Should I cover apple trees for the winter? Let's figure it out together.

After the fruit harvest, in anticipation of the winter cold, it's important to take care of your apple trees and properly insulate them to ensure a bountiful and healthy harvest next season. It's important to know when and how to insulate your trees, as well as what materials to use and how to properly carry out this work.

Factors influencing the need for covering apple trees

During the winter, trees enter a dormant state. However, during this stage, nutrition continues through the crown and roots. Young plants require additional protection as they are more vulnerable.

Insulation for apple trees is necessary not only for frost protection. There are other factors involved, namely:

1. Bark damage. Young trees, whose surface layer is not sufficiently strengthened and developed, are particularly susceptible to this. Bark cracking will lead to damage to the apple tree, weakening it, and susceptible to various diseases.
2. Rodents. Covering materials will prevent pests from reaching the bark. Consequently, the plant will not be damaged and will survive frosts well.
3. Strong winds. In winter, wind dries out the bark, and in spring, sunburn can occur on the surface.

How to cover a columnar apple tree

This apple tree grows to a small size, with a columnar crown. It has virtually no lateral branches, and the fruits are borne along the trunk.

Dwarf apple trees are more susceptible to frost damage than standard, tall trees. So they require special attention when cold weather sets in.

It's essential to cover not only the trunk but also the apical bud, as frost damage will cause it to produce multiple branches, thereby disrupting the apple tree's columnar shape.

To prevent this from happening, the top of the apple tree should be covered with covering material, placing it on the trunk from above.

In northern regions, the trunk of a columnar apple tree is covered with snow, which helps it survive the winter.

Protecting apple trees from rodent pests

During the winter, apple trees can be damaged by hares and mice. A damaged tree will not produce a good harvest next season, and severe damage can even kill the plant.

The question arises: how can you protect apple trees from rodents for the winter? For example, shy hares are terrified by rustling bags hung on the branches or attached to the covering material. To enhance the effect, gardeners coat the tree trunks with mullein mixed with clay.

A small chain-link fence will protect trees from hares.

Spruce or pine branches tied around the trunk will help against mice.

Rodents can't stand the smell of diesel fuel and kerosene. So, you can wet some nylon material and wrap it around the trunk, and mice and rabbits won't come near the tree.

Recommendations for covering apple trees for the winter

Now let's talk about how to protect apple trees from frost. The covering must be breathable. A simple old stocking can be used for this. Use it to cover the root collar, then take an empty sugar bag and wrap it around the trunk. Burlap or an old rag can also be used for this purpose.

Covering young apple trees

Seedlings are more susceptible to adverse effects. Their productivity and development depend on how well they survive the winter. How should young apple trees be protected for the winter?

Mulch will help prevent the root system from freezing. Low-growing plants should be covered from the trunk to the crown, then covered with a layer of spruce branches to form a tent.

Experienced gardeners wrap the trunk with stockings, and then put a plastic bottle on it, previously cut lengthwise.

Conditions and moments for covering apple trees

When should apple trees be covered for the winter?

The right time to cover depends not only on weather forecasts. The time for covering varies depending on the growing region:

1. In the Far East, these works are carried out in late September – early October.
2. In the Moscow region – in the last days of September – October.
3. In Siberia - in September.
4. In the central and southern regions - in late November - early December.

As soon as the air temperature reaches -10°C, you can begin covering the apple trees, but do not leave the plants without minimal protection during periods of severe frost.

Do apple trees growing in southern gardens need to be covered for the winter?

Gardeners living in warm regions should avoid heavily covering apple trees, as this can lead to continued growth and the death of the young plant. Protecting fruit trees from rodent infestations is sufficient.

Various ways to cover apple trees

There are many methods for covering apple trees. Most commonly, gardeners use materials such as:

1. Corn stalks and dry straw. Mice may find this type of shelter attractive and likely to nest there, so it's important to add rodent control.
2. Natural materials. These include pine sawdust, grass clippings, wood shavings, and peat.
3. Toilet paper – use old, stiff paper. Wrapping begins at the root collar, then wrapping around the trunk and the lowest branches. Wrap around to create 3–6 layers. Then tie the cover with twine.
4. Newspapers are used to insulate the branches located underneath. The wrapping is secured with cord.
5. Roofing felt or slate. The material is laid in such a way that it won't be unraveled by the wind. This insulation should be removed in the spring.
6. Agrofibre. This material retains heat and does not require antifungal treatment. It is wrapped around the trunk and spread in the tree's root zone. This material can be purchased at a specialist store.
7. Foamed polyethylene. The insulation is cut lengthwise, placed on the tree, and wrapped with tape or twine. This material is reusable.

In regions with harsh winters, apple trees can be insulated using wooden shields made from slats and covered with roofing felt. To insulate, place a stake next to the tree and tie the shield to it. Then attach another shield to the first shield, and so on. The result is a solid enclosure around the apple tree.

The lower part of the fence is treated with birch tar to prevent rodents from getting inside. This covering will help the trees survive the winter well and protect them from strong gusts of wind.

Caring for covered apple trees

In December and January, apple trees should be shaken free of wet, stuck-on snow, especially young trees. Rodent poison should be placed around the plants.

If there is little snow in the winter, it should be trampled down so that in the spring it does not melt quickly, but is gradually absorbed into the ground.

It is necessary to check the apple tree trunks to see if the wind has blown off their covering.

In February, the snow layer can become compacted, reflecting sunlight and causing sunburn on the bark. It's necessary to break up the crust and pack down the snow.

Although apple trees are relatively weather-resistant crops, they still require additional protection from severe frosts. Regardless of the region where you grow these trees, they need reliable shelter before the onset of winter cold. For insulation, gardeners typically use rags, burlap, agrofibre, straw, and peat. Take the sheltering approach seriously and responsibly to avoid losing all your trees at the end of the cold winter.