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In central Russia, July is the hottest month. For the gardener, this time is hot, not only literally, but also figuratively. Garden, no less than in spring, requires care and attention.
The warmer outside the window, the greater the plant's need for water, and active fruiting is impossible without top dressing. Trees and shrubs respond to care with the first harvest of berries, early pears, apples and stone fruits. At the same time, no matter how much a dacha owner has had, in the middle of summer he has to think about preparing future planting material and not forgetting about the fight against pests and garden diseases.
Taking care of fruit trees in July
The flowering of the orchard is already far behind, the ovary has formed and is increasing in size every day. This means that branches need help. Under the most loaded of them put up strong props that can withstand the weight of pouring apples, pears, plums and other fruits.
The work in the garden does not end there. In parallel with the formation of the fruit:
- , the budding of the fruit buds of the following year is underway;
- young shoots are quickly drawn out;
- formed basal shoots.
To support the strength of fruit trees, potash and phosphorus fertilizers are applied for them, if this hasn’t been done before, watering the garden, removing tops and depleting growths.
And closer to August, green shoots that continue to grow are shortened. This measure will allow the crown to mature evenly by autumn and to winter well.
It is especially important to pinch on young plants, the loss of branches on which is most sensitive.
Gardeners keen on grafting consider the second half of July to be an excellent time to seed stone and pear trees. Until the end of the summer, the grafts have time to acclimatize and settle down, in order to successfully endure the winter and with the onset of spring immediately grow.
During the ripening of the berries, shrubs are shrubbed, which can be easily rooted in July, having received full-fledged autumn seedlings.
Harvesting the July harvest in the garden
In July, the most impatient gourmands can enjoy the first apples, pears, cherries of early ripe varieties. In the more southern regions there comes a time of massive gathering of sweet cherries and apricots, cherry plum and other types of stone fruit.
Berry bushes contribute to the harvest basket:
- black, white, red and golden currant;
- blueberries;
- raspberry and blackberry;
- gooseberry and yoshta.
A gardening strawberry ripens by many.
For all plants, the fruiting period is a responsible time requiring a lot of effort. To replenish their planting in July, they not only irrigate, but also feed them with organic and mineral mixtures.
Under shrubs, it is useful to remove weeds and carry out shallow loosening. When the main harvest is removed, the fruitful shoots of the raspberry of common ortes are cut, and the young shoots are shortened so that after a couple of months it is ready for the cold.
Planting strawberries also need care. In parallel with the formation of berries in plants, whiskers with daughter rosettes are formed. If reproduction or rejuvenation of the culture is not planned, shoots are regularly removed. Strong mustache rooting with young rosettes, and then transferred to a separate bed, where the strawberries will bear fruit next year.
When harvesting, you need to notice, pick and destroy berries affected by gray mold. The weeds appearing between the bushes are removed. The soil is loosened or mulched, if possible.
To keep ripe berries of raspberry, blackberry, strawberry as long as possible to preserve the taste, shape and beneficial properties, they are harvested in the morning or evening. It is better to immediately take the container in which the crop is to be transported.
Overflowing or shifting tender fruits negatively affects their quality. Strawberries, white and red currants, raspberries should be picked and transported with stalks.
Fight against garden pests in July
You can not get a good harvest, if in July you forget about the fight against pests. Aphid causes particular harm to fruit plants in the middle of summer. Small, hardly noticeable among greenery insects of green, black, yellow or silver-brown color settle on young shoots. Colonies of the pest not only suck the plant's juices, because of their vital activity the growth of the shoots stops, the formation of the buds of the future harvest is disturbed.
The following measures are used as control measures:
- spraying fruit trees and shrubs with insecticides of systemic action;
- removal of weeds from under the crowns of garden crops;
- regular cutting of grass, on which aphid can also settle;
- pruned basal shoots in the trees.
As ants spread around the garden, these insects on the site are also included in the list of dangerous ones. Places of their aggregations are treated with "Ant" or other means.
