Gardening in the spring. What work needs to be done in the garden in spring. Sowing seeds and planting seedlings in spring

Winter is already living out its last days and spring, so long-awaited for every gardener, is coming into its own.

Very soon the garden will recover from the harsh frosty everyday life and breathe deeply.

During this period, active spring work in the garden and vegetable garden begins. It is necessary to prepare for the hot period of planting, watering and harvesting.

The main concerns of a summer resident in March

The first half of March is marked by harvesting and soil preparation. The last snow crust that has formed around the trees must be removed using a garden fork. This procedure must be carried out very carefully so as not to damage those parts of the plants that are under the snow.

Trees must be whitened by mid-month. Young trees are coated with a mixture of mullein and clay to nourish them after a long winter. To combat pests, black currant bushes are doused with hot water, and a film is laid under the bush itself so that pests from the soil cannot get out.

When the air temperature exceeds +5 degrees, the first spraying is carried out in the garden. All branches damaged by pests are removed and burned.

Be sure to check whether the plants survived the winter well. To do this, you need to make a small incision along the base on the seemingly damaged tissue. If there is no blackness on the cut and it is light green, then the plant is not damaged. At the end of March, pest control is sprayed with copper sulfate.

When active snow melting begins, it is necessary to properly manage the melt water. If your site has large slopes, then it is necessary to make small grooves across it so that the fertile layer of soil is not washed away by water.

If your garden is located in a lowland, then the water should be diverted into deep ditches or pits so that the roots do not rot from lack of air. On flat sandy and light clay surfaces, melt water will not do any harm.

Work at the dacha in the spring is not complete without preparation for planting different cultures. In March days, seeds are sown for seedlings of colored and white cabbage, beets, tomatoes and onions. The soil for sowing is selected to be loose, fertile and not acidic. It must be prepared by mixing peat, fertile soil, humus, as well as tree resin and mineral fertilizers.

April preparations at the summer cottage

Cleanup continues in April upper layers soil, removal of the cortex near the kidneys. After the soil has completely dried, all garbage is collected and burned. If the garden in previous seasons was subject to an invasion of ticks, aphids, psyllid or copperhead, then the trees and shrubs should be sprayed with nitrophen. This must be done before the buds begin to bloom.

The circles around the trees must be dug up and loosened, being careful not to damage the roots. This is necessary not only to improve the quality of the soil, but also to destroy infections and pests. For a while tree trunk circles covered with film so that pests cannot get onto the trees from their winter shelters. The film can be removed when the moths stop flying.

Also in April, the soil is dug up with the addition of ash and mineral fertilizers. After the digging is completed, the ground is leveled with a rake. In heavy soils, ridges are made. IN warm years at the end of April, early crops can be sown.

Dacha in May

The main spring work at the dacha begins in May. This month is considered the most important period for every gardener. The success of the entire dacha season depends on the correct implementation of all events at this time.

To begin with, the garden is thoroughly cleaned, supports and films are removed, and the remnants of last year’s plants are also disposed of. It is necessary to wash greenhouses and greenhouses, clean out water drains. Don't forget to check garden tools, since the period of its active use begins.

The soil needs to be periodically loosened and weeds removed. Don’t forget about mulching trees and shrubs. It can be done with humus or fresh compost.

May is the time to plant a variety of ornamental and vegetable crops . At this time, carrots and potatoes, cucumbers, watermelons, and melons are sown in the already prepared holes.

There are often frosts in May, which is why experienced summer residents They monitor temperature changes very carefully. IN extreme cases on frosty days, special smoke fires are lit in the area to prevent the flowers of fruit trees from freezing. On cold evenings, the seedlings are covered with thick paper.

When working in the garden in the spring, it is necessary to approach each activity with special care. During this crucial period, you are preparing for successful summer season, so you can't miss anything. A garden and vegetable garden require a lot of attention, effort and time. But it's worth it!

Spring is coming with increasing speed, and gardeners will have a lot of work in April. To help novice summer residents properly plan this work, this article was written. We hope that it will be of interest to gardeners, gardeners, and amateur flower growers.

1. Work in the garden in April.
2. April worries for flower growers.

What work needs to be done in the garden in April

Your garden: work of the month

Start April work at the dacha with deep loosening of the soil. At the same time, apply fertilizers to fruit and berry crops: nitrogen, phosphorus-potassium and organic.

Heavily compacted clay areas will have to be dug to a depth of 10-15 cm. If meltwater lingers in the garden and the soil is overly moist, dig shallow grooves to drain the water.

In April, dacha cleanups are traditionally held, and work is carried out to remove the garbage that has accumulated over the winter.

Free the trunks from the winter binding, unclutter the young trees. Clean trunks and skeletal branches of dead bark. Finish pruning the crowns of fruit trees. Cut out the growth. Coat wounds and large cuts with garden varnish.

Pay attention to berry bushes

Perform final pruning of berry bushes in April. Pluck out enlarged currant buds that are infested with mites.

In mid-April, black currants are propagated by lignified annual cuttings. A cutting 16-18 cm long is cut at the bottom just under the bud, at the top - 1-1.5 cm above the bud. The cuttings are planted in loose, well-prepared soil, obliquely, leaving 1 bud above the ground. Water and mulch.

In the fall, young cuttings are pruned to a height of 10-15 cm, and in the fall of next year they are planted in a permanent place.

Cuttings of red and white currants are cut and planted in early September. Gooseberries are easier to propagate by layering.

Start caring for strawberries by clearing the plantation of covering materials, last year's leaves, and excess tendrils.

Try to loosen the row spacing to a depth of 4-5 cm early and trim the bushes. Strawberries are very responsive to early loosening. Feed the strawberries nitrogen fertilizers.

Spray with abiga-pik fungicide (50 g) with the addition of novosil (2 ml) per 10 liters of water.

Trim the raspberries to a well-developed bud. Loosen the soil and fertilize it with organic matter mixed with complex mineral fertilizers. Mulch the rows with compost and humus with a layer of 4-5 cm.

Planting seedlings in April

Plant fruit trees in April if you did not do so in the fall. Choose 1-2 year old seedlings with a good root system; the buds should not yet bloom.

Before planting, soak the seedlings to restore the turgor of the root system, make a clay mash. Water thoroughly after planting and mulch the hole with organic matter.

Make crown pruning of the seedling to restore the connection between the roots and the future crown. If there are side branches, cut off by one third the entire aboveground part to the outer bud.

Shorten the central conductor by 20-30 cm above the level of the skeletal branches. On the trunk (40-50 cm), blind all the buds.

Be sure to treat your garden against diseases and pests in April.

Early spring is an important period for protecting the garden from pests and diseases. The apple blossom beetle is the first to wake up - already during the swelling of the buds. It is still little active, cannot fly and climbs into the crown along the trunk. To detain it, put catching belts on the trunks, preferably adhesive ones.

How to use catch belts

Clean the area of ​​the trunk on which the belt is placed from dead bark so that there are no passages for insects under the belt. Make a belt from thick paper or soft cardboard, burlap and coat it with track glue.

You can make a belt from old cotton wool, loosening it a little: insects get stuck in it. To protect from rain, cover your belt with a polyethylene visor. If you don't have track glue, you can treat the belt with a chemical.

Place a belt in the middle or upper part of the trunk, or you can put two.

If you're late with your belt, shake off the pests!

When the buds begin to bloom, it will be too late to apply belts. All wintered beetles will already have time to climb into the crown. All that remains is to shake them off onto the litter early in the morning, when the air temperature is no higher than 10 degrees.

Before the buds emerge, do 3-4 shakings. But this is only possible for those gardeners who come to their dacha not only on weekends. The rest will have to apply chemicals protection.

At the beginning of bud bursting (the “green cone” phase), larvae of aphids, copperheads, caterpillars of leaf rollers, winter moths, cherry moths, weevils, tubeworms and other pests gather on the buds.

Chemical pest and disease control products

In April you can spray trees and berry bushes fufanon or spark, or kemifos (10 ml per 10 liters of water), or alatar (5 ml). Treat currants against red gall aphids and diseases with kinmix (2.5 ml) + topaz (2 ml).

If the trees in your garden are affected by scab, moniliosis, cluster sporiosis (cherries, plums, apricots), carry out a very effective spraying at this time with a 3% Bordeaux mixture (300 g copper sulfate+ 400 g of lime per 10 liters of water).

Apply only 1% Bordeaux mixture to newly opened leaves. Instead, you can use other fungicides on the leaves - chorus, speed, gamair, rayek.

In the third ten days of April, spray raspberries against aphids, moths and other pests with fufanon (10 ml) with the addition of estrasol (10 ml) or novosil (3 ml).

In the second ten days of April, spray the “green cone” of peaches against moniliosis and leaf curl with abiga-pik (40 g per 10 liters of water).

At the end of the month, before flowering, spray seed crops with a biostimulant (Novosil or Extrasol) to increase resistance to adverse conditions (frost, etc.).

To improve the keeping quality of fruits and their resistance to rot, carry out foliar feeding calcium nitrate solution (50 g) with the addition of extrasol

What kind of work awaits gardeners in April?

Vegetable garden: work of the month

Preparing an early harvest

The earlier you start the gardening season, the more you will do in the spring and the richer the harvest you will get. Many summer residents come to the site for the first time after winter in April. Naturally, the first thing we do is inspect the beds: like garlic, onion sets planted in late autumn have overwintered.

If the beds with these crops were covered with leaves and grass for the winter, we remove everything so that the soil warms up faster, loosen it, and apply nitrogen fertilizers (a tablespoon of urea per sq. m).

If there are heads of garlic left at home after winter, plant them as early as possible. There is no point in storing it further, and in the ground the cloves will form large single-claw bulbs, which are suitable both in the kitchen and for winter planting. We also plant onion sets in April.

We clear the areas where perennials grow (onions, chives, asparagus, rhubarb) from plant debris and loosen the soil.

Cover the beds with film

If it is not warm enough at the beginning of April, you can cover the beds with film or non-woven material on the arcs - we’ll get the first green faster. It is better to use a new film: through it the sun will warm the soil faster. But if the old film is still strong, wash it thoroughly. In warm weather we remove the cover.

In April, we need to loosen up the rhubarb in the garden; we feed it with complex mineral fertilizer for spring application.

If you want to plant a bush, we take cuttings from the periphery of the bush. There the buds are stronger and, therefore, will give birth to more productive plants. And they shoot later.

You can do the same with an overgrown lovage bush.

You can feed sorrel with a weak solution of nitrogen fertilizers (0.5 teaspoon of urea or ammonium nitrate per sq. m).

If the sorrel grows well, then we don’t feed it to protect ourselves from nitrates. Leaves that have grown to 10 cm can already be cut or torn off.

If the sorrel bed is already more than one year old, in April it’s time to sow it in another place - as a replacement. At the beginning of summer we will harvest leaves from young plants and dig up the old bed.

In April it is necessary to sow cold-resistant plants

We do not postpone sowing other cold-resistant crops until May:

• salad
• spinach
• dill
• parsley
• carrots
• parsnip
• chard
• arugula
• Japanese cabbage
• radishes

While it is not hot, in soil moistened with snow and rainwater they will sprout more friendly and faster.

Polka dots. Don't forget to sow brain peas in April. It’s hard to find a better treat for kids at the beginning of summer than sweet peas. Peas sown in May germinate less quickly and finish flowering and fruiting faster.

It is better not to rush into sowing seeds for seedlings in beds covered with film. First, let the weed seeds germinate. In beds covered with film, weeds begin to sprout within 2-3 days. By loosening the soil, we will significantly make life easier for the garden plants that we sow as seedlings for an early harvest.

Cabbage. In mid-April (weather permitting), we plant seedlings of all types of cabbage in the beds - white cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, kohlrabi, Peking, Brussels sprouts. Lettuce seedlings will not be afraid of temporary cold snaps either. In case of a sudden cold snap, you can always find something to cover these beds with.

Asparagus. We hill the bed with asparagus high (20-25 cm) with earth or a mixture of earth and compost, humus to obtain bleached shoots. You can simply add humus, compost, sawdust.

We level the surface of the embankment and lightly compact it in order to notice shoots breaking through the soil layer in time. Already in April you can prepare asparagus salad, omelet or cook soup. Children enjoy eating fresh asparagus shoots, comparing their taste to green peas.

Planting potatoes

We don’t put off planting potato tubers either. If the weather is warm, you shouldn’t wait until the tubers laid out for germination sprout sprouts and roots at home: it’s better to place them in a permanent place - in the garden bed.

Small potato areas can be covered with film or non-woven material: potatoes it will rise faster. The 1-2 weeks “saved” in the spring will have a positive impact not only on the timing, but also on the quality and quantity of the harvest.

Before planting, we discard tubers with rot spots and thread-like sprouts. We do not plant potatoes in areas that they occupied in previous years, and next to beds allocated for planting tomatoes.

Sow herbs

At the end of the month, you can sow herbs in the beds:

• basil
• lemon balm
• thyme
• snakehead
• marjoram
• hyssop.

They will take up little space, but will bring enormous benefits: both to the plants on the site, protecting them from pests, and to us, giving a unique taste and aroma to drinks, meat and fish dishes, marinades and pickles.

After sowing, it is advisable to cover the beds with non-woven material or paper to retain moisture in the soil until germination. We use film for these purposes only if we are at the dacha every day and have the opportunity to remove it in case of sudden warming.

Our spring is unpredictable, and in April there can be a heat wave: under the film, tender shoots will burn in a matter of minutes. We won't even find any traces of them.

Don't forget about pests

In April it is already necessary to take protective measures garden plants. Radishes, cabbage, watercress, and mustard can be damaged by the cruciferous flea beetle. We dust the crops with sifted wood ash and install glue traps. Loosening the soil and the same wood ash will help against cruciferous flies.

Some summer residents, in order to protect cabbage and radishes from pests, grow them under thin non-woven material on arches, pressing it tightly to the soil.

We take care of the soil

In an effort to sow and plant faster, let’s not forget to walk with a rake over the beds dug up in the fall. If this is not done while the soil is wet, then you will have to spend several times more effort to level the beds, and the beneficial spring moisture will be irretrievably lost.

The soil, ready for processing, does not stick to the rake, but crumbles without forming large lumps. In low, shaded areas, we till the soil last, letting it dry so as not to compact it.

We remove from the site all plant debris remaining after the last season and place it in layers. compost heap, sprinkling each layer with soil or humus, compost. If we regularly moisten the pile, the compost will ripen by autumn.

At the beginning of April, you can still sow fast-growing green manures (mustard, phacelia) in the beds reserved for planting seedlings of nightshade crops (tomatoes, peppers, eggplants).

Fight weeds

When preparing the beds for planting, we carefully select from the soil the rhizomes of wheatgrass, sow thistle, field bindweed and other perennial weeds. In a week we will return to these beds to pull out the weeds that have appeared from the ground.

Wheatgrass is persistent in its desire to develop more and more new beds in the garden, but we will be more persistent than him, and we will eradicate wheatgrass and sow thistles without the help of herbicides.

What work needs to be done in greenhouses in April

At the beginning of April, the greenhouse should be ready for planting tomato or cucumber seedlings. If the greenhouse is film, it is better to cover it with a new film; if it is glass, wash the glass thoroughly. We fertilize the soil with organic matter (up to a bucket of compost or humus) or complex fertilizers for spring application (up to two tablespoons per square meter).

What to sow in a greenhouse

Radish. Can be sown as an intercrop early varieties radish. Although it is cold-resistant, it will form root crops faster under the film. We immediately try to sow the seeds at the required distance from each other in order to provide the plants with sufficient illumination and feeding area even without thinning.

We make seeding furrows 10-15 cm apart from each other, spill them with hot water and place the seeds 3-4 cm apart from each other. If we doubt the quality of the seeds (old, puny in appearance), we sow more often - every 1-2 cm,

If the radish sprouts thickly, we will have to thin it out, otherwise we will not be harvesting, but admiring the flowering of the radish. The depth of planting the seeds is about 1.5 cm.

We do not open the greenhouse until the shoots appear: the warmer it is, the faster the radishes will sprout. But after germination, the temperature in the greenhouse will have to be controlled by constant ventilation: otherwise the radish will develop powerful tops, but weak root crops.

During the period of formation of root crops, regular watering is very important for radishes: the soil should be constantly moderately moist. Interruptions in watering cause defects in root crops: they crack.

Dill, garlic, onion. You can scatter dill seeds sparsely in the greenhouse, plant cloves of garlic and onions in the spaces between the rows of future beds. We will not completely remove these crops from the greenhouse even after the cucumbers or tomatoes grow. They will help maintain a healthy microclimate in the greenhouse.

Spinach. A good neighbor and spinach is considered the predecessor of most vegetable crops. It can also be sown as an intercrop not only on open beds, but also in a greenhouse. And the sooner the better.

April, with its still not very long daylight hours, is a great time to get vitamin leaves.

To determine the timing of sowing various crops, use the “blooming tips”:

• The first crocuses (yellow) have bloomed - you can sow chives, leeks, and after a few days other cold-resistant crops.
• The birch tree has turned green in the sun - it’s time to plant potato tubers for summer consumption and onion sets.
• The flowering of early daffodils will tell you that you can already sow lettuce, plant cabbage seedlings in the beds, and sow beets.
• The lilac has bloomed wildly - you can early cucumbers sow
• The buds on the peonies formed and became clearly visible, the viburnum bloomed - the soil warmed up enough for sowing late cucumbers, corn, and melons.

April works of flower growers

Your flower garden: work of the month.

When your favorite garden wakes up after hibernation, it is important to provide the necessary care in time so as not to waste precious time, because the weather changes rapidly in the spring. Perhaps tomorrow it will be too late. Experienced gardeners know what to indicate exact dates- a thankless task . In this article we will tell you about spring work in the garden and vegetable garden, and give tips on caring for trees and soil.

List of spring gardening work

The timing of spring work depends on the climatic and weather conditions of each region, but there is general recommendations When can you start the gardening season? They are related to temperature conditions, illumination and growth characteristics of each crop. The list of works by month is presented in the table:

How and when to carry out spring work is determined by each gardener independently, objectively assessing local weather conditions and the condition of the plants. We will tell you more about each type of care below.

🎧 Spring work in the garden and vegetable garden

An interesting interview with expert summer resident Andrei Tumanov: “ Spring work in the garden and vegetable garden." For 20 years, the author hosted a number of TV programs dedicated to amateur gardening and gardening - “Hacienda”, “Bed”, “Our Garden”, “Rural Hour”, “Field Work”.

Gardening chores in March

With the arrival of spring, gardeners begin pruning. If orchard occupies a significant area, it is better to start work at the end of February. First of all, dry and broken branches are removed. Then, young trees undergo formative pruning, and mature trees undergo corrective pruning. Sections with a diameter of more than 2 cm are processed protective equipment. In addition to the traditional garden varnish, there were modern drugs, for example, "RanNet".

Tip #1. Start pruning trees and shrubs when the temperature is not lower than minus 100. When severe frost branches and shoots are especially fragile, so they do not cut, but break.

It is better to burn cut branches; pest larvae and pathogens overwinter on them. If the autumn whitewash has been washed away by snow, it’s time to renew it. At the beginning of spring, trees suffer from sharp drop day and night temperatures. Light garden paint will protect the bark from cracking by reflecting excess solar heat from the surface of the trunk and branches.

Young trees especially need such care. Whitewash covers not only the trunk, but also one third of the skeletal branches. This work begins in mid-March and is suspended when the buds swell. You can prepare the solution yourself by mixing:

• slaked lime (or chalk) – 3 kg;
• clay – 500 g;
• copper sulfate – ½ kg;
• PVA glue - 200 g;
• water – 10 l.

Modern ready-made solutions have appeared on sale, which are easy to use and significantly save time, for example:

• acrylic whitewash “Green Squre”;
• garden paint Concorde Ost;
• lime paste “Gardener”;
• mixture “Michurinka – 2”

Before painting, you should pay attention to the weather. It is important that there is no wet snow during the day, otherwise the work will be in vain. Some ornamental trees and shrubs are afraid of spring burns. Particularly vulnerable conifers. They are covered with protective material white. For this purpose, spunbond is suitable, which is stretched over pre-installed supports. This design will protect the crown from a sharp imbalance of solar heat and night frosts.

April work in the garden

Trees and shrubs that are protected from frost in the fall various materials, are exempt from them:

• Remove the agrofibre that covers the crowns of heat-loving trees and shrubs.
• Remove winter mulch. Sometimes it is enough to loosen it and leave it as top dressing. For example, if pines, spruces, junipers, cypresses, and rhododendrons were insulated with pine mulch for the winter, and it remained in good condition, it is better to leave it as fertilizer. In this case, it is necessary to move it away from the tree trunks in order to open the root collar.
• The shoots of shrubs are also freed from cover to allow air access to the roots. Read also the article: → "".

Tip #2. If the mulch has become excessively compacted, wet and begins to rot, it is removed completely, and the soil around the plants is loosened.

After pruning and whitewashing, you can begin spring grafting. This process begins when the approximate temperature is +5 0, and sap flow is activated in the tissues of the rootstock. This usually occurs from mid-April to early May. In any case, you need to focus on the characteristics of cultural growth:

• Early flowering trees are the first to be grafted - these are apricots, plums, cherries, and cherries.
• later - pear and apple trees.
• In addition, do not forget about the timing of fruiting - the grafting must be completed before the buds open on the rootstock.

Clearing the garden of winter debris

As soon as the soil in the garden dries so much that it does not get bogged down when walking, it is cleared of overwintered debris. These are the remains of dry leaves, stems, and branches that were blown by the wind in winter. You need to clean out the entire garden with a rake with sharp teeth. Under the snow, the soil has become compacted and a film has formed on the surface, which makes it difficult for air to reach the roots of plants. By raking out plant debris, the gardener carries out aeration, that is, enriches the soil with oxygen.

Lawns are the most meticulously maintained. After cleaning, the turf needs to be pierced. The easiest way is to use a garden fork or special aerators. Lawns that are more than five years old require scarification. The work is carried out until the young grass germinates. The surface of the turf is scored to reduce compaction of the turf.

Preventive treatment of the garden against diseases and pests

Chemicals are not dangerous if used correctly. They are characterized by fast action and long-lasting effect. Positive side consists in completely neutralizing the product in a short period. When the time comes to harvest, toxic substances will completely dissolve and evaporate.

Fertilizing in spring

A rich harvest is impossible without feeding the garden. Fruit trees are fertilized in the spring when the soil dries to a moist state. During active sap flow, plants need nitrogen substances. In the spring, they add 2/3 of the total amount that plants need for the entire growing season. Percentage of nitrogen in mineral and organic fertilizers:

Good results are obtained by fertilizing with complex fertilizers, which gardeners call: “After the last snow.” Dry granules are scattered over the entire surface of the soil. Dissolving in the melted snow, active substance evenly distributed at the desired depth.

Planting seedlings in April - early May

April, early May - best time planting trees and shrubs with an open root system. The duration of the work can be determined by the condition of the soil. When the soil is dry enough that it can be dug to the required depth, then the time has come.

Subsequence:

• the pit is prepared two weeks before planting;
• The top layer of soil 25 - 30 cm is folded separately. Deep, poor soil is removed and replaced with fertile soil;
• placed back in the pit and left to compact for two weeks;
• a peg is hammered from the edge of the pit, to which a seedling is tied;
• Before planting, forms a depression of such a size that the roots can be freely placed, and the neck is located 2 cm above the edge of the hole. After planting, when the soil is compacted, it will drop to the desired level;
• when the seedling is covered with soil, an earthen roll in the form of a circle is built around the trunk to retain water during irrigation.

Recently, trees and shrubs with a lump of soil have become popular on sale. This method allows you to preserve the roots and extend the planting time. Such plants can be planted from early spring to late autumn. In contrast, for seedlings the period is limited to a dormant period before the leaves bloom.

Sowing seeds and planting seedlings in spring

Many gardeners have long given up digging their beds, following the fair advice of organic farming. To prepare a place for sowing, it is enough to loosen the soil and introduce effective microorganisms (EM) Emmochki, Baikal, Siyanie.

Advice#3 . “EM” can be used only at an average daily temperature of +10 – +12 0. The living culture they contain may die in the cold.

The sowing time for vegetable crops is different, but you should not start work until the ground warms up to +15 0. For example, melon seeds - cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkins, which cannot be planted as seedlings, are sown under conditions of intense warming. If the soil does not warm up, the seeds will lie in cold soil and will not sprout for a long time.

• Garlic, onions, carrots, and beets are planted earlier than others in April. Read also the article: → "".
• They are followed by radishes, spinach, and lettuce.
• After them - cucumber, pumpkin, zucchini.

The seedlings are taken out to open ground only after the threat of the last frost. For example, in middle lane they are not uncommon in mid-May. Changes are dangerous for immature sprouts of tomato, pepper, eggplant, and cabbage. Do not rush to sow and plant in unfavorable weather conditions. This will not only not bring the harvest closer to maturity, but will also destroy the seeds or seedlings.

Experienced gardeners have worked out their own plans for spring activities. As a rule, they are similar in many ways. If you follow a strict sequence, you can evenly distribute spring work in the garden. To make the gardener’s work easier, you can adhere to the following plan:

Mistake #1. Violation of deadlines for pruning fruit trees.

If time is lost, sap flow is activated in the plants, the cuts are not healed, and a wound is formed into which pathogens penetrate. This leads to infection of the entire tree.

Mistake #2. Neglect of spring whitewashing.

There is a common misconception among gardeners that whitewashing is only needed in the fall as a measure against pests. Light paint reflects the sun's rays, which can cause bark burns in the spring.

Mistake #3. Early sowing vegetable seeds to the beds.

Some gardeners believe that the sooner you sow the seeds, the sooner the harvest will ripen. This is wrong. Until the earth warms up to desired temperature, the seeds will not germinate. And if they sprout, they risk freezing from spring frosts.

Category “Questions and Answers”

Question No. 1. Which trees should be pruned first?

Those whose growing season begins earlier. These are apricot, plum, cherry, sweet cherry. The pear and apple tree can wait.

Question No. 2. If there is no spunbond, how can you save Cypress “Smaragd” from burns.

Earlier experienced gardeners pollinated coniferous plants with chalk mixed with water. When there was no need for protection, then the paint was washed off with a powerful stream of water from a hose.

Question No. 3. Is it possible to graft when the buds on the trees have sprouted?

Yes, if the rootstock is active and the scion is still dormant. To do this, pre-prepared cuttings must be kept in the refrigerator until grafting.

Question No. 4. What fertilizers are needed in spring?

In spring, plants need nitrogen. It is called a green mass growth stimulator. A large amount of it is necessary because the substances in which it is contained easily dissolve and are quickly washed out of the soil.

Question No. 5. We cannot use chemicals to treat the garden; we have small children and two dogs. What products are harmless to people and animals?

Modern biological agents are not dangerous. These are microorganisms that stimulate the synthesis in plants protective substances. The entire chemical army of insecticides - pest control products - is replaced by Actofit. There are drugs on sale against diseases:

• Mikosan;
• Fitosporin;
• Ecoberine;
• Glyocladin.

Work at the dacha after winter begins with caring for the garden. It is important not to waste precious time, since many activities need to be carried out before active sap flow and swelling of the kidneys. The health of trees and shrubs depends on how correctly the spring work in the garden is done.

Spring work in the garden

With the arrival of spring, the first thing you need to do is clear the garden of last year's leaves, windbreaks and other debris that has accumulated over the winter. Spores of fungal diseases and larvae of pests can overwinter in plant debris, so they are taken outside the site and burned. As the air temperature rises, winter shelters are gradually removed from trees and shrubs.

Before sap flow begins, it is necessary to prune fruit and ornamental plants in the garden. Young seedlings, as well as decorative early flowering shrubs, are not pruned in the spring; only damaged branches can be removed. For fruit trees, formative and rejuvenating pruning is carried out.

Early spring is a time to prevent garden diseases and pests. Before the buds swell, the trees are sprayed with iron sulfate, Bordeaux mixture or urea to destroy fungal pores. If a pest invasion was noticed in the previous year, the garden is treated with Agrovertin, Iskra-Bio, or Fitoverm.

In spring, tree trunks need protection. After winter, they may develop wind damage and frost holes that need to be covered up. clay mash or garden varnish. To protect against pests, trees are whitewashed with special paints, or they are used “the old fashioned way.” lime mortar with the addition of copper sulfate.

Fruit trees are grafted in April. First stone fruits, and a little later pome fruits. Pre-prepared cuttings or material after early spring pruning are used as a scion.

In spring, plants in the garden need feeding. Dry nitrogen-containing fertilizers (urea, ammophosphate, ammonium nitrate) are scattered around the perimeter of the crown. After this, surface loosening of the soil is carried out, adding fertilizers. From organic matter, you can add an infused solution of chicken manure or rotted manure. After applying fertilizers, the soil under the trees and bushes is mulched with humus.

Work in the garden in spring does not stop even after the trees begin to bloom. Happens often return frosts, and to protect against them they use fumigation of gardens with smoke bombs or fires. Reduce exposure low temperatures A humid environment also helps, so place containers of water under the trees, spill the soil and wet the branches.

Work in the garden in spring

In the spring there is no less trouble in the garden than in the garden. During this period, it is necessary to carefully prepare the soil for planting vegetables in order to get a good harvest. As soon as the snow melts, the beds are cleared of debris accumulated over the winter. It is advisable to burn waste outside the site to prevent the spread of diseases and pests overwintering in them. They clean not only the soil, but also garden paths, on which garden debris accumulates and moss can grow.

After completing the harvesting, mineral fertilizers are applied. In spring, urea, nitrophoska, ammophoska and other fertilizers containing potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen are used. When the soil dries out a little, add compost or humus. After this, the beds are dug up or deeply loosened. During loosening, young weed shoots must be immediately removed, as well as pests encountered.

Spring work in the garden includes measures to improve the soil structure. River sand, mature humus, and fine sawdust are added to areas with heavy soil. IN sandy soil Clay is added to make it more moisture-absorbing. If necessary, adjust the acidity of the soil. To deoxidize, add lime, ash, or dolomite flour, and to increase the pH level (acidification) use sulfur (70 g per sq.m.), apple or acetic acid.

When the soil is prepared and fertilized, beds can be made on the site. To plant early vegetables, artificially heat the soil. To do this, the beds are covered with dark material (black agrofibre or polyethylene) about two weeks before sowing.

While working in the garden in spring Special attention You need to pay attention to the beds with strawberries and raspberries. The cover is removed from the strawberries, dead bushes are removed, the soil is loosened and mulched. Raspberries are tied to trellises and sanitary pruning is carried out.

In the spring, cold-resistant vegetables and herbs are sown in the garden: radishes, peas, lettuce, sorrel, onions, early carrots, beets. These crops develop well and yield even when sown in cold ground.

In flower beds in the spring, the rhizomes of perennials are divided. Plants with wintering foliage are renewed by removing frozen and damaged shoots, and plantings of early flowering bulbs are loosened. Mineral fertilizer complexes are added to flower beds as fertilizers. To prevent diseases, flower beds are treated with copper-containing preparations.

Lawn care after winter

With the arrival of spring, the lawn also comes to life. Already at a temperature of plus 5 degrees Celsius, the grass begins to grow and requires attention. As soon as the snow begins to melt, mineral fertilizers, which are dominated by nitrogen, are scattered over the lawn: ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, urea.

Lawn cleaning begins after the soil dries. Leaves and debris are raked with a fan rake, after which scarification is performed. This procedure is also called "combing" and is performed with a garden rake, a special manual device, or a device - a scarifier. It is necessary in order to disrupt the integrity of the dense grass turf, renew it, and give young shoots the opportunity to develop.

After stratification, it is necessary to carry out aeration - piercing the turf and top layer of soil to saturate the soil with oxygen. This is done using a pitchfork, an aerator or special shoe covers.

After cleaning, potholes are clearly visible, which may remain from accidental movement on a damp lawn, or when the soil settles. If the turf layer is not disturbed, dig it up and add sand under it. Damaged areas of the lawn are cut out with a shovel and removed, and the resulting holes are also filled with sand. They are then seeded to restore a uniform lawn.

Bottom line

With the arrival of spring, it is necessary to pay attention to the garden and prepare fruit trees and bushes for the new growing season. In the garden, you need to improve the quality of the soil so that vegetables produce a good harvest, and in flower beds you need to take care of perennials. Gardening in the spring requires effort, but as a result, your garden will be well-groomed and the plants on it will be strong and healthy.

The last days of winter are dragging on, and the long-awaited beauty of spring is on the threshold - ruddy and perky. Along with spring comes pleasant chores and worries in the garden. Yearning for work, gardeners and summer residents will rush to their plots, freed from frost and with their shoulders straightened.

At this time, summer residents have more than enough work, they need to get everything done, because spring work in the country and in the garden lays the foundation for the future harvest, so they are very important for gardeners. These days, you need to thoroughly clean the area after winter, prepare the area for planting, and tidy up the trees and shrubs.

Cleaning

First of all, let's start cleaning. We remove everything from the site that we used to protect our plantings from the cold. We clean the covering material, wash it, dry it if necessary

We clean it again and put it in the designated place until the next cold weather. In the garden and vegetable garden, we clean everything from the garbage that has accumulated over the fall and winter: leaves, grass, branches and other things. No matter how much you clean in the fall, by spring you will still have a fair amount of garbage accumulated. In addition, greenhouses and greenhouses should be cleaned and washed, and water drains should be cleaned.

Inventory check

And be sure to check your gardening equipment - now you will constantly need it.

Whitewashing trees

At the beginning of March, all trees must be whitened. And coat young trees with a mixture of clay and mullein. This will be a kind of feeding for them after the cold winter.

Shrub processing

In order to combat pests, currant and gooseberry bushes should be doused with boiling water, after placing cellophane under the bushes. When the air warms up to +5 degrees, you can start spraying. Branches damaged by pests should be removed and burned.

IN last days March, in order to combat pests, plants can be sprayed with a solution of copper sulfate.

Viability check

Next, be sure to check how your pets survived the winter. To do this, cut seemingly damaged tissue along the trunk or shoot to the base. If the cut is clean, without blackness, it has light green color, this means that the plant survived the winter well

Weed control

It is no secret that along with the sun and warmth the first weeds will appear. You should get rid of them while the soil is moist and the roots are still weak.

Garden cleaning

Paths in the garden and vegetable garden need to be cleared of old growth and moss. This can be done with a stiff brush and a fairly strong stream of water from a hose. Next, we check the integrity of flowerpots, containers, flower pots and restore it, clean them of debris and plant debris and treat them with herbicides. old land We replace it with fresh one, dry the rhizomes and tubers of the plants. If you have a greenhouse on your site, then this is the most favorable time to repair it if it has suffered any damage during the winter.

Mulching the soil

When everything is cleaned and repaired, you can begin to mulch the soil in the garden, flower beds and vegetable garden. This is necessary because thick layer mulch helps plants create favorable conditions, warms the roots from the cold and protects from burning sun rays. In addition, thanks to it, moisture is miraculously retained in the soil, weeds do not grow and do not penetrate harmful insects. In addition, mulched soil has a beneficial effect on the yield of zucchini, cucumbers, pumpkins and strawberries, and also reduces the likelihood of their rotting. And mulched soil looks much nicer. For mulching, you can use leaves, covering fabric, sawdust and other available materials.

Tree bark mulch

Top dressing

Next, be sure to feed the soil at the beginning of spring, in March (regardless of its condition). This way you will ensure good growth and the development of their plants, their high yield and excellent decorative qualities. The composition of fertilizers must necessarily include nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, which are part of the well-known fertilizers “Nitrophoska” and “Azofoska”. The easiest way is to scatter fertilizers over the site or beds in the quantities indicated in the instructions.

In addition, on these same days you can dig up the soil and at the same time add mineral fertilizers and ash to it. After digging is completed, the soil should be leveled with a rake. On heavy soils you can make ridges.

The soil

The land for crops should be well fertilized, loose, but not acidic. Such land is prepared by mixing humus, peat, fertile soil, tree resin and mineral fertilizers.

Planting early crops

When the soil is prepared, you can begin planting all kinds of crops. In March, you can plant seedlings of cabbage (white and cauliflower), tomatoes, onions, and beets.

In the southern regions of the country in March you can sow in open ground early vegetables and greens.

Tree pruning

In March, when the threat of frost has passed and low temperatures above zero, fruit trees and shrubs need to be pruned. Ideally, pruned tree crowns have the shape of an open bowl, which will provide air access to the branches and the necessary lighting. Branches are pruned when the buds on the plants have not yet swelled.

Planting seedlings

At the same time, immediately after the snow melts, tree seedlings can be planted. At this time they are still sleeping, so it is a favorable time for planting. Planting is done in a manner familiar to many gardeners. We dig a planting hole, line its bottom with manure, and cover it with a small layer of fertilized soil. We place the seedling in the prepared hole, straighten the roots, sprinkle it with soil and compact it. It is advisable to install a support peg near the seedling for the first time. To prevent the soil from drying out around the roots, the seedlings need to be watered occasionally.

In the southern regions of the country, early vegetables and herbs can be sown in March.

April

During the April days, your garden work will not decrease, because you need to continue cleaning the top layer of soil and removing the bark around the buds. By this time, the garbage on the site will dry out well and so will the soil. It should be collected carefully and burned.

Pest Control

Black viburnum aphid

If last season your garden was attacked by ticks, copperheads, psyllids, and aphids, then the shrubs and trees in it should be sprayed with nitrophen. This must be done before the buds open. Care must be taken to dig up and loosen the soil around the trees. This will help improve soil quality and eliminate infections and pests.

It is also useful to cover the tree trunk circles with cellophane for a while so that pests from their winter homes do not rush onto the trees. The cellophane can be safely removed when the moth stops flying.

Vaccinations

Spring is the most favorable time for tree grafting. Moreover, grafting can be done either from a bud or from a cutting. Cuttings survive better, but shoots obtained from a grafted bud have a very difficult time surviving the winter. It is better to carry out cutting grafting in the second half of spring. They do it sharp knife or pruning shears. The main condition for success in this matter is very close contact between the scion and the rootstock. Having mastered this art, you can plant any varieties on your site, having several basic trees.

Flowerbeds with perennials

Now let's turn our attention to flower beds with perennials. Herbaceous perennials are best separated in early spring. Divided rhizomes of phlox, bells, and chrysanthemums grow more actively, they bloom longer and more luxuriantly. Large specimens of bushes can be divided with a simple shovel. They are cut between the kidneys. The rhizomes of small plants can be cut with a simple garden knife.

Perennial phlox

Lawn

If you have a green lawn, then in order for it to delight you with its emerald greenery all summer, you need to take care of it in the spring. To do this, you need to feed it, comb it, aerate it and weed it.

Lawn feeding

Lawns benefit greatly from early fertilizing with nitrogen fertilizers. They need to be applied as soon as the snow melts. Even before the first grass appears, you need to add complex fertilizer, containing not only nitrogen, but also potassium and phosphorus.

Lawn cleaning

Then you need to remove accumulated debris and plant felt, as they interfere with the growth of grass and impair the lighting. A lawn rake is used for this. They will collect debris and felt and scratch the soil to provide air access to the roots.

Aeration

You can also use a regular pitchfork to pierce dense soil to allow air to enter.

At the end of spring, weeding is done. If there are few weeds, then manual weeding is sufficient; if it is difficult to do manually, then herbicides can be used.

Pest Control

It is no secret that in the spring, insect pests also begin to actively behave along with plants, causing enormous harm to shrubs and fruit trees in gardens and vegetable gardens.

It is necessary to carefully inspect all the branches and pay special attention to the fastened dry leaves, as they may turn out to be nests of hawthorn and lacewing. They are collected by hand and destroyed (preferably at the stake).

If weevils are found, they should be destroyed cold weather when they become numb and will not move. To do this, you need to spread cellophane under the tree and shake the branches. Insects will fall off the branches and then they can be burned.

Weevil beetle

Moths and moths are destroyed with infusion wood ash or mustard, but you can get rid of copperheads with the help of an infusion of garlic and tobacco. Also, in order to combat pests, trees are sprayed with a solution of copper sulfate, iron sulfate, urea, Bordeaux mixture, and a solution of laundry soap is successfully used against aphids.

Besides everything else, there is a lot of other work, such as cleaning reservoirs, repairing and tidying up garden furniture, planting flowers.

May

Planting vegetables

In May, it is time to plant various vegetable and ornamental crops. At this time, in central Russia, carrots, greens, cucumbers, watermelons and melons, onions, radishes and everything they consider necessary are sown, and in the south of Russia full swing Seedlings of cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and cabbage are planted in open ground.