What to do in the garden in May - processing with vitriol and Bordeaux liquid, planting and freezing
WORKS IN THE GARDEN IN MAY: THE MOST IMPORTANT
May is the busiest of spring months for the gardener. It is not for nothing that the people say: "May has come - just have time to work!" What do the owners of garden plots need to take care of during this period? What problems might you have to face? Let's talk about this with Valery MATVEEV, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences.
Valery Avksentievich, novice gardeners are sure that it is possible to plant fruit trees and berry bushes throughout May. And for many it becomes a discovery that there are some time restrictions ...
- Let's just say: there is the city of Astrakhan, and there is Arkhangelsk. And planting works
in these regions they spend at different times. There are no clear calendar dates for all farming zones. But there is a strict rule: in the spring, you need to manage plantings before budding, that is, until the garden turns green, and even more so it does not bloom. And it will be April or May - it all depends on whether you live in Siberia or, for example, Belarus.
In the last spring month, many summer residents wake up with a desire to bring beauty to the garden. We have already said more than once that it is pointless to whitewash the trunks in May (this should be done in October-November and the end of February-March). Is it possible to spray trees covered with lichens with a solution of ferrous sulfate (300 g per 10 liters of water)?
- Plan such treatment in early spring before bud break or in late autumn after leaf fall. But not in the midst of the growing season on open leaves, as this will lead to burns. The lichen in your garden did not appear overnight, did it? Nothing will happen to the plant if you postpone the cleaning work until autumn. And who is impatient to do this right now, take a scraper and carefully clean the trunks and skeletal branches, and then, for disinfection with a brush, point (!) Lubricate these places with a solution of ferrous sulfate.
Does the eradication of spraying the garden before the beginning of the growing season with Bordeaux liquid free the summer resident from further treatments?
- This so-called "blue" spraying reduces the infectious stock of fungal diseases, but does not completely protect the garden from possible misfortunes, therefore in no case excludes processing during the growing season. A simple example: infection of the same cherry and sweet cherry with moniliosis occurs during flowering. In addition, do not forget about pests from which Bordeaux liquid does not save. Let's say a flower beetle appears in the garden as soon as the temperature rises to + 15 degrees. To protect against it, you need to spray the trees with an insecticide just before flowering on the buds (Aktellik, Kinmiks, Fufanon - according to the instructions). After flowering, scab usually "blooms" on the site. During this period, a fungicide will come to the rescue (Abiga-Peak, Delan, Horus, Topsin-M, Skor).
What advice would you give to adherents of organic farming, who call for replacing pesticides with herbal infusions?
- If there are no problems in the garden, herbal infusions as a preventive measure are certainly beneficial. But if the site is a hotbed of diseases and pests, then your infusions will not give any result.
Another environmentally friendly and popular pest control method is trapping belts. If the gardener hesitated and did not equip these traps in early spring, is there any point in setting them up in May?
- Fishing belts are of dry and sticky type. The latter are especially effective against insects, which, after wintering in the soil, rise up the trunks into the crown.
Dry trapping belts, in addition to protecting the plants from damage by pests to some extent, later become a refuge for their wintering or egg laying. Therefore, first, the belts are applied to the tree trunks before flowering (late March-early April). In late May and early June, many pests descend into them. After flowering, all these traps must be removed and burned, and new ones must be tied on the stems in order to collect pests in them, which will hide for the winter in August-September. This is the optimal time frame. But if you apply trapping belts only in May, the effect will still be there, but with an aim to inherit year, because catch those pests that have laid eggs in the traps.
And here's another question about pheromone traps (jars of fermented kvass) in tree crowns: how effective is this method in the fight against the moth? The following information appeared on the Internet: they say, female moths are indifferent to such a drink. But its sour smell reminds males of the scent of females, and "men" fly to this smell from all around. But only a few of them drown in banks. The rest find females in the trees. As a result, the apple trees are literally strewn with clutches of eggs.
- There are many "knowledgeable specialists" on the Internet ... But here's what I want to tell you: pheromone traps are not a method of pest control. Why then hang them up? And so as not to miss this moth in the garden. If you find several butterflies in fermented kvass (by the way, both males and females fly to the smell of the drink) - this is an indicator that the moth has already begun to host in the garden. Get a sprayer urgently and spray the trees with insecticide. That is, a pheromone trap is not even a prevention, but a diagnosis of the appearance of pests.
One of the main problems in May is return frosts. We regularly say that it is safer to use smoke and especially sprinkling to protect the garden.
At the same time, again on the Internet, they advise: to help trees survive the cold snap more easily, you need to spray them before and after frost with an immunomodulator, a moth ... a growth stimulant (like Epin-extra, Novosil). How justified is such advice?
- All these drugs really improve fruit set, strengthen the immunity of plants. But! If the temperature drops below -2 degrees, no immunomodulator will help. Including its application after freezing. Yes, it will be easier for the tree to recover, but if the pistil is damaged, then the fruit from such a bud will no longer be tied.
WORKS IN THE GARDEN IN MAY: THE MOST IMPORTANT IS THE ADVICE OF A SPECIALIST
WHAT WE DO NOW
- Treatment of fruit trees from diseases and pests (immediately after flowering)
- Protection against recurrent frosts
- Mounting of hawking belts
- Root canal removal
- Weeding and loosening of the trunks
Valery Avksentievich, what can you say about numerous tips on the Internet about pruning an orchard during flowering in May? Is it worth it?
- Thorough pruning of the orchard is carried out in early spring before bud break. Did not make it? Wait until next year. But in May, during active sap flow, it is advisable not to cut off.
Perhaps the tips for pruning in May concerned trees frozen in winter. They are, indeed, cut off at a later date, but again after sap flow - at the end of May-June. There is also summer pruning (from the end of June), the purpose of which is to significantly accelerate the formation of young fruit trees and their entry into fruiting.
Can you plant trees during flowering?
- Need to! May, from the beginning of budding to the end of flowering, is the right time for grafting fruit trees. Active sap flow during this period contributes to good survival, primarily on pear and apple trees. But in stone fruit crops (cherry, sweet cherry, plum, cherry plum, apricot) it causes gum flow. Therefore, grafting on these trees is best done before flowering. The easiest method is for the bark, since at this time the bark lags well behind the wood.
During the period of intensive sap flow, the bark often cracks on tree trunks ...
- Often this happens due to a mismatch in the growth of bark and wood, which leads to cracks and ruptures in June-July. Furrowing in May will help prevent this trouble. The essence of the reception: on the trunk and skeletal branches of a fruit-bearing tree with a garden knife, continuous furrows (10-15 cm long) are made on the bark in two or three places. These longitudinal cuts in the bark promote thickening of boles and branches, improve sap flow. On stone fruit trees (cherry, plum), cover the cut with garden pitch to prevent gum leakage. The furrowing is repeated 3-4 years after planting the seedlings in the garden.
For a rich harvest, the weather during flowering is of great importance. Bees fly badly in cold and rain. How to attract them to the site for better pollination?
- In general, there are no problems with pollination of apple and pear trees: bees are eagerly flying on them, since the flowers of these trees secrete nectar well. The same cannot be said about stone fruit crops. Cherries are especially vulnerable in this regard, for which there is little nectar (the situation is better with plums and cherries). Therefore, when 15-20% of the flowers bloom on the cherry, I advise you to spray the crown with a sugar solution (1-1 kg per 5 liters of water). You can use old honey (10 tablespoon per 1 liter of water), which attracts beneficial insects with its smell. This method has not let anyone down yet: one treatment is enough for trees of even self-fertile varieties to give a good harvest.
The key to a healthy and rich harvest is also timely feeding. What is better to give plants during this period - mineral fertilizers or organic matter?
- You will get a positive effect from organic matter when it lies in the soil (so that microorganisms bring it to the desired state). Therefore, I advise you to bring it in in the fall. And now, when the rapid growth of leaves and shoots begins, the formation of active growth and suction roots is sharply increased, the trees are preparing for the formation of ovaries, they need "mineral water" as an ambulance. And above all - nitrogen fertilizers (apply phosphorus and potash fertilizers immediately after flowering).
Do you need additional watering in the garden during this period?
- In the middle lane in May, as a rule, the soil still has enough reserves of spring moisture. But, say, in the Krasnodar Territory this month it can get so hot that gardeners cannot do without additional watering. In general, be guided by the weather: if there was no rain throughout April, then by May the land will already be dried up. Then grab the watering cans - and into the garden, solder the plants.
FACT: WHEN THERE ARE ABOUT FLOWERING TREES, IT IS ENOUGH TO OBTAIN AN OPTIMUM YIELD FOR 1% OF FLOWERING FLOWERS. BUT TIES MORE - UP TO 50%.
See also: May at the dacha - work to be done on the plot, garden and garden
Recorded by Victoria Gulko
Below other entries on the topic "Dacha and garden - with their own hands"
- Autumn work in the garden - do not relax
- Spraying and processing the garden at the end of summer
- Calendar of works in the garden, vegetable garden and summer cottage in January and February
- What is undesirable to do in the fall in the garden. My experience
- April - work in the flower garden and in the flower bed
- When to spray trees and the table of terms of garden works
- Astilbe - care calendar (MEMORY flower man)
- Garden in the spring-basic work and maintenance of the site
- Flower garden after winter - what to do?
- Garden work if winter is late - what can be done
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