of 10–20 cm;
• the area near the trunk must be mulched with humus or peat;
• You can apply nitrogen or potassium fertilizers. The lack of these substances will affect the quality of future fruits, so it is best to use complex fertilizers;
• The trunk of the apple tree must be whitened with a chalk solution;
• To avoid breaking a weak young tree, it can be pre-cut.

An apple tree seedling dries up, how to save it?

Before you can solve a problem, you need to understand it reason. Because of what can an apple tree begin to dry out, then you can understand how to save a dried apple tree seedling?

Growing too much can prevent a seedling from developing. trees or bushes nearby. In this case, you can transplant the tree to the required distance.
The problem can also be caused by groundwater running too close.

Excess water simply displaces excess air from the soil, which is so necessary for the young root system.
The problem can also be solved by replanting or regularly loosening the soil.

If groundwater is disturbing more than just one apple tree, you can dig drainage ditches which will help get rid of excess water.

IMPORTANT! The key to successful apple tree growth is air access to the root system, so loosen the soil regularly. Do not plant an apple tree in a sandy or clay bud.

Gardening is not only difficult, but also very interesting. To grow a good apple tree from a seedling, you need to show both intelligence and care.

Remember the most important stage is the choice of seedling.

It is better to buy them from professional breeders. In a spontaneous market, you can unknowingly purchase another tree (an apple tree can easily be confused with a pear tree before the leaves appear).

In the first year, do not overuse fertilizers. The tree only needs watering and mulching.

Do not forget to rid the young apple tree of weeds. IN autumn period can be entered .

A very important procedure is tree pruning. Remember to do this to form the “skeleton” of the apple tree.

Pests can negatively affect the development of apple trees. However, try not to poison them in the early years chemicals. Attract to this matter of birds.

Be responsible where you plant. Groundwater lying too close and trees and shrubs growing nearby can destroy an apple tree.

Provide sufficient air access to the root system. She really needs him.
A responsible approach to business will ensure your success.

It is difficult to imagine a summer cottage where you cannot find at least one fruit tree or berry bush. We plant them not only to provide ourselves with tasty and healthy fruits. The spring blossoms of apple trees, cherries, and plums give us joy, we admire the beauty of our garden! But he is beautiful and fertile when he is healthy.
The health of an orchard begins from the moment the seedlings are planted. Their quality determines the condition of the trees for several decades to come. That's why an informed approach to their choice is so important.

The right choice of fruit seedlings

An orchard, from my point of view, should be rationally “stocked” different types trees and shrubs. This is especially true for small gardens, where it is impossible to accommodate all the fruit and berry wonders in the world. Do you want to have fresh and varied fruits from your garden on your table throughout the summer and into late autumn? Then plant a few fruit trees, but with different periods of ripening and storage of fruits.

To choose them correctly, you need special knowledge. Many of you without a hint knowledgeable people will not get by in this matter. Follow the recommendations of specialists or experienced gardeners. Purchase planting material without haste, having learned to have a good understanding of the varieties. Find out from the sellers in which nursery the seedlings were grown. It is better when it is located in an area similar in climatic conditions to the one where your dacha is located.

In the central non-chernozem regions, planting material of fruit trees goes on sale mainly in two stages - autumn and spring. This corresponds to biologically based planting dates. Autumn sales of seedlings begin in mid-late September, and spring sales begin in mid-late April. These are mainly bare-rooted seedlings.

Selecting the right seedlings for your garden is not an easy task. But now we will learn how to solve it.

1. Sometimes, when purchasing, an inexperienced gardener may be given a wild plant, that is, an ungrafted plant. How to avoid being deceived? The most important part of a cultivated seedling is the scion. Planting material for fruit trees is grown in various ways, but most often they are grafted by summer budding. We carefully examine the seedling. Its lower part - the trunk of the rootstock, growing directly from the root, 10-15 cm long - should be thicker than the scion - upper part plants above the rootstock. At the point of their closure, the overgrown cut formed by the graft and a slight curvature of the trunk should be noticeable. If we saw all this, it means that this is a cultivated plant, not a wild one.
2. It is better to choose two-year-old seedlings.
   One-year-olds are too weak, and three-year-olds take root worse. A two-year-old plant can be identified by the crown beginning to form with a diameter of 40-50 cm and the presence of 3-7 well-developed branches with large buds. In order not to run into a wild one, remember: there are many more branches on it, and undeveloped buds look like thorns.
3. The lower part of the cultivated seedling should be dark, and the upper part should be lighter than the lower part.
   a green tree is better than purchasing a bare seedling. However, a plant with leaves in full bloom most likely will not live long.
4. Seedlings should not have leaves. It seems that buying a small green tree is better than buying a bare sapling. However, a plant with leaves in full bloom most likely will not live long.
5. The roots of a healthy rootstock look fresh and resilient.
6. The bark of a good seedling is elastic, without damage. It is better to immediately discard trunks (a trunk is a part of a tree trunk from the roots to the first branch from the bottom of the lower tier of the crown) with damage to branches and bark - they do not take root well.

Features of purchasing seedlings

Interestingly, by the color of the bark on the stem of a seedling, you can determine what color the fruits will be on the tree that grows from it. If the stem and branches of a two-year-old seedling are green or gray with yellowness, then the fruits are either green or yellow. If the bark is dark red, reddish, dark brown with a reddish tint, then the fruits are either red or with a red blush.

When going to buy seedlings, take with you a wide piece of plastic film, rope, burlap if there is wet moss. And also paper and pencil. After purchasing plants, immediately attach labels to them with the name of the variety. The roots of the seedlings need to be moistened, wrapped in damp moss, then in wet burlap and, lastly, in film. Under the polyethylene, the burlap will remain wet longer. To prevent branches from being damaged during transportation, carefully press them to the trunk with a wrap.

And now some “ifs”

If you missed the deadline for planting seedlings...

Then purchase seedlings with a closed root system, that is, in a pot. You can safely buy such plants, even if they have leaves. However, be very careful: sellers often raise the price of ordinary seedlings by simply replanting them in a pot. It is not difficult to check such a forgery: try lifting the tree by the trunk. If it comes out of the pot easily, but the pot contains clay or black soil instead of light soil, then most likely you are being deceived. If you were able to lift the seedling along with the pot or the roots of the tree grew through the bottom, the seedling is of high quality and was grown in a pot.

If you brought seedlings to your dacha and planned to plant them in a few days...

In this case, bury the plants in a place protected from the sun. Or place it in a cool cellar or basement. At the same time, remove the film from them and cover the roots with sawdust or moss soaked in water; V as a last resort Wrap with a damp cloth or soft paper.

If you purchased seedlings in late autumn...

They cannot be planted, but must be kept in storage until spring. Before digging, place the roots of the seedlings in water for two days. Choose the highest place for digging, where water stagnation is impossible. Dig a ditch 50 cm deep so that it runs from west to east. Make its southern side flat, and its northern side vertical. Place the seedlings in the groove one at a time in an inclined position at an angle of 45 degrees with their tops facing south. Cover the roots and half of the trunk with loose soil and water well so that the moistened soil penetrates into all the voids between the roots. After this, add soil again. To prevent the roots of buried seedlings from freezing, cover their location with peat and fallen leaves. And if you cover it with spruce branches or juniper branches, you will provide the roots with excellent protection from mice. In winter, cover the resulting embankment with snow.
In this form, your young animals will successfully overwinter.

If during planting or digging you find that the roots are damaged...
They need to be trimmed. He remembers that the crown is cut only in the spring, but the roots are cut in the fall.

This is due to the fact that during the winter, influxes of callus form on the surface of the cuts - tissue that promotes wound healing. If you notice root injury in the fall, don’t wait until summer for corrective pruning. Usually, not only the damaged roots are cut, but also the one that is directed at an upward angle and the one that goes to the center of the root system are shortened. When pruning, try to cut as small an area as possible. If you notice a tear in the roots near the root collar, wash the torn parts off the ground and carefully connect them, tying them tightly with paper or hemp twine. In the future, it will not interfere with the development of roots, because it will simply rot in the ground.

We all know well that the yield of fruit trees and shrubs depends on agricultural technology, the choice of variety, and whether the winter was mild and the summer was “good.” There is another important component in this formula: the quality of the seedling. Based on the experience of FORUMHOUSE users, we will tell you in this article how to choose high-quality seedlings, where you can safely buy them, where you should never buy them, and what you should pay attention to first when purchasing.

Age

The survival rate of a seedling depends on its age. The “younger” the seedling, the faster it can adapt to the conditions of your site. Therefore, “one-year-olds” take root better than three-year-olds.

Mountelf User FORUMHOUSE

The older the seedling, the slower it takes root (after all, its roots were cut more severely during digging). What good is it if you planted a healthy tree if it sits and doesn’t grow for a couple of years? And the yearling immediately takes root and begins to grow actively.

In an apple tree, for example, three-year-old seedlings already have impressive roots, which have to be thoroughly cut down when digging them up for sale - after such execution, the tree, of course, takes root worse.

Therefore, planting an older seedling in the hope of getting a harvest as soon as possible is a pointless exercise. An annual seedling is indeed preferable. Beginning gardeners are often confused about the age of seedlings: which ones are considered annual, which are considered biennial, etc. Here's what the consultant in the "Orchard" section of FORUMHOUSE says about it Andrey Vasiliev: an annual (or, as some gardeners affectionately say, a “year-old”) is a seedling whose above-ground part has already grown for a full season. Thus, the seedling in the fall of 2015 and spring of 2016 is the same one-year-old, but in the spring you get it from the trench where it was stored, and in the fall - from the field where it grew.

It is better to choose seedlings one to two years old.

Sadovnik62 User FORUMHOUSE

The best seedling for planting is a 1-year-old or two-year-old, transplanted at the same time as digging.

It is important that the shoots ripen well - this is necessary for successful overwintering. A mature shoot should be lignified along its entire length, and the buds on it should be fully formed.

Size

The height of an annual fruit tree seedling (apple tree, pear tree) is usually 80-100 centimeters. A two-year-old seedling reaches one and a half meters in height. The buds on the tops of the seedlings should be large and well formed. If they are damaged, this could be a sign of disease or pests - look for another seedling.

Roots

Carefully inspect the seedling. Try not to buy seedlings from people who put the seedlings up for sale without protecting the roots from drying out in any way: the roots must be “alive,” fresh, and moisturized. The less the roots are damaged during digging, the faster the seedling will take root, the less it will hurt. The root system should be damaged as little as possible.

Here we cannot fail to mention seedlings with a closed root system: their root system is practically not damaged, and this method of replanting is painless for plants. For plum seedlings, for example, whose roots may be damaged even during transportation to the dacha, this is generally an ideal method.

IrBiS1300 UserFORUMHOUSE

I liked the seedlings grown in plastic bags (one of our nurseries sells such seedlings). When planting such a seedling, you simply carefully cut the polyethylene and plant the plant with an intact lump of earth. It continues to grow as if nothing had happened.

But here it is important to deal with a conscientious seller with a good reputation. It often happens that a seedling is not grown in a container, but placed there before planting.

Mountelf User FORUMHOUSE

Have you seen a real ZKS of large fruit trees? So that the tree is grown directly in a pot? Usually everything is the same: cut out of the soil in the spring and shoved into a pot in peat (like in the photo above).

And how disappointing it can be to receive, instead of real seedlings with ZKS, containers in which seedlings with chopped off roots are stuffed, especially when you paid a lot of money for it. You can, of course, hope for luck and the conscience of the suppliers, but there is another way: buy a seedling with an open root system: in any case, there will be an opportunity to properly examine the roots!

Bark

The bark, like the roots, must be alive and fresh. If the bark of a seedling is dry and lifeless, it means that the seedling was dug up in the nursery a long time ago. You can lightly pick at the bark to assess its condition.

Andrey Vasiliev Consultant for the "Orchard" section

Apple and pear trees are very resilient plants. It is difficult to kill them by improper planting. If the seedling is not overdried - and this is the most common reason for non-survival.

Fitness

This point is important for gardeners in the northern and Siberian regions. How to distinguish a local selection seedling from a southern one, which is very likely to freeze in the first winter? There are a number of signs: carefully examine the seedling and you will never be mistaken.

1. Siberian selection seedlings have a branched root system. That is, depending on the variety, the seedling should have two, three, or even more branching roots. Southern seedlings have a carrot root.
2. Siberian selection seedlings are dark, southern ones are light, brownish-red.
3. Siberian selection seedlings can be recognized by their numerous shoots, while stem-like southern seedlings resemble a vine.

Sellers

About 90% of amateur gardeners buy seedlings from “roadside hucksters,” and this is sad. Even if they don’t slip you a bad variety, the saplings will still take root poorly and get sick for a long time, even because of the conditions in which the seedlings are found during this roadside trade.

The correct choice of seedlings is one of the most important tasks both when starting a garden and when expanding it. With good care, an orchard lives on average 20 years, and later the harvests become smaller - and old trees have to be replaced with young seedlings.

In order for the garden to delight with flowering and an abundance of fruits for as long as possible, it is necessary to approach both the acquisition of planting material and the choice of a place for planting seedlings with all responsibility. Not only the survival rate of plants, their growth and development, but also the quantity and even quality of future harvests depend on these factors. To purchase healthy seedlings that will “settle” in the garden for many years, it is enough to follow simple rules, which we will discuss in more detail.

You can buy and plant young trees and shrubs spring or autumn- the main thing is to do it not during the growing season plants. As a rule, the main sale of seedlings in nurseries is carried out in the autumn, and their prices are much lower. Many gardeners are confident that when planted in the fall (before mid-October), the seedlings take root better and are easier to tolerate “relocation.” However, in this case, it is necessary to pay due attention to the winter hardiness of the selected variety.

At the same time, most summer residents and gardeners are thinking about expanding their garden holdings with the onset of spring. In this case, you need to make sure that the buds on the plants have not yet begun to bloom, since seedlings with already blossomed buds take root less well.

First of all, it is worth deciding which trees can be safely called an integral part of any orchard. This is, of course, stone fruit (cherry, black cherry, plum, peach, apricot) And pomaceae (apple, pear, quince).

Almost all stone fruit crops are cross-pollinated. For cherries, for example, cherry will be a good pollinator, for apricot - cherry plum or plum. There are also varieties that do not require a pollinator.

It is best to buy seedlings in nurseries or specialized stores and garden centers. At the same time, it is important to pay attention not only to their regionalization (suitability for cultivation in a specific soil-climatic zone), ideally, young plants should be acclimatized, that is, grown in precisely such conditions.

Stone fruit crops (unlike pome crops) begin to bear fruit earlier, so it is recommended to plant them in the spring. Seedlings of such trees need to choose a warmer planting site protected from the winds. In turn, seed crops are characterized by good winter hardiness, so experts advise planting them on the site in the autumn. But in any case, it is worth focusing on weather conditions.

Experts and experienced gardeners agree that it is best to give preference for seedlings that are about 2 years old, since they take root better and faster than their older “brothers”. The roots of the plant should be fresh, thick and moist. Small roots must be present, ideally lush and dense: up to 20 cm long for annual plants and up to 30 cm long for biennial plants. In the absence of small roots, the tree most likely will not take root or will be very weak. It is good if the lump of root soil is not removed (for example, the seedlings are placed in containers or plastic bags). But it is better to refrain from buying seedlings with dry and weathered roots.

Unzoned seedlings can also be purchased, but this should be done solely as an experiment. Such plants require careful care, which only a truly experienced gardener can provide.

On root collar of a young tree, the grafting site should be visible. If it is absent, there is a risk of acquiring root growth or debris. The bark of the plant should be smooth, not wrinkled or cracked.

Mature trees (4-5 years old) should be sold with a clod of soil the size of the crown of the seedling itself.

Please scratch lightly before purchasing bark trees. If you see a greenish layer under it, it means the seedling is alive and relatively healthy. Seedlings having growths on the trunk or roots, acquire not recommended.

Trunk The seedling must be elastic and have up to 5 multidirectional branches about 60 cm long. In this case, the branches must be deviated from the trunk by at least 45°, otherwise it will be difficult for them to withstand the load from ripened fruits. The kidneys should be clearly visible, well formed and without damage. The shoots should be dense and woody.

On sale you can find both plants in containers and seedlings with open root system. I advise you to give preference to the latter. Why? The fact is that such planting material was grown in open ground, which means it had the opportunity to develop a more powerful root system and a stronger crown thanks to larger area nutrition. But this medal also has a flip side: seedlings with open root system when digging lose some roots. Therefore, before purchasing such seedlings, you need to inspect them especially carefully; fortunately, the open root system makes this possible.

First, what I would recommend paying attention to when choosing a seedling is its age. Not all gardeners know that plants transplanted at the age of 4-5 years take root with great difficulty, often get sick and can die even with good care. Therefore, for your garden I only buy 1-2 year olds seedlings.

Secondly, it is important to pay attention to the condition of the aboveground part of the seedling. The tree should have a good stem about 1 cm thick. The height of a one-year-old seedling should be about 1 m, a two-year-old - about 1.5 m. As for berry crops, their seedlings should have 2-3 well-developed woody shoots and a fairly developed root system. This is very important nuance, since during autumn planting a non-lignified shoot may not survive the winter.

The next thing we look at is root system seedling. She must be fibrous, in other words, resemble a beard. That is, thin roots will extend from the main roots, which feed the plant. At the same time, the roots themselves should be elastic and dense. Before purchasing make a small cut on the spine(or just scratch it with your fingernail). If there is a spine inside light, the plant can be bought. But dark color indicates that the root has rotted. If the seedling otherwise looks healthy, you can take a chance and buy it, but in this case, before planting, the affected roots will have to be cut off to a “living” place.

When buying a seedling, make sure that its roots do not have any thickenings, since they may be a sign of dangerous diseases (for example, root cancer). Bacteria living in the soil penetrate through cracks into the root system and cause plant cells to rapidly divide. As a result, they are formed growths. The price for inattention in this matter is very high: the plant will not only die, but may also contaminate the soil in the garden. This rule applies to almost all fruit trees, but there are exceptions. If you see growths on the roots of seedlings acacia, sea buckthorn or wisteria, do not rush to refuse to buy them. In the case of these crops, it is not harmful microorganisms that are hidden in the growths, but nodule bacteria that have the ability to fix nitrogen from the air. Under no circumstances should these nodules be removed from the root system of seedlings, as the plant may die.

The influence of the human factor should not be underestimated. Notice how salesman protects the root system of seedlings from drying out. Ideally, at the stage of preparation for sale, the seedling should be dipped in clay mash, thereby creating reliable protection for all, even the smallest roots.

The bark of a young tree should be smooth. wrinkled bark, which has lost turgor, as if warning the gardener that the plant for a long time experienced moisture deficiency. As a rule, its root system is also damaged. I recommend refusing to purchase such a seedling. If, out of ignorance, you still purchased it, you will have to resort to “ resuscitation measures» – namely, before planting, place the entire seedling in a container with water for quite a long time (at least a day).

Give preference zoned varieties, since seedlings are from warm countries and more southern regions They are unlikely to take root in the climatic conditions of our middle zone. But plants from local nurseries- quite.

Returning to the human factor, I want to warn you: purchase plants only in verified nurseries with a good reputation. We are often attracted by the variety of seedlings presented at the market in large quantities, but in this case there is a high probability of buying plants that do not correspond to the declared variety.

If the choice is made in favor of a seedling with closed root system, carefully examine the soil in the container before purchasing. If it is compacted or even covered with moss, the plant probably grew in this container for quite a long time and managed to grow a powerful root system. To dispel any last doubts, carefully pull the seedling by the stem at the base. Taking the plant out of the container, you will see how densely the earthen lump has had time to acquire roots. If during this study the stem is easily pulled out of the ground, it is better to refuse the purchase.

Seedlings apple trees And pears must be grafted (on rootstocks). When purchasing such plants, you need to ask what rootstock this or that variety is grafted onto, since the height of the adult tree will directly depend on this.

Culture and rootstock type

The “health” of the future garden, and therefore the quality of the future harvest, also depends on the correctly chosen type of rootstock.

Dwarf(undersized) rootstock It has a shallow root system, is exposed to weather disasters and is short-lived. Seminal(tall) rootstock is more durable and resistant to negative conditions environment. Experienced gardeners prefer vigorous rootstocks because they are more resistant to the vagaries of nature and are durable.

For comparison, fruit trees on dwarf rootstocks bear fruit for no more than 20 years, and on vigorous seed-bearing rootstocks – up to 80.

If the dacha plot is large enough and located on a flat surface with deep groundwater, you can purchase seedlings on a vigorous seed rootstock. The root system of crops with such a rootstock is taprooted and penetrates the soil to a depth of 3 to 4 m. This “anchor” holds the tree well in the soil even when strong winds and floods. At the same time, trees on vigorous rootstocks reach a height of 9 to 15 m, which makes them difficult to care for.

If the area is small and located in the lowlands, it is more practical to purchase seedlings on semi-dwarf or dwarf rootstocks. Especially if the fertile soil layer does not exceed 60 cm, and groundwater lies close to the surface.

How to distinguish the type of rootstock when buying a seedling

Having decided which type of seedling is appropriate to purchase for your garden plot, carefully inspect it root system. All roots of the dwarf rootstock arise from the root collar; they are equal in thickness and length. The type of root system is fibrous, with small suction roots. The root of a tree on a vigorous (seed) rootstock is taprooted and straight. In this case, lateral roots extend from the central rod, which are thinner than the central one and are located almost horizontally in relation to it.

In addition, young grafted seedlings adapt better and faster to new conditions. In this case, it is desirable that the grafting be carried out 1.5-2 years before planting the plant in a permanent place. The root collar of the selected tree must be carefully examined - the mark from the cut rootstock must be healed, otherwise there is a danger of the seedling becoming infected with tinder fungus (and this disease cannot be cured).

When choosing seedlings, you need to take into account soil cover area where plants will be grown. For apple trees For example, soddy-podzolic, gray forest soils and chernozems are optimal. Pears grow well on slightly podzolized loams with sufficient moisture. It is better to plant plums and cherries on medium to light loamy soils. Cherries prefer sandy loam soils.

The best time to plant seedlings apple trees- autumn. But pears with a delicate root system, it is best to plant in spring (April). Spring planting is also preferable for plum, cherries And cherry. If the seedlings of these crops were purchased in the fall, until spring they can be stored in the so-called trench - a trench about 60 cm deep.

Plums, cherries and sweet cherries They are grafted much less frequently than apple and pear trees. When purchasing seedlings of these crops, you need to inquire whether the plant in front of you is grafted or rooted. Grafted seedlings, as a rule, begin to bear fruit earlier and do not produce root shoots.

As practice shows, it is important not only to choose healthy seedlings adapted to specific climatic conditions, but also to plan their planting well, taking into account a number of factors. It is necessary to take into account the level of groundwater, the degree of illumination, the topography of the soil and its characteristics, as well as the area allocated for the garden.

The terrain of the site may have a slight slope (from 5 to 7°), but it is better if it is south, south-east or south-west. But experts do not advise planting a garden on a completely flat area. In addition, the landing site should be well lit. The seedlings should be placed in a place protected from the wind on the south or southwest side of the site.

You should not discount such a factor as the area of ​​the garden plot, since the height and number of future trees will depend on it. Excessive density of plantings can lead to shading and poor fruiting of trees, which in this case will begin to grow upward rather than wider.

With a choice of location for each specific seedling need to decide in advance, even before purchasing plants, since it is best to prepare pits for planting in advance (in some cases - 6 months before landing).

If a fruit tree is grafted on a vigorous rootstock, the depth of groundwater should not exceed 3 m, for a semi-dwarf rootstock - 1 rootstock - 2.5 m, but for dwarf trees the optimal depth of groundwater is 1.5 m.

By observing these simple conditions, you can count on good survival rate, rapid growth of seedlings and begin creating a beautiful garden.

What needs to be done before purchasing seedlings

1. Write down in your garden diary which seedlings of crops, varieties and ripening dates you need to purchase this season. Calculate their number and draw a planting diagram in advance.
2. Determine the depth of groundwater, the depth of the fertile and underlying layers.
3. Prepare planting holes in advance.

Don't make a mistake in choosing

The seedling must have a tag indicating the type of crop (apple tree, pear, etc.), name of the variety, zoning (local, other region, country), ripening period (early, middle, late), type of rootstock and age of the seedling .

The best for planting are 1-2 year old seedlings. In terms of external parameters, they should have standard dimensions: 1-year-old seedling: stem height - from 0.7 to 1 m, stem diameter - from 1 to 1.3 cm, root system length - 25-35 cm, aerial part without lateral branches ; 2-year-old seedling: stem height - about 1.5 m, stem diameter - up to 2 cm, length of the root system - from 30 cm, the above-ground part may have 1-2 lateral branches; 2-3 year old seedling: a clearly defined central conductor (trunk) and from 3 to 5 lateral (future skeletal) branches, lateral shoots extend from the trunk at an angle of 45 to 90

The root system should look healthy, smooth and elastic, without growths or ulcerations.

The stem of the seedling should be straight, with smooth bark without dark spots or dots.

You should not buy seedlings with leaves (especially if they have drooped and lost turgor). Most likely, such plants were dug up too early.

It is important to carefully examine the vaccination site. In some cases it is present on the plant, but is accompanied by spiny growths on the scion. Most often, plums, peaches, apricots and pears suffer from this problem. In this case, it is better to refrain from purchasing, since unscrupulous manufacturers of planting material, most likely, grafted wildflower onto wildflower, counting on an inexperienced buyer. A real graft has a thornless graft.

An annual seedling of columnar fruit crops can be distinguished from its usual “brothers” by its thicker (from 1.5 cm) central conductor. In 2-3-year-old seedlings of columnar crops, there are practically no lateral branches on the central shoot (aka the future trunk), while in ordinary seedlings by this age 3 to 5 lateral shoots are already formed.

How to save a seedling before planting

After purchasing, the seedling must be immediately properly packaged in such a way that during transportation the grafting does not break off and the roots do not dry out. When going to a nursery or garden center to buy young trees, you need to have a damp rag, burlap and a tall bag with you.

Experts advise wrapping the roots of the seedling in a damp rag, carefully tying it with twine and placing it in damp burlap. And only after this the plant can be placed in a tall plastic bag. Having fulfilled these conditions, you can be sure that the seedling will not lose moisture or be damaged during transportation.

It is important to pay attention to the coordination of the root system and the number of shoots. Even if the bush is very beautiful, but its root is poorly branched or even cut off, I would not recommend buying it. By the way, for a plant to grow and develop, it is enough to have 2-3 good shoots.

With the onset of spring, you should not delay planting seedlings for long: after the leaves begin to unfurl on the shoots of plants, their survival rate will sharply decrease. That is why the spring planting “boom” is quite rapid and fleeting. At the same time, the autumn planting period can be called more measured and thorough.

The process of planting trees and shrubs can be called one of the most important stages of their cultivation. The beauty of the future garden and its productivity largely depend on it. At the same time (along with choosing the optimal place for planting and healthy seedlings), proper planting work at the optimal time and proper care of the plants in the future play a huge role.

When purchasing seedlings with an open (freed from the ground) root system, you should remember that in dry weather they can be outdoors for no more than 15 minutes. With a longer stay in the air, the delicate root endings that absorb water begin to dry out and die. To transport small plants, you can use boxes (preferably plastic) with small ventilation holes; for medium-sized seedlings, garbage bags (20 to 40 l in size) are suitable, and for transporting large seedlings, it is better to purchase double polyethylene film up to 1.5 m wide in advance. .

Bare-root seedlings are best purchased and transported in cool, cloudy (and even rainy) weather.

Having delivered the planting material to the site, it is recommended to dig in the seedlings as quickly as possible. To do this, prepare a ditch with one vertical and the other inclined wall (at an angle of approximately 30 °), into which the seedlings are placed. The root system of plants is covered with earth. In such a storage, seedlings can be stored for quite a long time without losing their viability.

Before you start planting, you need to once again carefully evaluate the conditions in which young plants will grow and develop (sunny or shaded place, waterlogged or dry, poor or rich soil, etc.). The most common mistake made by beginner (and not only) gardeners is planting plants too closely, and it is caused by the fact that many of us simply do not know what size a particular plant will reach in adulthood. It is easy to find relevant information today both on the Internet and in specialized literature.

The seedlings removed from the stake are placed in the center of the hole in such a way that their roots, without bending or resting against the walls of the hole, evenly diverge in different directions. If the roots are too long, they are trimmed with pruning shears or chopped with an ax.

Before planting, the roots of the seedlings are carefully examined. All broken roots are cut out with pruning shears, and large roots are trimmed by 0.5-1 cm.

When planting, it is important to ensure that the root collar of the plants is located above the soil surface. To do this, from a third-filled hole, if necessary, select (or, conversely, add) the required amount of earthen mixture. After the seedling has taken its place in the planting hole, it is filled with approximately 2/3 of the total depth with an earthen mixture that should cover most of root system of the plant. After this, the planting site is watered abundantly until the water level reaches 2/3 of the depth of the planting hole. After this, the hole is filled with dry soil mixture.

During planting, the seedling must be maintained in an upright position, slightly tugging and pulling it upward.

According to experienced gardeners, this method of planting most often guarantees the survival of plants. With other planting methods (including the most common dry planting followed by abundant watering), the survival rate of plants is lower - due to less close contact of the root endings with the soil and the formation of air sacs in the area where the roots are located.

By pouring water directly into the planting hole, you can avoid the formation of dirt around the planting site, which is inevitable when watering from above.

After planting the seedling, you need to form a planting mound around the annular roller. It is this that will retain moisture in the near-surface zone during watering. It would be a good idea to mulch the surface of the mound. suitable material to avoid the formation of a soil crust and slow down the evaporation of moisture.

Planting seedlings with a closed root system

According to experts, seedlings with a closed root system can be planted in a permanent place almost throughout the year. The technology for such planting is quite simple and differs slightly from planting seedlings with an open root system. However there are some specific features, which are worth paying attention to.

Not all gardeners know that soil (earth mixture) is included in the list of quarantine materials that are prohibited from being transported across state borders. In this regard, for official delivery from abroad, seedlings are placed in containers with peat or other material permitted for transportation. As a rule, such a substrate is completely unsuitable for further growing plants.

When purchasing an “overseas” plant, try to quickly remove it from the container and plant it in a permanent place in open ground. If for some reason this is not possible, the seedling can be transplanted into another container with a high-quality soil mixture.

The seedling is carefully removed from the container immediately before planting. If the roots of the plant curl along the walls of the container, they need to be cut off. This should be done with repeated vertical movements along the entire circumference of the coma, using the sharpest possible knife.

In the future, the planting process is not much different from a similar operation with seedlings with an open root system. An earthen mixture is poured into the planting hole so that the surface of the earthen ball placed on it protrudes 5-10 cm above the soil level. After this, water is poured into the hole and covered with dry soil in the gap between the ball and the edge of the planting hole along its entire perimeter, tamping thoroughly.

I would recommend for better survival use seedlings (no matter how exactly they are planted) root stimulants. Most often you can find the drug on sale “ Kornevin" The working solution of this drug is prepared at 0.0001% concentration according to the instructions. I strongly recommend not to exceed the specified dose of the drug, since solutions of higher concentrations can lead to burns of the root tissues of seedlings and their death.

Mature trees are held in the soil by roots that tightly cover a large volume of soil. As for seedlings, they lack such support, so after planting they need additional support.

Young shrubs after planting, as a rule, stay in the soil quite well, since their shoot system has a low center of gravity. At the same time, the center of gravity of the trees is much higher, so during the first time after planting, young trees need to be secured.

You can strengthen the plantings with the help of supports. For seedlings with an open root system, most often one support is sufficient. It is driven into the bottom of the hole 10-15 cm from its center before planting the seedling. Seedlings planted in a permanent place with a lump of earth, experts recommend strengthening with three pillar pyramids. And in the case of large-sized seedlings, a safety fastening system will come to the aid of gardeners, which will not interfere with the proper development of the tree (for example, the “ Cobra"for seedlings).

Rules for planting trees

If you plant young seedlings in compliance required interval, for the first couple of years the garden will seem empty to you - and you will want to fill the empty (in your opinion) spaces with new plants. Under no circumstances should you do this! After 8-10 years, your “pets” will grow up, and if the planting is too dense, their crowns will begin to close together. And then you will be faced with an unpleasant choice: either part with some of the plants (dig them up or even cut them down), or severely prune them every year, forgetting about decorativeness.

Some summer residents who want to save money on purchasing seedlings of ornamental plants do not purchase them in special nurseries, but dig them up in the forest or in other areas. And few people think that doing this is prohibited by forestry and environmental legislation. In addition, not all types of dug up game birds take root in a new place after transplantation. The fact is that in nurseries, seedlings are transplanted several times, forming compact root systems with a large number root endings. As for wildlings, they grow in a constant place all their lives, which leads to the growth of skeletal roots and weak branching of the root system. When digging up such trees (even with the utmost care), you will most likely cut off most of the root system, leaving a plant with stumps of skeletal roots, practically devoid of root lobes.

Naturally, the survival rate of such planting material will be very low, and miraculously surviving plants will be stunted and sickly.

1. Firstly, soil density should not exceed 30 kg/cm. This is the maximum value at which the roots (albeit with difficulty) can penetrate the soil.
2. Secondly, 1 mg of tree crown needs to provide 0.5 m3 of soil space for roots. Let's take a simple example: a tree with a crown diameter of 12 m requires at least 50 m3 of soil volume.
3. Thirdly, maximum depth the landing pit should not exceed 1 m.

Rules for proper landing

• If the top of the seedling has withered, it can be cut off to living tissue. However, this can be done no more than a third of the length.
• After planting and watering, the root collar should be 3-5 cm above the soil level.
• We pour fertile soil into the hole evenly and compact it thoroughly around the roots.
• We draw a circle on the ground - the edges of the future hole. Place the top arable layer (1) on the bottom, fertile soil (2) on top. The depth of the pit is about 60 cm, the diameter is about 100 cm. For stone fruit crops, the dimensions of the pit are 40x80 cm.
• We place the top layer of soil (removed during the digging process) on the bottom of the hole in a mound, place the seedling on top, carefully straightening its root system.
• After filling the hole next to the seedling, we drive a stake to which we attach the plant trunk.

In the first 2 years after planting, seedlings require special attention from the gardener. Proper care at this time is not only crucial for the further development of young trees, but also allows you to correct mistakes made during unsuccessful planting.

Immediately after planting a seedling in the ground, experts advise forming a so-called trunk circle. If it is present, it is more convenient to water and feed the plant - moisture and nutrients will go directly to the root system. The tree trunk circle must be regularly cleared of weeds and the soil in it well loosened to ensure access of oxygen to the root system of the seedling.

*In the first year of a seedling’s life, its trunk circle averages from 30 to 40 cm. After the plant is 1 year old, its trunk circle is expanded by another 0.5 m.

To protect against adverse weather conditions, plants are tied to supports and care is taken that the tying material does not cut into the bark, since damage to it can lead to the death of the plant.

To avoid tissue drying out in the spring, in dry and windy weather, tree trunks can be wrapped in damp cloth or moss.

Sometimes in the first years of a seedling’s life there may be an imbalance between the volume of its root system and the above-ground part. In this case, post-planting pruning is carried out, shortening the shoots by a quarter.

In 1st year Throughout life, the root system of the seedling develops within the planting hole. At this time, the plant uses the fertilizers added during planting, and additional fertilizing may not be necessary. If the applied fertilizers are not enough and the seedlings grow poorly, 10 kg of rotted manure, 120 g of superphosphate, 40 g of potassium chloride and 60 g of ammonium nitrate are added to the tree trunk circle.

On the 2nd Every year the tree trunk circle is expanded by about 50 cm and the same amount of fertilizer is applied. It must be taken into account that with the onset of spring, young trees feel an urgent need for nitrogen fertilizers, which means that the dose of ammonium nitrate can be increased to 80 g and urea can be added.

If the soil in the garden plot is poor, it is better to apply fertilizers in parts, superficially and cover them with a rake. After feeding, the tree trunk circle is watered and mulched with peat or

Feeding seedlings is best combined with watering. Plants need additional moisture especially in the first year after planting. If it is deficient, the top of the above-ground part of the seedling will gradually begin to die off. This negative process for the plant lasts until the normal moisture level is restored in the root layer of the soil.

For fruit crops on loamy and clayey soils, an average of three waterings per season is sufficient: immediately after planting, in the second half of May and in July. At the same time, at least 3 buckets of water are poured under each tree. If the summer was hot and dry, as well as with late spring planting, the number of waterings increases to 4-5: 2 spring and 2-3 summer. If the soil in the garden is light sandy loam, at least 5-6 waterings will be required.

In August (or early September), watering should be suspended to allow young plant growth to woody well and prepare for the onset of winter. At the end of September-October, gardeners water plants abundantly (double the norm), which promotes root growth even under snow cover. It is pre-winter watering, according to experts, that strengthens the winter hardiness of seedlings.

To ensure that moisture accumulates and remains in the soil, experienced gardeners resort to mulching. Cover the tree trunk circles with humus, compost, peat, chopped straw, etc. But sawdust(especially coniferous species) use for mulching not recommended. The thickness of the mulch layer should be 3-5 cm. Spread the mulch around the entire circle around the trunk, with the exception of a small area around the trunk with a radius of 10-15 cm.

The first mulching is carried out immediately after the first loosening of the soil. If you do this later, when the soil has already dried out, mulching not only does not give a positive result, but in dry years it can even harm the plants. In the summer months, the soil under the mulching layer is loosened as it becomes compacted, moving the mulching material to the side. After loosening, the mulch is redistributed along the tree trunk circle of the plant. In the fall, mulch is incorporated into the soil as fertilizer.

Fresh leaves of young seedlings are a real treat for leaf-eating caterpillars and green aphids. These pests must be collected manually, and if this does not work, biological or chemical remedies must be used.

In late autumn, the main soil cultivation is carried out in tree trunk circles with the application of fertilizers. It is at this time that fruit trees finish growing and leaf fall ends. The soil is dug up with a shovel and the layer is turned over; the soil clods are not crushed. Thanks to this event, pests that winter in upper layers soil. And the “blocky” soil surface retains moisture better.

When digging up the soil in the tree trunk of a young plant, you must be careful. Do not dig the shovel too deep so as not to damage the root system of the seedling. In this case, the shovel itself should be facing the stem with its edge. Near a young trunk, it is better to use rippers or cultivators to a depth of no more than 6-7 cm; when moving away from the trunk, the soil can be cultivated deeper - 14-15 cm.

Before digging the soil in the tree trunk circle, it is necessary to remove all weeds and burn fallen leaves.

In spring, loosening of the soil is carried out without turning the layer. The first time the soil is loosened to preserve the reserve after the snow melts and the ground dries out a little. Subsequently, throughout the spring and summer months, the soil in the trunk circles of young trees is loosened at least 3-4 times, carefully getting rid of weeds.

In the 2nd year of growth of the seedling, it is pruned. This procedure allows you to bring into balance the rapidly developing above-ground part of the plant and its root system, as well as lay the foundations for the formation of the crown.

As a rule, fruit trees on vigorous rootstocks are formed according to a sparse-tiered scheme, according to which the tree has 5-7 skeletal branches of the first tier and 4-5 of the second. To do this, in the 2nd year, the lateral branches are cut by a third when the shoot length is 70 cm and by half when the length is 100 cm. If the future skeletal branches develop equally, the lower shoots are cut less weakly than the upper ones. To get the second tier of the crown, the central conductor is also shortened, leaving a length of 45-50 cm.

With proper care, shoot growth in one season should be 60-70 cm for pome crops and 80-100 cm for stone fruits.

The first winter is a serious test for a young plant. To help it survive the winter, you can purchase special covering material. It will not only warm the plant during the cold period and save it from burns in early spring, but also protect it from rodents. By the way, whitewashing, used as a means of protection, is not always effective for young trees. It is necessary to free the trees from the fabric binding on cloudy (preferably rainy) days in the late afternoon. Regarding strong winds, then the young tree will be protected from them by the correct support, which will not damage the tree bark.

The future productivity of young trees directly depends on how strong the plant is. Annual apple and peach trees bear their first fruits 2-3 years after planting, apricots, cherries and plums - after 3-4 years, and pears - no earlier than 5 years. If young trees bloom earlier than the specified period, all flowers must be removed so as not to weaken the plants.

Feeding calendar for apple and pear trees: from spring to autumn

April

After the buds awaken, apple and pear trees are fed with urea: at the rate of 30 g per 1 mg of the trunk circle for trees under 3 years old and 50 g per 1 mg for fruit-bearing trees. After applying fertilizers, the trees are watered abundantly.

Urea should not be mixed with superphosphate, lime and chalk. Urea saturates the soil with easily digestible nitrogen, helps the tree grow green mass, and also helps prevent scab and purple spot.

May

In May, 1.5 cups of ash and 30 g of ammophosphate per 1 mg are embedded in the trunk circle of each tree. It is best to apply fertilizer into the holes. They are dug along the perimeter of the crown to a depth of 20-25 cm. Since fertilizers are rich in phosphorus and potassium, they promote the development of the root system, active fruit set and increase plant resistance to drought and disease.

To avoid burns to the root system, before (or immediately after) applying fertilizers, the plants are watered abundantly: 5-6 buckets of water for each tree; 2-4 buckets of water are used for non-fruiting apple and pear trees.

After 2 weeks, it is advisable to carry out foliar feeding - spray the crown with humic fertilizer: 5 g of dry powder is diluted in 10 liters of warm (25-28 ° C) water, a solution of the liquid preparation is prepared according to the instructions. Humic fertilizers increase the immunity of trees and their resistance to adverse weather conditions.

For tree crowns, it is best to use sodium humate, but if it is unavailable, potassium humate can also be used. In this case, it is advisable to give preference to a preparation containing microelements.

June

After flowering, plants need to be fed with microelements - primarily boron and copper, which increase plant immunity and promote the active formation of flower buds for the next season. At this time, 0.5 g of boric acid and 2 g of copper sulfate are diluted in 10 liters of water. This amount of fertilizer is enough to feed 1 adult tree or 2 young plants.

In June, it is also useful to repeat spraying with humic fertilizer in the same proportions.

July

In the first days of July, the soil in the tree trunks is loosened to a depth of 15 cm and green manure is sown in it. After about 5 weeks, the green mass is mowed and incorporated into the soil.

It would not be amiss to repeat spraying with humic fertilizer in the same proportions this month.

August

Every 3 years (starting from the second year of the plant’s life) in August, the trees are fed with phosphorus fertilizer: 30 g of double superphosphate per 1 m of trunk circle. The fertilizer is embedded in the soil to a depth of about 5 cm, after watering the plants abundantly.

September

Every year, with the onset of autumn, 30 g of sernbislogr must be added to 1 mg of the tree trunk. potassium As an alternative, at this time, apple and pear trees can be fed with complex autumn fertilizer (according to the instructions) or potassium monophosphate: 10-15 g per 10 liters of water (10 liters of solution per 1 mg of soil).

Autumn fertilizers do not contain nitrogen, as they are intended to prepare fruit crops for winter. They promote lignification of young shoots and bark, and also help plants survive frosts.

The best fruit and berry bushes for the garden

Raspberry

Many of us have heard about the wonderful properties of this tasty and aromatic berry. By the way, previously the bushes we were used to grew only in forests, and only over time they began to grow this crop in garden plots. Today on sale you can find varieties of early, medium and late ripening. The advantages of this crop include its ability to adapt to almost any conditions, but the main disadvantage is its low yield.

Large-fruited raspberry varieties are considered high-yielding, since the weight of one berry can reach 12 g. And remontant varieties are the most popular.

The shrub needs regular watering, loosening the soil and timely fertilizing.

You can plant raspberries on your site in the spring (before the buds appear) or in the fall (until mid-October). The place for planting should be chosen with maximum light, since in the shade the yield of this crop will be much lower and the berries will be smaller. It is best to plant raspberry bushes so that on the northern (and northeastern) side the plants are protected from cold winds by a fence or wall.

Gooseberry

This berry is often called northern grapes or Russian cherry plum. Being relatively unpretentious, the crop produces good yields, so gooseberries can be found in almost all regions. Fruiting usually occurs in the third year. The berries can be green, yellow or red-brown - there are currently about 1,500 varieties of gooseberries.

The plant prefers illuminated areas and is not afraid of drought, but shading and waterlogging should be avoided when growing this crop.

European gooseberry varieties have gained popularity due to their high taste, but they are susceptible to disease and do not tolerate low temperatures. American varieties give a good harvest even with a lack of moisture, although the berries are inferior in size to European varieties. Hybrid varieties, in turn, combine the best qualities, which is why they can most often be found in summer cottages and garden plots. Currently, large-fruited, frost-resistant, productive varieties have been developed that are resistant to various diseases.

A well-lit area, protected from cold winds, is suitable for planting gooseberries. With constant waterlogging (especially if the plant is in the shade), various fungal diseases can occur.

Gooseberries do not tolerate acidic soils, but feels great on light loams.

You can add garden compost or lime to the planting hole (or trench).

Blackberry

This culture settled in our gardens relatively recently. For a long time, its habitat was wild nature. In terms of taste and healing properties, blackberries are not only not inferior to raspberries, but even superior to them. An interesting fact is that the shrub was not in demand by gardeners because of its sharp thorns, but now, thanks to the work of breeders, varieties without thorns have appeared.

Blackberries have a deep root system, so you should not place plants in places with close groundwater.

The straight-growing blackberry is considered the most common today. Bushes give a good harvest and save space on the site. But semi-creeping varieties, although extremely rare, are a real treasure for experienced gardeners. Remontant blackberries also deserve attention, as they allow you to harvest twice a season.

Blackberries prefer fertile, loose and moisture-absorbing soils and maximally illuminated areas of the garden. When planted in the shade, the shoots stretch, which leads to loss of yield. This crop is quite thermophilic and needs protection from cold winds, so best place for it will be the south or south-west side of any building or fence. Shrubs should be planted in a trench strictly along a line to avoid difficulties during care. During the fruiting period, plants need frequent and abundant watering.

Honeysuckle

For their many beneficial properties, edible varieties of honeysuckle are often called “ rejuvenating berries" And since the shrubs also bloom beautifully, they are often used for decorative purposes.

Honeysuckle ripens in mid-May. The berries of this crop have a slightly bitter specific taste.

Bushes of long-fruited honeysuckle are medium-sized with cylindrical berries. Hybrid varieties were developed by breeders by crossing several varieties of berries. Mid-late varieties of honeysuckle bear fruit until late autumn.

Honeysuckle does not tolerate shade well, preferring sunny places in the garden.

The crop is suitable for planting both in spring (before the growing season begins) and in autumn. The plant is quite frost-resistant. Does not present special requirements to the soil. Watering is important for honeysuckle (especially in spring and in hot, dry weather), but flooded areas and close groundwater are detrimental to plants.

Honeysuckle grows quite slowly. In order for the bush to take root and bear fruit well, it needs to be fed regularly. Bushes older than 6 years need sanitary pruning.

Most varieties of honeysuckle are self-sterile, so it is necessary to plant 2-3 bushes of different varieties at a distance of 2-2.5 m from each other.

Honeysuckle can make interesting hedge. To do this, the bushes are planted at a distance of 1-1.5 m from each other.

Currant

Easy-to-care currant bushes allow you to harvest rich harvests of tasty and healthy berries. It is not advisable to choose a single variety for a plot; growing several species at once would be an excellent option. On sale you can find black currants of early, middle and late ripening. However, the most popular are large-fruited varieties. Distinctive feature red currants - heavier bunches. At the same time, the bushes can grow without transplantation up to 20 years. As for white currants, they are not inferior in taste and benefits to red ones. Hybrid varieties bred by selecting varieties of gooseberries and currants are also deservedly popular today.

Currants grow best in maximally illuminated areas, but in the shade they will bear fruit worse and can be affected by various fungal diseases. Since the currant root system is shallow, the plants need regular watering. Currants are quite frost-resistant and, with sufficient snow cover, can withstand frosts down to -40 ° C.

Blueberry

This berry has not yet become widespread in summer cottages and gardens, and for many of us it remains a “representative” of wild nature. Externally, blueberries resemble blueberries.

Tall blueberry varieties can be used to create hedge: their bushes are branched, and the berries have an intense blue or dark blue color. Low-growing blueberries bloom luxuriantly in the spring and also produce good harvests. Southern blueberry varieties were developed through hybridization to grow in arid climates.

In the garden it is better to grow not wild, but more cultivated varieties of plants. They easily take root in a new place, regardless of the planting method (by seeds or dividing the bush). Plants over 5 years old need pruning.

Blueberries will grow and bear fruit well in areas with acidic, loose, peaty soil. The landing site should be open and well lit. This culture will do well in a heather garden or next to conifers. The plant is frost-resistant. Blueberries can grow in one place for up to 100 years.

Since blueberries belong to the heather family, the plant will grow and bear fruit well only in symbiosis with saprophytic fungi (which help blueberries extract nutrients from the soil).

Sea ​​buckthorn

Sea buckthorn bushes can be “settled” in almost any area. This plant is valued for its berries, which are widely used in folk medicine. In our gardens you can find early, middle and late varieties of sea buckthorn. A botanical variety that is practically devoid of thorns is becoming increasingly popular. Large-fruited varieties with sweeter berries also do not have them.

A sea buckthorn bush will bear fruit only if male and female specimens of sea buckthorn are planted nearby.

The plant is hardy and frost-resistant. It can grow not only as a bush, but also as a tree. Experts recommend planting sea buckthorn in open and well-lit places - in the shade the plant may die. The soil for growing should be light, loose and fertile.

Irga

This beautiful plant is most often grown as an ornamental shrub, since few people know about the beneficial properties of the berries growing on it, which taste like something reminiscent of cherries. The plant is winter hardy and can withstand unfavorable climatic conditions.

Alder serviceberry is a profusely flowering shrub. With the onset of autumn, the leaves turn bright colors. You can get up to 10 kg of berries from the plant. Canadian serviceberry is a tall tree-like shrub with fleshy and pleasant-tasting berries. Irga blood-red is a slender, medium-sized shrub with juicy berries.

Irga is considered an unpretentious plant and requires virtually no care. At the same time, shrubs will appreciate abundant watering - especially during the growing season. In the first 3 years the bush is formed, and at a later age it is rejuvenated.

Serviceberry berries attract birds, so the crop must be harvested in a timely manner - as it ripens.

Serviceberry bushes can be used to create a hedge. To do this, young seedlings are placed at a distance of 0.5 m from each other. Since the bush produces a lot of root growth, the hedge can soon turn into a dense fence. If the serviceberry bushes are intended for harvesting, they should be placed at a distance of at least 3 m from each other.

Irgu can be planted even in a shady area of ​​the garden; the decorativeness and fruiting of the bush will not suffer from this. Saskatoon is planted in early spring or mid-autumn (during leaf fall). In one place, a shrub can grow up to 70 years.

Actinidia

This decorative variegated shrub (more precisely, a liana shrub) is distinguished not only by its decorative effect, but also by its tasty vitamin fruits. It is better to plant actinidia in a well-lit area, but it can also grow in partial shade. The plant needs loose, breathable soil, as well as support. The best time to plant actinidia is early May. Since the plant is dioecious, it is best to plant 1 male plant and 5 female plants in the garden.

Barberry

This thorny shrub is quite unpretentious, drought- and frost-resistant. To obtain fruits, it is worth choosing non-ornamental species, since it is in them that the maximum quantity useful substances.

The berries of decorative barberries will taste bitter. Only well-ripened fruits (picked in September) are eaten; unripe fruits can cause poisoning.

All barberries are light-loving, but are not at all picky about the soil.

Gumi

This plant is a rare guest in our gardens. But gumi bushes are distinguished by their decorative properties, and the berries are not inferior in their beneficial properties to sea buckthorn (by the way, they belong to the same family - Suckers). This plant is an excellent honey plant and attracts many pollinating insects to the garden.

It is better to plant gumi bushes in light, fertile sandy or loamy soil. In acidic soils the plant may die. The landing site should be sunny and protected from cold winds.

Young plants need to be covered for the winter; for adults, it is enough to cover the trunk circle with mulch to protect the bush from frost. Even if the branches of an adult shrub freeze in winter, with the onset of spring the plant quickly recovers.

It is best to buy seedlings of fruit and ornamental shrubs in nurseries

we are guaranteed to obtain a plant of the desired variety;

the bush will be acclimatized;

you can purchase a seedling with a closed root system, which is easy to plant almost all season long;

you can get a harvest in the shortest possible time;

Nursery staff will do the necessary pruning before planting.

You can purchase shrub seedlings on the market if you know the seller well and have an impeccable reputation for a long time.

Dishonest sellers use this scheme: pour boiling water over plant roots, so at first they grow and develop well, and then die. This is done so that next year the gardener will come for a new seedling.

Selecting grape seedlings

Any gardener has learned truism: best time to buy seedlings - just before landing. In this case, you won’t have to worry that, due to improper storage, the root system will dry out or rot, and the plant itself will freeze. Since in Russia grapes are planted in mid-May - early June (when the threat of return spring frosts has finally passed), it is also advisable to go for seedlings in the spring.

There are grape seedlings vaccinated And rooted. Rooted grape seedlings always cheaper vaccinated. The main argument in their favor is that in frosty winters the vine may die and only the root system will survive; in some cases, the scion may break off from the rootstock at the grafting site. In this regard, a reasonable question arises: why pay for a scion that may not survive the first winter or break under the weight of the harvest?

Regarding vaccinated seedlings, they can be easily identified by the place of grafting (the junction of the scion and rootstock should be noticeable). If the trunk of the seedling is completely smooth (without growths and signs of grafting), this indicates that in front of you rooted seedling. It is worth paying attention to this point, since unscrupulous sellers may try to sell an ungrafted seedling at the price of a grafted one.

What is it benefits of vaccinated grape seedlings? Firstly, they bring a richer harvest due to the “cultivation” of the rootstock with a good variety. Secondly, such plants are not afraid of phylloxera, which often destroys own-rooted grapes.

When planting grapes, the grafting site should be above the soil level. If the plant is too deep, the scion may take root and become a victim of phylloxera.

A healthy seedling must have a strong and well-developed root system: the more roots there are on the plant, the better and faster it will take root.

To check the quality root system grape seedling, use pruning shears to pinch off a small piece of the root: when cut, it should be white and moist, in other words, similar to a cut raw potato. Black, brown or dry roots indicate that the plant has died.

After this, pay attention to trunk: It must be healthy and undamaged. Gently push the bark along the fibers with your fingernail: you should see green, fresh wood, and the dark color again indicates the death of the seedling.

Now look around kidneys grapes: when pressed, the eyes should not peel off, much less fall off.

What should you be wary of?

• If the seedlings that are sold in the fall have leaves. The fact is that foliage weakens the plant. Most likely, it will not survive the winter in the basement.
• The roots of the seedling are simply stored in the open air. In this case, there is no guarantee that the plant did not dry out due to the carelessness of the sellers.
• At least one of the seedlings in the batch shows signs of disease or pest damage. The disease could well have spread to other plants - its symptoms simply had not yet appeared.

Seedlings purchased in the fall for spring planting should overwinter in a cool room at a temperature not lower than 0 and not higher than 10 ° C.

The ideal temperature for storing grape seedlings is 2-3 degrees above zero. If the plant is overcooled, it may die, and if it is overheated, it may begin to grow prematurely and not take root after planting.

It is necessary to monitor so that the root system plants was constantly hydrated. It is best to store grape seedlings in moist (but not wet!) sand. It’s easy to check the moisture level of the substrate: just squeeze a handful of sand in your palm, it should turn into a dense lump, but under no circumstances crumble. The other extreme is also dangerous, in which water simply drips from the sand.

The humidity of the substrate must be checked throughout the winter, moistening it if necessary. Seedlings waiting to be planted in separate containers can get by with one watering during the winter, but plants planted in common containers need more frequent watering.

If you bought seedlings in containers in the spring, experts strongly do not recommend planting them in the ground immediately. To begin with, the plants should be accustomed to the new temperature and light conditions. To do this, first the grapes are stored indoors - for example, on a windowsill. And after the bud blooms, the container can be transferred to the greenhouse. After some time, young shoots will appear on the seedling. As soon as the temperature at night becomes stable above zero, I begin hardening off the grape seedlings. I start by taking them outside and leaving them for a day - always in the shade. After a few days, I leave the grapes to spend the night outside. And after another 2-3 days I take it out into the sun. And only after this young grapes can be planted in open ground.

Tatyana Olegovna VRUBLEVSKAYA, Nesvizh

If the room intended for storing seedlings is too damp, treat them with a 3-5% solution of iron sulfate - this will protect the plants from damage by fungal diseases.

Choosing rose seedlings

On sale you can find rose seedlings grafted or self-rooted (growing on their own roots and obtained by cuttings). If the seedling is grafted, first of all you need to find out. what type of rootstock was grafted, since the winter hardiness of the plant largely depends on this.

When purchasing, experts advise giving preference to one-year-old rose seedlings (their root system will be already three years old, since the rootstock has been grown for at least two years) with a closed root system. Grafted plants at this age must have at least 3 well-developed shoots.

The best rootstock is the canina rose (R. canina). It is on this rootstock that roses grow and develop well in Russian conditions.

Don’t be afraid to buy rose seedlings with an open root system: if the plants were dug up recently, they have every chance to take root in a new place. There is also the opportunity to thoroughly study the state of the plant root system.

Rose seedlings with an open root system must have several living elastic roots and at least 2 green stems about 20 cm high with green buds. When buying rose seedlings in the spring, you need to make sure that the buds are at rest, that is, they have not yet begun to grow. There should be no spots on the leaves of a healthy seedling; the bark of the stems should be smooth, not wrinkled, and green.

Having decided on a seedling, the bare roots of the plant must be immediately packed in a damp cloth and tied with film - so that the root system does not dry out during transportation. When purchasing leafless seedlings, the roots of which are placed in the ground and sealed in film, do not unpack the plants until planting.

After purchase, rose seedlings with an open root system must be disinfected: dipped in a solution of copper sulfate (30 g per 10 liters of water) or “ Fundazola"(1 tbsp per 10 liters of water).

If the roots of the rose seedling you bought have dried out, put it in a bucket of water for a day.

If planting a seedling is postponed for some time, the exposed roots should be wrapped in a damp cloth or moss, wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in a cool place for several days.

I love roses very much: so majestic, aristocratic and always different. When I see a seedling of a variety that is new to me, I can’t resist buying it regardless of the time of year. Therefore, the issue of storing planting material is very relevant for me. To keep rose seedlings, as they say, “in good health” before planting, I place the plants in a shallow groove along one of its sides. I cover the roots and lower part of the shoots with earth and compact them tightly. Rose seedlings purchased in late autumn are buried in a box of wet sand and stored in an unheated (but always frost-free!) basement until spring. At the same time, I slightly shorten the shoots and trim the roots to 30 cm, and also remove all broken and dry parts of the shoots and roots.

Valentina Porfirovna GOLNIK

Today, imported rose seedlings can be found on sale (since January). As a rule, they are packed in boxes and bags, and their roots are sprinkled with wet peat. Most often, nurseries in Poland and Holland sell the remains of seedlings that were not sold in the fall in this way. These seedlings are already weakened by long winter storage, and it is quite difficult to help them “survive” until planting at home. If you decide to make such a risky purchase, carefully examine the root system of the plants - it is this that is most vulnerable during storage and transportation.

I began to notice that often the shoots of such seedlings are covered with wax. After purchase, this layer must be carefully removed (in other words, scraped off), while being careful not to damage the kidneys. You should not plant such a bush in a pot and leave it at room temperature. Under such conditions, the seedling will begin to grow, and when transplanted into the ground, the shoots will have to be cut off - and this new stress for an already weakened plant.

By the way, rose seedlings with leaves, the root system of which is placed in a container or bag, can be planted in the ground no earlier than mid-May. Until this time, I advise you to store them in a bright and cool room, water them if necessary, and be sure to “accustom” them to the open air.

Since roses are heat-loving plants, the planting site should be sunny and protected from cold winds. The groundwater level should be within 1-1.5 m. If the bushes are in the shade most of the day, they will stretch out, and dew on the leaves can contribute to the development of fungal diseases.

As for the wind, it harms plants by constantly swaying the bushes and dehydrating the leaves.

You should not plant seedlings roses to an area where roses had already grown before. As a rule, the soil here is already depleted and can be infected with pests and pathogens. In this case, young rose bushes will get sick and may even die.

If another place for the bush cannot be found, it is necessary to remove a layer of soil at least 50 cm thick and replace it with fresh soil. It is not recommended to plant roses under large trees and shrubs, or in low areas where there is a risk of flooding.

Most grafted roses do not have any special requirements for soil, since they grow on a stable and unpretentious rootstock. However, this crop will like cultivated loamy and light clay soils, rich in humus and well aerated. In order for roses to feel comfortable in areas with heavy clay soil, it is necessary to provide drainage and add sand, humus, compost and peat to the planting holes. As for light sandy soils, they can be improved by adding turf or compost soil and organic fertilizers.

Since the root system of roses penetrates deeply into the soil, its treatment should be deep: 50-70 cm for grafted plants and at least 40 cm for self-rooted plants. Up to 30 kg/mg (or more) of manure, humus or peat compost is added to the entire depth of the treated layer. The soil reaction should be slightly acidic (pH 5.5-6.5). On more acidic soils it is necessary to add lime: 500 g/mg.

The suitable time for planting grafted roses in our climatic conditions is autumn (from September 1 to October 10) or spring (from April 20 to May 20).

Beginning gardeners are often afraid to plant roses in the fall, because they are afraid that the bush will not have time to take root before the onset of cold weather. In fact, if planted in a timely manner, the plants will have time to take root and, with the onset of spring, will begin to grow faster. The exception is standard and self-rooted roses, which are planted only in spring.

Before planting, each rose seedling must be carefully inspected. If the plant is slightly dry, its roots are immersed in water for several hours. If damaged roots are found, they must be removed. In addition, during autumn planting, shoots are additionally shortened (to 5-8 buds) and leaves are removed.

When planting roses, it is useful to use a clay mash (clay, manure and water in proportions 3:3:10), to which you can add a root formation stimulator (for example, “ Kornevin»).

If the area where the roses will grow is just being developed, the dimensions of the planting hole should be 60x60 cm, and its depth should be up to 60 cm. A drainage layer of pebbles or broken bricks should be laid at the bottom, then a 40-centimeter layer of fertile earth should be poured mixtures. If the soil on the site is already fertile, the planting hole can be made smaller - 30x30 or 40x40 cm (depending on the size of the root system).

Do not immediately bring it into the planting hole mineral fertilizers, it is better to give the plants time to take root.

When planting, it is important not to bend the roots, but to place them evenly in the hole, covering them with soil. To ensure that the soil is well distributed between the roots, the plant is gently shaken, pressing the soil around the bush with your hands. In this case, the planting depth should be such that the root collar is completely in the ground.

After planting, rose seedlings are watered abundantly (even if the soil is quite moist) and covered with soil to a depth of 10-15 cm. This will protect the base of the shoots from drying out and retain moisture in the soil.

Own-rooted roses look weaker than grafted ones, so they are sold only with a closed root system - in containers. They can be found on sale almost all year round, but such a seedling can only be “settled” on a plot from May to August. Such seedlings do not have a very well developed root system, so they often die in the first years after planting due to unfavorable environmental conditions. Moreover, most often the plants do not survive the first winter. In the third year, self-rooted roses develop a stronger root system and winter better.

On the eve of planting (about a week), the seedlings are hardened off in partial shade. The shoots are pruned, because often the leaves turn yellow and fall due to changes in location and temperature. The planting hole needs to be dug approximately 2 times wider and slightly deeper than the container. It is important to preserve the earthen ball when planting. Plants are buried in the soil 2-3 cm more than they were in the container, hilled up and watered. It is important to shade roses from direct sunlight at first.

It is better to plant self-rooted roses on raised beds to protect the plant roots from getting wet.

When choosing your own root roses, experts advise paying attention to miniature, polyanthus, climbing or ground cover varieties that grow well on their own roots. At the same time, varieties of other groups (especially hybrid teas, large-flowered climbers, floribundas, scrubs) bloom better and tolerate cold more easily when grafted onto a rootstock.

When preparing a rose seedling for spring planting, I soak it for a day in a solution “ Heteroauxin"(this is a root formation stimulator). After this treatment, the plant tolerates planting better and takes root faster. I cut off roots that are too long or damaged to healthy wood. Before planting in the ground, I also keep container roses in water until the soil is completely saturated with moisture.

After soaking, I trim the seedlings, leaving 3-4 shoots with 2-3 buds on each. The length of the stems should be about 20 cm. I must remove diseased and dead stems. As for the roots, I only remove their dead parts; you can shorten the old roots a little (by 15 centimeters) so that new ones grow faster. I do not cut the roots of seedlings from containers.

After planting and compacting the soil around the bushes, I make an earthen roller so that during subsequent waterings the water does not spread over the area. I complete the planting of roses by hilling up a layer of about 15 cm. When planting in autumn, I leave this protective layer until spring, and then level it. When planting in spring, I keep it for about 2 weeks - until the buds of the rose begin to open. Then I level the soil and mulch.

Valentina Porfirovna GOLNIK

Planting density is important for the further development of roses.

• miniature roses are planted at a distance of 30-35 cm from each other;
• floribundas And hybrid tea roses– at a distance of 60-80 cm from each other;
• park roses - at a distance of 100-110 cm from each other;
• climbing roses - at a distance of 1.2-2 m from each other.

I want to tell you how you can prepare the soil for planting roses. There are several ways to do this.

1. Before chopping the soil, I add 8-10 kg of decomposed manure, 300 g of organic fertilizer “Deoxidizer”, 3 tbsp. l. superphosphate, 2 tbsp. l. potassium sulfate and 2 tbsp. l. "Agricola" for flowering plants. I dig the soil to a depth of 35-40 cm.

2. For 1 mg of soil I add 8-10 kg of peat compost or peat manure compost, 0.5-1 kg of flower soil (for example, “Rose” or “Saintpaulia”), as well as mineral fertilizers - 1 tbsp. l. "Agricola" for flowering plants, 2 tbsp. l. nitrophoska, 1 tbsp. l. superphosphate and 300 g of wood ash. I dig the soil to a depth of 35-40 cm.

3. I dig a planting hole and add 2 kg of manure humus, 200 g of organic fertilizer (for example, “Flower”), 2 tbsp. l. "Agricola" for flowering plants and 1 glass of wood ash. I mix all the fertilizers with the soil and leave them in this form until planting.

4. Into the planting hole I add 2 kg of peat manure compost or plant humus, 200 g of “Deoxidizer” and mineral fertilizers - 2 tbsp. l. superphosphate and potassium sulfate.

Unrotted manure should not be used, as it can cause plant roots to rot.

Veronica SALKEVICH

DIY container garden

With the help of this interesting element of landscape design, you can easily and quickly change the look of your garden, divide it into functional areas or “settle” heat-loving exotic crops on the site. A container garden is a flight of your imagination, not limited by the square meters of your apartment or house.

An interesting fact is that containers in gardens appeared a very long time ago: back in ancient Greece, it was customary to build the so-called “Adonis gardens.” To do this, clay pots and baskets with earth were placed near houses, where women and girls planted seeds of fast-growing cereals and flowers.

Container crops find different uses in the modern garden. They are especially relevant in cases where it is not possible to plant plants directly in the ground (for example, on areas with decorative filling or paving) or you need to decorate the most seemingly “hopeless” places (for example, in the shade). Container plantings can “travel”, creating the impression of a dynamic, ever-changing garden.

The most capricious plants that cannot tolerate the difficult climatic conditions of our country can grow in such containers - they can easily be protected from bad weather by taking them into the house.

Containers for plants delight with variety, but they are all divided into certain groups. Based on their design, there are containers with holes (flower pots) and containers without holes (plant pots). Both of them can be very small or, conversely, giants with a diameter of more than a meter.

Planting plants in pots requires special conditions, since there is no water flow, which means it is more difficult for the roots to breathe. Most often, ordinary (appropriate in size and shape) flower pots with holes are inserted into flower pots and flower or ornamental crops are planted in them. If planting is done directly in a pot, the drainage layer should be larger: the container is filled at least one third with expanded clay and sand, and the soil is light.

Containers are made of ceramics, plastic, wood, and metal. Since each of these materials has its own characteristics, planting and caring for them will also have to be done differently. Our “green pets” love ceramics most of all - it is hygroscopic (permeable to moisture), it maintains optimal temperature regime, and plant roots breathe over the entire surface of the container. But these containers also have disadvantages: they are fragile and quite heavy. Plastic containers retain moisture well, are light and durable, but at the same time they “steam” the roots, which receive air only from the surface of the soil. Wooden containers have similar advantages to ceramic containers, but are extremely short-lived. As for metal containers, which look original and are distinguished by their variety, the roots of plants in them do not breathe at all, and the containers themselves react to the slightest temperature fluctuations: in the heat they get very hot, and in the cold the roots quickly freeze.

Water the plants in the pots carefully and little by little.

When planting in containers, the main thing is to ensure the correct ratio of soil and drainage. For ceramic containers, it is enough to cover the bottom with expanded clay, pour soil on top of it and plant the plants. Planting in a wooden container is similar, only more expanded clay is required. A layer of coarse-grained river sand about 1 cm thick is poured into a plastic container on top of a layer of expanded clay, the soil is chosen to be light and mixed with perlite. When planting in a metal container, expanded clay should occupy approximately 1/3 of the height of the container; a layer of sand and light soil should be poured on top of it.

Plants in containers experience constant soil shortage, nutrients, moisture. In this regard, such plants need to be watered and fed much more often than those growing in open ground. In this case, the same fertilizers can be used as for the main stationary flower beds, or you can purchase special ones that are more concentrated.

Almost any garden flowers can be planted in large containers (more than 30 cm in diameter), and containers with a diameter of about 50 cm are also suitable for perennials.

Flower crops that do not suffer from soil deficiency can be planted in small containers: petunia, violas, lobelias, ageratum, marigolds, low-growing varieties zinnia, asters, daisies, verbena, salvia, calendula, begonia, as well as all spring bulbous plants. But climbing plants require space, the only exception is sweet pea.

A container garden can become a convenient mobile arrangement, the appearance of which can be changed quite often at will. It is better to place containers with plants not in even rows, but along an arbitrary geometric trajectory. Beautiful stones, garden figurines or small lamps (for example, solar-powered) can be used as unifying elements. The soil in containers can be decorated with colored pebbles or shells. Large containers can be wrapped in textured fabric or burlap, thick twisted rope or coconut coir.

According to landscape designers, a container garden will look stylish and original, where all the plants are placed in identical containers (in color, shape, material). Another option is to plant flowers in each container of the same color as the container itself: for example, yellow tulips in a yellow container.

When creating a container garden with your own hands, there is no need to adhere to any strict rules (except for timely watering and following recommendations for caring for a specific plant, of course). But there are several secrets that will help such a garden become even more beautiful and interesting.

So, if at least one tall plant is not included in the composition, it will seem inexpressive. The role of “giants” can be played by:

• amaranth;
• astilbe;
• bamboo;
• bougainvillea;
• reed grass;
• hibiscus;
• canna;
• dwarf spruce;
• blunt-leaved cypress;
• Noble laurel;
• boxwood;
• thuja occidentalis;
• yucca.

And container gardens look especially attractive if they do not lack plants. To ensure that not a single centimeter of soil is wasted, you can add low ground cover plants to your tall “neighbors”:

• decorative cabbage;
• caladium;
• coleus;
• ashen ragwort;
• chard;
• fennel grass;
• Euphorbia bordered;
• blue fescue;
• sedums;
• celosia;
• cineraria;
• spur flower.

Having gained a taste for and mastered the simple wisdom of container gardening, try to make your garden grow in all directions; in breadth, up and down. To do this, it is enough to complement the composition with plants hanging down and reaching up.

The following are suitable hanging plants for a container garden:

• azarina;
• alyssum;
• petiolate immortelle;
• brachycoma;
• verbena;
• Iberis;
• Laurentia;
• lobelia;
• nasturtium;
• ivy-leaved pelargonium;
• ampelous petunia;
• Zinnia angustifolia.

From climbers you can grow fast-growing vines:

• sweet peas;
• nasturtium;
• fiery red beans;
• morning glory.

In order for a container garden to delight with bright colors and magical aromas throughout the season, plants for it need to be selected based on the principle of a flower bed of continuous flowering. You can also plant evergreens in containers - for example, thuja or boxwood, sedum or young.

Pharmaceutical gardens

Many of us use medicinal herbs, but not everyone has the opportunity to prepare medicinal raw materials. This problem is especially relevant for urban residents. In this regard, more and more often, summer residents are trying to grow such plants on their own plot - simply, beautifully and usefully.

There is an opinion that the first apothecary gardens appeared in the Middle Ages in Italy and gradually spread to Europe and Russia, where they were the property of botanical gardens for a long time. Today, small apothecary gardens can be found in summer cottages and garden plots almost everywhere, but many gardeners do not even suspect how many medicinal and spicy plants can be grown with their own hands.

The beginning of a collection of homemade medicinal plants can be started with potted crops, which can be purchased at garden centers: rosemary, thyme, sage, mint, lemon balm and others. It is not necessary to plant these plants in open ground - in summer time they can decorate the garden as potted plants, and with the onset of cold weather they will take up space on the kitchen windowsill. Fans of container gardens can create compositions from several types medicinal herbs in larger containers or decorative containers. An interesting design solution would be vertical placement of plants, reminiscent green wall from medicinal and spicy herbs. At the same time, stationary beds with spicy and medicinal plants can also be an excellent addition to the garden, since many of these crops are valued not only for their beneficial properties, but also for their decorative properties.

Most medicinal plants prefer sunlight, however some may grow and in partial shade: mint, lemon balm, catnip, lovage and others. Wild medicinal plants ( St. John's wort, chamomile) in the garden it is necessary to create conditions close to natural.

There are no strict rules when creating an apothecary garden. Plants for planting are chosen at will, taking into account crop compatibility.

Beginner gardeners are better off choosing undemanding, easy-to-grow crops ( dill, coriander, calendula, mint, catnip, oregano etc.), and also pay attention to wild herbs - as a rule, they are extremely picky.

When choosing an apothecary garden, every gardener strives to combine the benefits of plants with their attractiveness. An excellent solution would be beautifully flowering plants, crops with a spectacular texture or color of foliage: lavender, flax, bergenia, thyme etc.

In an apothecary garden, perennial and annual crops can coexist with each other, but it is necessary to think through their planting schemes in advance so that the composition remains attractive throughout the season. Chives, for example, after flowering take on an untidy appearance and need pruning, nasturtium blooms only in mid-summer, and coriander forms flower stalks a month after germination, so it will have to be reseeded regularly throughout the season.

It is worth thinking in advance about preparing medicinal raw materials and seasonings for the kitchen. Plants from which rhizomes will be harvested should not be planted next to perennials that have valuable flowers or leaves.

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