Garden care in April.

What needs to be done in the country in April. Plan for important work

April has arrived – the real spring is undoubtedly here. If March in many regions is actually considered a winter month, in April you can safely start gardening anywhere: nature begins to wake up. Eyes are running out of things to do, so much has to be done in a short time! So we need a plan of action – a gardening plan for April.

In the garden in early April. Photo by the author

Mandatory and optional work in April

We need to understand that there are many chores in the garden (including in April) that are really positioned as necessary. That is, they don’t define anything – you can’t do them. If you read about growing most garden plants, you get the impression that they can literally be abandoned: Treat this, spray another, then a third, do this – another in the spring, etc. You write, The fact is, you have to fertilize several times under the root, then one or two over the leaves, and that is by no means a complete list.

I would recommend not paying too much attention to it. Fortunately, wildlife isn’t that vulnerable, or life on earth would have stopped long ago. So who is it that “squawks” over plants in nature? At the same time, everyone, as they say, is alive. So analyze what you read.

You need a real plan

However, a real, sensible work plan is good business. Plan ahead so you don’t do unnecessary activities, always know the best timing and content of the work, and so you don’t get into trouble. A garden needs a variety of care, and it’s not just about gardening or caring for fruit trees and shrubs. You need to offer beauty and make various design conversions. But don’t overdo your efforts. If you have a clear plan of what you will do and when, you will avoid unnecessary events and excitement.

Work plan for April

Determine what needs to be done in the garden in April. It makes more sense to distribute the work according to the tactical principle: sprouts, vegetable garden, garden and flower bed.

Sprouts

In April we finish planting vegetables for seedlings: in the beginning and middle of the month we sow cucumbers, closer to the end – melons, watermelons and pumpkins. Why so? Because all representatives of the family of pumpkins are creeping crops. Their peculiarity lies in the fact that you are determined with the harvest program as soon as you have the fourth real leaf. And if the plants are not planted in the open ground at this point, they themselves “decide” that their whole life will take place in a small volume of the floor, which means that the “plan” is abundant fruit.

In April it’s time to sow cucumber seedlings

The previously planted seedlings have already grown up, so you need to focus on caring for them – watering, feeding and controlling light. In time to feel, protect it from possible stress. Heat and drought in a city apartment in itself is already a stress for young plants. At this stage, it is best to respect the seedlings with the drug “biohazard rustobion”, which is responsible for growth and immunity. Also very rich in nutrients (but not nitrogen) preparation “sapropel superconcentrate”, which is under biohazard.

“Bio-Complex Rostobion” and “Bio-Complex Sapropel Superconcentrate” show excellent results when growing seedlings. Photo by the author

At the end of the month begin to gradually harden the plants, open the windows and then take them out on the balcony for a short time.

As for flower sprouts, and your house ends by the middle of the month in April, you need to sow all available seeds by the middle of the month. We sow the youngest zinnia: these magnificent flowers are prone to hustle and friendliness, and in just a few days they can literally start to shine. Therefore, the waiting time for planting in the ground for them should be minimal.

Zinnia is sown for seedlings at the end of April.

Dahlias, lilies, crocosmia, calla lilies, begonias, cannes begin to grow at the beginning of the month. The same applies to rhizomatous perennials purchased this spring: young planting material is faster to root, and many perennial flowering plants will please you with blooming already this year.

The previously planted flower seeds are now actively growing – water them, fertilise them a little and don’t forget to turn the pots periodically. By the way, the best organic fertilizer for flowering plants in this period is an organic complex “Sapropel Superconcentrate”. Dilute it according to the instructions and water your green pets.

Flowering plants love sapropel. Photo by the author

Garden

On the plot, mulch the ground in a glass or polycarbonate greenhouse and install film tunnels if you want to use them. If it was laid in the fall in the greenhouse “Biofuel”, prepare for planting soon: pour hot water on the ground. And even before the first plants appear, it would be a good idea to add natural soil to the enclosed beds in a “biocomplex pebble garden”.

At the bottom of the greenhouses we put “garden diatomite”. Author’s photo

We remove the litter and remove the cover of garlic and strawberries, in the beginning of the month we sow in the greenhouses e-radish, leaf lettuce, dill, cabbage for sprouts, plant onions for greens. In the twentieth of April, it is possible to re-cultivate the beds with open ground.

At the end of the month we sow in the open ground some radishes, lettuce and dill, as well as carrots, beets, radishes, peas, root and leaf parsley. It’s time to move seedlings of perennial vegetables and spicy herbs to the beds. Planting the bulb on the pen: it can be planted not only on the bed, but also in various boxes, large pots, old basins and buckets. The tubers of Jerusalem artichoke are worth planting in April.

In April you can plant feather onions in the open ground. Photo by the author

orchard.

You can still prune your fruit trees early in the month if you didn’t have time to do it in March. The deadline for pruning is April 10. Carry out the first feeding of the orchard: it can be done both on the retired snow, and under the ditch (early spring you need to give nitrogen fertilizers). We check the trunks of trees and clean them from lichen. In wet weather, this is best done with a stiff brush.

Finish pruning fruit trees in April

In April you can already plant and transplant seedlings and young trees, but in most cases it is still better to wait until the beginning of May: The weather is unstable now. At the end of April, trees can be grafted.

The building site should be thoroughly cleaned of rubble, remove perennial weeds from the tree trunks. If your garden is lawned and there is a lawn under the trees, it should be combed out of the “felt” fan. Dig over and loosen the tree bed circles to allow oxygen to flow to the roots. Add “Biocomplex Diatomsgarten” to the bottom of nearby bedding circles, this will help control pests that overwinter in the ground. “Kieselgur” has the ability to dehydrate the covers of pests and snails and help kill them.

Flower beds and garden design

The most important activity in early April, especially if there has been a lot of snow during the winter, is to quickly remove all insulation and loosen the snow in the garden. Be sure to open roses, clematis, forsythia, large-leaf hydrangeas, rhododendrons, yucca and Japanese quince, as well as all new plantings of perennials and bulbs.

If the cover cannot be removed immediately, arrange to ventilate the plants. Photo by the author

This is very important, otherwise the plants will wither or be affected by fungal infection. General rule of thumb: On average, all coverings should be removed by April 15 or even earlier. It is necessary to help the snow melt, otherwise it gradually turns into an ice crust, which persists until mid-May, and even uncovered plants are born under it.

When the snow melts, you also need to remove coverings from other objects in the garden that you protected the night before winter – beds, ponds, garden furniture and other decor.

When the snow melts, you need to remove coverings from other objects in the garden as well. Photo by the author

Check the situation at the construction site: When the mass melting of snow begins, feed the first spring tubers and perennials – sapropel is well suited for the first spring fertilization. At the end of the month you can already divide growing perennials in the open ground, plant and newly planted annual plants (marigold, wicker, lavatera, ornamental sunflower) and plant sprouts of ornamental cabbage. Dig and fertilize all future flowerbeds and places of supposed planting, make “garden diatomite” – as a floor enhancer and as a remedy against some pests.

Think about the plan of work for the next month and take into account the peculiarities of your plot. Write down all the materials, preparations and fertilizers you need so you don’t forget to shop at the garden store. If you have a clear action plan in your head, it’s easier to distribute the work to all the family members according to your skills, so that everything necessary is done in time and there is still time to relax in the fresh air.

Thank you to Biocomplex for your help in creating this article.

Garden and garden work in April 2021: A prolonged spring is no reason to deny yourself

While some are complaining about the rains and heat, others have already finished part of the work on pruning fruit crops and started warming the soil for the first plantings. The experts of Tatarstan’s club “Green Garden” tell what can be done now, without waiting for the May vacations

Let’s start by answering the reader’s question, “The spring of 2021 turned out to be a prolonged one, is the garden work plan moving forward?”

Green Garden’s answer: “It’s too early to talk about shifting the orchard work plan, except for the return of late spring frosts in May. Some of the pruning of the fruit crops has already been done.” “

4 ways to warm the soil in the spring

Most garden plants should not be planted in soil with temperatures below 10 ° C. At this temperature, the crop cannot absorb nutrients by the root system. Even if the air has already warmed up. In addition, at low temperatures, many crops are affected by diseases, and the seeds rot.

There are various ways to insulate the floor:

1) You can start insulating the floor of the beds with ashes, even if they are still covered with snow. To do this, you just need to spread wood ash evenly over the surface of the vegetable garden. The consumption of ash per square meter should be approximately 400-500 g.

It is best to use ash from birch and pine firewood. It will help not only to warm the soil, but also to deoxidize it. Therefore, it becomes more useful for most plants. If you have peat, you can use it instead of wood ash. You need 5-6 kg per square meter of peat.

Ash should be used dry. There is much less potassium in wet ash. And this is one of the most important elements of fertilizer.

2) First, cover the floor with foil – white. The bed should be completely covered so that the edges of the film protruded beyond its borders by 15-20 centimeters. And for the film to hold firmly on the bed and keep the heat under it, its edges are pressed with something heavy (such as bricks) or buried in the ground.

After 2 weeks, the film should be removed from the beds, loosen the soil by 10 centimeters, and cover the film again. The next time it is removed only when the time of sowing or planting comes.

3) Filling the soil with organic matter. For this you need to dig a narrow trench in the middle of the bed. Dig it on the bayonet along the entire length of the bed. The resulting trench is filled with crop (preferably horse crop and only completely decomposted) or compost. After making the bottom is compacted. Spread organic fertilizer with lime (300 g per square meter) or with hot water.

In the last step, sprinkle the natural “warming pillow” with a layer of peat and garden soil in a ratio of 1: 1.

4) Use bottles. This method of heating the soil works well in the greenhouse. First, it is necessary to dig a ditch of size. Its depth should be 30-40 centimeters.

We take empty plastic bottles, close them with lids and lay them tightly in this ditch. We fill the bottles with earth. The result is a warm cushion that can protect the ground from overcooling.

What fertilizer to apply in April

Plants actively grow, fully develop and form ovaries only in soil saturated with nutrients. Therefore, the spring fertilization of the location should be paid special attention, because it is the protection of seedlings from stress during the transition to a permanent place, the prevention of young sprouts.

The most important element for spring fertilization is nitrogen. It accelerates the growth of young plants and promotes the active formation of greenery. However, nitrogen is needed only in the initial stage of development. In summer, turn to it only as needed – if the element is there, the seedlings go to the disadvantage in the formation of fruits.

The second, if necessary, spring feeding is potassium and phosphorus. These elements are included in both mineral and organic compositions.

We recommend starting spring fertilization in early spring after the snow fall. Spreading the products over snowdrifts is ineffective – together with melt water the valuable substances “float away” from the place. We do not recommend acting according to the principle “the more the better”. The excess to practical every useful substances in the substrate leads to the opposite effect – inhibition of growth, stunted growth, soreness of plantings, inhibition of bud setting and fruit formation.

What to do in an April garden?

Treatment of the site should continue after the snow melts and the ground dries up.

You should start with deep loosening the floor. At the same time, apply fertilizer to fruit and berry plants.

Strongly compacted areas mulch to a depth of 10-15 cm.

When meltwater and the floor in the garden are sodded, lay flat ditches to drain the water.

Caring for fruit trees in April

1. pruning fruit trees;

2. releasing and equipping the shoots of shrubs that were laid on the floor before winter;

3. Fertilizing plants with fertilizers – organic and nitrogen;

4. Capturing the floor around tree trunks;

5. Digging cuttings along the radius, starting from the trunk of the tree, so as not to damage the root system.

How and under what crops can wood ash be harvested after pruning?

The ash should be harvested and stored in a dry place. Immediately after burning it is not recommended to take it to the construction site. It must cool down. It is very easy to store them. It does not matter in crates or buckets – the main thing is to be dry. Under these conditions, wood ash will be useful in a few years.

The exact chemical composition of the ash, the percentage of the elements it contains, cannot be determined by a universal formula, because it depends strongly on the raw material from which it was obtained. Even from the same variety of plants, but of different age groups, will retain ash of different composition.

In any case, the ash contains a mixture of carbonates, phosphates, silicates and sulfates of active metals (sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium and iron compounds). In addition, it contains such trace elements that plants need: manganese, molybdenum, silicon, sulfur, zinc and others.

Features of ash from different trees and plants

1. Ash from potatoes and grapes is very rich in potassium, up to 40%. It is better to burn the material in the beds immediately after harvesting. Ashes from buckwheat and sunflower kale have slightly less potassium, up to 30%.

2. Calcium is highest in ashes from deciduous trees (especially birch), up to 37%. In addition, this element is highly digestible, so it provides the system with additional protection against frost or heat.

3. conifers saturate the soil with high phosphorus content (content – up to 7%). Tree bark, wheat and rye straw are also rich in this element.

4. After burning peat, you get a fertilizer with a high lime content. But it is low in potassium.

The crop in the garden and vegetable garden can be fertilized with soot or ash in the warm season.

Fertilizer can be done from early spring, for which they are scattered around the plot, and then dig the place by default.

For the rest of the spring and all summer, you can apply ash in dry form or as part of solutions with water. Fruit trees and shrubs are watered under the root. Floral plants are completely sprayed. Vegetable plants are treated on top, the above-ground part and lectures under the root.

Such fertilizer can be applied 4-5 times a year during the growing season and during the fruiting period.

Holzasche will not hurt at all in winter. It is also spread on the site in front of the ditch. And hibernating plants through the roots get a supply of potassium and phosphorus, which help to better endure frosts.

Caring for currants – boiling or spraying with agrochemicals?

Chemicals are used to treat currants: fungicides for fungal diseases and insecticides.

But not all gardeners treat the use of chemicals well. Recently, they have increasingly begun to prefer simpler methods of treatment, of which one using boiling water is watering or irrigation of bushes.

Watering can be strictly hot water until the buds are budding. During this time, the river of SAP has not yet launched, the bush has not awakened from hibernation. But harmful insects and fungi are already on the surface of the branches in the ground. Hot water destroys them.

The time of treatment for all regions is different. For southern regions it is the first half of March, for northern regions – the end of February. In northern regions you can prick bushes with boiling water in March and even in early April. But first you need to make sure that the buds are not used up.

Reader question: “Is it time to open roses, winter onions and strawberries?”

The answer from The Green Company

Roses can be opened if:

– The snow has completely melted;

– Repeated frost has ended;

– The floor has warmed to a depth of 20 to 30 cm;

– Daytime temperatures are stable (+10 … +15 °C);

– The temperature at night no longer falls below e-2 ° C.

Work on opening onions and garlic should be started early in spring, otherwise the plantings may be dipped.

However, you should not dismantle all the covering material at the same time. When the snow melts, the first thing to do is to remove the top layer – large branches. You can also remove the spruce or the material with which the steamed beds were covered. But it is better to leave the mulch itself, removing only its top layer. The warm spring wind quickly dries out the floor, and the mulch retains precious moisture.

Open strawberries when the weather is sunny and warm, so that wintering begins as early as possible.

To restore plants after the cold of winter, the following work should be done:

1. clear the beds of covering material.

2. Remove weeds from the ground, frozen leaves and roots. If the leaves on the strawberry bush are frozen or dry, they should be removed with a garden juice collector.

3. Carefully clean the beds from the top 2 to 3 inches of the bottom. This is done so that the roots of strawberries well and quickly warmed in the spring sun.

4. Loosening the soil around the strawberry bushes. If individual plant roots are exposed, they are gently covered with earth.

Finally, remember that at the beginning or in the middle of the month in the greenhouses of the northern regions you will transplant strawberries in the greenhouses of the southern regions, this should happen only at the end of April! In advance, you need to think about the insulation of the covering material in case of return frosts.

The material was created by the specialists of the Tatarstan club “Green Crown”.

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