Moisture and watering
Fabrics of plants on 70-80 % consist of water, in fruits its content is even higher. The formation of roots, shoots, leaves, fruits and other plant organs consumes a huge amount of water. Most of it is spent on transpiration - evaporation through foliage and external plant tissues. Thus, moisture is almost the main condition of plant life.
The main source of water for the plant is soil moisture, it is in it that vital nutrients dissolve, forming the so-called soil solution that enters the plants. Fruit trees
and shrubs grow best and develop with soil moisture of 65-80 %.Lack of water in summer with high air temperature leads to premature aging of leaves and the whole tree, a sharp reduction in the productive life of plants. For this reason, the trees bear irregularly, leave unprepared for winter and are often damaged by frost.
Excess of soil moisture also has a negative effect on the plant, as oxygen is displaced from the soil and carbon dioxide accumulates, which leads to inhibition and death of the root system.
Water is a part of the cells of all tissues of plants, with it nutrients are transferred from the roots to the leaves and vice versa. Water supports plant tissues in the state of turgor( stress state), with a lack of its leaves and young shoots wither and plants can die. To maintain the life of plants, water must flow continuously into them. The lack or excess of water disrupts the normal life of plants. The main source of water for them is the supply of soil moisture. With a lack of water in the soil, fruit plants should be watered.
Fruit trees and bushes require constantly moistened, but non-soaking soil, so low-lying areas with a constant danger of flooding are not suitable for them. At the landing site, it is important to consider the groundwater level. It should not be higher than the mark for each fruit culture:
apple-tree - 150 cm,
pear - 180-200 cm;
cherry - 200-210 cm;
plum - 100-120 cm;
berry bushes - 100 cm
The best trees and bushes grow when the ground water is not higher than 100-150 cm from the soil surface. In terms of the degree of resistance to excess moisture in the root layer of the soil, fruit-berry plants can be arranged in such a decreasing order: currant, gooseberry, apple, pear, plum, cherry, raspberry, strawberry. Excess moisture in the air and soil enhances the damage of leaves and fruits with scab, powdery mildew, coccomicosis and other fungal diseases, can cause death of roots and death of plants. In the middle belt, with an annual rainfall of up to 700 mm, natural moistening is considered sufficient. However, some months, and sometimes the entire growing season, are arid, so normal growth and productivity of fruit and berry crops are impossible without irrigation. For moisture-loving plants, grown on low-mass light sandy and sandy loam soils, constant watering is needed. Fruit-berry plants spend more water during the period of intensive growth of roots and shoots, the bookmark of flowering buds, and also during the formation of fruits( May-July), less during the period of fading growth and ripening( August-September).In dry weather, abundant watering is required in the first period, in the future it can be limited, as a decrease in humidity at this time contributes to maturation, improvement of taste and coloring of the fruit, ripening of shoots, preparation for winter. Harmful and excessive amount of moisture in the soil: root growth is inhibited, growth of shoots slows, fruits and berries crack.
Watering of fruit and berry crops is especially necessary at a time when there is an increased growth of shoots, fruits are formed and flower buds are laid. It is necessary to ensure that good soaking of the soil is ensured.
It is not recommended to water plants during daylight hours when the weather is sunny, as most of the spilled water evaporates quickly. Watering is best done in the evening hours: 2-3 hours before sunset or early in the morning, as at this time the evaporation of moisture from the soil decreases. With cloudy weather, we allow watering in the daytime.
Water should be abundant, achieving complete soil soaking in the root zone of fruit crops, so the average watering rate is at least 3-4 buckets per 1 m2.Water is poured directly under the crown of fruit trees and shrubs. With a shortage of water for irrigation during the dry period, it is recommended to loosen the soil more often in the aisles. Loosening prevents the formation of soil crust, destroys the capillaries, through which moisture comes from the lower layers to the upper, which greatly reduces its evaporation from the soil.
In the first years after planting, the trees are watered 3-4 times during spring and the first half of summer, and in arid years - 5-8 times. For 1 irrigation per 1 planted tree, 2-3 buckets of water are consumed, 10-15 buckets per 7-10-year tree.
/. Watering on a ring furrow made at the periphery of the crown, that is, along the contour of its projection on the soil.
2. Watering on two ring furrows, where the first is laid along the periphery of the crown, and the second one at a distance of 30-40 cm from the tree trunk.
3. Watering in the holes, circled around the periphery of the crown, diameter of the hole 20-30 cm
Watering the fruit trees
Filling the fruit trees is well combined with the introduction of liquid fertilizer and fertilizer. For more effective penetration to the roots of moisture with nutrients dissolved in it, you can use furrow and lunar irrigation methods.
Zo during irrigation, the soil in the near-trunk circle of a large fruit tree should be impregnated to the depth of its entire root zone. The rule of abundant watering is especially important for observing on shallow, light soils that do not have a high moisture retention capacity, watering the with a hose over the whole periphery of the crown so that the water reaches the end active roots of
. The depth of the root zone and active water absorption in fruit plants
8young non-fertilizing gardens of pome fruits( apple, pear) on vigorous rootstocks, in fruit-bearing pome fruits on dwarf and semi-dwarfish rootstocks, in fruit-bearing stone fruit- 50-70 cm. In black currant - up to 40 cm in young plants and up to 70 in fruiting In gooseberries - up to 25 cm in young and up to 60 in fruiting.
In adults, raspberry bushes - up to 30-50 cm. In strawberries - up to 20-25 cm. Water during irrigation should soak the soil to this depth.
Berry bushes and fruit trees on slightly grown rootstocks with a low-power root system should be watered first and often than plants with a deep-lying root system that are capable of taking water from deep layers of soil. Adult trees, as a rule, need less frequent watering. After watering, the soil of the tree trunk should be covered. It is advisable to stop watering for 15-30 days before harvesting of autumn-winter varieties. The latest late-spring watering, which produces in in October during the fall of the fall, is of great importance for increasing the winter hardiness of the tree, activates the growth of roots, prevents the drying of shoots. The approximate norm of late-autumn watering is 5-6 buckets per 1 m2 in conditions of arid autumn.
Air
Air is necessary for fruit plants as a source of oxygen for respiration and carbon dioxide for photosynthesis. The air in the soil contributes to the vital activity of the root system and the whole plant.
Atmospheric air consists mainly of oxygen, carbon dioxide and nitrogen. Air is the main source of carbon dioxide required for photosynthesis of plants, as well as oxygen, necessary for breathing the whole plant and especially for the root system. To ensure the normal life of plants, constant replenishment of air with carbon dioxide is necessary. But if we can not act on atmospheric air, then we can enrich the soil air with carbon dioxide. The introduction of manure and other organic fertilizers into the soil makes it possible to enrich the surface layer of air with carbon dioxide. Experimentally, it was found that the increased percentage of carbon dioxide in the air has a beneficial effect on crop yields.
The oxygen content in the soil air is much lower, and the carbon dioxide is several times greater than in the atmosphere. The supply of plant roots with oxygen is greatly influenced by soil aeration. To improve it, you must often loosen the soil in the near-trunk circle and keep it clean from weeds. Before planting the fruit garden to improve the aeration of the soil, its deep loosening is carried out, organic fertilizers are introduced, and in the process of growing plantations, soil cultivation should be directed at improving its structure and porosity.
Nourishing elements
The fruit plants are built from organic substances( proteins, fats, carbohydrates, acids, etc.), produced by leaves, from the above-ground part, the root system, fruits and seeds. For the synthesis of organic substances plants need carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, sulfur and other elements. Carbon, part of the hydrogen and oxygen plants are absorbed from the air.
Elements of mineral nutrition they take almost exclusively from the soil, in the form of dissolved compounds in water. Among the elements of the
supply coming from the soil, microelements that are used by plants in significant quantities( from fractions to several percent of dry mass) and micronutrients required in small amounts are isolated. All these elements play a certain role in physiological processes, they are vital for plants and are indispensable. Nutrients and water plants are absorbed from the soil by roots, mainly from water or so-called soil solution. Plants have a selective ability to absorb those nutrients, which they currently need most. The supply of nutrients to plants depends not only on their presence in the soil, but also on many properties of the soil itself, air exchange and other factors. The most important soil factor is water, in the absence of which, in the soil, the absorption of even the nutrients present in it sharply decreases.
Nitrogen is a part of protein compounds, which are the basis of all living things, and chlorophyll( with its help plants that use solar energy, absorb carbon dioxide and form carbohydrates).Sufficient supply of fruit plants with nitrogen promotes the growth of vegetative organs, the laying of flowering buds and the tying of fruits. The positive effect of nitrogen on plant growth also affects the strong growth of the leaf surface. All this leads to the accumulation of a large number of carbohydrates, enhances the development of the root system and improves the mineral nutrition of plants. Nitrogen-provided plants have large dark green leaves, form strong growths and yield high yields.
With excessive nitrogen nutrition fruit plants develop violently, but flower buds are poorly laid, trees later enter the fruiting period, the vegetative period is tightened, which leads to a decrease in winter hardiness. Fruits contain less sugars, poorly colored, spoiled during storage. Especially harmful is the excess nitrogen in the soil in the fall, and also with a lack of phosphorus and potassium in the soil. With a lack of nitrogen, leaves weakly synthesize organic substances and fall early. This manifests itself first on the lower leaves, and then spreads up the shoot. With nitrogen starvation, the normal green or dark green color changes to a pale yellowish green( chlorotic) color.
In the soil, there are usually significant nitrogen deposits, but it is part of organic compounds and is not accessible to plants. The transformation of inaccessible organic compounds to plants in accessible minerals occurs under the influence of bacteria, the vital activity of which is facilitated by a good aeration of the soil. The most accumulation of available nitrogen occurs when the soil content is in a loose and clean state of weeds.
Phosphorus is also an essential nutrient. It is a part of complex protein compounds, as well as mineral salts of calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, plays an important role in breathing and synthesis of carbohydrates, their accumulation in the storing organs of plants, accelerates a number of physiological processes. The introduction of phosphorus fertilizers contributes to the early entry of the plant at the time of fruiting, enhances the laying of flowering buds and increases the yield of fruit crops. With a lack of phosphorus, the whole plant is weakened, the laying of flowering buds is reduced. Leaves in the beginning of summer are normal or darker in color with purple bronze pigmentation of the veins. They are small, located at an acute angle to the shoot. Shoots short and thin. With a strong phosphorous starvation on the leaves, yellow-green and dark green areas are formed, the leaves fall in the lower part of the shoot, and the rosette remains on top. Fruits are greenish, friable, of poor quality.
The main part of phosphorus in the soil is a part of insoluble mineral and organic compounds. Phosphorus mobilization occurs during liming, as calcium phosphates are formed, more soluble and available to plants.
Potassium plays an important role in the accumulation and movement of carbohydrates in the plant. With a lack of potassium, soluble forms of nitrogen, such as ammonia, amide, etc., accumulate in plants. Potassium promotes the conversion of these forms of nitrogen into proteinaceous substances and weakens the negative effect of excess soluble nitrogenous substances on the plant. It is of great importance for accelerating the rate of development of plants and their ripening, the potency of potassium fasting usually increases during the period of growth of shoots, and the leaves become yellowish-green in color. In this period potassium deficiency can bethe growth of the vein lags behind the growth of the leaf areas between the veins, as a result of which the plate of the leaf is bent. In
further development of starvation along the edge of the leaf appears a crimson bandand then the edge of the leaf withers away, a burn of leaves becomes characteristic for lack of potassium. In the absence of potassium, the necrotic and burned leaves remain on the branches until they dry up at all. The leaves fall off from the top of the shoots. The lack of potassium leads to underdevelopment and slow ripening of the fruit, reduces frost resistanceThe amount of potassium in the soil depends very much on its cultivation, and the soils of light mechanical composition are the poorest in the assimilated potassium. Potassium and nitrogen are easily washed out of the soil, and phosphorus passes into hardly soluble forms. Therefore, it is necessary to systematically apply fertilizers containing these elements.
Calcium imparts strength to the tissues of fruit plants. Especially it is necessary for the stone fruit crops. With a lack of calcium, they have abundant gum and brown spots on the leaves.
Magnesium is a constituent of chlorophyll and is absorbed by plants from the soil in almost the same quantities as phosphorus. With a lack of magnesium, chlorophyll in the leaves decreases, spotted chlorosis develops. Signs of starvation appear first on the lower leaves. At the beginning of fasting, the leaves are dark green, then they become light or grayish-green. Subsequently, the color changes to yellow-brown, and then to dark-brown. The spots on the leaves merge, in a day or two the leaves wrinkle and fall off. Falling leaves begin at the base of the shoots in June-July. Trees suffering from a lack of magnesium, give a very weak vegetative gain. Magnesium is introduced into the soil when liming with dolomite flour or in the form of special fertilizers.
Iron is necessary primarily for the formation of chlorophyll. A characteristic sign of a lack of iron is the chlorosis of the leaves on the top of the shoots. With a weak insufficiency, a grid of green veins appears on the yellowish-green background of the leaf, with strong starvation the leaves become straw-yellow with a small amount of green veins; with prolonged starvation, the tips of the shoots may die. To the lack of iron the most sensitive are the pear, apple, plum, raspberry, less - gooseberry and currant. Signs of iron deficiency are found on soils with poor aeration, which is caused by a lack of oxygen in the soil and
by a violation of the normal nutrition of the roots. The most widespread is calcareous chlorosis, caused by excessive liming of the soil. The lack of iron is also observed in acidic soils, which is associated with an excess of manganese.
Boron is important in the processes of pollination and fertilization of plants. Boron increases the content of B vitamins in plants, as well as vitamin C. In apple and pear, the lack of boron causes a disease that manifests itself in the testing of different parts of the fetus, as a result of which the fruits prematurely crumble. At the plum, with a lack of boron, dryness is observed. With a strong lack of boron, the leaves at the ends of the shoots turn yellow. Yellows and areas between them undergo yellowing. Later, necrosis sets in, and the shoots begin to die.
Copper is primarily required for plants grown on very poor copper-enriched peat bogs and swampy soils with a neutral or alkaline reaction. Copper is a part of oxidative enzymes - catalysts of intracellular oxidation processes. It also activates the activity of B vitamins, increases respiration energy, affects carbohydrate and protein metabolism. Under the influence of copper, the chlorophyll content in plants increases, the aging process of leaves slows down. Symptoms of apple leaf disease, caused by copper starvation, appear as brown spots, then the leaves and upper parts of the shoots die off.
Zinc is a microelement that regulates growth. The lack of zinc leads to an end to the growth of shoots and the formation of weak rosettes consisting of small deformed leaves. The main measure of combating rosettes is foliar top dressing with preparations containing zinc. A characteristic symptom of deficiency of food elements is a delay in plant growth( strong or weak).The remaining signs of the disease can be divided into 2 groups. The first are signs of starvation appearing on old leaves. Here there is a shortage of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, zinc and magnesium. These elements are capable of reuse and, when lacking in the soil, they move from the old parts of the plant to younger ones. The second group includes signs of insufficiency of other nutrients( iron, boron, manganese, copper), appearing primarily on young leaves.