Moisture-recharging watering of fruit trees. Moisture-recharging winter irrigation. Rodent protection
In late autumn, you need to remember to water the garden. In winter, trees continue to evaporate water. If there is not enough of it, the plants will dry out. Therefore, watering fruit trees in the fall it is on the list of mandatory events for every gardener.
Which trees need autumn watering?
The site has to be completely watered in the fall. In winter, young and mature fruit trees of all species and varieties, berry bushes, raspberries and strawberries will need water. Watering is not only needed fruit crops, but also ornamental trees, including conifers.
At least 10 buckets are poured under each tree, half as many under bushes. The purpose of watering is to wet the ground by 50 cm, or better yet by 1-2 m.
Fruit crops according to their moisture requirements are arranged in the following order:
- quince;
- apple;
- pear;
- stone fruits
Plants grafted onto wildflowers are more drought-resistant. Trees on clonal rootstocks are demanding of moisture.
Columnar or dwarf trees. Their root system does not go deep into the soil and can cover only a limited volume of soil.
Coniferous plants need watering more than deciduous ones. Their needles do not fall off during the winter, which means that water evaporation does not stop. The same applies to plants with overwintering leaves. For the winter, you definitely need to water heucheras, bergenias and other evergreens well, not forgetting about strawberries, which also go under the snow with green leaves.
Rhododendrons love water. These plants evaporate a lot of moisture from the soil and will not be able to survive the winter without autumn watering. Good gas station relatives of rhododendrons - heathers - will also need moisture.
If it rains frequently in the fall and the soil in the garden gets wet to a great depth, water-recharging irrigation not needed. If the weather is dry, the watering rate is doubled. But usually autumn rain is not a help to the gardener. You have to grab the hose, even if it’s drizzling for several days in a row.
The fact is that precipitation only soaks top layer soil. Already at a depth of 50 cm the ground remains dry. Meanwhile, the roots of stone fruits go to a depth of at least a meter, and those of pome trees go even deeper. This means that mature trees will remain without moisture in winter.
In the Moscow region and Middle lane The garden is watered in mid-October. At this time, dry and sunny weather sets in, although without much warmth. In Siberia and the Urals, hoses are picked up at the end of September.
If the perennial plantings did not have enough water throughout the entire season, for example, the summer was very dry, moisture-charging irrigation It is better to delay the planting of trees in the fall by 1-2 weeks, otherwise, having drunk the beneficial moisture, the plants will come to life and may even bloom.
The plants themselves will tell you the exact timing for watering. The event can begin when the trees have shed more than half of their leaves. There is no need to delay. Water that gets into the soil late will not solve the problem of ensuring autumn growth of the root system. This wave of growth begins as early as September. Perennials begin to grow new young roots. At this time they need a lot of moisture, so moisture-recharging watering will be very useful.
How to water
Over the summer, tree roots dry out the soil to a depth of 2.5 m, so in the fall you will need to pour a lot of water onto the area. In order not to devote a whole week to this work, you need to water wisely.
Watering rules
The hose stream does not need to be directed long time under the trunk There are no suction roots in this place. The tree will not be able to absorb water spilled at the trunk. The zone of suction roots is located along the perimeter of the crown. This is where most of the liquid should be distributed.
If the site is on a slope, some of the water will be lost, taking the soil with it. To reduce losses, before watering, the soil is dug up onto the bayonet of a shovel. Every season you need to increase the moisture capacity of the soil by adding organic matter, and in heavy soils - sand.
0If the weather is dry in autumn, it is necessary to water the trees in the garden. This procedure is sometimes called moisture charging. Garden trees need it before winter.
Since dry soil freezes much more than wet soil, additional soil moisture will help save the roots from freezing. After all, if the soil is dry, and severe frosts begin in winter in the absence of snow cover, this can lead to the death of the tree. Even if there was rain in the fall, it is still recommended to water the soil, since precipitation usually does not penetrate deep enough into the soil.
In southern areas, the roots do not go dormant in winter, so there is no need to over-moisten the soil.
- It is useful to water the garden in winter along with fertilizing. It is necessary to dig ditches into which overripe manure, ash, and also mineral fertilizers. All useful substances penetrate to great depths along with moisture.
- A few days after such abundant watering, it is recommended to mulch the tree trunk circles. They are covered with earth, which is mixed with compost, straw and sawdust. This layer will be excellent protection roots from freezing and the influence of wind. In addition, it will help retain moisture.
In autumn, all the trees and shrubs in the garden begin to prepare for a long, difficult winter. Of course, nature has formed its own methods and mechanisms for them, but it is very necessary to help them in this preparation. In the spring you will find that your apple or plum tree is frozen. And you shouldn’t blame the harsh winter for this: you should blame yourself and your negligence. You can increase the frost resistance of the garden and its “inhabitants” if you water all the plants well. Therefore, watering them in the fall is an important part of preparing for the winter. Autumn watering differs from usual summer watering: in the fall you will pour much more water under bushes and trees. more water than in any, even the driest summer. The plants will stock up on moisture and will not be afraid of frost at all! But here it is important, however, not to overdo it. If the water is too high, the air will leave the earthen pores. In such soil it won’t be long before the roots suffocate! 
Determining soil water needs.
No matter how abundant watering is in the fall, it is imperative to determine the water needs of the soil. The process is quite costly in terms of effort, but this work must be done: underfilling or overfilling of water is extremely destructive. We determine watering needs like this. Near the trees preparing for watering, we dig holes forty centimeters deep. Next, you need to get some earth from the very bottom (into your fist). If a lump of earth compresses well, becomes dense, does not fall apart, leaving a good wet mark on the (toilet) paper, such soil does not need watering at all. When the earthen lump is perfectly formed, dense, does not fall into fragments, but does not leave a wet mark on the paper, such soil needs to be watered by thirty percent less. Dry soil that cannot be “formed” into a lump, falling apart and crumbling, should be watered abundantly and for a long time. Any soil should be shed in the fall to a depth of no less than half a meter, a meter exactly where the plant grows.
One square of earthen area on which mature trees grow will require up to fourteen buckets at minimum standard in ten buckets. Young trees that have managed to grow a meter in length need a water norm of no more than three buckets. There is no need to start autumn watering if leaf fall has not yet been observed. The growth of the shoots will then take too long, they will not ripen, and will not gain sufficient strength to overcome the winter. This is especially dangerous for young trees. Therefore, start watering when the leaves begin to fall en masse to the ground. The temperature decrease should be two to three degrees. 
The picture shows an example of using hoses for drip irrigation.
How do you water your garden in the fall?
The choice of watering method is made according to the location of the garden. Is the ground flat, without slopes? We simply stretch (throw) several hoses along the rows. To ensure the flow of water to each plant, you can dig shallow grooves or ditches along each row. In sloping gardens, a method called “sprinkler irrigation” should be used. With it, water is well absorbed by the earth, but there is a risk of overwatering the plants, increasing the humidity. Then the trees may get sick. The most common method is drip irrigation. For this purpose, entire hose systems are constructed. They are rolled into rings around trees, connecting to the main hose using various connectors. Such a system takes a long time to prepare, but watering afterwards is carried out quickly and is guaranteed in required volumes. Water flows to each tree; any “surplus” water is completely excluded.
If the soil in the garden is dense, with poor drainage, or heavy, you should not water it in the fall. Groundwater in such soils lasts a long time, and additional water reserves can destroy the entire garden. At the end of watering, the soil must be mulched. Peat, leaves, and straw are suitable for this.
Here you can watch a video about moisture-recharging irrigation:
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Autumn water-recharging watering (moisture-recharging watering) of fruit trees and shrubs is one of the most important garden care operations in autumn period. Preparing the garden for winter in addition to such techniques as pruning, whitewashing, stripping the bark of lichens and moss, treating the garden from diseases and pests, removing fallen leaves and fruits, caring for the tree trunk (loosening, mulching), autumn feeding fertilizers and covering young trees for the winter, includes the so-called moisture-recharging irrigation or moisture-recharging irrigation.
What is moisture-charging irrigation?
Moisture-charging watering of an orchard is autumn irrigation garden trees and shrubs using large amounts of water in order to optimally saturate the root layer of soil around the plants with moisture.
Why do you need moisture-charging irrigation?
Despite fairly frequent and heavy autumn precipitation, in the second half of autumn the soil often does not accumulate enough moisture for normal wintering of plants. This can have a negative impact on the health of fruit trees and shrubs, leading to drying out of young plant shoots and freezing of the root system.
Moisture-charging irrigation helps prevent negative consequences lack of moisture in the soil and increase the resistance of plants to the unfavorable factors of winter and early spring, such as: severe frosts, sudden temperature changes, cold winds, excess snow load, ice formation on tree branches and trunks, sunburn, exposure to diseases and pests.
When is moisture-charging irrigation carried out?
Water-charging watering of the garden is carried out in the fall after the beginning of active leaf fall. Optimal time for moisture-recharging irrigation in the Moscow region, the second half is the end of October, when most of the leaves have already fallen and the air temperature remains at a minimum plus level.
Carrying out moisture-recharging irrigation too early in the fall can lead to active growth and, as a result, freezing of young shoots.
How much water is needed for moisture-charging irrigation?
Moisture-charging irrigation differs from conventional spring and summer watering of fruit trees and shrubs increased rate water consumption, since the main task of such irrigation is to saturate the soil of the tree trunk circle with moisture to a depth of 1-1.5 m. For this purpose, during moisture-recharging irrigation for each berry bush pour out approximately 25-40 liters of water. The volume of water required for moisture-charging irrigation of fruit trees is determined depending on the age and size of the plants, humidity and mechanical composition of the soil. For most trees, the water consumption rate for moisture-charging irrigation ranges from 30 l to 150 l per 1 m2 (3-15 buckets).
Excessive watering can cause the roots to die due to lack of air in the soil.
How to carry out moisture-charging irrigation?
In most cases, moisture-charging irrigation is carried out with a stream of water using a garden hose, which is left for a while under a tree or shrub and then gradually moved throughout the orchard. If it is not possible to irrigate the garden with a hose, then you can water it with a watering can or bucket. To speed up the watering process around the trees, you can drill special holes and drip grooves.
Gardens located on slopes should be irrigated by sprinkling. Before watering, a special earthen roller should be formed around young trees and shrubs to retain water in the tree trunk circle. It is better to carry out water-charging watering of mature trees in stages, using approximately 15-20 liters of water in 1 hour, and thus avoiding prolonged stagnation of water on the surface of the earth.
The optimal water temperature for moisture-recharging irrigation is 5-10 degrees. From above zero.
After watering, the soil can be loosened and mulched with a thin layer of soil.
In what cases is water-charging irrigation not required?
Moisture-charging irrigation is not carried out on too heavy clay soils, in places with close groundwater, as well as when the soil is saturated with moisture after heavy autumn rains.
The gardening season is coming to an end. The last finishing work remains. One of them is winter or moisture-recharging irrigation. In gardening textbooks, this procedure is advised to be carried out after the trees and shrubs have shed their leaves. In central Russia, October is the right time.
However, among gardeners there are different opinions about whether such watering is needed at all. Moreover, the opinions are sometimes completely opposite, and sometimes even categorical. What to do? As always, the decision is ours and everyone must make it for themselves. Let's look at the pros and cons.
First opinion: “I never water”
Valery Konstantinovich Zhelezov - experienced gardener with many years of experience. He grows apples, pears, plums, apricots and even peaches in Siberia. He calls his garden extreme because in difficult climatic conditions harvests tender southern crops.
“I have many gardener friends with already established experience. And attitudes towards winter watering are different. Some do everything according to strict literary recommendations: abundant watering late autumn. The explanation is simple - damp and then frozen soil allows less frost to reach the roots of trees.
But then one of his gardening friends did some winter watering, and his previously prosperous garden died. In addition, he adhered to another traditional agricultural practice - he completely destroyed all the turf in the tree trunk circles every year. It was frosty, but there was no snow. The “bare” earth has cracked. As the owner himself explained, the palm could easily pass through the cracks, which meant frost.
All 5 apple trees in the garden of another friend of mine died, although the garden was covered with sod. As he says, he threw a hose with a powerful stream of water at trunk circle for a whole hour, sincerely believing that it was saving the roots of the trees from the upcoming frost.
Well, and then mine personal experience. I'll start with general considerations. In their historical homeland, cultivated varieties of fruit trees have maximum adaptation to the local climate. A billion-year-old instinct allows them to know exactly (better than the local weather station!) what kind of fall and winter lies ahead of them.
There will be a dry autumn without rain - they will drop the leaves in advance to save soil moisture for winter life. There will be heavy autumn rains - the leaves will remain until last days, pumping out EXCESSIVE, and therefore DANGEROUS, moisture from the soil and evaporating through the still green leaves, preserved despite the cold.
Why is there excess moisture? The main thing for the tree is to maintain a certain balance (concentration) of the sap produced by the roots. Remember two points from the school curriculum:
The deeper, the more saturated with salts and minerals the groundwater. This means that at a lower temperature they freeze, being brought up by us (wells) or trees (central root). As an example - non-freezing springs gushing out from under the ground.
Let's remember why frozen people and animals cannot be revived. Since we consist of more than 80% water, ice crystals destroy living tissue, primarily the smallest blood vessels.
What about the trees? The usual picture is that there was enough rain in the fall, and by spring the bark with the cambium (a conductor of liquid - “antifreeze”) is torn so that “bare” wood is exposed. My simple explanation is that the “antifreeze” was “watery”, or rather watered down.
The situation is aggravated by the fact that in the North of Russia and throughout Siberia, ALL fruit trees are EMIGRANTS. Their historical experience in a NEW place only hinders them, and they make mistake after mistake. They may wake up during the late autumn thaw and even bloom, and then, at a minimum, goodbye to the harvest.
By the way, trees are not so “hopeless.” Common sense allows us, the majority of Siberian gardeners, to grow our own root crops only as rootstocks for subsequent grafting of “emigrants”. And we have our own rootstocks - local, frost-resistant. Let them also be “emigrants,” but already adapted to specific local climatic conditions.
