February. In ancient times, during severe frosts, this month was called “the fierce one,” due to heavy snowfall it was known as “the snowy one,” and during blizzards, it was referred to as “the swirling one.” As we can see, February is not the best month for gardening. However, a good gardener won’t sit idly waiting for calm, clear weather. They know that what isn’t done in February will have to be caught up in March.
So, what’s happening in the garden this February?
It’s well-known that trees consume a lot of moisture during their growth. Often, there isn’t enough of it in the summer. To retain more moisture in the soil, snow is kept in place during winter. This task is quite simple: boards, reeds, vines, or straw are used to create barriers between the rows. Additionally, branches are laid out, and the simplest method is to pile up snow.
Against the white backdrop of the snow, you can easily spot the trembling, twisted little leaves attached to branches by webs. These are the winter nests of the hawthorn and the goldeneye—dangerous pests. It’s harder to notice the wide rings on the branches that look like gray beads. These are the egg clusters of the gypsy moth. All nests of pests must be removed and burned; otherwise, in spring, a multitude of greedy caterpillars will emerge.
Rodents, particularly hares, love the bark and branches of young apple trees. For them, it’s a delicacy. Hares can destroy dozens of trees in their raids. To prevent this damage, young trees are surrounded with sunflower stalks or reeds, and wrapped with fir or pine branches, needles facing down. However, trees should not be “protected” with straw, as mice love to nest in it. We know how mice “manage”: they gnaw at the bark and roots, ruining the tree.
And trees can also be damaged by… the sun. Yes, indeed. In winter, during cold spells, sunburns can occur. How? During the day, the southern side of the trunk and main skeletal branches heat up more than the northern side. This causes sap flow to begin earlier, and at night, when temperatures drop, the sap freezes and damages the vessels.
To prevent the tree from heating up too much, it is whitened with a mixture of lime and clay. For this, 2 kg of lime is mixed with a bucket of water, along with some yellow clay. To avoid bark burns, the lime should be slaked 8 hours before application.
Sometimes, gardeners spray the entire tree with a diluted lime solution (700 grams of lime per bucket of water).
Severe frosts can also damage trees, causing the trunks to crack. In such cases, the wounds should be carefully sealed with garden wax.