Myths of gardeners and gardeners about fruit and their “debunking”
26 MYTHS AND FRAUD ABOUT THE GARDEN AND THE GARDEN
Russia is not a horticultural country.
Historically, the population had few bookmarking and gardening skills.
Not like in Western Europe, where the climatic conditions are favorable for gardening. But in the 60-80 years, gardening magazines began to appear.
“Homestead farming” in this area was one of the first. The editorial staff managed to create such a popular publication that gardeners literally read to them. The magazine conducted a huge educational work and brought up more than one generation of gardeners.
Now enlightening functions have flowed to the Internet, where trade rules the ball, and the consumer, instead of information combining scientific credibility and practical value, receives fantastic fake pictures from Baker and other sellers and acquires “curly strawberries” and other similar products with enthusiasm for the fool. In recent years, the qualifications of gardeners have declined markedly, and very primitive theories and, as we call them, myths have begun to appear.
MYTH 1. The better the care of fruit trees (in the understanding of the gardener is abundant watering and feeding) - the higher the yield.
This is half true. For example, if you follow all the rules for caring for fruit trees, then the conditions for them may be too good. Apple trees, pears and other crops will begin to actively grow (fatten), and they will cease to give crops.
MYTH 2. The best fertilizer is manure!
Manure, especially fresh manure, can cause root burns. The abundance of available nitrogen in it often leads to excessive accumulation of nitrates in vegetables. In addition, fresh manure is a source of weed seeds. Fresh manure is used mainly for the preparation of liquid top dressing (slurry), which is very effective for all plants.
For supplying plants with various nutrients, it is better to use stale manure (rotten during the 1-1,5 year).
MYTH Z. Vegetables from the market are better than in the store.
This is a common misconception, as large cities have already established systems for distributing vegetables through wholesale markets. Classic grandmothers who sell vegetables from their site are no longer there.
MYTH 4. "Magic grade."
Some gardeners dream that there is a certain magical variety of fruit or berry crops - no matter what - which has no shortcomings. This does not happen: all varieties have flaws.
It is known that there are early varieties of strawberries. Many are looking for them, they dream of planting a magical, earliest grade on their plots! But they do not know that most neutral-day varieties, or, as they are called, remontant varieties, give berries earlier than any of the earlier varieties.
See also: Fruit Garden Care - 12 Myths
MYTH 5. "Rebirth" of the variety.
Many gardeners, noting some changes in the behavior of varieties (deterioration of the crop, shrinking fruits, etc.), attribute them to fantastic reasons - for example, a variety is reborn. This practically does not happen!
There can be many reasons for changing the behavior of a variety: for example, loss of resistance to some disease, etc. All these changes have a simpler reason, you just need to look for it.
MYTH 6. A whole series of myths will be gathered about the hardiness of fruit.
Many believe that low winter hardiness is a freezing of the root system.
This is not true. In the central zone of Russia, the root system of the fruit almost never freezes. Freezing of roots is noted in the south of the chernozem zone or in the steppe zone - in places where there is often no snow in winter. In fruit, flower buds, wood freeze above all, and the tree trunk often suffers.
The most winter-hardy among apple varieties is Antonovka vulgaris.
This is not true. As a result of many years of research and observation, it is established that in the conditions of the Moscow region the most winter-hardy varieties of apple trees are Arkad yellow, Summer striped, Grushov Moscow, Korichny striped, Present to Grafsky, Brusnichnoye, Arkadik, Lighthouse Zagoria.
If you wrap a southern tree in the middle zone of Russia with something for the winter, it will not freeze. A man's fur coat warms in severe frost.
A person actually warms himself, and a fur coat does not allow this heat to dissipate. But trees do not produce any heat, therefore, there is nothing to save. The only heating pad is the earth. Spunbond wrapping and so on. save only from winter withers.
MYTH 7. If you really want to, you will be able to grow southern fruit crops in the Moscow Region: peach, persimmon, pomegranate, fig.
Will not work! All these cultures freeze at minus 20 °, which we visit every year.
When northern varieties are transferred to warmer southern conditions, the duration of storage and consumption of winter varieties is reduced; many gardeners forget this pattern. They try to grow northern winter varieties with a winter hardiness reserve in the south, but as a result, the fruits are stored much less or become summer instead of winter ones, and the amazing aroma inherent in northern varieties is lost.
MYTH 8. Winding winter bushes and trees with white non-woven material protects against burns.
It's a delusion. On the contrary, under the white material, the tissues of the plant warm up (the greenhouse effect) and they are more affected by the difference in day and night temperatures. Thus, the material should be dark, and winding in several layers is necessary. So that the warmth of the heated dark fabric does not penetrate inward to the tree trunk!
MYTH 9. The magic of pictures.
The luxurious picture from Baker is an unrealistically beautiful photo montage; there are no such plants. Curly Strawberries Fooled Millions of Consumers!
MYTH 10. The survival rate of plants with a closed root system (grown in pots) is better than with an open root system.
This is not true. Millions of hectares of gardens are planted annually with seedlings with an open root system. Practice has shown that if the seedling is not dried and the buds did not start growing, the survival rate is close to 100%.
MYTH 11. "Pollination" of varieties.
Often you can hear from the townsfolk that some sort of "pollinated" and changed its properties. This myth is very tenacious, and one can object to it only by the fact that pollination is fertilization, and heredity changes only in the seeds of a fruit tree. An example from life: if it were as you think, then the "ladies of half the world" would change their appearance after each client.
MYTH 12. Winter-hardy cucumber.
Cucumber, tomato, potatoes that can withstand sub-zero temperatures - this is an outright lie. Although examples are often given when the seedlings of some varieties of tomatoes and potatoes can endure small frosts up to 2 °. Hoping that severe frost will bypass young plants is not justified! If the seedlings are from the greenhouse, then often it dies already at zero! Do not expose your plants to undue risk.
MYTH 13. Currant tree.
This is a golden currant that can be trimmed like a standard plant.
See also: Are there leaf burns from water droplets after watering? Truth or myth?
MYTH 14. Western varieties of strawberries are tasteless.
Not true. Already there are European industrial varieties with amazing taste: Evis Delight, Eliani, Malvina, Vivaldi, Mara de Bois, Jolie and others.
MYTH 15. Orientation of grafts of seedlings to the cardinal points.
Quite often you can hear the recommendation to plant a seedling, orienting the place of grafting or budding (visually this is defined as some ledge in the zone of the root neck) to the north or south. No one has yet provided reliable results of the experiments, so we consider this to be another misconception.
MYTH 16. Trees should be whitewashed for the May holidays.
Yes, some gardeners are likened to Moscow landscapers who whitewash trees before May Day. The goal of whitewashing is not festive, but prosaic - to protect trees from sunburn and cracks. But it’s more correct to do this in the fall, in the spring whitewashing is only refreshing.
MYTH 17. Pruning of fruit plants is done once a year - for beauty and in order to bear fruit.
Well, to be honest, you don’t have to cut it at all. If pruning is carried out in order to form a beautiful productive crown, bending branches can be used instead of pruning. Much has been written about this, read carefully!
MYTH 18. If a site with close standing groundwater, it is better to plant apple trees on dwarf rootstocks, because they have a more superficial root system.
This is a massive misconception. As it turned out, the roots of dwarf rootstocks are demanding for heat, and these plants do not grow well in low marshy places. In these cases, the recommendation is to plant fruit on high flower beds. Just keep in mind that in the southern regions the mound dries quickly, and in summer the roots suffer from overheating!
MYTH 19. when the root neck of a seedling is deepened, it will develop poorly and eventually die.
This is not true. On the contrary, experiments have shown that in the arid zones (south of the Black Earth Region, the steppe zone of the North Caucasus), the most fruitful were the trees whose root neck was buried on 20 cm. Only seedlings on dwarf clonal rootstocks cannot be buried, and only because In case they can go to their roots and become vigorous. In addition, a deep landing in the fall can lead to ripening in areas where there is a lot of snow! For the same reason, grapes, roses and other crops cannot be covered with a layer of earth in these areas. We recommend only dry shelter.
MYTH 20. In order to accelerate the fruiting of a walnut seedling, it must be transplanted from place to place 4 times.
This is not true. Any transplantation of a seedling, and not only a walnut, delays the entry into fruiting on 2-3 of the year.
MYTH 21. The older the seedling and the larger its aboveground part, the faster it will begin to bear fruit. To do this, it is better to purchase large adult trees.
It is not true. A decisive role in the survival of a seedling is played by its root system and its relationship with the aerial part. If the roots during excavation are severely chopped off, and the aerial part remains large, such a seedling will most likely not take root at all or will hurt for several years and not give growth. During this time, a good annual seedling with good roots will quickly overtake it in growth and will begin to bear fruit earlier.
MYTH 22. Winter hardiness of the southern variety can be significantly increased by grafting on frost-resistant stock, selection of the branches least affected by frosts, grafting of cuttings taken from them, and other agricultural techniques. And then this variety will produce the same excellent fruits in the Moscow Region, in the Urals or in Siberia as in the Crimea or the Kuban.
It is impossible to significantly increase the winter hardiness of such varieties by such methods. Some allegedly successful examples are explained by successful microclimatic conditions in the place of adaptation. Saplings grown from cuttings taken from such an “adapted” tree will freeze in a less favorable place as much as they are taken from southern trees of this variety. For the worse, the “adapted” trees will also differ in quality: in the north they will not have enough heat during the growing season, in winter varieties of apple trees the fruits will turn out to be small, acidic and unripe.
MYTH 23. For better survival of a seedling with open roots, it is necessary to save leaves on it.
Everything is exactly the opposite. Through the leaves left after digging, the sapling evaporates a lot of moisture, dehydrates and often dries. Therefore, before digging, the seedlings must be removed from the seedling, and before planting, in order to increase the water content of the tissues, it is soaked in a barrel, pond or stream for a day, immersed in water entirely or on 70-80%.
MYTH 24. If the fruit tree does not bear fruit for a long time, you can try to hammer a nail into the trunk - this will bring the crop closer.
It has long been known that many fruit trees bear fruit in the 10-12 year (the apple variety Korichnaya striped and some other ancient varieties). This is the biology of the variety. Later, seed wild game plants begin to bear fruit: sometimes in the 20-25 year (perhaps, when buying a seedling, they put a wild game to you).
See also: Crimson tree - a myth and a deceit or the truth: responses of the professional
MYTH 25. Strawberry garden. The myth of the wonderful strawberry berry, which practically no one has.
Many have never seen her in their life (with the exception of wild half-tree, hill strawberries), but everyone stubbornly calls garden strawberries “strawberries”. Classic strawberries have mixed flowers. There are male and female plants.
MYTH 26 “The breeders were so crossbred that they ruined all the old varieties. Earlier Antonovka was like Antonovka, but now some kind of greenery. ”
Breeders have nothing to do with it. There are simply many other reasons that influence the behavior of a variety.
© Author: M. KACHALKIN, breeder, candidate of agricultural sciences
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- How to propagate plants with green cuttings
- Rooting cuttings
- Why are seedlings sick and not growing and what they lack (table)
- Buying seedlings is the right choice
- How to choose the right seeds for planting. Energy of seeds.
- New Year's tree in a pot - what to choose and how to grow
- Infusions of nettles instead of poisons and pesticides
- How much water do you need to water plants in the garden and in the garden?
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