What peach care is needed in the fall to prepare for cold weather?

Juicy sweet peach fruits are a favorite delicacy of children and adults. They are rich in vitamins A, B, C, as well as phosphorus, calcium, potassium. Thanks to their magnesium content, peaches help get rid of bad mood and anxiety. That's why in Hungary they are called the fruit of calm.

Peach is grown mainly in the south of Russia, in the Krasnodar region and in the Crimea. This is a southern plant, demanding heat and light. Tree care involves timely watering, fertilizing, pruning, and protection from diseases and pests. In the article you will find information about caring for peach in the fall after harvest.

The importance of peach care in autumn

After the end of the fruiting period, the plant prepares for wintering. At this time, it is important to add mineral and organic fertilizers to the soil, which will nourish the peach until spring, protect the tree from diseases and pests, prune and insulate the root system and trunk.

At the end of summer - beginning of autumn, the peach begins to form new flower buds. How successfully they overwinter depends on the soil moisture in the autumn. Therefore, moisture-recharging watering is an obligatory stage of autumn care.

Proper autumn care for fruit trees, and peaches in particular, is the key to obtaining a harvest of large, healthy fruits next season.

Autumn care activities

Autumn care activities begin with processing the tree trunk circle.

Digging the soil

This procedure is extremely important for fruit trees, although it requires significant labor and time. Let's list its main advantages:

1. By digging up the soil around the trunk, you will destroy the wintering sites of pests. After all, some insects do not overwinter in leaves or fallen fruits, but in the top layer of soil.
2. Improve air and water exchange in the soil. The soil will be saturated with oxygen, moisture will freely penetrate into the ground, and its excess will evaporate.
3. Destroy weeds that take away nutrition and moisture from the peach.
4. If the soil is fertile, then the area around the trunk can be used to grow shade-loving, fast-growing garden crops or flowering plants.
5. After the work is completed, the soil surface is mulched. This will prevent the roots from freezing and will provide food for the plant in the spring.

Proper digging will bring undoubted benefits to the tree.

It is important not to make mistakes that will harm the plant:

1. Digging too deep, which injures the roots - stick the shovel to a depth of 10-15 cm, no more, otherwise the root system is exposed and damaged.
2. In regions with harsh winters, the root system is insulated after digging and watering, otherwise the roots located close to the surface will freeze. This is especially important for young, immature seedlings.
3. Digging up light and sandy soils leads to the blowing out of the fertile layer. In this case, it is enough to loosen the top layer, breaking the soil crust.

Watering

In the fall, the peach tree begins to form new flower buds. Their successful wintering depends on soil moisture in the fall.

Pre-winter moisture-charging watering is carried out before insulating the plant for the winter. 9-10 buckets of water are consumed per 1 m² of tree trunk circle.

Fertilizer application

The volume and composition of fertilizers depends on the quality of the soil on the site. If it is poor, then both organic and mineral fertilizers are applied. If not, then organic fertilizers are applied once every 2-3 years.

Compost or humus is used as organic matter. An alternative to such fertilizing is growing green manure in rows. It can be rapeseed, oilseed radish, lupine.

From mineral fertilizers, during digging, add 50 g of calcium chloride and 40 g of superphosphate per 1 m².

Trimming

Using sharp pruning shears or a garden saw, carefully cut off all dried, old or disease-damaged branches from the tree. Also remove those branches that grow inside the crown and thicken it. Only completely healthy branches and stems are left on the plant, which will bear fruit in the next season.

Whitewash

Whitewashing of fruit trees is carried out after the leaves have been shed with the arrival of a steady cold spell. This whitewash is considered the main one.

Preparation

Before whitewashing, the soil around the plants is cleared of debris and covered with film so that diseased bark, mosses, and lichens removed from the tree do not fall on the ground. The trunk is cleaned with wooden or plastic scrapers to remove loose old bark, overgrown mosses and lichens.

Deep cracks and hollows are sealed with garden pitch, RanNet paste or other compounds. After this, all debris accumulated on the film is removed from the site and burned.

Disinfection

The next stage of preparation for whitewashing is spraying the bark with disinfectant compounds. For example, a solution of copper or iron sulfate (300-500 g per 10 liters of water). The trunk and skeletal branches are processed.

Attention. Treatment with iron or copper sulfate is carried out once every 4-5 years, since the drugs accumulate in the soil, poisoning it.

In advanced cases, instead of copper sulfate, Nitrafen is used - a more concentrated, but also more dangerous drug for living organisms.

Among folk remedies for disinfection, solutions of mineral salts in high concentrations are used. For 10 liters of water take one of the following ingredients:

• 1 kg table salt;
• 600 g urea;
• 650 g of nitroammophoska or azofoska;
• 550 g of potassium carbonate;
• 350 g of potassium chloride.

After spraying, whitening begins after 2-3 days, when the disinfectant solution is absorbed into the bark.

Important. Less concentrated disinfectant formulations are prepared for young seedlings. In a separate container, the prepared mixture is diluted with water 2 times.

Whitewashing compositions

Fruit trees are whitened using both self-prepared solutions and purchased products.

The composition is prepared independently from slaked lime (2-2.5 kg per 10 liters of water) and laundry soap (50 g) or casein glue (400 g).

Industrially produced whitewash solutions contain all the necessary ingredients, including disinfectants and adhesives. These are, for example, garden whitewash “Gardener” and paint for trees.

Whitewash rules

When carrying out the procedure, adhere to the following rules:

1. The composition is applied to the trunk and skeletal branches in a layer of up to 2 mm. It is recommended to apply two coats one after the other.
2. The solution should be homogeneous and thick enough so as not to flow down the trunk.
3. Particular attention is paid to the treatment of cracks and scratches on the bark.
4. The painting of the trunk is completed a few centimeters below ground level. To do this, the soil below is raked away from the trunk and returned back after whitewashing.
5. The entire trunk and 1/3 of the skeletal branches are whitewashed. Particular attention is paid to places cleared of lichen and moss.

Garbage collection

The main goal of autumn harvesting of young growth, fallen leaves and fruits is to deprive insect pests of their wintering places. All collected waste is removed from the site and burned.

Protection from diseases and pests

Pest and disease control begins with prevention. In autumn, all fruit and leaf litter is removed from under the crown. Pruning of diseased and cracked shoots is carried out. The collected garbage is taken outside the garden and burned.

To prevent diseases, peaches are sprayed with 2-3% Bordeaux mixture after the leaves fall. To protect against pests, they are treated with bioinsecticides (Lepidotsid, Fitoverm, Bitoxibacillin) and biofungicides (Mikosan, Fitosporin, Gamair, Alirin).

Advice. Before you start preparing solutions, carefully read the instructions and check the biological products for compatibility.

Laundry soap is added to the prepared mixture for better adhesion. After rains, spraying is repeated. Proper preparation and use of biological products qualitatively protects the crop from pests and diseases.

Preparing for winter

Peach is a southern and heat-loving crop, not adapted to wintering in harsh conditions. Therefore, when grown in central Russia, the Urals and Siberia, the plant is wrapped for the winter. It is especially important to take care of young trees.

Insulate the seedling as follows:

1. In the immediate vicinity of the trunk, two posts are driven in to the height of the trunk (before branching begins).
2. Then the posts and standard are wrapped with covering material. You can use burlap or other dense fabric for this purpose.

Another method of insulation is the construction of a cardboard or wooden box. It is installed around the trunk.

If winters in your region are mild (temperatures do not drop below -10°C), then you can get by by hilling the plant trunk to a height of 0.5 m.

It is also good to cover the tree trunk circle with a thick layer of mulch (for example, peat, sawdust or straw). The layer thickness should be at least 10 cm. In addition to preserving heat, mulch prevents the evaporation of moisture from the soil surface.

Features of care

Let us highlight the main features of caring for seedlings, as well as the nuances of care depending on the region and crop variety.

Seedlings

Caring for mature and young trees is somewhat different. When processing seedlings in the fall, the following features are taken into account:

1. When carrying out autumn pruning of young trees, it is important to plan in advance how the crown will develop. When formative pruning, 3-4 skeletal branches are left, forming them in the shape of a bowl.
2. When spraying against pests and diseases, disinfection and whitewashing, weakly concentrated solutions are used so as not to cause burns.
3. When caring for peach seedlings, special attention is paid to insulating them for the winter. An undeveloped root system located close to the surface of the earth is defenseless against frost.

Also, caring for young peach includes feeding to activate growth and development.

Depending on the region and variety

Caring for peach trees when grown in the southern regions is limited to timely feeding and watering. In central Russia, the Urals and Siberia, it is necessary to take care of covering the plant for the winter. All peach trees, regardless of their variety, are sheltered here. Even if it is indicated that the variety is winter-hardy, the plants are still covered for the winter.

In the middle zone, seedlings are planted both in autumn and spring.When early cold weather sets in with prolonged rains, it is better to dig them in and plant them in the spring, as soon as the spring frosts have passed. The soil in the upper layer should warm up to +12…+15°C.

To the north, frost-resistant varieties of peaches take root well when planted in spring. Having grown stronger during the spring-summer period, peaches better tolerate winter cold.

In the south, it is preferable to plant seedlings in the fall (September-October). Before the cold weather arrives, young plants will have time to take root and adapt to the new place.

Autumn spraying of seedlings with Zineb or 1% Bordeaux mixture will prevent the appearance of leaf curl and other diseases.

Advice from experienced gardeners

Recommendations and advice from experienced gardeners will help beginners grow peach trees on their plot:

1. Peach is planted in autumn or spring. Plants must have time to take root before the onset of cold weather, so they are planted at the end of September. When planting in spring, it is important to have time before the seedlings awaken and buds open.
2. Seedlings are selected up to 1.5 m high, with a developed root system and bark without damage.
3. Particular attention is paid to the choice of location landings. It should be sunny and protected from the north wind. A good location would be near a wall facing south.
4. When pruning in autumn and spring, use pruning shears with sharp blades. Then the cuts will be even and heal quickly.
5. The crown of the tree should not be thickened. Peaches need plenty of sunlight and air to grow and develop.
6. Treatment of trees with drugs against pests and diseases is carried out before the buds open in the spring and after the leaves fall in the fall.
7. Peach requires watering in late spring and early summer. Moisture is necessary for fruit set and growth.In the second half of summer, watering is reduced. Before wintering, carry out abundant moisture-recharging watering, which is necessary for successful wintering.

This is interesting:

Step-by-step instructions on how to properly cover figs for the winter.

How and with what to properly fertilize grapes in the fall.

How and when to collect currant and raspberry leaves for drying for the winter.

A guide on how to plant cherries correctly in the fall and avoid mistakes.

Conclusion

Autumn care for fruit trees will allow them to successfully overwinter and please you with an excellent harvest next summer. Preparations for the new season begin after the harvest. Care activities include watering, fertilizing, pruning, and treatment against pests and diseases.