All about caring for a columnar apple tree

Competent care of a columnar apple tree always implies an answer to the question of how to care if it does not bear fruit. A particular version of this question is the reasons why columnar apple trees do not bloom, and what to do in this case. But even if the culture is quite fertile, it is important to figure out how to cover it for the winter, and how to feed it in the fall.

To grow such a tree, it is advisable to apply fertilizer just before planting. For 1 seedling, use in advance:

• 4-6 kg of organic matter (peat, humus or compost) to choose from;

• 100 g of nitrophoska or ammophoska;

• 0.5 kg of high-quality wood ash;

• 10 liters of water (without it, the effectiveness of solid components will be very low).

But even after planting, it is very important to properly supply the columnar apple trees with nutrients.

The care of the columnar apple tree is divided into autumn, spring and summer stages. If a young seedling was planted in the fall, then for some time it has enough nutrients from the pit. However, in the spring it is necessary to use urea or urea in order to:

• shoots grew faster;

• green mass was recruited more actively;

• the roots were strengthened.

Spring planting relieves gardeners of this concern.

In summer, young trees are fed by the foliar method. For this, a completely ready-made liquid fertilizer is used. It helps to lay the flower buds of the next year. At the same time, resistance to winter and immunity against the main apple diseases are increased.

Three-year-old apple trees, even before the buds bloom, need to be fed:

• 50 kg of humus (combining this with loosening the earth);

• 90 g of urea, which is dissolved in 10 liters of water;

• "Kemiroi" (this drug is used strictly according to the instructions).

A common mistake many gardeners make is that they perceive the recommendation to feed the tree in the fall as the need to use fertilizers in September. In fact, you need to focus on the period immediately after the end of the leaf fall. At this point, you should apply:

• 5-7 kg of compost or peat;

• superphosphate solution (60 g is diluted in 10 l of water);

• potassium sulfate (it is used in the same way as superphosphate).

Among organic fertilizing, wood ash is considered especially valuable. It can supply fruit trees with a full spectrum of basic minerals.

It also includes phosphorus, magnesium and other trace elements. It is especially important that all this is easily accessible to plants purely biochemically. After diluting the ash in boiling water, it must be infused for 24 hours. Then trees are sprayed with this mixture (pre-filtering).

It is necessary to clearly understand the function of each type of fertilizer. Thus, nitrogen mixtures provide regulation of growth and development. But if you add too many of them, fruiting will deteriorate. But superphosphate and other phosphorus-based preparations strengthen the immune system and make the crop more productive. Resistance to cold and heat depends on potassium sulfate.

But if you take care of the apple tree only by feeding it, then even the most unpretentious plant can be ruined. The soil around the trees must be moistened. Drying it is permissible only for a very short time.Agronomists believe drip irrigation is the best practice. If it is impossible to organize it, it is necessary to irrigate the apple trees as needed, but at least twice a week, even if there are no visible reasons for watering.

After artificial irrigation, as well as after rain, loosening and mulching of the earth is recommended. This avoids crusting and activates root aeration. In summer, columnar apple trees are watered early in the morning or after sunset. A very good result is given by "sprinkling" from a conventional hose. Autumn moisture charging takes place in September or October.

By rationally pruning a columnar apple tree, you can maintain good conditions for its development.... The subsequent formation of the crown is also simplified. But the likelihood of contracting various infections decreases. It is necessary to form the tree during the spring, when the buds have not yet blossomed. However, for columnar crops, formative pruning, if necessary, is only in the most minimal version, removing the lateral buds and leaving the main trunk.

The typical order is:

• on seedlings of the first year, all side branches are removed for 2 buds;

• the next year, one strongest shoot is left intact, and the second is shortened by 2 buds;

• in season 3, the previously fruiting branch is cut into a ring, and the remaining shoots are treated in the same way as in the second year.

Cutting off the columns of a more solid age in the spring, from 3 to 5 buds are left on the branches. Then extra branches will not appear, and the yield will not decrease. Pruning rejuvenation is performed between the ages of 5 and 7. All excess ovaries are removed at the same time. They are engaged in sanitary pruning in the fall, as soon as leaf fall ends.

The attractive properties of columnar apple trees cannot, alas, insure them against diseases and pests. But it is quite within the power of the summer residents themselves and other apple growers to do this. During the summer, it is very important to monitor any change in the condition of the trees. Special treatments are carried out a maximum of 30 days before removing the fruits. Otherwise, the safety of the crop cannot be ensured.

In autumn, treatment is directed against pathological fungi and insect pests hiding in the bark and in the near-stem circle. The same treatment can be carried out at the beginning of spring, before the juices begin to move. For her, Bordeaux liquid or the drug "Nitrafen" is used. Both reagents must be diluted to a concentration of 1%.

Sometimes a planted apple tree blooms in the same year. In this case, each flower needs to be removed. Further, the crop should be normalized like this:

• in the second vegetative year, 50% of the flowers are left;

• for 3 years, a couple of inflorescences are left alone on the fruit links;

• at 4 years old, remove the smaller one from these inflorescences to take advantage of the larger ovaries.

In order to properly prepare the shelter of a columnar apple tree, it is necessary to take into account that the apical bud is especially valuable for it. If she suffers, then several additional trunks will appear. This will drastically reduce the decorative properties of the culture. In the worst case, the tree may die altogether. Preparation for wintering begins in the second half of October.

At this point, you need to whitewash the trunks and skeletal branches. Lime is mixed with a certain amount of copper sulfate. It is very important to insulate the root area. The ways to protect it are using:

• sawdust;

• straw;

• ate paws;

• shavings;

• peat.

The bottom of the trunk is tightly wrapped with nylon stockings. This guarantees protection against rodents. Above, newspapers or other reliable paper are attached. All this is fixed thoroughly and on the entire surface so that there are no gaps. Sometimes all together are protected with non-woven materials.

It is possible to save a columnar apple tree in Siberia only by shoveling the maximum amount of snow.But leaving fallen leaves and grass is not worth it, since instead of protection, they will become a refuge for pests.

Sometimes gardeners complain that the columnar apple tree does not bloom when grown. Most often this is due to:

• errors during disembarkation;

• deepening the root collar;

• lack of nutritional components;

• low light.

Sometimes apple trees bloom, but do not bear fruit. The main reasons are:

• flower-eating insects;

• weak watering;

• nutritional deficiencies;

• lack of pollinators.

Another factor due to which there are no apples may be the low quality of the planting material. Unscrupulous suppliers under the guise of columnar seedlings and seeds sell goods of dubious quality. The only solution is the purchase of planting individuals in specialized trade organizations and specialized nurseries. And also the problem may lie in improper pruning, provoking too abundant branching.

If the apple trees stubbornly do not grow at all, the reason may be in the inability to make the right shelter. Even in the middle lane, the columnar culture can freeze out in winter. In these areas, the protection of the root zone is as necessary as the protection of the trunk. Top dressing according to a verified scheme is another way to eliminate crop problems.