What work needs to be done in the garden in April
April is the month when spring is already raging with might and main throughout Russia. Its second half - the time of the onset of active sap flow, swelling of the kidneys. Gardeners will have many things to do before the greenery begins to appear.
Tidying up shrubs and trees
In fruit trees, damaged branches are removed, the dead bark is carefully peeled off. Wounds inflicted by rodents during the winter must be healed with garden var. Thoroughly clean the hollows, treat with diluted copper sulfate (50 g per 1 liter of water), and then cover with cement. For cancerous wounds, a prepared putty is used from nigrol, molten paraffin, rosin, mixed in a ratio of 6: 2: 2, respectively. The composition is applied to the wound, securing with a gauze bandage.
The space between the bushes and trees is cleared of fallen leaves and branches. All waste is piled up or incinerated.
Before the start of sap flow, you need to have time to complete pruning, remove damaged, dry branches and form a crown, shortening long shoots. Cut points, the diameter of which is more than 8 mm, are coated with garden varnish.
Pruning stone fruit trees (plums, cherries) is desirable in the fall. Due to the strong spring gum flow, any putty is washed off under the pressure of juice.
When pruning shrubs, first remove all branches lying on the ground. Each bush is carefully examined. Bloated kidneys resembling barrels are a sign of a kidney mite that has settled in them. They are subject to mandatory removal. Such buds are plucked out and burned. If the entire branch is affected, it is cut off at the very base. You need to get rid of shoots damaged by powdery mildew, glass.
A plant that is more than 10 years old needs to be rejuvenated by removing a few old branches. They can be distinguished by their thick, flaky bark, which is darker in color than the rest.
Trees on which lichens have formed should be treated with 4% iron sulfate. It is important to do this before bud break.
Fertilization
In the spring, garden plants need feeding. The choice of fertilizers for the garden depends on which of them were applied in the fall. If these were organic, phosphorus, potash, then in April only nitrogen is used. If the autumn feeding was not carried out, it will be necessary to apply complex fertilizers - Azofosk, Nitroammofosk. Having determined the norms, which are usually indicated on the package, the granules are scattered evenly over the snow.
Tree planting
Early spring is the best time to plant seedlings. This is best done in April. Their survival rate and the number of fruits harvested in the future depend on how the planting was carried out. If the actions are performed incorrectly, the tree may die.
Basic landing rules:
- The seedling pit is prepared in 2 weeks. Humus or compost is introduced into it - 2-3 buckets in each.
- A stake is installed at the bottom of the pit, to which the seedling is tied.
- The roots are covered with more fertile, nutritious soil, carefully spreading them so that they do not form around voids.
- When filling the soil, it is slightly crushed.
- When the roots are 10-15 cm covered with earth, 2 buckets of water are poured under the seedling and the hole is completely covered.
- After planting, the peg is cut down to the first lower branches in the crown so that they are not damaged by the wind.
Under no circumstances should fresh manure be poured into the bottom of the planting pit! It is placed only in the upper soil layer.
Treatment of the garden from pests and diseases
As soon as the snow melts, the overwintered pests fill the garden. Saving plants from them, even before the buds swell, they must be treated with insecticides. For this purpose, a nitrafen solution is used, diluting 300 g in 10 liters of water. No less effective are karbofos, intavir and other insecticides. They spray them not only on the branches, but also on the soil in the near-trunk circle. Having found a scale insect on the branches of trees and shrubs of the smallest pest, the bark is smeared with vegetable oil. When heated by the sun's rays, it clogs the insect, causing its death.
Boards need whitewash slaked lime (3 kg per 10 l of water), to which ½ kg of copper sulfate is added. To increase the stickiness, clay or mullein is mixed into the solution.
Spring frost protection
During the period when the ovaries are formed, the buds open, the gardener has to protect the plants from frosts that still occur at this time. One of the most accessible ways is smoke. The creation of a smoke screen allows you to keep the heat accumulated in the soil during the day. It can be provided using brushwood prepared in advance, fallen leaves, peat.
The necessary garden work carried out in April will relieve the stress and make May less stressful, the most labor-intensive month for the gardener.