If you want your neighbors to secretly envy your harvest, look for the secret not in newfangled fertilizers, but in the forgotten advice of Ivan Michurin, which he gave back in 1937.
The scientist, whose hybrids the world still admires, shared simple techniques for caring for trees.
And they still work after decades!
Spring pruning rules: fewer branches - more fruit
Michurin insisted: trees should be pruned in early spring, before the sap starts to flow. This speeds up wound healing and reduces the risk of disease.
For young seedlings, he recommended leaving only 4–6 buds on each shoot—this way the root system has time to get stronger, and the tree does not waste energy on extra greenery.
The scientist paid special attention to apple and pear trees: the cut is made diagonally above the bud facing outward of the crown so that the shoots do not grow inward.
How to cover a cut and why kerosene is the enemy of the garden
Michurin warned: improper processing of cuts ruins the tree. He advised using thick oil paint (without kerosene or gasoline!), or even better - homemade putty.
Its recipe is simple: boil sunflower oil and mix it with ochre. This mixture protects wounds from infections and accelerates the restoration of the bark.
Cherries and plums: special techniques for capricious trees
If apple trees are pruned "to the bud", then Michurin developed another method for cherries and plums. Here, a thorn two inches long (about 9 cm) is necessarily left, removing the buds on it.
Without this technique, the trees begin to "cry" gum, and the shoots dry up. The scientist emphasized: such pruning is the only way to preserve the health of stone fruit crops.
Michurin's advice is not a museum exhibit, but a working tool for modern gardeners.
Try these methods and your garden will surprise even seasoned gardeners.
Author: Elena Shimanovskaya