When buying a house, the first thing the owner thinks about is the arrangement of his own land. And what can be a garden if there are no fruit trees and shrubs in it? After all, unlike flowers or a lawn, they will please the eye for many years. And if you also take into account the harvest of fruits every year (of course, with proper care), then trees and shrubs will not have a price at all.
Garden layout
Land planning is not only a matter of beauty. The future of your trees and bushes depends on it. The most common mistake novice gardeners make is planting seedlings too densely, which backfires. This leads to the struggle of the root systems of neighboring trees for nutrients. And any confrontation leads to the victory of some and the defeat of others. Therefore, one tree will grow better, while the other will wither. What to do? Experts recommend paying attention to proper garden planning, as fruit trees and shrubs love freedom and space.
Planting bushes and trees
If you decide to organize your ownland, then you need to do the following: prepare the soil for planting and purchase seedlings. In order for fruit trees and shrubs to bring a good harvest, they need deeply loosened and fertile land. Ideal soil preparation consists in long-term maintenance of the area under perennial grasses, continuous fertilization with mineral and organic substances and deep plowing with a tractor plow. But finances and time do not always provide an opportunity to do all this. In extreme cases, you can limit yourself to removing all weeds on the site and fertilizing the soil. Then you should prepare the pits for the seedlings. The recesses should be large, especially if the soil is not very fertile. Then it will be necessary to fill the wells with pre-prepared soil and fertilizers, and then everything must be watered abundantly.
Seedlings are best purchased from industrial nurseries. They are also bought in gardening stores. Two-year-old seedlings of fruit trees and shrubs are best accepted. When choosing, pay attention to the formation of the crown and the development of the root system. Each type and variety of a tree or shrub has its own characteristics of planting. Therefore, you need to study the information in accordance with the available seedlings.
Fruit Garden Care
Planting trees and bushes is just one step in an important process. Then you need to pay attention to the care of plants. Sometimes it takes several years before the garden begins to produce a sufficient amount of fruit. And to achieve this, you needput in a lot of effort. Experienced gardeners recommend mulching the holes around the trees immediately after the first post-planting watering. For this, it is best to use peat or humus. This is done to keep the earth from drying out.
Loosening is considered an important point. Thus, you remove weeds and provide air flow to the roots. But don't overdo it and damage them. Roots are already vulnerable due to their movement from one soil to another. If the planting was made in the fall, then the trees, like shrubs, must be spudded in order to subsequently protect them from winter frosts. After spring planting, hilling, on the contrary, will only hurt, as it will interfere with the flow of air to the roots. Now it becomes clear how much patience and attention fruit trees and shrubs require. Caring for them, of course, will pay off already with the first harvest.
Formation of the fruit tree crown
To give the correct shape to the tree, it is pruned. As a result of this process, the growth of the young seedling is also regulated and the quality of the fruit is improved. Periodic pruning will ensure the growth of strong trees. But if this procedure is carried out in violation of the mandatory rules, this reduces the winter hardiness of wood, thickens the crown and lowers the quality of the fruit. There are two main methods of pruning, depending on the purpose of its completion - thinning and shortening. Without this procedure, fruit trees and shrubs will not grow properly and will not give a good harvest.
Plant protection
In order to save the garden, you need to understand the main rule: do not wait until you have to fix something, do prevention. Fruit trees and shrubs often suffer from pests or diseases. To prevent this, follow these rules:
- Plants affected by diseases or parasites should not be brought into the garden.
- No need to plant trees or bushes thickly. It is the wilds that are the best habitat for pests.
- Try to protect trees from frost. Do not mechanically damage them and be sure to process sections with a diameter greater than 1 cm.
- Remember that the crowns need to be cut on time, before or after the sap flow stops.
- In summer you need to loosen the soil around the plant, and in spring and autumn - dig it up.
- Excessive feeding of fruit trees and shrubs does not bring benefits.
- It is necessary to destroy nests of harmful insects and collect mummified fruits. Take good care of beneficial insects.
Berry bushes
The most common crops among berry bushes are raspberries, currants, gooseberries, viburnum, cranberries, blueberries, blackberries, lingonberries, blueberries. Each species has its own growing characteristics. For example, currants and raspberries are best planted in areas with sufficient moisture. Plants do well there. But, unlike raspberries, currants require moresunlight. No shrub likes wetlands. Most crops can be planted in groups or single rows. All shrubs, except raspberries, can be placed in the aisles of fruit trees. Plants should not be allowed to thicken. Otherwise, they begin to hurt and produce sour and small berries. This leads to the degeneration of culture.
Fruit trees and shrubs require a lot of time and energy. Plants must be planted according to the rules, cared for and protected from pests.
