In this material: who wears “hare tights”, whose whitewash is rosier, and whose is whiter; “barbershop” for lawns, “apple” haircuts.
Х – It’s time to get the hell out. Harvesting.
О – Stupid according to the season. pruning apple trees
Л – Medicine underground. Healing Roots.
О – Shoes for trees: beautiful “boots” of whitewash.
Д – Get to the roots. Digging and mowing lawns.
Н – Newly planted. What can be planted in October.
И – Exhausted by the cold. The life of pond fish
К – Water lilies hid, lilies drooped. Pond in autumn.
***
Х – It’s time to get the hell out. Harvesting
As soon as the air outside the window begins to smell of frost, the first cold snaps begin, the time of His Majesty Horseradish comes. It is necessary to remove its roots carefully and completely, otherwise it will let its shoots all over the site. “No shit yourself” – here you can argue. Small, nondescript “crap” can be safely carried past the trash can and … planted just for yourself, in the apartment, in a flower pot. Plant deep so that the root is completely in the ground, choose a bright, cool place, do not let it dry out.
By the way, you can do the same with Jerusalem artichoke, sprouting it on the windowsill. And his time to get out of the ground on the tables of the townspeople also just came. We dig out crunchy tasty roots completely if the plantations are more than 5 years old. In this case, we are looking for a new place for him. And on the young Jerusalem artichoke “farm” we leave part of the roots for spring growth.
The secret of the “beauty” of Jerusalem artichoke: if, as a result of storage, the roots wrinkled and dried out a little, put them in water for a couple of hours. The cosmetic and taste effect will be phenomenal.
Skinny battles. Collecting cauliflower and white cabbage, we chop off the stalks. It seems to be forgotten about them, but evil lurks in them. Try to leave them in the ground – cabbage fly larvae are right there. In general, we are not lazy and pull the stumps.
And to straighten your back, we collect chokeberry and quince.
O – Fool according to the season. pruning apple trees
Pruning apple trees is not a vain business. Here the principle “measure seven times – cut once” is more important than ever. And, of course, time. Pruning is carried out before the first frost.
The difference in pruning young and mature trees is in the degree and intensity of thinning and shortening of branches, as well as in the use of materials – where a pruner is, and where only a saw is suitable.
How to recognize the branches that are eliminated in the first place?!
You can advise the principle of Mucha:
M – branches that interfere with the access of light, growing inside the crown, thickening it
Y – shrunken, flawed, broken branches.
X – hooligan; growing down, at an angle, up, parallel to the trunk or other, stronger branches
And – curved; intertwined, even in different tiers.
The first pruning is carried out at landing. For the next 3-5 years, you can do nothing, pruning only damaged or dry branches and lightly trim the branches, forming a crown.
An apple tree that is five years old is considered worthy of a “passport”, because you can already expect fruits from it. But apples will begin to appear on old branches in the first place, and since it is precisely such branches that form its basis, it is important for the purpose of pruning to look closely at the branches that have grown over the year.
Use a “delicate approach”: pruning is mostly “sanitary”, to maintain the silhouette of the crown and very light. The lower part of the young tree, where the young buds are, is not cut off.
Trees 5-7 years old are pruned medium on mature branches in order to create more fruit-bearing ones. Strong branches should be cut to a third of their entire length. Frame branches are not cut, even if they are crooked. Such pruning can permanently deprive the tree of fruiting.
So let’s start the process. First, you need to disinfect the tools: secateurs, garden saws, saws. Check, it is important that they are sharp. Secondly, cuts – “wounds” should be cleaned of sawdust and notches, made smooth, treated with a 2% solution of copper sulphate. In trees, like you and me, open wounds can fester, which can lead to the formation of cracks and hollows, thereby attracting parasitic insects. Thirdly, we process the sections with garden pitch. If you want to smear with paint, choose oil paint, only it will not burn the bark.
Fourth: disinfection again. All felled and cut branches – we burn!
Pruning trees has its own specifics. Young trees after execution are plentifully watered.
Old trees are pruned every two years.
Pear and cherry are also not recommended to be cut every year. This can lead to the fact that the development of these fruit crops will freeze. And the fruitfulness of plants will decrease significantly.
L – Medicine underground. Healing roots
On a clear day, you can reap a special harvest for yourself – not for the stomach, but for health. We dig the roots of dandelion, burdock, chicory, angelica officinalis and calamus. Rinse, clean, wipe dry, cut and dry.
O – Shoe of trees: white “boots” of whitewash
Autumn whitewash is like our boots with their function of keeping warm and comfortable. The white color repels the rays of the sun, keeping the trees both from overheating and from freezing. Depending on the composition of the whitewash, they start this event either at 10 degrees Celsius and above, or at 3-5 ºС. The foliage from the trees by that time should preferably fall off. The day should not be rainy or sunny.
Now for the ingredients and benefits.
The composition is harmless and breathable, but needs to be updated every spring: freshly slaked lime (2-3 kg per 10 liters of water) with the addition of clay (1 kg per indicated rate) for better adhesion. For young trees, lime can be replaced with chalk. The solution should be thick and saturated, not only the trunk, but also the skeletal branches should be covered. Young trees should not be added to such a solution paste, the bark will not be able to breathe. For seedlings, it is better to prepare a mixture of lime (3 kg), clay (1,5 kg) and mullein (1 kg), which are dissolved in water until sour cream is thick.
Anti-fungal whitewash, resistant to erosion, but not very suitable for young trees, as it is not breathable: acrylic paint.
Effective against frost, but not against bacteria and pests: water-based paint.
For those who have the time and desire to prepare the solution themselves:
Take 2 kg of lime + 400 g of copper sulfate, dissolve in 10 liters of water with the addition of a paste (for viscosity). You can add 1 kg of clay and cow dung to this composition. Wait a couple of hours.
As protection against severe frosts and raids of rodents, more “insulated shoes” are also used: wrappings with roofing felt and roofing material. The insulation is added dropwise and 10-15 cm deep at the base of the tree. You should be aware that if you use roofing material as an insulating material, then between it and the bark of the tree there must be a layer of burlap or rags so that the tree does not get wet. Just not straw and reeds. The branches of spruce or pine are perfect, they are tied around the trunk and cover the near-stem circle.
From those who like to sharpen their teeth on the bark – garden rodents – they came up with “Zaitsevsky stockings”. By tying branches with nylon stockings, you can save them from intruders.
D – Get to the roots. Digging for the winter
Not knowing whether to dig or not, you can offer this option. Heavy clay and uncultivated soils – yes, take shovels in your hands, and light and loose soils – a flat cutter is enough.
Tips: it is better not to break up clods of earth, and you should not do a late digging of a site with snow. This will lead to slow warming up in the spring.
During the autumn digging of the soil, root dressing is applied in the region of the near-stem circle. For young trees, whose age has not reached 8 years, about 30 kg of humus will be required, and for adults – about 50 kg.
If you have a lawn, then in dry weather, take care of his “hairstyle”. Negligent schoolchildren are cut “under zero”, and leave 5-8 cm to the lawn. We treat “bald spots” by sowing seeds. And lightly sprinkle with sand and peat, not grass, but under the roots.
N – Newly planted. What can be planted in October
Planting berry crops. Winter-hardy varieties of apple trees, raspberries, currants, gooseberries are best planted immediately in a permanent place. And seedlings of other less winter-hardy fruit crops would be better to dig in for spring planting. Planted plants are watered regardless of the weather, giving half a bucket per bush, and then the soil is mulched with peat or humus. Before the onset of winter, it is good to cover perennial plants with fallen leaves, preferably birch.
The rules for pre-winter planting of vegetables and greens: the soil is loose, fertile, the place is high, not flooded, and the seeds are dry.
We sow carrots, parsley, dill, lettuce, spinach, radishes, turnips, turnips, celery, onion seeds for turnips. We plant in the cold, from +5 to -2.
We plant winter garlic on pre-prepared beds, it is better that the temperature is not higher than 10 degrees. For planting, we use a clove of garlic, plant the cloves to a depth equal to three diameters.
And – Exhausted by the cold. The life of pond fish
Artificial reservoirs, which are inhabited by inhabitants, are a fabulously attractive place. But with the advent of autumn and frost, the life of fish changes dramatically. Remember, as with a joke about a hamster, when the visitor came with a bear. Also, fish over the summer could turn into powerful fish. So that the children do not freeze, you need to take care of them. Remember that fish such as cold-water trout, koi carp, goldfish, topfish, minnow are not left to winter in the pond.
A very large aquarium for them – one or more – is prepared in advance. The conditions in it should be quite harsh, but at the same time, the supply of oxygen and feed should be regular. The wintering place should be spacious enough. For each fish up to 10 cm long, at least 10 liters of water are needed. The aquarium must be equipped with a water filter and an oxygen saturation system. The water temperature should be at the level of 10-12˚С. The food is changed to a variant with a large amount of protein.
In general, moving to a new place is stressful for fish. If there are no heat-loving fish in the pond, then in order to leave the fish to spend the winter in their permanent place, you can purchase special equipment (pond heaters and aerators) that will help maintain the water temperature within normal limits.
If it is not possible to use all this equipment, you can make a small hole and spill it with boiling water. But remember, you can’t make a hole with an ax, because the shock wave can harm the health and physical condition of the inhabitants of the reservoir.
So, cute entertainment – a pond with fish – turns out to be a huge problem for many by the fall. “You kept singing ..” – remember, the ant says to the dragonfly. If you do not have the conditions for wintering in the pond and in the aquarium, take pity on the “little animal”, transfer the fish to the responsible hands of professional aquarists.
K – Water lilies hid, lilies drooped. Pond in autumn
We take care of heat-loving plants: water hyacinth, pontederia, pistia, marsh iris, water lilies, cyperus we get from the reservoir. They need to be kept in containers with a temperature above 15 degrees and a lit place. It can be an aquarium or a terrarium. Water change every 2 weeks. For water hyacinth, air humidity and additional illumination are important.
Marsh and shallow-water plants are pruned almost to the root. Those that are not frost-resistant are covered with burlap or leaves. And if possible, it is better to get such plants and send them for wintering to a room where there will always be a small (about 5 ° C) plus temperature and a minimum amount of light.
Only reeds are left to winter in their place. It will become a source of oxygen for wintering fish.