In autumn, fruit trees need care. After harvesting, the pear tree needs to be fed, pruned and preventive measures taken against pests. The tree will definitely thank you for your care with a good harvest.
Prophylaxis after harvest
During this period, the tree must be prepared for wintering. First of all, old leaves, fallen branches are collected, weeds and rotting fruits are removed.
Then the bark should be examined. Insect pests also prepare for cold weather and choose warm places in the loose tissues of wood. Peeling areas are cleaned. The trunk and soil around the pear are treated with pest control agents. Suitable for this purpose:
- strong chemicals such as Bordeaux mixture or Nitrofungin;
- biological products Fitoverin and Actofit, which are natural insecticides;
- solution of table salt at the rate of 100 g per 5 liters of water.
The drugs should be used according to the instructions. Otherwise, the tree will suffer irreparable damage.
Feeding and care in the autumn
At the beginning of autumn, the pear tree is fed with nutrients. The pear must restore the reserves of nutrients spent on fruit ripening. Strengthening phytoimmunity will allow the tree to survive the drop in temperature and prepare for winter.
The plant needs potassium-phosphorus fertilizers and calcium.
- It is most convenient to use liquid complex preparations. They are diluted in water according to the instructions and watered around the trunk area.
- You can prepare the fertilizer yourself. For a bucket of water you will need 2 ampoules of calcium chloride and 2 tbsp. spoons of superphosphate.
Fertilizers should be applied to pear trees starting from the age of 3.
If the autumn is dry, then the pear needs to be watered generously several times so that the roots are saturated with moisture before the cold weather. To protect the tree from drying out and from winter cold, the root area is mulched. The most suitable option is peat mulch.
Focal feeding
The use of focal fertilizing will relieve gardeners from the annual autumn worries of caring for pear trees. In this way, you can apply fertilizer once every 6 years. 8–10 holes are dug around the tree within a radius of 2–3 m. 500 g of dry substances are added to them. The holes are filled with dry humus.
For 5 years, the root system will feed on stored reserves.
Trimming and whitewashing
In autumn, dry and excess branches are trimmed. The tree does not need dead branches, and the extra ones will help get rid of thickening of the crown. It is recommended to apply garden varnish to the cut areas of living branches.
The last stage of preparing the tree for wintering is whitewashing. The procedure has a protective function. It will allow you to disinfect the trunk and protect the pear from the sun's rays during the spring awakening. Gardening stores sell ready-made whitewash solution. It contains all the necessary components.
Autumn care aims to preserve the pear during the winter cold.A healthy tree that has received the necessary nutrition will be able to begin active development during the spring awakening period.
