Seasonal tips
Short answers to specific garden questions — when, how and why.
How to Store Quince Over Winter
How to store quince: which fruit to keep, where and how to arrange it, how long it lasts, and when it is worth letting it rest before use.
When and How to Prune an Apple Tree
When to prune an apple tree: dormant pruning in late winter, what to remove first, how much you can take in one year, how to make clean cuts and what to avoid.
Fallen Leaves and Scab — What to Do in Autumn
Why fallen leaves matter for apple and pear scab: that is where the disease overwinters. What to do with them in autumn and winter, when the risk is highest and how to water.
When to Plant Fruit Trees
When to plant fruit trees: dormant planting from autumn to spring, autumn or spring, where to put the tree, how to prepare bare-root trees and care after planting.
Dormant spraying of fruit trees: when, and when not
Dormant spraying fruit trees: when to spray against overwintering pests (bud swell to just before bloom), when against peach leaf curl (earlier — after leaf fall or before bud swell), the weather it needs and when you can skip it.
When to prune fruit trees
When to prune fruit trees: apples and pears before the buds open, cherries, plums and peaches just before bloom. What to remove first and how much to take off.
Whitewashing fruit trees: protecting the trunk in winter
Whitewashing fruit trees: why trunks are painted white, what winter sunscald is, when and how to do it, and the alternative — trunk wraps. What the university sources say.
How to store apples over winter
How to store apples for winter: a temperature near 32°F (0°C), high humidity, only sound fruit and thick-skinned varieties. How long they keep and what to watch.
Dormant spraying of grapevines: is it needed at all
Dormant spraying grapevines: when it is justified, which diseases it targets, before bud swell, what it does not control and the risks. What university sources say.
When to prune grapevines
When to prune grapevines: late winter or early spring, or early winter depending on climate. Whether bleeding hurts, how many buds to leave and why vines are pruned hard.
Cracked bark on a tree in winter
Cracked bark on a tree in winter: the difference between sunscald and a frost crack, which trees are at risk, what to do about the damage and how to protect the trunk.
Waterlogged soil: why plants wilt when it is wet
Waterlogged soil: why roots suffocate, how plants look above and below ground, why wilting can look like drought and how long damage takes to show.
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