How to properly water coniferous trees. Conifer care in spring. Prevention of diseases of coniferous plants

Coniferous trees are a wonderful decoration for any site. Not only are they very decorative, but they have the ability to purify the air. The main thing is to know exactly how to care for coniferous trees.

Planting a coniferous tree

Looking at your site appropriate place, you can start planting a tree. It is important to ensure that the root neck is at ground level. Since the soil begins to compact after planting and, as a result, sag, you should not deepen the plant too much when planting. The root ball itself should remain 10 or even 20 cm (if the tree is large) above ground level.

It is also important to prevent the roots of the plant from drying out. If the tree was a container, then before planting, you will need to carefully shed its root ball. The first year the tree will be very capricious to the lack of moisture, and therefore it will have to be watered quite often. This is especially important during the dry season, when young plants suffer from dehydration. Make sure the root ball is always moist.

Soil care around a coniferous tree

In order for the roots of the tree to breathe, it is necessary to periodically loosen the earth around the tree. This must be done carefully. Most conifers have superficial root system and it can be inadvertently damaged if loosened too deeply. It is best to loosen the soil after watering (or rain), or before applying it to the soil. various fertilizers.

It is also timely to remove weeds around the tree. True, this must also be done carefully so as not to inadvertently damage the roots of the tree itself.

To avoid the dominance of weeds, and at the same time to protect the roots of the tree, the soil around it must be mulched. This is easy to do: you just need to evenly cover the soil around the tree with pine nut shells, or peat, or crumbled bark. A layer of 3-5 cm should come out. Such a simple procedure will protect the roots of the tree from many misfortunes: from drying out, from overheating or frostbite in cold soil, etc. In addition, gradually decomposing, such a layer will provide the tree with additional useful substances for good growth and development. The mulching layer must be updated in a timely manner.

If it was necessary to remove weeds or water a tree, then the mulch layer is first pushed back with a rake, then all necessary procedures, and then the layer is put back in place.

Care of the branches of a coniferous tree

Early spring is the time for pruning. First of all, of course, it is necessary to carry out sanitary pruning of the tree, i.e. remove all weak and diseased branches of the tree so that they interfere with its growth and branching. Then you can already remove the branches that violate the neat shape of the crown - but this is already a matter of taste and desire.

Almost all coniferous trees need such a procedure as "sprinkling" - a kind of washing of the branches, in order to clean them of settled dust and dirt. Sprinkling simulates natural rain and looks like spraying water on a tree. Do this with any garden sprayer or the same garden waterer. Such a procedure can be carried out early in the morning or after sunset (or in cloudy weather); while the outside temperature should not be lower than 25 degrees. To effectively clean the branches, each tree needs to be sprayed for 15-20 minutes.

Wintering coniferous trees

Young specimens can be very painful to endure winter cold. Moreover, the roots of coniferous trees are located close to the surface, and therefore can suffer from low temperatures.

To avoid hypothermia of the roots, you can increase the mulch layer around the tree to 6-8 cm. Particularly sensitive decorative specimens can be covered with spruce branches or kraft paper.

When the tree grows and gets stronger, the need to “lay” it for the winter will disappear by itself. But young specimens must be prepared for the winter cold.

Treatment with fertilizers and special preparations

Like any plant, a coniferous tree will need timely feeding, which would provide the plant with all the necessary nutrients. useful substances. At the same time, for a year it is necessary to introduce into the kidney as organic fertilizers and mineral fertilizers.

Mineral fertilizers are applied, slightly mixing with the soil, twice a year - in spring and autumn. In autumn, organic fertilizers (compost, chalk, peat, manure, various nutrient mixtures, sand, etc.) are also applied, digging the ground shallowly.
For good immunity to pests and active development, the tree can be treated with a growth stimulator. This should be done on a cloudy and windless day.

Also, the tree may be attacked by fungal diseases or various pests, especially when improper care behind a tree. It is necessary to regularly monitor the plant, and in the case of the first signs - immediately take appropriate measures.

evergreens coniferous shrubs and trees that retain their crown in winter need post-winter care no less than all other plants. To do this, it is enough to perform a few simple operations.

1. To begin with, let's rewind time a little back - to autumn. In a dry autumn, it is very important to carefully water all coniferous trees before the ground freezes: the plant must gain moisture for the whole winter, because. lack of moisture in the soil can cause the death of the tree.

2. In winter period plants are under dense layer snow. It must be periodically knocked down from the tree so that the snow does not spoil the shape and break the branches. And yet, in the spring, when the sun is especially burning, coniferous trees, as a rule, can burn, so it is recommended to cover them already in January. Care coniferous spring it is necessary to begin with the removal of the shelter, but only after the complete and deep thawing of the soil.

3. When the snow has melted and vegetation resumes, under coniferous trees it is necessary to apply fertilizer intended specifically for them (Kemira, Amos, Nitrofoska) in the amount specified by the manufacturer. Usually this is a slowly dissolving mineral fertilizer in the form of granules, containing the necessary macro- and microelements for the growth and health of the plant. Long-term mineral fertilizer dissolves and acts gradually - within 3 - 6 months. The granules are scattered around the roots of the plant and lightly embedded in the soil.

Coniferous trees can also be fertilized with fast-acting dissolving fertilizer - Epin, Zircon. Fertilizer is carried out through the needles when watering plants - by sprinkling. Such a fertilizer is dissolved in water, and its concentration should not exceed 0.5 - 1%, in addition, plants must be watered before fertilization. The first time the plants are fertilized in late April - early May, again in late June - early July. Do not use fresh manure or slurry to fertilize coniferous trees, because. conifers are easier to overfeed than underfeed.

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4. In spring, like other plants, coniferous plantations need to be mulched - a layer of mulch retards the growth of weeds and protects the soil from erosion.

5. Caring for coniferous trees also includes pruning dry branches and removing dead needles from the crown of a tree, such as arborvitae, cypresses, mountain pines, junipers. Such pruning is also used when it is necessary to slow down the growth of plants and increase branching, or in order to give the crown a more interesting shape. A tree cared for in this way will not only look good, but also feel good, as oxygen circulation in its crown improves.

And although most varieties of coniferous trees do not need pruning, you need to regularly care for coniferous hedge- pruning dried branches is necessary throughout the season.

As a result, a properly groomed (saturated, watered, cleaned, on time and properly formed) tree will be less susceptible to diseases and pests.

Thuja western Smaragd

S.V. Ryndovskaya, biologist, landscape designer,

director of the company "AgroFitEk"

All about conifers.

It is difficult to briefly give comprehensive recommendations for planting all types of conifers, since their range is very wide and each species or form has its own requirements for the place of growth, soil and agricultural technology. However, if there is no detailed guide to coniferous plants at hand, then the following rules should be followed when planting:

1. Seedlings in containers can be planted in the ground forthe entire growing season, and acquired with an open root system - in early spring(before the shoots begin to grow) or, better, in August-October, when the active growing season ends. The important thing is that the plants must take root in a new place before the onset of winter.

2. Place planting conifers depends on the biological requirements of the plant: pines and junipers are mostly photophilous; thuja and tuevik endure both the sun and partial shade; fir, spruce, hemlock prefer shade. The most shade-tolerant are hemlock and yew. In nature, these conifers can grow under the forest canopy, andon the site - in considerable shade. At the same time, Canadian hemlock feels great even in full sun, subject to watering.

3. Soils - pines prefer sandy, spruce-argillaceous, yew-rich humus leaves. Junipers, arborvitae, cypresses are best planted in slightly acidic soils. There are many coniferous crops that grow in dry, easily permeable soil. They form many species, differing in height, growth rate, shape and color of needles. The most adapted to dry soil include:

Juniper: Chinese, horizontal, ordinary, recumbent and Cossack;

Siberian microbiota;

Pines: white, mountain, ordinary, black, spiny and yellow;

Ate: white, Brever and prickly.

4. Landing. Seedlings with a well-defined root neck (the place where the trunk passes into the root) should not be buried in the soil. If the plant was obtained from a cutting, such a transition is not expressed in it, and some deepening of the seedling is quite acceptable. Before planting, they should be watered, then prepare a hole equal to double size their root system. Half fill the hole fertile soil or compost mixed with garden soil. With the same earth, the roots of the planted plant should be covered from above. The root neck during planting should in no case be buried. Coniferous trees and shrubs should be planted very carefully, trying not to damage earthen clod, since some of them have mycorrhiza on thin roots, which is necessary for the normal development of the plant. After planting, abundant watering is necessary, and good care throughout the season. For better plant survival, it’s good to do foliar top dressing"Epinom".

Coniferous crops should be planted at such a distance from each other that they can grow freely without the subsequent need for pruning. Fast-growing conifers are best planted at a distance of 3-5 m from each other, slow-growing - at a distance of 1-3 m, and creeping - 2-3 pcs. on the square meter. Young plantings need to be closely monitored for at least the entire first year of their life in the garden: darken in early spring, provide watering, sprinkle, weed, maintain a layer of mulch in the trunk circle.

5. Mulching. After landing trunk circle mulch with crushed bark, gravel, peat. Most conifers have a shallow root system, and the mulch layer not only retains moisture in the soil and prevents weeds from sprouting, but also contributes to a more uniform thermal regime. The root system is protected from sharp freezing in autumn and thawing of the soil in spring. Under the mulch, soil bacteria develop better and earthworms improving the structure of the soil and its balance in terms of nutrients. As bedding, you can use a 5 cm layer of bark or sawdust, wood chips (4 cm layer). Mulch adds a finished look to the compositions, shading the green of the needles, and promotes the health of the plants. Ground cover plants can be used as an alternative to mulching materials.

Careand top dressingconiferous plants.

Conifer care includes:

Watering. Different coniferous plants have different attitudes towards watering. Some species are drought-resistant and do not require additional watering (for example, pines), others suffer from a lack of moisture (for example, thuja). Newly planted plants are watered at least once a week. Each watering should be plentiful - using approximately 10-15 liters of water per 1 sq. m (it is best to water in the morning). It should be remembered that plants will survive the winter more easily if they are watered abundantly in the fall, since all evergreens dry out in winter, most often due to lack of water, and not because of frost.

Sprinkling. All conifers need sprinkling, especially during the dry period of the spring-summer season. Definitely in the morning or evening. In the first year of planting, it is better to do it every other day. As a result, the needles are cleaned of dust and dirt.

top dressingconifers.

If you are going to fertilize coniferous plants, forget about manure. How many pines and firs have been destroyed by unlucky gardeners with the best of intentions! In the literature on the care of coniferous plants, there are often recommendations to use a weak infusion of mullein. Still, it's better not to risk it. Use mineral fertilizers for top dressing.Conifers ornamental plants do not require a lot of fertilizer. They do not shed their leaves and therefore do not need " construction material» to restore the crown, as in deciduous trees. They do not form a crop with which the removal of nutrients occurs. They need fertilizers only for the formation of annual growth, which is small. But they are extremely sensitive to the chemical composition of the fertilizer.

1. Conifers do not tolerate excess nitrogen. Nitrogen stimulates intensive annual growth, but such shoots turn out to be immature, not ready for wintering. And on next year you can see a sad picture of extensive chlorosis, yellowed shoots, dead growth points. Therefore, manure and mineral fertilizers with a high nitrogen content, such as azofoska, should not be used either when planting or when mulching tree trunks. good fertilizer is compost (used in a proportion of 3-5 kg ​​per 1 sq. m). Biohumus, which can be bought in specialized stores, has proven itself well.

2. The area of ​​the needles is immeasurably smaller than the area of ​​the leaves, so photosynthesis in conifers is much less intense than in hardwoods. And the basis of photosynthesis is magnesium, the atom of which is the nucleus of the chlorophyll molecule. Therefore, for liming conifers, it is necessary to use dolomite flour containing magnesium. But this is not enough. The composition of fertilizers for feeding conifers should also include magnesium in an easily accessible form.

3. Trace elements for conifers are extremely important. With a lack of at least one of the necessary trace elements, chlorosis occurs, the plants do not tolerate stress well, the shoots do not ripen for a successful wintering. The result is the same - yellowing of the shoots, the death of growth points and, as a result, the loss of decorativeness, for which they are kept.

From all this we can draw conclusions on the choice of fertilizer for conifers

1. Fertilizer should contain little nitrogen;

2. Fertilizer must have easily soluble magnesium in its composition;

3. Fertilizer should have the most extensive microelement composition - at least 12-14 microelements.

Now on sale there are various specialized fertilizers for conifers, both domestic and foreign. Check them before buying chemical composition according to the above criteria. Usually they correspond to the first two conditions, but the microelement composition is most often poor (5-7 microelements). If the chemical composition is not given by the manufacturer at all, then they are immediately put aside.

For conifers, two dressings per season are enough. The first is done with a complete fertilizer in May, when the growing points wake up. The second is done only with microfertilizer at the end of August to ripen the annual growth and prepare for wintering.

As a complete fertilizer for the first top dressing, you can use "Uniflor-buton" - little nitrogen, the presence of magnesium and 18 trace elements. Even better suited, oddly enough, "Uniflor-cactus" - even less nitrogen, and even calcium in easily accessible chelated form and the same 18 trace elements and magnesium!!!For the first top dressing, it is necessary to add 2-3 ml of the drug per conifer, diluted in 1-5 liters of water, which should be evenly distributed over the trunk circle. If you use the sprinkling method for irrigation, then prepare a working solution: dilute 2-3 ml of the drug in the amount of water that you intend to pour on one plant, but not less than 10 liters so that there are no burns. Then the top dressing will turn out to be foliar, and the solution that has rolled onto the near-stem circle will continue to nourish the plant through the root system.

For the second top dressing at the end of August, use "Uniflor-micro" containing magnesium and 18 trace elements. There is currently no alternative to this microfertilizer.Top dressing is done in the same way as the first, only the amount of the drug is taken 0.5 ml per plant. It is quite difficult to measure such an amount even with a syringe. Therefore, first make a stock solution by diluting the preparation 10 times, and then use the stock solution at the rate of 5 ml per plant to prepare the working solution. For example, for a stock solution, take 20 ml of the drug in a glass of water (200 ml). This amount is enough to feed 40 conifers.

Weed control. Germinating weeds must be removed in a timely manner, because. they promote the development of diseases, attract pests, take food, light and space from cultivated plants. Chemicals to remove weeds should be applied carefully and only in case of emergency.

Pest and disease control. It is necessary to constantly inspect plants for the detection of diseases and pests. Nai big problems able to deliver fungal diseases, especially strongly developing in wet winters. From them, the needles darken and die, sometimes entire branches are affected. When buying varietal conifers, you need to be interested in their resistance to diseases, select varieties and species that are more reliable in this regard. Fungicides are used to stop the disease.

Sometimes needles of coniferous crops turn yellow and even dry out. This happens for several reasons:

Under the influence of cold.

Branches of some conifers (microbiota; pseudosuga green and some of its varieties; juniper common varieties"Depressa Aurea"; common juniper varieties "Plumosa") turn yellow in winter, but there is nothing to worry about - in spring they will acquire their natural color.

Under the influence of frost.

Not all coniferous crops are frost-resistant (Lawson's cypress; blunt cypress; green pseudosuga; virginian juniper; giant thuja; young nutkai cypress and eastern pseudosuga). Therefore, when buying them, you should make sure that they tolerate our climate well, and clarify whether they need to be covered for the winter.

Under the influence of heat.

Long-term lack of water can cause Canadian hemlock to dry out; cypress: pea, Japanese and marsh; Chinese metasequoia, etc. Too warm spring, which comes after frosty winter without a transitional period of thaw. "Awakened" plants begin to grow, they need a lot of water, but their roots cannot get it from the frozen soil, as a result of which the needles turn yellow and dry out. Therefore, in the fall, you should water the plants well so that they accumulate in the tissues as much as possible. more water for the winter period.

As a result of a lack of minerals.

Yellowing needles may be a plant reaction to a lack of minerals, especially magnesium. This can be avoided by using special compound against yellowing of needles.

Under the influence of diseases and pests.

Yellowing needles should be carefully inspected for stains, plaque or pests. At a positive result needles should be treated with an appropriate preparation.

As a result of the action of dog "marks"

Dog urine is deadly for coniferous crops. Withered branches should be cut off, the plant should be watered, and the animals should be kept.apart from landings.

loosening spend after abundant watering shallow (5-7 cm) in young plantings for 2-3 years. Conifers do not tolerate soil compaction.

Pruning. Conifers do not need annual pruning. Pruning is carried out to form a crown, limit height, or to remove dry, damaged and frostbitten branches. If the plants are planted too closely and give a lot of shade to each other, they should also be pruned.

Forhaircuts (crown formation) spruces and pines should be cut once a year - in the spring, when young branches have already grown, which are usually cut off by half. Yew, cypress, juniper and fir are pruned most often in early spring, before buds open. The next haircut is in June-July, and then at the end of August (cut plants too late do not tolerate winter well). Plants with a dense crown are pruned in the second year after planting, and with a rare one - in the first. Well lend themselves to the formation of the crown of thuja, cypress, yew. With the help of special pruning, hedges are formed from many types of spruce. The shortening of the apical shoots contributes to the intensive growth of the lateral ones, then the crown of the plant becomes thicker, which is recommended when forming pines. Do this in May-June, when young shoots appear. It should be remembered that in pines dormant buds on old branches do not wake up after pruning, so do not leave stumps, but cut the knot into a ring. When forming a pine, do not cut the ends of the branches with scissors. The growth of young shoots is not limited until the needles begin to separate into them. Then, holding the escape with the nails of a large and index finger, unscrew it. New buds will soon wake up, and the end of the branch will become thick and fluffy. Young needles can be removed from a young shoot at a time when you want to stop its growth. Like pines, buds can be plucked out once in spring in other coniferous plants, and only in juniper this can be done regularly throughout the year.

Preparing for winter and overwintering: pines, spruces, thujas, junipers, larches, firs and others that have been tested for frost resistance or have been growing in the garden for more than a year, do not care about the harsh Russian winter, especially if they have enough moisture during the growing season or they are well watered before wintering. Among the conifers listed are natural species and individual cultivars that can easily withstand temperatures as low as -40°C. These conifers do not require shelter from frost, in many cases it can even provoke fungal diseases, especially in winters with thaws.

Many dwarf cultivars, which are unreliable in terms of frost resistance, successfully winter under snow cover. Moisture-charging irrigation can help conifers endure winter late autumn, in October-November, when the ground has not yet frozen. Depending on the weather and the size of the tree and shrub, at least two buckets of water should be poured under each specimen.

It should be borne in mind that trimmed plants tolerate frost and temperature changes worse than those with a natural shape. In regions with a cold climate, they should be covered for the winter. Plants living in pots (or plastic containers), during cold weather should be carried home, in bright rooms, the temperature in which is maintained at +5 °C. Often trimmed plants require a variety of different fertilizers, so fertilizing them is not forbidden.

The immediate threat to coniferous crops is snow, which can break them. Therefore, in winter it should be systematically swept away, without waiting for faults. Vertical conifers are best tied loosely with twine.

Reproduction: depending on the genus, species and variety, conifers are propagated by cuttings, seeds and grafting. Cuttings are not available for all conifers. For example, pines do not give roots even in ideal conditions. On the contrary, cuttings of cypresses, many junipers, arborvitae, some spruces, hemlock, microbiota take root quite easily. The seed method is usually used for propagation specific plants, which are used as rootstocks for varietal forms. In all other cases, in order to preserve the grade, grafting is performed on the same or a species close to it.

Vegetative reproduction ephedra

There are several ways not seed propagation: layering and cuttings. And etiolation (semi-cuttings - half cuttings).

The creeping forms of junipers can be propagated by layering.

A branch from a juniper is pinned to the ground, at the place of pinning it is covered with a substrate. After a while, the branch takes root, after rooting, the new plant is cut off from the mother.

Cuttings (cutting is carried out in April - May)harvested by pulling branches from mother plant(with a heel) i.e. with a piece of bark and wood.

If you want to propagate a conifer with a vertical crown shape, then vertically growing branches are used for the cutting.

So.

The stalk from the side of the heel is treated with a stimulant (kornevin) and planted in a moist substrate (1/-2/3 of the shoot should be in the substrate), from the top it is closed with a jar or a mini-greenhouse is built.

You can root the processed cuttings like this - a dark film is taken, sphagnum moss (wet) is laid out on the film, the cuttings are laid out on sphagnum (the side where the heels are), moss is again on top and this sandwich is twisted in the form of a roll, the roll is tightly tied with a rope on both sides with one end thrust in a jar of water (water 2-3 cm), and cover with a bag on top (the bag should be without holes and tightly fit the jar so that the water does not evaporate), in mid-September, small conifers can be planted in the ground.

Etiolation

A branch 20-25 cm long is selected, the lower part is exposed by 10 cm, you cut off all the needles, peel off the bark in a circle (1 cm), treat it with a stimulant, wrap it with wet moss, wrap it tightly with black film and wait for (and this will happen in September - August ) roots will appear, at the end of August, carefully remove the film, cut off a twig from the mother plant, and plant it in the ground, cover it with a jar from the top.

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The health of coniferous plants in the garden depends not only on the quality of the acquired seedlings and compliance with the planting rules. Attentive care: competent watering, stimulating root formation, protection from burns, dampness - will help newcomers to survive the stress caused by transplantation.

Coniferous plants are gaining more and more space in our gardens and yards. The reasons are obvious:

• variety of shapes, sizes, many shades of needles in skillful hands become excellent tools for shaping the image of the garden, its structure;
• evergreen needles make the landscape of the site cheerful, even wrapped in snow.

Acquisition of high-quality, winter-hardy seedlings, proper fit- only half the success in their cultivation. attention and easy care will help coniferous new settlers to adapt to a new place and lay solid foundation their growth and longevity.

Post-planting stress in conifers

According to the degree of stress resulting from transplantation, conifers can be divided into two groups:

1. Seedlings with a closed root system.
2. Plants with an open root system and large-sized plants.

Of course, the gardening industry does not stand still. Modern nurseries take care of ensuring the high survival rate of the seedlings they sell. Most coniferous plants are put up for sale with a closed root system in pots, tubs.

Training planting material in the nursery, it is not only the formation of a fluffy developed crown. Great efforts are being made to create a compact, large quantity adventitious roots of the underground part of the plant. To do this, systematic pruning of the roots is carried out, transshipment from a smaller container to a larger one.

The high survival rate of plants grown in this way has led to the sale of very large specimens in pots. AT garden centers you can meet 3-meter spruce, fir, larch, even higher arborvitae and columnar junipers. If these plants have a healthy appearance, there is no yellowing of the tips of the needles, there is no need to fear for their survival.

Advice! When purchasing a large coniferous plant in a pot, be sure to check the root system. To do this, carefully lay it on its side and gently slide the pot off the root ball. A well-formed plant has many dark and lighter roots that tightly intertwine the planting substrate. The lump should be wet, and its shape shows that the tree grew in this particular pot.

By such a check, you will protect yourself from unscrupulous traders who are trying to sell a tree that has just been dug out of the ground with its roots chopped off and hastily placed in a tub. You should not buy plants with an overdried lump. No rescue measures will increase the survival rate of such seedlings, but only prolong the time of their slow death.

In some cases, coniferous plants fall on household and summer cottages from nurseries and forestries with an open root system. Because they underground part did not form and grew freely - the main conductive roots, as a rule, were cut. The work of digging, delivering and planting such plants requires special knowledge and equipment, it is better to entrust it to specialists, and post-planting care can be provided independently.

To help new pets survive the stress of the transplant, adapt and begin to develop normally, you must:

• stimulate root formation;
• to give right amount moisture;
• provide access to necessary elements nutrition;
• create a comfortable microclimate and safe wintering.

Creating conditions for increasing root formation

The biggest problems during transplantation and in the first years of living in a new place are created by an injured root system. Because of this, coniferous plants experience a lack of water and nutrition. The lack of moisture is indicated by:

• drying out of the tips of the needles;
• small annual increments;
• drooping, fall of needles.

The following activities will help to increase root formation, and, therefore, the delivery of the necessary nutrition and water.

Structuring the upper layers of the soil

Loose soil structure provides access to the roots of oxygen, water, creates favorable conditions for active growth. The primary technique for its creation is mulching.

Mulch for coniferous plants usually consists of wood materials similar breeds. It can be coniferous litter from arborvitae, juniper, cones, crushed pine bark, wood chips. Covering the surface of the soil, the mulch layer retains moisture in it, protects it from overheating, compaction and weeds. Mulched soil does not form a crust.

Providing moisture. Watering modes

For the root system of a coniferous plant to enter optimal mode functioning in a new place, a considerable time must pass. 1-2 years is enough for a container plant. The root system of a transplanted large-sized plant requires increased attention for 4-5 years. First of all, there must be sufficient watering. It is necessary to saturate the entire root ball with moisture.

Important! Don't rely on rain. They do not soak the soil to the required depth.

Although conifers are designed by nature to be resistant to transpiration (needles evaporate less moisture than leaves), measures must be taken to reduce it. One of the methods is crown sprinkling. Periodic irrigation of trees along the entire height reduces moisture loss. Additionally, especially on hot days, plants are shaded with screens made of burlap or non-woven fabric.

Chemical root stimulants

Good helpers in enhancing the growth of the root system are the so-called phytohormones. They are especially effective on damaged, injured roots:

• indoleacetic acid preparation - "Heteroauxin";
• the drug indolylbutyric acid - "Kornevin".

Important! There are other trade names for these stimulants. When making a choice, make sure that one of the acids is present in the composition.

To increase immunity, recovery after winter and spring burns, spraying with Epin and Zircon helps.

Nutrition of conifers after transplantation

If a landing pit filled with well-composed soil mixture and mineral fertilizers - additional top dressing is not needed in the first years.

Excess nutrition even harms coniferous plants, especially fresh organic matter, unripe manure.

Container plants from European nurseries have a stock of "long-playing" fertilizers in the planting substrate for several years to come.

Only periodic top dressing with potassium will not be superfluous. He normalizes water balance in plant tissues, promoting adaptation.

Protection of young conifers from adverse climatic conditions

Preparing for winter

Rainy autumn weather provokes the development of fungal diseases, wetting of the roots, and warming of the root collar. To alleviate these troubles, coniferous plants leaving for the winter need to ensure the ventilation of the crown, the removal of excess water. Free the root neck from the mulch.

Without shelter, they perfectly tolerate the winter of central Russia, the Urals, the North-West a large number of coniferous plants:

• spruce prickly and ordinary;
• pine ordinary, mountain;
• juniper ordinary, medium, creeping forms of rocky, Virginia, Chinese and many others.

To save vertical forms (thuya western Brabant, Smaragd, junipers Skyrocket, BlueArrow) from falling apart with snow, trunks and vertical branches are tied. Protect the right geometric shapes(spherical, ovoid) plants from snow deformation help frames made of slats or thin boards.

Important! Do not wrap coniferous plants with film, burlap, non-woven fabric - this will lead to the needles aging.

Covering materials are used by pulling on protective screens and screens. On the crown, you can not tightly wrap permeable materials. Inexpensive option- building facade mesh.

Caring for coniferous plants in the winter garden

The main winter events in the young coniferous garden- release of crowns, fragile shoots from the severity of the snow cover. Tree branches are carefully shaken off, starting from the bottom, gradually moving to the top.

Dwarf and creeping forms are left under snow cover, if necessary, loose snow is additionally raked up.

Protection against spring drying and burning

Sunny days last month winters and early spring are dangerous for many conifers. At this time, there is a danger of extensive damage to the needles. This is due to the fact that the root system is in the frozen ground and does not have the ability to absorb water, and the needles continue to evaporate it. Especially heated by the bright spring sun.

Severely suffer from this: spruce Canadian Konica, many varieties of Chinese juniper, rocky, Korean fir, yew berry.

Dwarf and creeping plants get burned during the spring subsidence of snow cover. The most vulnerable forms are those with variegated (golden, blue, white) needles.

To combat burns and withering, set with south side shading frames and screens, fabric-covered. It is possible to remove such shelters only after the soil has completely thawed, when the root system can pump water. Burn prevention - selection of resistant species and varieties, planting in the shade of buildings and large trees.

Evergreen coniferous vegetation especially decorates any estate. In winter, you can dress it up new year holidays, in spring and summer to admire her slender forms. Right now, in winter, you can start thinking about spring chores for caring for such plants. In general, after reading this article you can learn how to care for coniferous plants.

Spring care for conifers

In principle, the care itself does not present any particular difficulty, top dressing, pruning, mulching are the main stages of spring work. So, let's get down to work. The priority tasks are:

• fertilize
• cut crown,
• mulch.

You can still think about the desired shape of the crown of coniferous plants in winter, will it be ordinary, or did your friend want to give it exotic this year? But with the onset of spring, the plants must first be mulched.

This will reliably drown out the growth of unnecessary weeds, as well as protect the soil from erosion, and retain moisture for a long time. Cones, tree bark are suitable for mulch, all this will give natural naturalness general view estates.

Now it's time for fertilizers. We can recommend, for example, Kemir, Amos, Nitrophoska. Be sure to follow the instructions on the medication packages. For conifers, top dressing is released mainly in granular form, which means that their action will be long.

Such granules will easily last for 3-6 months, that is how much they will dissolve and soak into the ground. So almost the entire spring-summer period, plants will have both nutrition and protection from diseases.

Granules are best scattered in a circle around the plant and slightly deepen them.

spring pruning

If you want to see well-groomed spruce trees in your garden, then you should know how to care for coniferous trees. Now it's time for trimming. All dry, diseased, damaged branches are subject to immediate and ruthless removal. This is a sanitary cut. There is also decorative pruning, this is if you want to give the crown a certain look or shape. When pruning, you can simply achieve a greater density of branches due to their growth in breadth and sides from the trunk. Pruning improves in addition to appearance also air circulation in the branches, which also cannot but affect the condition of the plants. But everything is good in moderation, do not overdo it with pruning, juniper, spruce, pine, fir are especially sensitive to excessive exposure to pruners, excessive removal of branches can lead to diseases. Pruning is best done a little every year, so the crown of the desired shape will be formed in several steps. But with the removal of dry branches, do not tighten, remove them as they appear.

What else can be done in terms of care

From February to the end of April, conifers are threatened sunburn branches. There is another problem from the sun - the drying of the crown. Such cases can occur when the roots cannot regulate the water balance. The needles begin to dry. The sun and wind, unfortunately, are active participants in this process. They literally evaporate or blow away all the moisture from the needles.

In this case, a simple shelter of plants for the period of risk can provide significant assistance. It can be either a hut or a non-woven coating wound in several layers. But do not wind too tightly, so as not to prevent the flow of air to the trunk and to the crown of trees.

Also March and April middle lane can "please" belated frosts. At this time, they can cause particular damage, because the trees have already woken up from sleep and launched their biological processes. Here with small plants there should be no problems with shelter, but tall trees and shrubs can be left alone with a frosty problem. They can be helped only by covering the roots with mulch. You can also add peat on top of the mulch.

If you planted a conifer in the spring

If there are conifers on your site, then they need competent care. At first, you need to actively loosen the soil near the planting, actively remove weeds and actively feed. When loosening, try not to touch the roots, which may not yet be deep enough into the ground.

If pests or signs of disease catch your eye, take action immediately.

Focus on the requirements of a particular type of conifer, for example, a pine tree does not need a lot of moisture, but thuja needs constantly moist soil. Be especially careful during dry periods.

Finally

Here are some rather simple methods of caring for coniferous plantations. Watch your landings, do everything in a timely manner, and they will certainly reward you with their beautiful and aesthetic appearance!