Moderately moist soil is necessary for plants during the entire growing cycle, because without water they root system unable to fully absorb nutrients from the soil. However, by the end of summer and autumn, soil moisture reserves come to an end, while metabolic processes in the plant continue to go on, although not with the same intensity. In such a situation, fruit and berry bushes and trees switch to mechanical water absorption, that is, they receive water from the environment for the most part with the help of pores located on their bark. At the same time, even in the middle of winter, water does not stop flowing from the roots of plants to their above-ground part. The lack of moisture in the soil during this period is fraught with serious consequences: it can lead to drying of individual branches (or even the entire above-ground part), as well as damage to the bark on boles and skeletal branches of the crown by winter sunburn. To avoid such troubles allows timely conduct.
the main task such irrigation is to replenish the water supply in the root-inhabited soil layer, which has completely dried up during the summer period, which makes it possible to make the root system of plants more frost-resistant. It is well known that wet soil cools much more slowly in winter than dry soil. And this means that plants will be able to absorb water in a physiological way for a longer time, that is, using the suction power of their root system. Thus, their overall immunity and winter hardiness are also improved. Another important advantage water recharge irrigation is what they provide optimal water supply horticultural crops in the early spring, and also contribute to the formation of fruit and berry trees and shrubs with a deeper root system.
In regions with a temperate climate, autumn garden watering is best done in the second half of September and finished in early October. Keep in mind that even heavy autumn rains are not enough to compensate for the enormous loss of soil moisture during the spring-summer period. The depth of wetting the soil should be: for a fruit-bearing apple tree - 80-90 centimeters (irrigation rate - 40-60 liters per square meter), for young apple trees, cherries, plums - 60-70 centimeters (35-50 liters per square meter), for berry bushes- 50-60 centimeters (25-40 liters per square meter). The easiest way is to pour water into the grooves dug around the trunk of the plant. The width of such a groove should be approximately 50 centimeters (for fruit trees, for shrubs it can be made 1.5-2 times narrower). If you also intend to feed the plants, pouring humus into each groove, but its depth should be no less than the bayonet of a shovel. Otherwise, 10-15 centimeters will be quite enough. When the moisture is completely absorbed into the soil, the grooves fall asleep again and level.
If the clay layer in your area is not deep, then it is recommended to use water-charging irrigation only in years with extremely dry autumn. At the same time, the irrigation rate should be reduced by 2-3 times. In those places where ground water located close to the surface, it is generally better to completely refuse such irrigation.
On the own experience time and again convinced how important it is for garden plants similar autumn waterings. One particularly rainy autumn, a well overflowed with water on our site and it was necessary to urgently sell it somewhere. This is how Murphy's laws work: in the summer you can't interrogate rain from nature and watering is carried out only strictly according to the issue and only to the most suffering plants, but in the fall, on the contrary, at least fill up with water. Here I remembered about winter watering and generously watered several apple trees and plums in my small garden using the above technology. So, watered apple trees next spring they amazed all the neighbors with their lush color, and in August the branches sagged and broke from the fruits, so that they had to be propped up. In a word, we treated all neighbors, acquaintances and unfamiliar ones with fragrant apples, and how many homemade preparations were made - our cellar was bursting at the seams;). So since then I try not to neglect water recharge irrigation and I advise everyone to try this simple method to increase the yield of garden plants!
In autumn, all the trees and shrubs in the garden begin to prepare for a long, difficult winter. Of course, nature has formed its own methods and mechanisms for them, but it is very necessary to help them in this preparation. In the spring you will find: your apple tree or plum tree is frozen. And you should not blame the harsh winter for this: you should blame yourself and your negligence. You can increase the frost resistance of the garden and its "inhabitants" if you water all the plants well. Therefore, their autumn watering is an important part of preparing for the winter. Autumn watering is different from the usual summer watering: in the fall, under the bushes and trees, you will pour much more water than in any, even the driest summer. Plants will stock up on moisture and will not be afraid of frost at all! But here it is important, however, not to overdo it. If the water is above measure, the air will leave the earthen pores. In such soil, the roots do not last long and suffocate! 
Determination of soil water needs.
No matter how abundant watering is in the fall, it is imperative to determine the water needs of the soil. The process is quite costly in terms of effort, but this work must be done: underfilling or overflowing water is extremely destructive. We determine the need for watering as follows. Near the trees preparing for watering, we dig holes to a depth of forty centimeters. Next, you need to get a little earth from their very bottom (into a fist). If the earthen clod compresses well, becomes dense, does not disintegrate, leaving a good wet mark on the paper (toilet), such land does not need watering at all. When the earthen clod is perfectly formed, dense, does not break up into fragments, but there is no wet trace left on paper, such soil needs to be watered less than thirty percent. Dry land, which cannot be “blinded” into a lump, decaying and crumbling, should be watered abundantly and for a long time. Any soil should be shed in autumn to a depth not less than half a meter, a meter exactly where the plant grows.
One square of land on which mature trees grow will require up to fourteen buckets, with a minimum rate of ten buckets. Young trees that managed to stretch a meter need a water norm of no more than three buckets. It is not necessary to start autumn watering if leaf fall is not yet observed. The growth of the shoots will then be too long, they will not ripen, they will not gain sufficient strength to overcome the winter. This is especially dangerous for young trees. Therefore, start watering when the leaves have already begun to massively fall to the ground. The temperature decrease should be carried out by two to three degrees. 
The picture shows an example of the use of hoses for drip irrigation.
How do you water your garden in the fall?
The choice of watering method is made according to the location of the garden. Is the ground flat, without slopes? We just stretch (throw) a few hoses along the rows. To ensure that water reaches each plant, shallow grooves or ditches can be dug along each row. In sloping gardens, a method called "sprinkling" should be used. With it, water is well absorbed by the earth, but there is a risk of overwatering the plants by increasing humidity. Then the trees can get sick. The most common method is drip irrigation. For this, entire hose systems are built. They are coiled around trees, connected to the main hose using various connectors. Such a system is prepared for a long time, but after watering it is carried out quickly and is guaranteed in the required volumes. Water comes to each tree, any water "excess" is completely excluded.
If the soil in the garden is dense, with poor drainage, heavy, it is not worth watering it in the fall. Groundwater in such soils stands for a long time, and additional water reserves can ruin the entire garden. After watering, the soil must be mulched. Peat, leaves, straw are suitable for this.
Here you can watch a video about water-charging irrigation:
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Autumn is the period on which the quality and quantity of the harvest for the next year directly depends.
If you devote enough time to caring for fruit trees, then do not hesitate, in the summer you will see the result of your work and knowledge.
Therefore, do not be lazy and postpone everything for later.
It is in the fall that it is necessary to protect the garden from diseases and pests, it is enough to fertilize, moisten and dig the soil, and also give Special attention preparation for winter.
We will talk about this in more detail.
First of all, in the fall you need to take care of the protection of fruit trees. It is better to start all activities when the leaves fall. But don't push too hard.
The preparation time depends on the climate of the area where the garden is planted - in northern regions this event can begin at the end of September, and in the south - in October. Since, late preparations for winter in the north can not only not improve the condition of the garden, but even destroy it.
Wood whitewash
Many people believe that whitewashing trees is a protection against harmful insects that have laid their larvae in the bark for the winter, as well as some fungal diseases. Of course, this is true, but not only. Back in 1887, it was noticed that trees whitewashed with lime solution tolerated frosts better than their untreated neighbors in the area.
Gardeners still use this experience. What is the secret? This coating serves protective layer from large temperature fluctuations in winter, when the sun is hot during the day, and frost begins to freeze at night. untreated trees covered with cracks, which serve as an excellent habitat for various pathogens. But here you need to know some nuances.
For example, when whitewashing young trees, lime in solution can be replaced with chalk. Solution should be thick and saturated, not only the trunk, but also the skeletal branches should be covered. Exist several options for preparing the solution.
First- the cheapest and easiest solution home cooking. For him, you should take 2kg of lime + 400g blue vitriol. Dissolve these components in 10 liters of water with the addition of a paste, for viscosity. You can also add 1 kg of clay and cow dung to this composition.
For young trees, the paste cannot be used, their bark will not be able to breathe through the adhesive barrier. 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.
Second option- This is a store-bought mixture that also consists of clay and lime. However, this whitewashing is very often washed off by the spring, therefore it requires reprocessing the whole garden. Adding carbolic acid to any solution will also protect trees from damage by rodents and hares.
Protecting the garden from insects
Winter Garden is a place for wintering various insects, which lay their larvae in the bark, fallen leaves, in the nests of the tree crown.
For example, a small shield-shaped nest on the surface of branches is a clutch of apple moths, which contains up to 80 eggs, small ring-shaped beads on a branch are the offspring of a ringed silkworm, and dry leaves glued with cobwebs to branches can be an excellent refuge for young caterpillars of hawthorn and goldentail.
This is just a small list of garden pests, how can we protect it?
Primarily it is necessary to remove the entire area from excess debris and fallen leaves. Remove dead bark from trees with iron brushes. It is worth making a deep (15–20 cm) digging of the soil in order to destroy the wintering grounds of some caterpillars.
Inspect carefully fruit trees, some areas may even require a magnifying glass. Trunks clean from trapping belts, in which a large number of cocoons of codling moths are concentrated. Spray all plantings with 3 or 5% urea solution. Protecting trees from pests such as aphids, lungwort, silkworms, leafworm helps spraying drugs Bulldock, Fury, Agravertini.
Protects against diseases such as coccomycosis and other spotting spraying with preparations containing copper: iron vitriol, Bordeaux mixture, copper oxychloride or fungicide preparations - Kuproksat, Topsin, Horus. To get rid of scab and fruit rot will help processing "Impact", "Strobi" or "Skor". All wounds, cracks and hollows on the tree must be treated with a 5% solution of iron sulfate and covered with cement.
Protecting the garden from rodents
Highly great harm garden, especially young seedlings are inflicted by hares and small rodents. To protect trees from them, it is necessary wrap the trunk old rags or burlap with roofing material. Many gardeners even use women's nylon tights for this purpose. They are good for protecting branches.
Near the base, protection must be well dug in with earth so that mice do not make their way. The branches of spruce or pine are perfect, they are tied around the trunk and cover the near-stem circle. The smell of coriander sprigs scattered on the ground, near the tree, also repels mice well.
Wrapping up the garden will also save the trees from winter frosts. And if you also whiten the bark (as discussed above in the article), then your garden will not be afraid of sunburn from winter rays.
You should be aware that if you use roofing felt as an insulating material, then between it and the bark of the tree there must be a layer of burlap or rags. Otherwise, the tree will dry up.
tree pruning
Pruning of fruit trees should begin after the leaves have been shed. Dates vary depending on the region of planting the garden. In the southern regions, you can leave this event for October, and in the northern regions you can’t delay it, so pruning is carried out at the end of September or, even better, postponed until March.
Otherwise, the tree will not have time to prepare for winter due to increased sap flow. With late pruning, at the site of the wound, the wood dries and freezes, which often leads to the death of the tree.
So, let's get down to the features of this procedure. Primarily dry and diseased branches are removed, followed by those that create excessive density, grow towards the trunk, at the wrong angle, intertwine with each other.
Trees that have not been pruned for many years must be thinned out in stages, over several years, starting with the largest branches and ending with small, improperly growing ones. If the tree is pruned too hard, it may no longer bear fruit or even die.
Young seedlings are not pruned in autumn. Thinning the crown of young trees is necessary annually, this lays their shape and proper growth. For old trees, the event is held every 2-3 years to improve air circulation and light between the branches, as well as to get a larger and better harvest.
All wounds on the tree after the removed branches must be treated with garden pitch and covered with drying oil or paint. All sawn and trimmed branches must be burned, as spores of various diseases and pests can be stored on them.
Feeding garden trees
Autumn top dressing plays a more important role than spring or summer. Since it is in the fall that the strength of the tree is laid before the upcoming fruiting, its immunity is strengthened and resistance to frost increases. Root top dressing is applied along with the main fertilizer during the autumn digging of the soil, in the region of the near-stem circle, no later than October.
For young trees, whose age has not reached 8 years, about 30 kg of humus will be required, and for adults - about 50 kg. In autumn, elements such as potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen, calcium, iron and magnesium are most important.
But feeding with manganese, boron, copper and cobalt is best done in reduced quantities. The ideal option would be to make sure which elements the soil lacks. But this is not always possible and convenient, so there are basic rules that should be followed.
For example, to feed apple and pear trees, it is necessary to organic fertilizer add 300 g of superphosphate and 200 g of potassium sulfate to the soil. These elements are better absorbed in liquid form by watering the near-stem circle.
For cherry and plum trees, top dressing is prepared from 3 tbsp. superphosphate and 2 tbsp. potassium sulfate dissolved in 10 liters of water. For sufficient nutrition of one tree, about 4 buckets of such a liquid are needed. For sandy and sandy soils required large quantity top dressing elements than for clay and loamy - heavier.
This is due to the fact that useful nutrients are more intensively washed out from light soils by rainfall and during irrigation. From the moment fruiting begins, the garden needs more intensive nutrition in the fall. It is better to postpone fertilizing with nitrogen until spring, since in autumn this element enhances sap flow, which adversely affects the wintering of the tree.
Watering garden trees
autumn watering allowed only in regions with low rainfall. If the tree was watered abundantly in summer and autumn, and later it was also covered with earth, this leads to warming up, and then cracking of the trunk bark, in places where moisture accumulates.
It should not be forgotten that just as excessive watering is dangerous, a lack of moisture in the soil before winter is also dangerous. If the tree experiences an urgent need for additional moisture, then the hardening process will be much more difficult, and the plant will not withstand frost adequately.
Also, plentiful summer watering leads to increased growth of shoots, which, growing up to 2 m, do not have time to stiffen by winter and die from frost. Sometimes, in places of excess moisture, sowing of annual grasses is allowed, and weed control stops, which leads to the normalization of soil moisture. If the humidity of the garden planting region is normal, then last watering required no later than October.
Hilling the base of trees with earth is allowed only in frost-prone and little-snow areas, since, in combination with watering, this event can damage the tree more than protect it.
Besides, the last moisture-charging autumn watering helps to strengthen the root system, eliminates the possibility of sunburn bark of the trunk and branches, and also provides a more successful growing season, replacing the first spring watering. Thanks to him, the root system of the tree becomes more powerful, because in winter the tree extracts moisture from a depth of 0.5–2 m from the soil surface.
We were not mistaken, in winter the trees also need moisture. When scheduling autumn watering the depth of groundwater in the area should also be taken into account. Since during water-charging irrigation it is necessary to soak the soil to a depth greater than the depth of the tree's root system.
However, unacceptable contact between groundwater and irrigation water. The average rate for water-charging irrigation is about 10–16 buckets of water per 1 sq.m. soil.
If your garden has soil with shallow pebble deposits, as well as clay layers, then the last abundant watering is required only in especially dry autumn years, and usually no more than four buckets per 1 sq.m.
Digging a tree
Soil tillage in the fall is extremely important, and it cannot be replaced by spring, as inexperienced gardeners often think. As a result of loosening, the soil is enriched with oxygen, the larvae and eggs of various pests that lay down for the winter die, the roots and seeds of weeds decompose.
It is not recommended to break large clods of earth when digging, otherwise it will lead to freezing and weathering of the soil on the site. Also, you should not do late digging of a site with snow. This will lead to slow warming up in the spring.
It is necessary to complete all loosening and digging activities no later than the end of October. It should not be forgotten that in young annual seedlings, digging should not be carried out to a great depth so as not to damage the roots.
And with systematic autumn loosening, there is evidence that apple tree the main mass of roots is located on the seed rootstock within a radius of 20–60 cm, in a plum tree on a clonal rootstock, and in a cherry tree - on a horizon of 20–40 cm. Around the trunk of sea buckthorn, digging is carried out by careful loosening with a rake to a depth of about 7 cm, while trying not to touch the roots.
If you picked up a shovel, then it must be placed with an edge towards the trunk of a fruit tree. If the garden has not been subjected to systematic loosening, then the root system is pulled to the surface, which creates a risk of damage and freezing in winter.
This can lead to the fact that the tree will be without a significant mechanism for obtaining nutrition and moisture, and the open wound surfaces of the roots will become a zone of penetration of all kinds of infections and diseases. You should also consider the composition of the soil in your garden. Light, loose, cultivated soil needs only loosening, and heavy, clay soil requires obligatory deep digging.
fallen leaves
Exist 2 options for dealing with fallen leaves in the garden. Some summer residents believe that nothing needs to be done with it, because in wild nature no one cleans the leaves, they rot by a natural process and serve excellent fertilizer further.
Others believe that fallen leaves are a huge risk of infection. various diseases and pests, since it is there that larvae and eggs of insects hibernate and spores of diseases can remain, so it must all be removed and burned. Both of them are right.
Therefore, before deciding what to do with fallen leaves, you need to pay attention to whether your site has been infected with any diseases and pests. Even if so, then by collecting the foliage in bags, you will not let it cake, and all pathogenic microbes will die from frost. In the spring, this foliage should be folded into a pile for rotting.
This process can be accelerated by periodic shoveling and watering with microorganisms that contribute to the formation of humus. If your trees are absolutely healthy, then the collected foliage can serve as an excellent shelter from the cold of the root system of trees, and after that, a wonderful top dressing of the soil. In the presence of a large number pests and diseases, it is better not to use fallen leaves, but to pile them up and burn them.
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Should trees and shrubs be watered in autumn? Especially in rainy weather. Is there any benefit from this? Many gardeners discuss such issues, but do not come to a consensus. From my own experience, I was convinced of the benefits of autumn watering of trees and shrubs.
Autumn watering the earth under the crown of an apple tree
Why do you need autumn watering?
In autumn, the foliage of trees gradually dies off. At the same time it goes active growth root system. Accumulation continues nutrients. Dry soil freezes faster than well-moistened soil, which not only retains heat for a long time, but also softens temperature fluctuations during the change of winter thaws and frosts. Frozen, moist soil passes cold to plant roots more slowly than dry soil. Orchards with sandy and sandy soils are most at risk. They freeze faster than loam.
In cold winter, trees and shrubs dry up, especially when strong winds and frost. Experts call this "winter drought", in which deciduous trees up to 60% of moisture is lost after a dry summer and about 20% after a rainy summer and autumn. These indicators are worse in young trees.Such intense evaporation is dangerous. WThe reserves of moisture in the ground help the plant to survive.
Many gardeners have noticed that even in winter, the growth of some trees continues. They are more in need of underground moisture.
Water is drawn to water. This is folk wisdom. Moist soil to some extent retains spring water, which is absorbed into the soil, and does not flow down its surface.
Why is autumn watering dangerous?
First of all, you need to avoid damping the root collar. About ten years ago, I lost a stamp because of this terry lilac. Many stone fruit crops are also at risk. During autumn watering, you need to check if the neck of the tree is insulated for the winter with earth or compost. In all cases, watering the area next to the trunk is not worth it.
Do not direct the stream of water to the base of the shoots of the bush
Enhanced water-charging (moisture-charging) watering of fruit trees does more harm than good in areas with high groundwater levels. It is important to measure and take into account the location of the root system of plants.
When to water?
Autumn is usually rainy. A drizzle gives way to downpours and sleet. But at the depth of the roots of most fruit trees and shrubs, the ground remains dry. Wet only upper layer soil.
It is during this period that gardeners have to determine the timing of autumn moisture-charging (moisture-charging) irrigation. It is more correct to carry it out when most of the foliage has fallen. But a whole list of circumstances prevents this. In late autumn, not everyone has the opportunity to come to suburban area. Removed and hoses until they freeze water. In some collective gardens, they turn off for the winter summer plumbing. I know people who have to carry buckets of water from the village wells to water the trees during the pre-winter period.
The exact timing of the autumn watering of the garden can not be called. We are all used to the fact that winter always begins unexpectedly. I remember how one week before November 3, a lot of snow fell, water on the Ivankovsky reservoir (Moscow Sea) seized with ice. In another year, at about the same time, I collected ripe tomatoes in a greenhouse. It happened that in October the lungwort re-bloomed, the lilac blossomed, the buds appeared near the honeysuckle. These facts are proof of the unpredictability of our climate.
Increasingly, trees go into winter with leaves, so you should not focus on leaf fall. Too early autumn watering is fraught with the growth of young shoots that can freeze. But this is the lesser of all the evils that will inevitably affect frosty winters with little snow without full-fledged autumn watering. I usually carry out moisture-charging (moisture-charging) watering in October - November. In several terms, allowing not only not to breed a swamp on the site, but it is also better to soak the ground under trees and shrubs.
Determine the amount of water
It is difficult to determine the exact amount of water during autumn moisture-charging (moisture-charging) irrigation, because it depends on the type of soil, geography of the site, age and type of plants, weather conditions, etc. There is an average. This is 50 - 100 liters per 1 sq.m of land under the crown of a tree. Agronomists recommend wetting the ground under mature trees to a depth of 1.5 - 2 m.
To determine the required watering time for each plant, it is worth conducting preliminary measurements. Take a bucket of suitable capacity, a stopwatch (clock) and run water through the hose. If we know how quickly a hose fills an eight- or ten-liter bucket, we can calculate how long it will take to water a particular tree or shrub.
How to water?
I do not like the option with pipes dug into the ground through which plants are watered. I put the hose on the ground under the tree and turn on the water. From time to time I move it to another place. On the improved loam of my site, you can do without a sprinkler. On the sands it has to be used, because. all the water flows almost vertically into the depths.
It is impossible to direct the jet at the tree trunk, this is fraught with many further problems. The main irrigation zone is the crown projection.
Garden strawberries are best moistened with a watering can. Under currants, gooseberries and raspberries, the soil is so loose that a stream of water often forms funnels. They have to be leveled right away.
Autumn watering currant and gooseberry bushes
It is believed that areas with heavy clay do not need autumn watering. However, it was he who saved many fruit trees that suffered during the frosty winter of 1986-1987 with little snow. Little snow fell by the end of December, and the air temperature dropped below 30°C. My parents' dacha (Moscow region, Riga direction) was located on a small slope, behind which there was a pond and a forest. The soil is solid cold clay. In that frosty winter, fruit trees terribly "cracked" at night. In the spring, it turned out that almost all the trees in our country and in most of our neighbors were frozen to death. Those under which a lot of water was poured in the autumn withstood.
On Central Television and in regional newspapers, it was recommended to carry out December irrigation of frozen soil in small portions so that the most valuable varieties of fruit trees receive at least 50 liters of water for each square meter land under their crown. Some severely frozen trees managed to be saved in early spring. They had to be "cast", i.e. water vigorously, and then loosen the soil under them. This method also helped the shrubs, which gave new shoots.
Watering vineyards for the winter
Watering the vineyard for the winter depends on many circumstances. The grapes that grow in my greenhouse, I do not water “under the root”, but by laying the hose almost under the polycarbonate with outside greenhouses. This is done in order to avoid dampness inside the greenhouse, which leads to a whole bunch of diseases. The exception is a seedling planted this year. I moisten the soil under it with a watering can.
Some "crybabies", for example, the variety " Victoria”, do not need to be cut immediately after autumn watering. It is better in front of him, not forgetting to burn all the cuts with the flame of a lighter (or match), and then treat with green paint. The powerful root system of grapes growing in a greenhouse is quite capable of extracting moisture from the soil moistened in this way.
Autumn watering grapes in a greenhouse
Grapes growing near the arch (" Alpha», « Khasansky», « Amur") and in the garden under open sky, I water in the usual way, not letting a jet of water on the head of the bush and on the shoots. Autumn moisture-charging watering of grapes should not be carried out before sheltering it for the winter.
Alla Anashina, www.site
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The gardening season is coming to an end. The last finishing work remains. One of them is winter, or water-charging watering. In gardening textbooks, this procedure is advised to be carried out after the trees and shrubs shed their leaves. AT middle lane October is the time for Russia.
However, among gardeners there are different opinions about whether such watering is needed at all. Moreover, opinions are sometimes completely opposite, and sometimes even categorical. How to proceed? As always, the decision is ours, and everyone must make it on their own. Consider the arguments for and against.
First opinion: “I never water”
Valery Konstantinovich Zhelezov - experienced gardener with many years of experience. He grows apples, pears, plums, apricots and even peaches in Siberia. He calls his garden extreme, because in complex climatic conditions harvests tender southern crops.
“I have many gardening friends with established experience. and attitude towards winter watering Other. Some do everything according to strict literary recommendations: abundant watering in late autumn. The explanation is simple - damp and then frozen soil passes frost less to the roots of trees.
But then one of the gardening friends did winter watering, and his previously prosperous garden died. In addition, he adhered to another traditional agricultural method - he completely destroyed all the turf in the tree trunks every year. The frost hit, but there was no snow. The "naked" earth cracked. As the owner himself explained, the palm freely passed through the cracks, and hence the frost.
All 5 apple trees died in the garden of my other friend, although the garden was turfed. As he says, he threw a hose with a powerful jet of water at trunk circle for an hour, sincerely believing that it saves the roots of trees from the upcoming frost.
Well, then my personal experience. I'll start with a general discussion. In their historical homeland, cultivated varieties of fruit trees have the maximum adaptation to the local climate. The billion-year-old instinct allows them to know exactly (better than the local weather station!), What autumn and winter awaits them ahead.
There will be a dry autumn without rain - they will drop the foliage in advance to save soil moisture for winter life. There will be torrential autumn rains - keep the leaves until last days, pumping out EXCESSIVE, and therefore DANGEROUS moisture from the soil and evaporating through the still green leaves preserved, despite the cold.
Why is there too much moisture? Here the main thing for the tree is to maintain a kind of balance (concentration) of the juice produced by the roots. Remember two points from the school curriculum:
The deeper, the more saturated with salts and minerals are groundwater. This means that at a lower temperature they freeze, being brought up by us (wells) or trees (central root). As an example - non-freezing keys, beating from the ground.
Let us recall why it is not possible to revive frozen people and animals. Since we are more than 80% water, ice crystals destroy living tissue, primarily the smallest blood vessels.
And the trees? The usual picture is that there was plenty of rain in autumn, and by spring the bark with cambium (a liquid conductor - “antifreeze”) is torn so that “bare” wood is exposed. My simple explanation - "antifreeze" was "thin", or rather impoverished.
The situation is aggravated by the fact that in the North of Russia and throughout Siberia, ALL fruit trees are EMIGRANTS. Their historical experience in the NEW place only hinders them, and they make mistake after mistake. Can wake up during a thaw late autumn and even bloom and then, at least, goodbye, the harvest.
By the way, trees are not so “hopeless”. Common sense allows us, the majority of Siberian gardeners, to grow own-root crops only as rootstocks for subsequent inoculations of "emigrants". And we have our own rootstocks - local, frost-resistant. Let also "emigrants", but already adapted to specific local climatic conditions.
