Conifers are the most frost-resistant plants grown in middle lane Russia. If adult plants are sufficiently strong and formed, then young shrubs cannot withstand the effects of cold weather on their own. To protect them from exposure subzero temperatures, wind, ice and snow, create a reliable shelter.
The most vulnerable in winter are young plantings that are not yet 3 years old. Show them the utmost care. They must be covered for the following purposes:
- so that the cold wind does not dry out the branches;
- to prevent their fragility and brittleness;
- to prevent burns from sunlight reflected from the snow.
Mature trees also need to be covered. During heavy rainfall, branches may break under the weight of snow. Conifers over 3 years old can withstand exposure to sunlight and gusts of cold wind, so there is no need to protect them.
How to cover
Cover spruce, pine, fir and other conifers with spruce branches, burlap or white spunbond. Tree protection work can be done independently; it consists of several stages:
- Place at the root trunk thin layer sawdust, peat or spruce branches. For this purpose, you can use spruce or pine needles.
- Gently press the branches to the trunk and tie them with thick, tight rope. There is no need to tighten it too much.
- Create a frame using stakes or metal rods. Do this carefully so that it does not touch the branches. Great alternative– application plastic mesh. It is flexible, so it is easy to create a frame of any size and shape.
- Cover the plant with previously prepared material. Experienced gardeners recommend using spunbond or agrofibre for this purpose. Firstly, he has good thermal insulation properties. Secondly, it perfectly allows air and steam to pass through, which avoids fogging. Secure the material together with a stapler.
As spring approaches, create an additional barrier over young conifers to prevent sun damage to evergreen trees. After the frost has subsided, periodically remove the shelter to provide ventilation.
Low-growing conifers
The easiest way to preserve a small plant in winter is to nail a rail near it and hang it on it. flower pot or a small bucket. Carefully place the covering material over such a frame and connect it with a stapler. This measure will prevent the crown of the conifer from sagging due to heavy rainfall; the pot or bucket will perform a protective function.
If there is no special covering material, you can protect small conifers with spruce bast shoes. Gather them around a cone-shaped tree and tie it with twine. If the plant crop has a weak and unstable root system, additionally cover the area around the base of the trunk with mulch.
Medium shrubs
To cover medium-sized conifers, create wooden frame. Gather the rods into a cone shape and secure them together using staples. Place the covering material on top of the frame and fasten it with a stapler. It is important that it does not fit tightly to the tree, as the needles may fall off and fragile branches may break.
When to cover different types of trees
Best time to create a protective frame for plants - the second half of October - the first half of November. It is important that the weather outside is dry, accompanied by the onset of stable cold weather. Only young plants need shelter. Their age for protection depends on the type of plant crop:
Mature trees in central Russia do not need to be covered. They are already strong enough to withstand the effects of frost, gusts of wind and sunlight. The only thing you need to do is to periodically monitor the condition of the branches and clear them of snow.
Additional care
- during a dry autumn, water the plant near the root generously with water at room temperature;
- Before mulching the area around the trunk, additionally feed the soil with compost or vermicompost to provide the plant with nutrients;
- when spring comes, hide the conifer from the sun's rays;
- when the temperature stabilizes at about 10 degrees Celsius, additionally spray the crown warm water or special biostimulants.
Coniferous trees are plants that do not require careful care. But if before the onset of winter you do not provide them with adequate care and reliable protection, then they may be susceptible to disease or not survive until spring. Cover young trees before the onset of cold weather so that you don’t have to restore them later.
Sheltering conifers for the winter is a very important plant protection process, so we recommend studying the video and other information provided in this article. Already in the fall, when the days are either sunny or rainy, you need to do it. During this period, the conifers are not yet strong enough, which means they can be seriously damaged by strong winds or the first frosts. It is the first wintering that is quite dangerous for these plants. There are several methods of shelter.
So, if your coniferous tree grows in a tub, then you should definitely bring it into the house or into a room where a constant temperature is maintained. However, the size of the plants can change your plans - if the trees simply no longer fit into the doors, you will have to think about sheltering the coniferous beauties right on the street.
As an effective and inexpensive covering material, you can use spruce branches, which are laid in the form of a hut, covering the plant from top to bottom.. By the way, this affordable heat-insulating material can be used to protect other plants from winter frosts.
What to do if you can’t get spruce branches? Then you can make covering material in the form of homemade pillows stuffed with sawdust, straw or various rags. If the frosts in your area are very severe, we recommend using everything in combination to protect plants - both spruce branches and bags. All your multi-layer protection should be well reinforced so that in a strong wind nothing will fly apart. To do this, fir branches are secured with staples or simply sprinkled with earth below, and the pillows are tied with twine.
If one-year-old seedlings were already planted in autumn open ground, then here it is necessary to take a slightly different approach to covering plants for the winter. Firstly, the root system should be insulated. To do this, you can pour a large layer of sawdust or peat on top of the soil in the area around the tree trunk. Also suitable for these purposes are the spruce branches we mentioned above, laid directly on the ground or just pine needles.
The branches should be tied with twine so that they are pressed against the trunk. Firstly, then it will be much easier to wrap the plant thermal insulation material, and secondly, it will protect the branches from wind and heavy snow.
Closer to spring, try to cover your conifers and sunburn. In the spring, the soil has not yet completely frozen, the circulation of sap has not been restored - under these conditions, direct sunlight dries the needles.
Signs of burns – brown or yellow. To prevent trees from being damaged, they should be opened little by little. sunlight, increasing the duration every day. However, you cannot keep them closed - the needles can prohibit them.
In the end, it would not be amiss to add that in some regions, adult conifers do not need to be covered - for example, in central Russia, spruce trees that are 4 years old or more, mature larches and junipers may not need to be protected from frost. Pines, yews, cedars, thujas and firs can also be winter-hardy in adulthood. But young seedlings of these plants must be covered.
Coniferous plants planted this year do not have time to develop powerful rhizomes during the season and become stronger to survive in harsh conditions. winter conditions. Young plantings need protection created by in various ways using factory or homemade designs.
The optimal time for covering plants is dry weather that sets in with the arrival of stable cold weather. It is recommended to place protective materials on frames that ensure the integrity of the branches and optimal ventilation.
We purchase ready-made shelters.
Purchased structures are ready-made kits that are easy to install and do not require additional accessories. Among the many options, you can always choose shelters that are suitable in shape and size.
The frames of these products are made of polymer or metal tubes, bamboo rods or fine mesh. Non-woven fabrics are used as protective material, allowing air to pass through and maintaining a dry atmosphere inside the shelter, for example, Snapbond or Agrospan.
Cover homemade frame purchased material.
Another way to organize a winter shelter is a separate purchase required quantity nonwoven fabric, allowing you to save about half the money. In this case, the base for securing the canvas is built with your own hands from thick wire. Homemade arcs are installed crosswise over the plant.
The synthetic fabric is stretched over the frame and pinned with wire pins.
We use wooden supports and burlap
To make a simple frame, you will need four pegs that are twice the height of the covered coniferous plant. ends wooden slats They are knocked down with a nail and the racks resembling a compass are installed in place. It is better to stick stakes into the ground in advance, without waiting for it to freeze.
With the onset of persistent night frosts wooden base cover with burlap, fixing the fabric with bent wire pins or stones.
We collect spruce spruce branches
Excellent winter shelter serves as spruce branches, which additionally protects plants from rodents. Created under thorny branches air gap well ventilated and less subject to temperature changes. Spruce branches are harvested exclusively from healthy trees; you cannot use infected needles and transfer diseases to young seedlings.
Long spruce or pine legs are perfect for shelter - they are folded over the plant in the form of a hut, tied at the top with twine. But the short shoots remaining after the formative pruning of mature trees are also used. First, wire arcs are installed on top of the bush. Then the frame is covered with cut branches.
The result is an ideal shelter that saves the coniferous plant from the ice crust in winter.
Another advantage of spruce branches is that they do not rot and do not contribute to the proliferation of destructive microorganisms.
We protect the root system.
The trunk circles of coniferous seedlings are mulched with some kind of organic matter, spreading the material in a loose layer at least 5 cm thick. A mixture of soil and leaves is well suited for covering the roots. Left under the bush in the spring, it rots and serves as additional feeding.
The coniferous plants remaining in the containers are dug into the ground for the winter or a blanket of sawdust is placed near them.
The ground part of the seedlings is protected by any of the available methods.
Each of the structures considered begins to be ventilated when the spring rays of the sun melt the snow around it. First they open it slightly north side, and after the soil thaws protective material completely removed.
Winter shelter for young coniferous plants is one of the means to increase the winter hardiness of plantings. It should not be taken as the only method that guarantees a safe winter. Experienced gardener Always carefully approaches the preparation of plants, paying attention to planting, watering and fertilizing.
Coniferous crops are in great demand in landscape design. However, not all decorative conifers able to withstand winter cold. Some species, especially those imported from mild climates, freeze slightly in the middle zone and need shelter. In today's article we will tell you how to cover coniferous plants for the winter.
Conifers do not have a pronounced dormant period. Even in winter, their life processes do not stop, but only slow down slightly, which is why their sensitivity to weather changes only becomes higher. Preparing plants for winter should be carried out taking this circumstance into account and begin long before the onset of the winter season.
Starting in August, it is recommended to stop fertilizing with nitrogen so that the shoots stop actively growing and have time to ripen before wintering. In September it is useful to add a phosphorus-potassium mixture. This fertilizing will accelerate the ripening of wood and strengthen the root system. But there are nuances here: some conifers, for example cypress trees, need high humidity, and if autumn turns out to be dry, then the plant needs to be moistened artificially.
By autumn, most conifers have broken, yellowed or disease-damaged branches. They need to be cut out using pruning shears, and the cuts should be sealed with garden varnish. This important point before wintering, since the movement of juices, although less intense, continues, and infection can easily get through the cuts.
The next stage in preparing ornamental coniferous plants for winter is watering, which takes place around mid or late November. With abundant watering, the ground freezes less, and it provides the roots with nutrition in the spring, when the crown begins to revive. Old and large trees, such as pine or spruce, do not need watering. Only small and young specimens need to be watered at the rate of 2-3 buckets for plants below 1 m and 3-5 buckets for plants above 1 m.
Young seedlings require special care. It is recommended to water them with the “Kornevin” solution so that the roots develop faster before wintering. Since the root system is still shallow, tall trees are further strengthened by installing stakes, to which the conifer is then tied. Caring for coniferous crops in the fall also involves insulating the tree trunk area with mulch: leaves, spruce branches, sawdust or other organic materials.
Video: “How to properly cover plants for the winter”
In this video, a specialist will talk about covering plants on winter period.
Timing of shelter
For conifers, cold is preferable to overheating, so there is no need to rush to cover. If well insulated trunk circle, the plants will withstand even severe frosts for several days. It is recommended to thoroughly cover trees and shrubs only after the onset of stable cold weather, when the night temperature drops to -5...-7 °C. The daily temperature should be taken into account. If the weather remains sunny, condensation will accumulate under the insulation, so it is better to wait for a while or cover the plants only at night.
When constructing a shelter, the climate of the area must also be taken into account. So, in the northern regions, where the winter is frosty and protracted, in addition to surface protection, it is necessary to increase the layer of mulch, and fill the interior space of the frame with hay or leaves.
For southern and temperate latitudes, another problem is relevant: already in February the number of sunny days increases, the crown begins to heat up and burns appear on it. To prevent this from happening, the crown must be shaded by installing a protective net or burlap screen on the side from which the sun falls.
What dangers do plants face in winter?
Among coniferous crops, there are many species that cannot be covered, mainly due to their great height and wide crown. Such trees face various dangers in winter:
- Broken branches. Occurs due to the accumulation and layering of snow on the branches. Most often, this phenomenon affects leaning trees, the crown of which consists of many thin branches (pines, some types of cypresses, cedar). Periodically shaking the snow off the branches can prevent the problem.
- Snow mold. The putrefactive process usually begins in the spring, when the sun melts the snow, but it has not yet fallen from the branches. The solution to the problem is similar - you need to shake off the snow manually.
- Icing of branches. It happens during periods of thaw or after rain, if it suddenly gets colder. The only way out is to make supports for the branches. You can’t heat or melt snow, as you can wake up your kidneys prematurely.
- Yellowing or discoloration of needles. This is a sign of a burn or lack of moisture. The first aid for this problem is shading the plant and abundant watering. If the ground is still frozen, water should be poured in small portions. When the daytime temperature reaches +8…+10 °C, treat the crown with biostimulants (“Epin” or “Zircon”).
All these difficulties can be avoided if you properly cover conifers for the winter. Having spent a little time and money, you will not have to deal with saving or restoring valuable specimens in the spring, and they, in turn, will delight you with their beauty and decorativeness.
How to preserve conifers in winter. Conifers: how to prepare for winter and protect them from the vicissitudes of the weather
Experts advise purchasing only winter-hardy species and varieties of conifers, but to know what surprises the next winter will bring us! In an unfortunate set of circumstances, any coniferous plant can suffer if it is not properly prepared for winter.
When preparing coniferous plants for winter, be sure to carry out moisture-recharging irrigation, protect new plantings from direct sunlight, and protect plants with spherical and conical crowns from breaking by snow. So, what exactly needs to be done in the garden when preparing coniferous plants for winter.
Moisture-recharging irrigation
At the end of leaf fall, water the coniferous plants well at the root (5–8 buckets per plant). Don’t waste time on forest trees and old, time-tested trees: they have developed roots and will take care of themselves. Watering before winter is desirable for all plantings made in the past and current seasons; for varietal specimens and exotics, regardless of the time of planting (there are also very resistant ones among them, but if you are a beginner gardener, it is easier to water everything than to sort it out - there will be no harm from this).
The crown of conifers wakes up early, often when the roots cannot yet provide it with moisture due to frozen soil. Hence, burning of needles is a common problem in the middle zone. Well-moistened soil freezes to a shallower depth, which reduces the risk of spring damage.
Consolidation of new plantings
The crown of a coniferous plant collects a lot of snow. If there is heavy snowfall during positive temperature, such a mass of snow may stick to the branches that the seedlings that have not had time to take root will be uprooted. After freezing rain, even small plants, up to a meter tall, fall and tilt. In anticipation of snowfalls, thoroughly secure all plantings of the current year with guy wires to prevent even small movements: because of them, small roots are torn off and the survival period of plants is delayed.
Columnar junipers, cypress trees, varieties of thuja, the crowns of which burned in past years, and all varieties of Canadian spruce need to be additionally protected from sunburn with a shelter. They are not suitable: solar heat accumulates under them, and we don’t need this. The purpose of the shelter is to shade the crown and prevent it from heating up. Burlap, a special mesh or even woven polypropylene panels perform this function well. They are placed on the plant and tied with twine (do not pull the branches too tightly!). Do not try to wall up the crown tightly - let the “vents” remain. It is enough to shade large specimens only with south side.
In the photo: Protecting thuja from sunburn
In the photo: Tui suffering from sunburn
Crown tying
For varieties of thuja and young pines that are resistant to the spring sun, which you do not intend to shade from burns, do not tie the branches tightly so that under the weight of snow or (God forbid) they do not bend or break. In some years, even local forest pines suffer from snowbreaker.
What to do if...
No precaution provides complete protection from bad weather. Therefore, it is useful to know what to do if:
… a lot of sticky snow fell
Knock the snow off the branches with a pole or board wrapped around soft cloth. Do not shake the trees, do not hit them with all your might: tap them often with small jolts so as not to damage the bark and the branches themselves (in winter they lose their elasticity and break easily).
... it was freezing rain
Using supports and ties, try to give the branches their original position. Do not try to melt the ice on the branches with a hairdryer or warm water - the buds may wake up prematurely from the heat, and a new one will be added to the already existing problem. The ice will melt off on its own with the onset of sunny weather, even if the air temperature is still negative.
In the photo: Icy rain on coniferous plants
... in the spring the needles on the plants turned yellow or discolored
Having noticed this, immediately shade the crown by first spraying it with water if the weather is sunny. Water the affected plant with warm water. If the water spreads without being absorbed, then the soil is still frozen. Then water several times a day in small portions. When the daytime temperature steadily rises to +10°C, treat the crown with Epin, Zircon or NV 101.
Covering a cypress tree for the winter. Description
Cypress (Chamaecyparis) - a genus of evergreens coniferous trees, which belongs to the Cypress family (Cupressaceae). Although Cypress's homeland is North America And East Asia, this plant is currently in decorative form It is also found in other regions, because many varieties are quite frost-resistant, hardy and can easily be transplanted. Since the 20th century, various shapes Cypress trees perfectly decorate any gardens, and recently even indoors, as they are successfully grown in container culture. Some even use Cypress instead of a Christmas tree. Trees growing in nature can reach a height of 70 cm, and decorative forms- on average 20-40 cm. The slender trunk of Cypress is covered with scaly bark of brown or brown color. Branches - drooping or outstretched, their originality and characteristic feature is the ability to mutate.
Conifers. Preservation until planting.
Transplant the seedling prepared for storage into a larger container with drainage holes and suitable fertile soil, and water it with a fungicide solution.
Store the seedling in a container (along with a pot) or indoors.
1. in the closet. Dig a small trench about 40 cm deep (the digging area should be dry). Place the seedling in it at an angle of 45 degrees, with branches to the south and roots to the north. Tie the branched crowns, cover the roots and part of the trunk with earth. Cover the crowns with spunbond to protect them from the sun.
2. indoors. Keep the seedling prepared for storage in a bright, ventilated room at a temperature of 0 to +3 degrees (pantry, veranda). If temperatures drop, protect the root system from freezing by wrapping the pot in a blanket (or other insulation).
If you only need to store the seedlings for a few days before planting, then they can be kept in a room or on the balcony, but, most importantly, in the shade. If the seedlings have an open root system, moisten the roots and wrap them in a damp cloth. The main thing is not to leave them in water for several days.
It is known that problems with coniferous plants begin already from the first days of spring. And first of all, it's sunburn. It often happens that there is little snow at the beginning of winter, and the soil under the plants freezes deeply with the arrival of frost. And then after the snowfalls there is a dazzling white snow cover. Then, already in January-February, in frosty sunny weather, sunburn appears. 
Sunburn on coniferous plants is a common problem. In the cold and the sun, the needles lose moisture, and the plant cannot replenish it from the roots - the root system is frozen. By spring, the trees already have red needles, especially on the south side. Conifers are most affected in the first year after planting - their root system has not yet developed. Some species and varieties of conifers have low frost resistance, so sunburn is inevitable. To plant such plants, you need to choose the most protected places; in the fall, sprinkle the tree trunk circle with peat or shavings to prevent the root system from freezing. In the first year after planting, the crowns should be shaded facade mesh or covering non-woven material. However, such measures do not always protect against sunburn. Then the question arises about the resuscitation of coniferous plants. And here big role early spring watering and the use of growth regulators play a role. If no more than 35-40% of the crown is damaged, then we use it to resuscitate coniferous plants from sunburn.
In the nursery of the POISK agricultural holding we use the following scheme
- When the soil thaws and its temperature rises to +6...+8 degrees at a depth of 20-30 cm, we spray the crowns with Epin-Extra solution (2 ml/10 l).
- After 10 days, when the soil and air temperatures rise, we spray the crown with a Zircon solution (1 ml/10 l) and thoroughly water the root layer of soil with the same solution to activate the growth and functioning of the roots. You can also use the drug Kornevin at this time.
- Treatment with Zircon after using Epin-Extra can be repeated 2 or 3 times with an interval of 5-7 days, then spray the crowns of conifers again with Epin-Extra.
