Peach refers to delicate crops with tasty and juicy fruits - such a tree can become an adornment and pride of any garden plot or garden. However, referring to heat-loving plants, peach easily takes root in the climate of the southern regions, but requires special conditions and special care in areas of the middle lane. Let us consider below how to properly cover a fruit tree in winter so that it does not die and continues to delight the gardener with a rich harvest.

Do I need to insulate peaches for the winter

The climatic and weather conditions of our strip are not optimal for southern plants, and therefore can not only negatively affect the quality and quantity of the future crop, but also lead to the death of the plant.

That is why the main condition for growing peaches is the correct and timely preparatory work. Preparations for wintering begin in the fall - after the leaves have fallen, you can warm the trees.

But it should be remembered that there are several more procedures that are also important for the easy and painless passage of winter colds:

1. Top dressing - carried out after harvesting and the beginning of leaf fall, occurs by applying phosphate fertilizers to the trunk grooves located at a distance of 25 cm from the tree, with a depth of up to 20 cm. During this period, it is also recommended to bait with organic fertilizers (mullein, peat, humus, chicken droppings )
2. Watering - Autumn watering is notable for its large volumes and helps to avoid freezing of the soil, which means it protects the root system from cold weather.
3. Pruning - removing dry, damaged and overgrown young shoots.
4. Whitewashing - saves the bark of the tree from burns of the bright winter sun and severe frosts, and also prevents the trunk from warming up quickly with the onset of spring (postpones the start of sap flow, which means it prevents premature flowering).

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How to save a peach from freezing

Preparatory work can increase the level of winter hardiness of the tree, but the shelter procedure, however, is mandatory for the heat-loving peach. It is important to choose not only what to cover, but also when.

Dates and methods of shelter

After the leaves fall completely with the onset of the first frosts, you can proceed to shelter the tree. Peaches growing in the southern regions, where the maximum temperature in winter does not fall below -15 ° C, do not need shelter at all.

For other regions, there are several methods of sheltering fruit trees:

• the root system is insulated with humus - the near-trunk circle is not curled up with soil, which quickly freezes in winter, but with a mixture of peat and humus, which have a lighter structure;
• the trunk is covered with corn stalks or spruce branches - a material that creates a well-ventilated space, thereby protecting the plant from cold wind, wet snow and rain;
• the trunk, to the place of grafting, is covered with earth - digging is often used as shelter for seedlings (young trees are placed in a pit 50-60 cm deep at an angle of 45 °, strictly from north to south);
• an analogue of a thermos is built in the trunk region - the material for shelter is located around the tree so that there is a small space between it and the trunk, where sawdust is then filled up (the top of the structure is covered with a plastic film, which will protect the sawdust from getting wet);
• the whole tree with the crown is covered with a hut - a structure consisting of a frame and covering material;
• wrapping the crown and trunk - the trunk is covered with agrofibre, spunbond or burlap, the same material is used to cover the crown previously connected by ropes.

Video: Peach shelter for the winter with a spanbond

Shelter Rules in Different Regions

Depending on the region, care procedures may differ only in the way of shelter: for the northern regions, preparations for winter will be more extensive. Peach cultivation in Siberia and the Urals requires maximum shelter, especially young and not mature trees. Otherwise, only those plants that were completely covered with snow will be able to survive.

That is why in regions with critically low temperatures in winter, peaches are peeled to the ground, covered with straw or spruce branches, as well as natural insulation in the form of snow, which should be constantly raked over during cold weather.

Important! Often, for stronger insulation, the trunk circle is covered with a plastic film, which protects the root system from freezing.

Work order

After all the preparatory work, you can proceed directly to the shelter of a peach tree.

Warming for the roots

In regions whose climate provides for warm winters, the shelter of an adult tree can be partially carried out - only in the root zone and the stem. Seedlings, as well as young trees should be covered completely.

Before warming, the soil in the near-stem circle is dug up and watered abundantly. Further, the earth is mulched with the help of natural materials (sawdust, straw, dry leaves, etc.).

As a heater, chernozem is perfectly suitable, the loose structure of which passes moisture and air well, while retaining heat. With the onset of winter, snow 15–20 cm thick is poured into the near-stem circle.

Barrel Protection

There are many ways using various materials (agrofiber, thick wallpaper, cardboard, roofing material) to shelter and protect the trunk. The main requirement of the whole structure is, in addition to providing heat, air ventilation, which will protect the tree from the formation of charms, mold and rot. As a covering material, a plastic film is categorically not suitable.

Important! To avoid overheating and the formation of rot, insulation should be removed with the onset of the first thaws.

Crown Shelter

The process of sheltering the crown can be carried out separately from the trunk - by tying the branches with ropes and wrapping the covering material around. However, it is better to shelter the whole tree. This will require a structure consisting of a frame (you can use metal pipes or wooden planks), and, in fact, the material.

This method, thanks to the air cushion between the shelter and the peach trunk, will create the optimal microclimate, and will also be reliable protection against the invasion of rodents. Using this method, it is guaranteed to protect the plant from the formation of rot and mold.

What will happen if you do not cover the peach for the winter

Neglecting the shelter of peaches for the winter can not only cause the tree and root system to freeze, but also receive numerous burns of the bark by the bright sunshine of the winter sun, injuries of branches and plant sections from snow loads, ice, sharp changes in temperature.

It is also worth considering the frequent attacks of rodents that feed on the bark in the cold season. The result of such inaction can be loss of crop, damage to the tree and even its death.

Did you know? Eating peaches can help get rid of anxiety and bad mood. That is why in Hungary they are called "fruits of tranquility."

Although peaches are heat-loving plants, they can be grown in almost any region, despite climatic and weather conditions. However, it is worth considering that the quality and quantity of the future harvest will directly depend on the correct observance of the basic rules of the procedures for the care and protection of the tree in the cold season.