Caring for an apple tree in autumn: preparing for winter

Beginning gardeners are accustomed to tending their gardens, including apple trees, in early spring and summer, often forgetting the importance of caring for fruit trees in the fall and preparing them for winter.

Autumn care and preparation for winter – basic tips

Caring for an apple tree in autumn is an important foundation for the future harvest.

In August – September

It's important to maintain the stability of branches bearing heavy fruit, otherwise they will break, and the broken areas can become susceptible to disease and pests. Therefore, gardeners place sturdy supports under the branches. Fallen apples should also be collected; these fruits are unhealthy and often infested with pests. Spoiled fruit should be collected and removed from the plot.

After harvesting

Immediately after harvesting, prepare the plant for winter. If done correctly, next year's fruiting will be abundant, and the apples will be tasty and juicy.

Collecting leaves and digging the soil

Clearing and tilling the soil around the base of the tree is an important part of apple tree care. All fallen leaves within a radius of about 2 meters should be collected, along with weeds and rotten apples. Although leaves are a good source of nutrition and retain heat in the root zone, they can, in the case of fruit trees, cause diseases because they thaw in the spring, producing numerous fungal spores that begin to multiply.

As soon as the autumn leaves have fallen, you can immediately collect the leaves. If the plant is healthy, it's best to compost them; the compost will mature within three years. By the time the compost matures, all fungal pests will have died. If the tree was sick in the summer, it's best to burn the leaves.

After collecting the leaves, the soil around the plant should be dug up at the base. Avoid digging deeper than 15-20 cm, otherwise the shovel will touch and damage the roots. Digging is important because pest larvae breed in the soil, and if they are turned over along with the soil, they will die when they reach the surface during frost. This is also important because weed seeds float to the surface, freeze, and do not germinate. Nevertheless, it's best to pick out and discard their roots. Dig the soil when it's slightly damp; if there's been no rain, water it.

Watering

Whether or not to water the plant depends entirely on the weather. If there's heavy rainfall, there's no need to water. If rainfall is light, it's worth giving the apple tree a generous watering.

If you're unsure how moist the soil is at the base, dig a hole 20 cm deep. If the soil is moist inside, watering isn't necessary. Otherwise, watering is essential. A well-moistened tree won't break before winter and will tolerate frost well. The average amount of water needed for irrigation is 4-6 liters per plant.

Autumn feeding

There are several opinions regarding the best time to fertilize. Some suggest applying it in August or September after the apple harvest, while others recommend applying it after the leaves have fallen. Both options are suitable, but it's important to remember that all fertilizers are absorbed within three weeks.

The basic fertilizer for the plant is organic manure or compost. Two buckets of fertilizer are enough for one tree. Before applying, loosen the soil with a pitchfork across the entire shade zone of the crown, being careful not to cut into the roots with garden tools when digging.

Mulching

This procedure helps keep the soil well-moistened and aerated. Mulch also serves as an excellent fertilizer. In winter, it's important for insulating the foundation and protecting it from sudden temperature fluctuations. Suitable mulches include peat, pine bark, sawdust, straw, and compost.

Removing moss and lichen, stripping bark

It's essential to clean the bark, removing old spots. To do this, you'll need gloves, oilcloth, and a sharp piece of ordinary plastic. This should be done after rain; if there's been no rain for a while, you can simply moisten the bark. Dry cleaning can damage the bark. If a cut remains, it's advisable to coat it with garden pitch to prevent apple tree diseases and the spread of infections.

Lichens and moss must also be removed. They block oxygen from reaching the apple tree through the holes in the bark. The infected plant dries out and gradually dies. They should be removed after all the leaves have fallen. There are two methods:

1. Rubbing with iron sulfate. Dilute the solution with water and thoroughly treat the trunk, branches, and soil. After about a week and a half, the lichens will die off and should be brushed off. To prevent them from falling to the ground, lay a plastic sheet under the tree.
2. First, the trunk is cleaned, then a special copper sulfate solution is applied, and the soil is also sprayed with the substance. Any fallen bark debris must be burned to prevent contamination of the soil.

Whitewashing tree trunks

After trimming excess branches, you can begin whitewashing the trunk. This will prevent the bark from cracking and provide protection from insects. This should only be done in dry, sunny weather, otherwise rain will wash away the solution.

Trees can be whitewashed with lime mortar, water-based paint or water-dispersion paint.

• Lime-based whitewash: dissolve 3 kg of chalk or slaked lime, 0.5 kg of copper sulfate, 100 g of casein glue, and 3 tbsp of flour paste in 10 liters of water. Stir the mixture thoroughly and then let it sit.
• Water-based garden paint is safe for trees and forms a breathable, water- and sunlight-resistant coating that allows water vapor to pass through.
• Water-based paint contains pigment, an antiseptic, and latex. It's breathable but doesn't let sunlight through. It also lasts a long time on the trunk—up to two years. This paint can be used at temperatures no lower than 3 degrees Celsius.

Whitewashing of an adult tree is carried out at arm's length above the soil, making sure to include all the central branches.

Pruning branches

Pruning should be done approximately 3-4 weeks before the onset of frost, as all cuts need time to heal and close, otherwise they will freeze. Afterward, be sure to spray the branches with special pest control products (insecticides). The day should be sunny but not windy.

In the fall, only sanitary pruning should be performed. Only diseased and dried branches should be removed.

The cut should also include a healthy area of ​​the tree; this will help the cut heal faster and prevent the bark from cracking. All wounds must be treated with garden pitch. It's important to use only sharp, non-rusty tools.

Treatment against diseases and pests

If the apple tree wasn't diseased in the summer, insecticide treatment won't be necessary. However, if there was a pest infestation, treatment is essential as soon as the tree sheds all its leaves. After the fall harvest, all fallen apples and diseased fruit should be removed from the branches. If insects appear, the plant should be sprayed with insecticide twice, 10 days apart. In addition to the tree and branches, the soil should also be treated with the solution.

Caring for an old apple tree

Old apple trees require special care, the main rule being tree rejuvenation. This is done every three years, as pruning all branches in one year would be very damaging to the plant. The first time, all dead and diseased branches are cut off, then all old bark is trimmed. On the third year, branches that thicken the crown are removed. The trunk is whitewashed and treated with an antibacterial solution, the soil is loosened, watered, fertilized, and all weed roots are removed.

Caring for young trees

Only after planting do seedlings require care and careful maintenance before wintering. Transplanting is done in the fall, but don't delay, as the young apple tree needs time to establish itself and survive the winter well.

The first thing to do is pruning. It will take about five years for the crown to form. For the first year, it's enough to leave just four central branches and pinch off the top of the tree. The following year, leave up to five or six prunings, and after that, only sanitary pruning.

Before winter, the trunk should be whitewashed. The glue solution can be replaced with milk with copper sulfate added. This is done to prevent burning the apple tree's delicate trunk. Also, before winter, the sapling should be insulated with spruce branches or a special covering material, especially in the north. On the south side, mulching alone is sufficient.

Top.tomathouse.com advises: how to cover an apple tree for the winter?

Many materials are suitable for covering material, the most commonly used are:

1. Newspapers;
2. Burlap (a regular bag from sugar or cereals);
3. Sunflower stems;
4. Tights and stockings;
5. Fiberglass.

To begin, insulate the base of the trunk with sawdust or pine bark. As soon as the first snow falls, it can be piled up against the tree to form a mound; the apple tree will stay warm under the snow.

Throughout the winter, it is necessary to periodically trample down the snow at the base of the trunk; this trick prevents mice from getting to the apple tree.

An excellent insulation method is ordinary spruce branches, laid needle-side down near the trunk. You can wrap the base of the plant in burlap and wrap the top layer in mesh, which will insulate the tree and reliably protect it from mice.

Preparing apple trees for winter in the Moscow region, Siberia, and the Urals

Apple trees should be planted based on local climate conditions, as plant care varies across the country. In any case, a fruit tree in the north will not produce as good a harvest as one in the south.

In the Moscow region, the plant needs to be thoroughly prepared for winter, fertilized with fertilizers that will nourish the tree. Be sure to insulate the trunk with a covering material and periodically spray it with insecticides to prevent insect and pest infestations.

Specific varieties have been developed for colder regions of the country, particularly Siberia and the Urals. They are frost-resistant and resistant to temperature fluctuations. Saplings in these regions are still covered with a layer of straw or sawdust for the winter, covering almost the entire small tree. A plastic bag or cotton cloth is placed on top and wrapped with regular tape.

In these areas, winter comes quite early, so you need to prepare your apple tree for winter before the first snow falls.

Common mistakes when caring for an apple tree in autumn

1. The pruning was done during frosts, so the plant is frozen.
2. Fallen apples and leaves in the root zone are not removed, causing a lot of microbes to form that damage the plant.
3. Old and diseased bark is not removed, resulting in the spread of insect larvae.
4. The apple tree is not covered for the winter, and as a result it freezes and dies.

If you don't forget to care for your apple tree before winter, it will delight you with its juicy and tasty fruits for a long time.