In the fall, shrubs need special attention. And the measures taken for trimming and proper top dressing can stimulate intensive growth and good yield in the coming year. We will talk about the most important and significant moments of preparing for winter, caring for raspberries in the fall.
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The nuances of caring for raspberries in the fall and its preparation for winter
Traditionally, by the fall, a tasty and healthy berry had already returned to the harvest. The approaching winter poses a challenge for gardeners to prepare the bushes for winter. The key to a good harvest next year is the right preparation. Therefore, you should work hard and enjoy the result.
An important step in increasing productivity and rejuvenating the bush is pruning in the fall.
Important points to do in the fall:
- tackle the soil;
- cut bushes;
- remove sick, unnecessary and old branches;
- remove leaves;
- press the stems to the ground.
Properly cut branches will significantly increase the upcoming crop and help to survive the upcoming cold.
Thanks to thinning, productivity will increase significantly. If the plantings are well-groomed, then the berries will grow larger than in neglected areas.
If you mulched the soil around garden raspberries, be sure to remove the mulch. Otherwise, various pests and field mice can settle there in winter. Then dig the soil. At the same time, remember that the roots are superficial, so do not go deep in the row spacing by more than 20 centimeters, and in the rows by no more than eight centimeters. At the time of digging, fertilize the soil.
The best shelter for raspberries is snow cover. Therefore, in the autumn, the bushes must be bent.With this method, even before severe frosts, the branches will be covered with snow. In Russia, the average snow cover is half a meter, so you need to bend the branches a little less than this value.
Keep in mind that in winter, under the snow, shoots should be completely, and not just part of them. The stems cannot be allowed to remain above the snow - this is the coldest and most dangerous zone. Above the snow cover, the air temperature is the lowest.
The main thing is to bend the branches to the ground in time, even before the onset of severe cold weather. At low temperatures, the branches become brittle. If you start to bend them, then the stems will definitely break.
Technology and timing for pruning bushes in autumn
It is necessary to begin preparations for winter in late September or early October. The timing of the work is very important. Decreasing air temperature to a negative value will not allow to qualitatively carry out the necessary steps. Therefore, do not wait for a steady cold.
Remember that cut the stems to the very root. You can’t even leave small stumps. Insect pests can easily penetrate and multiply into them. Trim should be old, two-year-old stems. It is easy to find them - they are dark and dry, stand out in appearance from young, greenish twigs. All diseased, broken off, weak and improperly growing shoots inside the bushes, as well as unnecessary shoots should be removed.
In each bush, five healthy stems should remain. It is recommended that during an ordinary landing leave no more than 10 shoots per meter of beds. Significantly thinned bushes are the best preparation for the winter period, which will ensure successful waiting for the cold.
Topping raspberries after pruning
Carrying out the necessary dressing, adhere to established standards. You can not overfeed the bushes. An important role is played by the area on which raspberries grow. It should be well lit. The sun's rays make the shoots strong, which contributes to a good wintering.
After the bushes are trimmed, apply humus or organic fertilizer, as well as dig the soil layer.
Before feeding bushes, remove weeds and dig the ground. If you fertilize with manure, it is recommended to add four kilograms of the additive for each square meter. Remember that manure fertilizes the soil every three years.
By introducing a large dose of nitrogen fertilizers in autumn, the growth of shoots is stimulated, which significantly reduces the winter hardiness of the bush.
Be sure to fertilize with a complex composition that includes phosphorus and potassium. Double superphosphate is recommended.
Immediate preparation for winter
Raspberry is an undemanding shrub, however, to prepare the bushes for the winter period is the most important factor for further successful growth.
Soil preparation
Raspberries grow well in nutritious, fertile soil. To strengthen the root system before winter cold and make the bushes fertile in the next season, it is necessary to fertilize the soil with potash or phosphorus fertilizers. And the last time you can feed in the last days of September.
Roots need constant protection - this helps to maintain the fertility and necessary soil moisture. Lay the ground with leaves or coniferous sawdust - this is an important point for those regions where harsh winters.
So that the plant does not weaken in the cold period, before starting the preparation for winter, moisten the soil well.
Proper shelter of raspberries for the winter
To preserve raspberries, the main thing is to shelter the shoots before the onset of frost.
In autumn, it is recommended to bend raspberry bushes as low as possible to the ground. In this position, the branches are fixed to the lower trellis wire, which was prepared in advance. If the bushes are planted in rows, it is convenient to tie each stalk to the next and so on until the end of the row.
When covering raspberries, consider the following points:
- Tilt height. Stems are bent to such a height that in winter they are completely under the snow.It is at this point that many lovers make the mistake of tilting the bushes formally, leaving part of the trunk above the snow cover, thereby condemning the plant to freezing.
- Deadline for the work. It is important to choose the right time. If you bend too early, then the plant will vanish and will not survive until the next season. If you start preparing in cold weather, then the shoots will break. The ideal time is when the leaves have fallen, but before the first frost.
Before starting shelter, the leaves from the shoots are completely removed. To quickly remove all the foliage, put the mitten on your hand, grab the shoot and run your hand from the bottom to the top of the trunk. If removed in the opposite direction, the culture will be damaged, since the buds grow from the bottom up and quickly break off when irregular movements occur. If you don’t immediately remove the old leaves, they will begin to rot and cause a burn of the kidneys.
Shelter of bushes with a spanbond is popular. To do this, connect the branches in bundles, wrap with material. Free space is recommended to fill with straw. After wrapping, the plants are tilted to the ground and covered with spruce branches, or covered with dry foliage.
You can do without a spunbond. Tilt the two adjacent bushes to each other and tie the stems. So that they do not rise, sprinkle the tops with earth, or pin them with staples. The main thing is to ensure the smallest possible distance from the bush to the ground.
In places with frosty winters and insufficient snow cover, bushes are laid in furrows, the depth of which is 20 centimeters. Sometimes they are insulated with straw, or the snow is retained with the help of spruce branches.
Snow retention
This measure was taken to accumulate snow in places where there is a deficit of snow. For the bush, the snow level should not be more than a meter. Melt water is of great importance to the land and plantations, so it is important to delay the moment of melting snow. To do this, in the last month of winter, when the temperature approaches 0 degrees, snowdrifts are built and covered with a shield.
How to prepare repair raspberries for winter
Caring for remont raspberries is much easier than for a regular variety. Two weeks before frosts, plants are well watered. This is especially important in dry autumn.
Pruning is carried out in late autumn, when the air temperature drops stably below zero, and the topsoil freezes. Cut off flush with the surface of the earth. No need to leave hemp. There will be a clean area from which all shoots and leaves are completely removed. To prevent raspberry diseases, cut bushes are recommended to be burned.
The raspberry plantation is covered with a thick layer of bedding straw. You can use dry grass, but there is a high probability that mice will get into it, so straw manure is recommended. Such a pillow will help the roots survive the cold safely.
