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DECEMBER IN THE GARDEN: NOT LATE FOR THE WHITE YET

Be sure to whitewash the trees now if you haven't done so in late fall. Moreover, it often rains at the end of the season, and they gradually wash off even the most resistant paint. But in December, when it was already freezing, it's time to take up the brush.

Before painting with a brush, remove dead pieces of bark on an oilcloth spread under a tree. A lot of garden pests are hiding under them, so send all the "husks" to the fire. Be especially careful when cleaning large forks near the trunk. After stripping, cover the stem with paint or whitewash, smearing the forks and bases of large skeletal branches.

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You can whiten with traditional lime, but it is useful to add copper or iron vitriol to it for the prevention of diseases (100-200 g per 10 liters). Another option is special garden acrylic paints, which initially contain additives to protect against pathogens.

Alexei VOLODYKHIN, agronomist

Warm winter: the nuances of protection

Usually, a warm winter is preceded by a prolonged mild autumn with a positive temperature, when the buds may even swell. During the first half of winter, plants are usually in a state of biological dormancy. And if it is warm at this time, then nothing special will happen in the garden. Yes, theoretically, the buds can swell a little, but they should not bloom (subject to the norms of agricultural technology - water-charging irrigation was carried out, fertilizers were applied and at the same time they did not overdo it with nitrogen). But in the second half of winter, when the trees are in a state of forced dormancy, the heat can already harm the plants. Swollen buds may start to burst. And if this is followed by cold weather, frost, then it is quite possible that the kidneys will die.

Here are some tips to help your plants cope with the warm winter and keep them from growing.

1. Whitewashing of boles.

2. You can water the plants with ice water or put ice in the base, which will not melt at a low negative temperature. The ice can be covered with sawdust to prolong its exposure to the plants.

3. Spraying with Bordeaux liquid (200-300 g per 10 liters of water) - experienced gardeners say that this treatment inhibits the exit of plants from the dormant period, so you can try.

Nikolai CHROMOV, Cand. of sciences

What to do in the garden, vegetable garden and flower garden in December

We also recommend reading: Preparing and caring for the garden, if a warm winter is expected or has already arrived - TIPS from a specialist

DECEMBER IN THE GARDEN: TIPS FROM READERS

Spraying fruit crops with milk of lime in December

In December, for young trees, gently pull up to the trunk and tie the skeletal branches with a rope. Tie and bushes of currants, gooseberries, Chinese cherries. This will protect your plants from breaking under the weight of the snow.

And one more thing: spraying fruit crops with lime milk gives a good result. The procedure helps to reduce evaporation and thus drying out of plants. Such lotions protect the branches from sunburn. Dissolve 1 kg of lime in 10 liters of water and treat tree crowns in clear weather without frost.

Daria VILKOVA, agronomist

With revision to the basement

If fresh apples of winter varieties have begun to wither, then there is dry air in the basement. To saturate it with moisture, hang a damp burlap or place a container of water next to the fruit. And if, on the contrary, it is damp in the cellar - put a box with dry peat, sand, fine sawdust. And, of course, do not forget to remove diseased fruits in a timely manner.

Maria MAKSIMENKO, Cand. of sciences

We destroy pests in winter

In the bare crowns of trees, you can now see pests settling for the winter (nests of goldtail leaves, hawthorns, dried fruits). Cut this source of infection with pruning shears immediately.

Take a closer look at the bark at the base of the trunks, hemp, fences, buildings, stacked woodpiles: it is possible that you will find gypsy moth eggs - yellowish-gray pads 2-3 cm in diameter, covered with a thin layer of hairs. In the spring, at the same time as the budding, small dark caterpillars, covered with long hairs, emerge from the eggs, thanks to which they are easily carried by the wind through the garden. In some years, the silkworm can multiply strongly and destroy all the leaves on the trees. So, without delay, manually (with gloves) eliminate the pest eggs.

Raisa MATVEEVA, Cand. Biol. science

Shelter in snow

The most reliable shelter from frost is snow cover. If there are no heat-loving plants in the garden, then a natural shelter is sufficient for frost-resistant species. However, in the winter with little snow, you will have to help the plants a little. All snow that you clean off from paths and platforms, take to an alpine slide, strawberries, or unload in the trunk circles of fruit trees and berry bushes.

Natalia DORONINA, garden blogger. Moscow region