Winter cold-proof and freeze-proof methods for newly planted fruit trees, ensuring fruit trees safely overwinter

Newly planted fruit trees grow vigorously with a large amount of growth, and their tissues are not sufficiently hardened. In addition, with abundant rain this autumn, growth vigor is even harder to control, making them prone to sunscald and winter injury in winter. Some branches die back, and some whole trees die. To avoid unnecessary losses, farmers who have newly planted fruit trees should prepare in advance to prevent winter freeze damage to the trees. Several methods for cold protection of fruit trees are introduced below.

1. Crescent-shaped earth ridges. Before winter begins (late October to early November), on the due north to northwest side of each fruit tree, build a crescent-shaped earth ridge 50-60 cm high, with an arc length of 120 cm and a width of 60 cm. This can resist the northwest wind, absorb more sunlight heat, and increase snow accumulation on snowy days, thereby achieving the purpose of preventing freeze damage to fruit trees. This method is suitable for most fruit trees.

2. Pressing down and burying with soil. Before the soil freezes, press the entire aboveground part of newly planted fruit tree saplings down flat and bury the saplings with garden soil. Note that the soil covering thickness must exceed 10 cm. After winter passes, remove the covering soil in time. The removal time must not be later than March 1. If it is too late, bud sprouting will damage the trees. This method is suitable for fruit trees with flexible branches, such as apple, peach, plum, apricot, cherry, ginkgo, mulberry, grape, kiwifruit, etc.

3. Covering with plastic film. After watering the fruit trees with freezing water, cover the tree disc with plastic film 0.006 mm thick, which can preserve soil moisture, increase temperature, and prevent freezing. This method is suitable for most fruit tree species, such as apple, pear, peach, plum, apricot, walnut, hawthorn, etc. The method is to dig a square ditch 1 m long and 1 m wide and 5-8 cm deep around the tree disc, make an opening in the plastic film so that the trunk root crown is placed in it, and then press the edges of the plastic film firmly with soil along the ditch. Remove the plastic film when fertilizing and watering in spring. This method can not only prevent freezing, but also increase soil temperature, which is beneficial for the early growth of fruit tree roots in spring.

4. Applying petroleum jelly. After winter begins, apply petroleum jelly to young trees along the direction of branch growth from bottom to top. The thinner the coating, the better, and the more thorough the coating, the better.

5. Wrapping with plastic film. After the fruit trees shed their leaves, wrap the branches one by one with 0.004 mm agricultural plastic film to achieve cold protection. The method is to cut unopened agricultural plastic film into 10-20 cm sections with a fodder chopper. If the number of fruit trees is small, unused plastic film rolls can also be cut into 10-20 cm sections to form wide plastic tape bundles. Then use the plastic bundles to wrap the fruit trees branch by branch from the root crown upward. When wrapping new shoots, place 1-2 stalks of rice straw on the branches and wrap the branches and rice straw together. The purpose of the rice straw is to increase the gaps between the branches and the plastic film and protect the buds from damage.

6. Spraying high ester film. After winter begins, spray 27% high ester film emulsion at 100 times dilution directly on the saplings, which can prevent freezing. Generally, spraying twice is required: once after winter begins, and once when the weather warms up (February).

7. Irrigating with freezing water. Irrigating with freezing water before winter begins can improve soil moisture and help fruit trees overwinter. The best specific time for irrigating with freezing water is when the water applied can freeze in the evening and thaw in the morning.

8. Controlling green leafhoppers. In autumn, green leafhoppers damage autumn vegetables such as Chinese cabbage and radish, and before winter begins they move to fruit trees to reproduce. They use their ovipositors to cut through the branch cortex and then lay eggs in the branch cortex, causing fruit trees to be unable to retain water and to freeze to death. Therefore, in newly planted fruit tree orchards, while it is not suitable to intercrop vegetables in autumn, 5% beta-cypermethrin at 3000 times dilution should also be sprayed on the fruit trees in mid-October to kill adults and prevent them from laying eggs.

Zhou Shuxing, Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Bureau of Laoting County