Hot May in the garden: spring efforts of the cottager

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Fighting May Frosts in the GardenIn May, fruit crops finally wake up after winter. Therefore, May in the garden is the brightest and at the same time the most troublesome month.
The kidneys swell and open. They demonstrate how trees and shrubs wintered. Plants are preparing for flowering and the formation of the ovary, bright greens cover the crowns, and on its background, branches that have died or weakened over the winter are particularly visible. Along with the heat, insects appear, most of which are not very friendly. In addition, a lot of excitement delivers changeable May weather, then overwhelming with almost summer heat, then bringing cold winds, rains, frosts, and sometimes snow.

All these joys and problems fall on the shoulders of the summer resident, who does not have the opportunity to retreat, otherwise he will not see the coveted harvest. What should you prepare for? What works in the garden are high-priority, what plan do you need to follow in order to be in time?

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Fighting May Frosts in the Garden

Beginning of May is the most unpredictable time. The sun shines for half a day, and a cold wind comes with the clouds that come, and nights are threatening minus temperatures. According to folk signs, the most serious cold snaps come during the flowering of the bird cherry tree and disclosure of buds on the oak.

A gardener should be prepared for the May temperature reduction and protection of fruit and berry plantations.

If swollen, but not opened buds survive frosts down to –8 ° C, then barely visible leaves after –3 ° C may turn black, shrivel and fall off. Worst of all, when the frost affects flowering gardens or passes through the branches with already formed ovaries. In this case, a temperature below 1-2 ° C will be fatal.

Read also: May at the home farm: the care and joys of the breeder

You need to prepare in advance for a cold spell threatening negative temperatures. As an anti-frost measure, they use:
- smoke through burning of checkers or smoke piles located in the garden;
- located under the crowns and between the bushes of water tanks;
- nonwoven cover.
To save the planting of garden strawberries, loosening and watering the soil under it, it is not necessary to rush to cover the soil with mulch. On moist soil, grassy shrubs with formed flower buds will survive the cold season better.

Planting and inoculation of garden crops in MaySince the procedure is accompanied by a real stress for the plant, it should be carried out on a quiet, not hot, better cloudy day.
The same weather in May is well used for grafting apples, pears, stone fruits. Since trees already affected by frosts and rodents are already clearly visible, the gardener needs to graft in “bridges” designed to compensate for damage to the trunks and skeletal branches.

Although the task can not be called simple, grafting bridges with proper carrying out and summer care allows you to save valuable trees and for many years enjoy the favorite varieties of apples and pears.

As a graft material, basal growth remaining from last year or young branches located below are used as damages. After the bridges are implanted, emerging young foliage and foliage are removed from them, and the grafting site is artificially shadowed.

In May, it is not too late to plant or transplant garden strawberries, as well as berry bushes, for example, blueberries, honeysuckle, game, aronia.

Spring garden pruning in May

Beginning of May - the time of sanitary pruning of fruit trees. Vymerzshie branches cut out on the ring, weakened or partially dead skin shortened to living wood. The cut sections are smoothed and painted. Garden var will not withstand the hot sun rays, therefore this material, which is usual for a gardener, is not suitable in May.

Read also: How to grow tuberous begonia from seeds, tubers and cuttings at home - expert advice

With swelling of the kidneys on raspberries, blackberries and other berry bushes, they are also cut. If the shoots of raspberries for the winter were bent down, they are lifted, shortened to the first strong bud, and the sick, dry and weak ones are cut out completely, to the level of the ground.

Watering and fertilizing garden plants in May

In many regions, May is dry, the soil quickly loses its stored moisture, and plants cannot do without regular watering. First of all, the May irrigation of the garden begins on sandy soils, loams.

The first will bloom, and then bear berries. With irrigation it is convenient to combine the application of organic fertilizers, which will come in handy after a long winter and on the eve of a new crop.

In addition to raspberries, currants, gooseberries and other shrubs, it is necessary to provide watering of garden strawberries and fruit trees. Before this, it is useful to remove weeds from the trunk circles, loosen the soil and mulch it. If the soil around is covered with turf, the amount of moisture and fertilizer pi calculated per tree or shrub increases.

May - the time of active pest control

With the arrival of heat, not only the buds wake up, but also numerous pests and pathogens that are dangerous to the orchard and berry crops.

While the buds have not yet opened, at the beginning of the month, apples, cherries, and other stone fruit crops are thrown onto the folded film or other material from sawflies and weevils. On raspberries, currants, gooseberries at this time their pests are activated. The appearance of foliage is accompanied by the appearance of ants, aphids and other enemies of the garden.

Read also: We treat the garden with insecticides - a list of popular drugsIt is not safe to use chemicals during apple, pear, plum and cherry blossoms. They can cause a bee moresome and reduce yields for several years ahead.
Before flowering, the bushes are sprayed from the pest complex, and the gooseberries are sprayed from the powdery mildew, often destroying not only the crop, but the whole plant. By blooming brushes on the currants, it is easy to notice unusual purple flowers, resembling terry. This is a sign of an incurable disease of the berry crop, which ceases to bear fruit. Such bushes are removed and burned. When the flowering of gooseberries and all kinds of currants is completed, the bushes are examined for the appearance of a moth. Affected leaves and the tops of the stems break off along with the spider webs and destroy.

Spring gardening - video