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An unpleasant surprise for the gardener is the situation when the leaves on the apple tree do not bloom well in spring. A pair of fresh leaves appears on the bush, after which development stops.
Apple tree problems in spring
Cold winters pose the greatest danger to apple trees. If in the winter frosts below -30˚ C prevail in the region, or sharp fluctuations from frost to thaw and vice versa often occur, then the apple orchard is at risk. In such conditions, bark and wood are often damaged, in addition, the likelihood of not flowering due to kidney damage increases many times. Young shoots of the first year of development also may not bloom if the wood has not matured during the spring and summer seasons. This can happen if the tree grows in conditions of excessive soil moisture and nitrogen supersaturation. Annual branches with developed apical buds suffer much less from wintering.
Another factor, under the influence of which a young apple tree does not dissolve leaves, is dry spring weather. If dry warm weather sets in in May, then new shoots stop growing. Then, when the rains begin in summer, the branches begin to develop again, but do not have time to gain strength before the onset of winter. As a result, after the first severe frosts, these branches die. In the spring, the gardener has no choice but to cut these shoots to a healthy bush.
Apple tree
The main problems why the apple tree does not bloom in spring:
- Damage to wood. Frostbite can be determined by color: slight damage - light yellow, severe freezing - dark brown. At the extreme stage of frostbite, the branches become very fragile, and a black coating appears on the bark. After frostbite, apple trees lose their resistance to low temperatures and every year they are more and more exposed to the negative influence of wintering;
- Injury to the bark. The growth of the new season has vulnerable points - these are the junctions of the branch with the trunk. In this zone, the crust is very thin. Therefore, frostbite often occurs in this place in winter. Under the hot spring sun, the damaged area gets burned, the bark becomes reddish-brown and dies off. In summer and autumn, the bark is even more burned out in direct sunlight;
- Kidney damage. The main reason why the buds do not bloom on the apple tree in spring is the lack of proper care and protection of the tree from frost. Damaged buds will not bloom, and those that did manage to bloom tend to fall off at the ovary stage.
Apple buds
What measures to take
The absence of leaves and buds after winter may be due to specific reasons associated with the individual characteristics of the tree itself (variety, age), violation of growing rules, and even due to insufficient snow cover on the site.
Apple tree leaves do not bloom in spring
When leaves do not bloom on a young apple tree, you need, first of all, to assess the degree of damage. Cuts are made on the branches horizontally and vertically. By the shade of wood, you can understand the degree of freezing, the darker, the greater the damage. In addition, several branches can be taken home, put in water and covered with a bag, creating the effect of a greenhouse. After about 7-10 days, the kidneys should swell.
To recover, you can take the following steps:
- With a slight frostbite (the wood has a yellowish tint on the cut), you need to make a rejuvenating pruning of the crown;
- The tree can be invigorated by spraying with cold water in the morning;
- If the freezing is very strong, the tree can be saved by grafting two-year-old wildfishes under the bark of a dying tree. In total, you need to plant 5 branches. In this case, the apple tree will receive nutrition and moisture, after which it will revive. All the buds that appear must be cut off so that the tree gains strength for the coming winter.
Apple blossom
Winter with little snow is the main reason why apple leaves do not bloom in spring. At the same time, there are leaves, but they are small, and it is difficult for them to open up. You can get rid of this problem with organic fertilizing. By itself, organic matter is a good insulating material, since, getting into the ground, it begins to warm the roots. And the manure laid out on the surface acts as a shelter. To wake the plant up, it is recommended to use stimulant drugs such as Zircon, Narcissus, EM drugs and other similar drugs.
Buds do not bloom on an apple tree in spring
There is such a situation when the buds on the apple tree have swollen, but do not bloom. This means that the plant lacks strength. This situation occurs when the gardener makes mistakes in grooming. It will not work to force the buds to bloom, it is necessary to take measures to increase cold resistance and reduce susceptibility to negative factors. For this, it is necessary to revise the cultivation techniques compiled in previous years. After competent, timely watering has been organized, a clear feeding scheme has been developed in compliance with dosages, all types of pruning and hilling of the trunk circle have been carried out, the protective function of the plant against frost will increase many times, and budding will occur strictly according to the schedule, taking into account weather conditions. It is also very important to monitor the thickness of the snow cover around the apple trees. If necessary, you can shovel snow to the trunk.
Zircon
In a columnar apple tree, the apical bud can freeze, after which the trunk stops growing. This can happen in two cases:
- Bad shelter for the winter
- Wrong choice of seedlings with low frost resistance.
If the apple tree does not bloom in the spring, what to do in this situation? The situation will be saved by the correct organization of the winter shelter. Most of the columnar varieties are not intended for growing in temperate climates. They need a mild winter. Most often, 2-3 year old seedlings die from severe frosts. The crown and root zone must be covered with a canvas cloth or rag. The trunk circle is additionally mulched with a layer of straw and sawdust, at least 10 cm thick.
Apple tree seedling does not bloom
Seedlings suffer from wintering much more often than adult plants, especially those that were planted in the fall. If the leaves do not fall off before the onset of frost, then the probability of freezing increases several times, since the plant does not have time to prepare for the onset of cold weather. What if the apple tree seedling does not bloom after winter? First you need to check the condition of the kidneys. In no particular order, you need to separate 3 buds from the branches and open them. If the bud is green inside, then the plant needs to be left alone and wait for it to leave and bloom by itself. If the bud is brown inside, then the seedling is frozen.
To activate the development of healthy buds, the seedling can be sprayed with Epin or HB-1 twice a day, until new branches begin to grow. It is also recommended to water the bush with plenty of cold water. It is not recommended to fertilize seedlings with organic and mineral fertilizers during this period. They are in a phase of adaptation, so they are not able to absorb nutrients.Within two to three months of regular watering, the young apple tree usually leaves. Twigs and leaves appear on them. During this period, you can start feeding in dosage. If you overfeed the apple tree with nitrogen fertilizers, its frost resistance will become even worse.
In a situation where, after all, the seedling is frozen and the trunk has died, it is worth waiting for the awakening of the sleeping buds. It is likely that scions will appear at the level above the graft. Then the frozen trunk must be cut off at the level of the uppermost shoot, and the place of the cut must be covered with garden pitch.
To avoid freezing of seedlings, it is worth remembering that they need at least 20-25 days from the moment of planting for acclimatization with freezing temperatures day and night (at least + 3˚C ... + 5˚C). At this time, the seedling should have time to take root in a new place. To increase frost resistance, you can use the smoke method. The procedure can be done only in calm weather, otherwise its effectiveness tends to zero. A fire is made or a smoke bomb is lit near the seedling. The distance must be fireproof, and the tree must be fumigated with sufficiently thick smoke.
Tips for reviving apple trees
Every summer resident who is faced with the problem of dead branches and buds thinks what to do if the apple tree did not wake up in the spring. Indeed, an extreme measure - uprooting - can be avoided by taking resuscitation measures.
Apple tree sapling
Perhaps the middle layers of the trunk, in particular the cambium, have not been destroyed, and in the next season the tree will be able to revive when the dormant buds awaken. Therefore, if the apple tree has not dismissed its leaves, it needs to be given at least one year, and only then to monitor its condition and take further action. If the root system is not badly damaged, then the tree can be completely reanimated in a few years. This will be much preferable to planting and growing a new seedling, from which the first apple harvest will have to wait even longer than from a frostbitten old apple tree.
Even if the entire trunk was frozen, the part that was under the layer of snow remained protected. It is in this half that the grafting area is located. Within 3-4 years, the tree must be allowed to grow. No trimming is required. At this stage, all the shoots that will come from the dormant buds are important. The only thing that can be done is to pinch a couple of centimeters of shoots from the stock so that they do not outstrip the development of varietal branches. For 4-5 years, it will be possible to choose a new main trunk from the newly grown branches. From this point on, you can start forming the crown, removing unnecessary rootstock branches and weak varietal ones.
In a situation where the apple tree is frozen below the level of cultural grafting, you can cut the trunk in the second year in the fall. Wild shoots will begin to grow from the root collar. Over the next few years, a skeletal trunk will be outlined from the branches. It can be re-grafted with the desired variety. And you can plant several branches at once. Ungrafted branches need to be pruned to stop their development. When the main trunk and base of the crown are finally formed, these branches can be removed completely.
Throughout the entire recovery period, it is necessary to ensure abundant watering, since it is very difficult for the apple tree itself to absorb moisture from the soil due to severe depletion. To keep moisture in the soil longer, it is recommended to mulch the tree trunk circle with peat or sawdust.
If the apple tree does not wake up after winter, what should a gardener do with a tree? First of all, it is worth understanding that this happened due to neglect of the rules of planting and care, since any apple tree needs protection. You do not need to immediately get rid of the plant, it needs time to recover. In subsequent years, it is imperative to take measures to protect the branches and trunk from frost so that the apple tree can sleep peacefully in winter and gain strength for further development.
