Mountain ash, viburnum, thickets of hawthorn blaze with flames. And some apple trees stand like bonfires: these are the latest, the last apples in the garden - Welsey, Pepin saffron, Lobo, Spartan, Rossoshansky striped apples filled with raspberry-red fire. The trees were bent under the weight of the harvest. The weather is still warm. She kept the leaves active for several recent weeks, before the harsh October wind and cold rain cover the damp earth with them.

For all the time of his short life, not one of them slept even an hour, assimilating the sun's rays, carbon dioxide, mineral salts, producing nutrients and sending them to the still ripening shoots, fruits, spears, twigs, flower buds, roots - there, where they are still required to complete growth, to be stored in reserve.
The above-ground part of the tree at this time is more and more deeply covered by a state of rest. By introducing humus, compost, manure, even just by mulching the soil, you can significantly extend their active work, since these measures help to keep the heat in the root-inhabited soil layer longer and thereby increase the accumulation of nutrients.

Little of, fruit trees and shrubs can be specially prepared for the winter. In order for them to meet it prepared, it is important to cultivate the soil in the aisles and on the near-stem circles (strips) in a timely manner, apply fertilizers, carry out water-charging irrigation, taking into account the future, and the fact that autumn drought is not uncommon even in the forest belt.

A significant role is played by the work of those leaves that remain on trees and bushes until late autumn and provide all living tissues both in the aerial part and in the roots with plastic substances that are deposited in reserve and increase the resistance of trees and shrubs to all sorts of adversities. And it’s very good when they stay longer on the tree, although it happens that this serves as an indicator of the incomplete ripening of shoots and buds: the timing of leaf fall does not coincide over the years and depends more on the course of the weather than on our efforts, but still high agricultural technology contributes to more long activity of leaves.

Long ago and in different zones countries, it was noticed that in early varieties, preparation for winter dormancy is completed faster, they also move on to shedding leaves earlier. Care also affects them.
The leaf, ready to leave the branch, acquires a color characteristic of the variety, a separating layer appears at the base of its petiole. This place will then quickly overgrow with an impenetrable cork layer. Lentils on shoots also hide behind similar "shutters".

The buds, laid in the axils of the leaves on the shoots in the middle of summer, stop growing long before the leaf fall. Inhibitors released by the apical bud of the shoot and leaves slow it down more and more and, finally, stop it completely. All varieties of horticultural crops differ significantly in their need for cold in order to resume vegetation. Usually it is expressed as the sum of hours of autumn and winter temperatures not exceeding 7 degrees.

However, complete, or, as they say, absolute, organic peace still cannot be considered. Some researchers have observed changes in growth points and generative buds even in the middle of the dormant period. What are the most characteristic signs for this? In the cells of the growth cones and adjacent tissues, the viscosity of the protoplasm increases greatly, it often moves away from the cell walls, and the connection between individual protoplasts becomes very limited. Lipoids accumulate on their surface, sharply weakening the ability of the cytoplasm to swell, and the nucleus loses its usual round shape and is not clearly distinguished from the protoplasm. By the end of the dormant period, they dissolve, and the connection between the protoplasts is restored, their vital functions and capabilities expand. And already in late December - early January, the buds acquire the ability to awaken, grow, bloom leaves and flowers. And by transferring the branch of the apple tree into the room, putting it in a vase of water, you can be sure of this in a few days - it will bloom.

Under the influence of cold, enzymes also begin to act differently in tissues and growth points: they transfer reserve substances from insoluble forms to soluble ones, for example, starch into sugar, which is why, by the beginning of winter, a lot of sugars and fats accumulate in the cells, protecting living tissue from the harmful effects of frost - their winter hardiness increases markedly. All life processes in them are aimed at increasing the resistance of tissues against adverse conditions.

Flower buds usually enter winter already with the rudiments of sepals, petals, stamens, and also pistils. This completes the first, summer-autumn stage of their development, although the change in their requirements for nutritional conditions, for the concentration of cell sap, as studies have shown, occurs much earlier, as early as late summer - early autumn. And the signs of change here are not external morphological changes in the cones of growth - they are not difficult to establish by looking at the longitudinal section of the kidney through a strong magnifying glass - but internal qualitative changes in the cells. Under favorable conditions, they pass 20-25 days before the appearance of visible changes in the growth cone and the beginning of the formation of flower organs in it.
The further development of flower buds proceeds normally only on the basis of qualitative changes characteristic of the second stage of their development, which requires a good saturation of the cells with water. But since they usually have such a condition only in spring, the flowers begin to actively develop only after the spring awakening of the buds. In autumn, their growth is more and more inhibited by the relatively high concentration of cell sap in the growth cones, and then by increasingly severe cold. Therefore, instead of 25-30 days (under favorable conditions), this period lasts five to six months or longer.

It has long been noted that for the normal development of flower buds, for example, in plums, at least two months of relative “cold” are needed. Further studies showed that some kind of qualitative "jump", a turning point in the formation of flowers, for which low temperature, No. That is, in itself, as an obligatory factor in development, it is not required for them, but if the kidneys have already entered a period of rest, then they need exposure to cold to restore normal vital activity.
But the roots of trees and shrubs and late autumn almost everywhere they continue to work very actively, especially if the near-trunk circles and the aisles of the garden were well mulched: the cold then penetrates slowly into the depths of the soil. At 5-10 degrees of heat, they feel good, absorb and accumulate nutrients in their tissues, since there is almost always enough moisture in the soil at this time. It’s good to bring at least not into trunk circles a large number of wood ash, mineral fertilizers, humus, if this has not been done before.

To disinfect the garden, it is useful to spray them with a 4% solution of urea (400 grams per 10 liters of water). It is better to rake the fallen leaves without such treatment, and not only under apple trees, pears, plums, but also under birches, lindens, willows, mountain ash growing near the house, and sprinkle the soil with a stronger 7% urea solution. First of all, such processing should be carried out under dwarf apple trees - they are more vulnerable than others, as well as in the aisles of strawberries and strawberries, under young and newly planted trees, and the soil should be harrowed.

Long before cold. Cloudy, changeable late autumn in middle lane. Having laid bare the garden, she only in some places on the tops of the shoots of the most heat-loving late varieties still left browned leaves that did not have time to fully bloom. The garden brightened and emptied.

The frost resistance of plants is a changing property. It develops throughout the growing season, but especially strongly - at the end of summer and autumn. Its first stage is the weakening and cessation of growth processes, the transition to a state of rest. The second is the beginning of hardening.

By the time of leaf fall, the tissues and organs of plants are filled with starch, which hydrolyzes (splits) when the temperature drops. The resulting sugar, as well as fats, are consumed in winter. The physical properties of the protoplasm change, and growth is completely inhibited. After such preparation, the slow increase in frost does not threaten the plant.
So, winter hardiness is determined not only by the properties of growing tissues, but also by the course of metabolism, which ensures the processes of vegetation and the transition of the plant to a new physiological state, which gives the tissues the ability to endure low temperatures.

IN last years in the middle zone of steel, it is widely grown varieties of a high-intensity type, very whimsical and demanding on the conditions of agricultural technology. Some of them are imported from places with a milder climate or from abroad. Their frost resistance, as tests have shown, is noticeably lower than that of old Russian varieties. And this cannot be ignored.
Some varieties, painfully enduring severe frosts, often freeze slightly and suffer in relatively mild winters, but with sharp drops in temperature after thaws. Therefore, an essential feature of the variety can be considered its ability to maintain high frost resistance after thaws. Studies have shown that the bark and cambium of trees of old Central Russian varieties are more resistant to frost after thaws than those of foreign and new breeding varieties. However, it should be noted that the varieties Wellsey, Mayak, Vityaz, Voskhod turned out to be more stable than others. Trees of the varieties Lobo, Vityaz and Mantet are not inferior to Pepin saffron in terms of frost resistance, but their regenerative ability is different: in Lobo it is good, in Vityaz and Mantet it is weak.

But no matter how successful the hardening of horticultural crops is, even in the fall, when the rainy season ends, in the second half of November it is very useful to inspect all the trees and bushes, establish damaged places, clean them of dirt and litter, cover them with garden pitch, put them under the branches "winter" chatals in order to protect them from breaking after heavy snowfalls. It is also important to remove from the trellis in a timely manner, lay on the ground and shelter from the cold climbing plants - actinidia, lemongrass, grapes, blackberries, climbing and other roses. Until the raspberry shoots freeze and become brittle, they are carefully bent along the rows to the ground and fixed in such a position that by the time of severe frosts they are completely under the snow. With the help of slats and pegs, it is advisable to press and “spread” bushes of gooseberries, golden currants, mock oranges and other shrubs that do not have a sufficiently high winter hardiness in the middle lane below the ground. After the first snowfalls, it is useful to cover them with snow in the same way as young trees of apple trees, pears, cherries, plums. And in the conditions of the Urals and Siberia, all Stlans require shelter with snow, which is called "with a head." In the snowy, air-filled "openwork" mass, the plant does not experience sharp temperature fluctuations that reduce its frost resistance.

In late autumn and early winter, the ground, where there is no snow cover or it is very thin, can freeze strongly and deeply, which leads to damage to the root system of trees. To prevent this, the trunk circles are insulated with mulch, and after the first snowfall they are covered with snow.

Birches are deciduous plants, every year they shed their leaves in order to acquire fresh green “clothes” again in the spring. When does birch leaf fall end? This is often asked by students. Our material will help you understand this and learn a lot interesting facts about this seasonal event.

What is leaf fall?

The term, so familiar to everyone, refers to the biological process during which the leaves of trees, which have lost chlorophyll, are separated from the stems and fall to the ground. This process is characterized by the following features:

• In autumn, the trees take on a variety of colorful colors, from yellow and orange to crimson and crimson red. This happens because before the leaves fall, chlorophyll, the pigment that gives them green color.
• The leaves acquire the ability to easily separate from the branch even with a slight gust of wind due to the formation of a special separating layer that breaks the connection between the leaf and its stem.
• Due to this seasonal phenomenon, the trees are freed from those harmful substances that have accumulated in the leaves during the season of active growth.
• With the help of leaf fall, plants are protected from excessive loss of moisture, which becomes very difficult to extract from the soil in the harsh winter.

We have considered the main signs of the most important seasonal change in the life of trees. Now let's get acquainted with when the leaf fall near the birch ends, and also when it begins.

Birch

Early autumn is characterized by still warm weather conditions, the thermometer often has a positive value, however, precipitation in the form of drizzle and hoarfrost can fall. The trees begin to turn yellow, playing in the rays of the already dim sun with stunningly beautiful colors. In the first week of September, the thin-stemmed tree begins to lose its foliage.

The average duration of leaf fall depends on weather conditions and can range from 15 to 20 days. The answer to the question of in what month the birch leaf fall ended can be given as follows: September ( last days this month) or October (its first half).

Process Features

Birch is one of the first trees to lose foliage, along with aspens, maples, lindens. Considering when the birch leaf fall ends, it should be noted that by the end of October these beautiful trees standing completely naked. The fall of the foliage of the plant begins on September 15, completion - by about October 5, but more exact date it is impossible to name - it all depends on the natural conditions of each particular year. The main activity of the process begins after the first frosts, which, as a rule, fall on the last days of September (from about the 28th).

Folk omens

We examined when the leaf fall near the birch ends. Why do people need this knowledge? First of all, observing nature is interesting in itself. However, there are also several folk signs, which were used by our distant ancestors to predict the weather. Some of them are interesting in their own way:

• If the leaves fall from birch and oak simultaneously and evenly, it is worth waiting for a mild winter.
• A harsh winter is expected if oaks and birches are bare at different times.
• The leaves turned yellow, but did not fall off by the time - there will be frosts.
• The leaves on the white-stemmed tree did not fall in the first week of October - the snow will fall late this year.
• The leaf fall is “according to the scenario”, the tree sheds its foliage in time - we should expect a long thaw at the end of January.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to accurately answer the question of what date the leaf fall of birches ends, however, everyone can determine the approximate time frame: the process of leaf fall of a traditional Russian tree ends by the end of September or the beginning (less often - the second half) October.

When the days become shorter, and the sun no longer generously shares its warmth with the earth, one of the most beautiful seasons of the year comes - autumn. She, like a mysterious sorceress, changes the world around and fills it with rich and unusual colors. Most notably, these miracles occur with plants and shrubs. They are among the first to respond to weather changes and the onset of autumn. They have three whole months ahead of them to prepare for winter and part with their main decorations - leaves. However, at first, the trees will certainly please everyone around with tints of color and frenzy of colors, and the fallen leaves will carefully cover the earth with their veil and protect its smallest inhabitants from severe frosts.

Autumn changes with trees and shrubs, the causes of these phenomena

In autumn, one of the most important changes in the life of trees and shrubs occurs: a change in the color of the foliage and leaf fall. Each of these phenomena helps them prepare for winter and survive such a harsh season.

For deciduous trees and shrubs, one of the main problems in the winter season is the lack of moisture, so in the fall all useful substances begin to accumulate in the roots and core, and the leaves fall off. Leaf fall helps not only to increase moisture reserves, but also to save them. The fact is that the leaves evaporate the liquid very strongly, which is very wasteful in winter. Coniferous trees, in turn, can afford to show off with needles in the cold season, since the evaporation of liquid from them is very slow.

Another reason for leaf fall is the high risk for branches to be broken under the pressure of a snow cap. If fluffy snow fell not only on the branches themselves, but also on their leaves, they would not withstand such a heavy burden.

In addition, many harmful substances accumulate in the leaves over time, which can only be eliminated during leaf fall.

One of the recently uncovered mysteries is the fact that deciduous trees placed in a warm environment, and therefore not in need of preparation for cold weather, also shed their leaves. This suggests that leaf fall is not so much associated with the change of seasons and preparation for winter, but is an important part of the life cycle of trees and shrubs.

Why do leaves change color in autumn?

With the onset of autumn, trees and shrubs decide to change the emerald color of their leaves to brighter and more unusual colors. At the same time, each tree has its own set of pigments - "paints". These changes are due to the fact that the leaves contain a special substance, chlorophyll, which converts light into nutrients and gives the foliage a green color. When a tree or shrub begins to store moisture, and it no longer reaches the emerald leaves, and the sunny day becomes much shorter, chlorophyll begins to break down into other pigments, which give the autumn world crimson and golden tones.

The brightness of autumn colors depends on the weather conditions. If the weather is sunny and relatively warm outside, then autumn leaves will be bright and colorful, and if it often rains, then brown or dull yellow.

How the leaves of different trees and shrubs change color in autumn

Autumn owes its riot of colors and their unearthly beauty to the fact that the foliage of all trees has different combinations of colors and shades. The most common purple color of the leaves. Maple and aspen can boast of crimson color. These trees are very beautiful in autumn.

Birch leaves become light yellow, and oak, ash, linden, hornbeam and hazel - brownish yellow.

Hazel (hazel)

Poplar quickly sheds its foliage, it is just beginning to gain yellowness and has already fallen.

Shrubs also delight with the variety and brightness of colors. Their foliage turns yellow, purple or red. Grape leaves (grape - shrub) acquire a unique dark purple color.

The leaves of barberry and cherry stand out against the general background with a crimson-red tint.

Barberry

From yellow to red, rowan leaves can be in autumn.

The leaves of the viburnum turn red along with the berries.

Euonymus dresses in purple clothes.

Red and purple shades of foliage determines the pigment anthocyanin. An interesting fact is that it is completely absent in the composition of the leaves and can only be formed under the influence of cold. This means that the colder the days, the more crimson the surrounding leafy world will be.

However, there are plants that, not only in autumn, but also in winter, retain their foliage and remain green. Thanks to such trees and shrubs, the winter landscape comes to life, and many animals and birds find their home in them. In the northern regions, such trees include trees: pine, spruce and cedar. To the south, the number of such plants is even greater. Among them, trees and shrubs are distinguished: juniper, myrtle, thuja, barberry, cypress, boxwood, mountain laurel, abelia.

Evergreen tree - spruce

Some deciduous shrubs also do not part with their emerald clothes. These include cranberries and cranberries. On Far East There is an interesting wild rosemary plant, the leaves of which do not change color in autumn, but curl up into a tube in autumn and fall off.

Why do the leaves fall, but there are no needles?

Leaves play an important role in the life of trees and shrubs. They help create and store nutrients, as well as accumulate mineral components. However, in winter, when there is an acute shortage of light, and, therefore, nutrition, the leaves only increase the consumption of useful components and cause excessive evaporation of moisture.

Coniferous plants, which most often grow in areas with a rather harsh climate, are in great need of nutrition, so they do not shed their needles that act as leaves. The needles are perfectly adapted to the cold. The needles contain a lot of chlorophyll pigment, which converts nutrients from light. In addition, they have a small area, which significantly reduces the evaporation from their surface of much-needed moisture in winter. From the cold, the needles are protected by a special wax coating, and thanks to the substance they contain, they do not freeze even in severe frosts. The air that the needles capture creates a kind of insulating layer around the tree.

The only coniferous plant that leaves its needles for the winter is larch. It appeared in ancient times, when summers were very hot and winters were incredibly frosty. This feature of the climate led to the fact that the larch began to shed its needles and it was not necessary to protect them from the cold.

Leaf fall, as a seasonal phenomenon, occurs for each plant at its own specific time. It depends on the type of tree, its age and climate.

First of all, poplar and oak part with their leaves, then the time of mountain ash comes. The apple tree is one of the last to shed its leaves, and even in winter, it may still have a few leaves.

Poplar leaf fall begins at the end of September, and by mid-October it completely ends. Young trees retain their foliage longer and turn yellow later.

Oak begins to lose its leaves in early September and completely loses its crown in a month. If frosts begin earlier, then leaf fall occurs much faster. Along with oak leaves, acorns also begin to crumble.

Mountain ash begins its leaf fall in early October and continues to delight with its pink leaves until November 1. It is believed that after the mountain ash parted with the last leaves, dank chilly days begin.

The leaves on the apple tree begin to turn golden by September 20. By the end of this month, leaf fall begins. The last leaves fall from the apple tree in the second half of October.

Evergreens and shrubs do not lose their foliage even with the onset of cold weather, as ordinary hardwoods do. Permanent leaf cover allows them to survive any weather and preserve the maximum supply of nutrients. Of course, such trees and shrubs renew their leaves, but this process occurs gradually and almost imperceptibly.

Evergreens do not shed all their leaves at once for several reasons. Firstly, then they do not have to spend large reserves of nutrients and energy to grow young leaves in the spring, and secondly, their constant presence ensures uninterrupted nutrition of the trunk and roots. Most often, evergreen trees and shrubs grow in areas with a mild and warm climate, where the weather is warm even in winter, however, they are also found in harsh climatic conditions. These plants are most common in tropical rainforests.

Evergreens such as cypresses, spruces, eucalyptus, some types of evergreen oaks, rhodendron can be found in a wide area from harsh Siberia to the forests of South America.

One of the most beautiful evergreens is the blue fan palm, which is native to California.

The Mediterranean oleander shrub is distinguished by an unusual appearance and a height of more than 3 meters.

Another evergreen shrub is the jasmine gardenia. Her homeland is China.

Autumn is one of the most beautiful and colorful seasons. Flashes of purple and golden leaves, preparing to cover the ground with a multi-colored carpet, coniferous trees piercing the first snow with their thin needles and evergreens, always pleasing to the eye, make the autumn world even more delightful and unforgettable. Nature is gradually preparing for winter and does not even suspect how fascinating these preparations are to the eye.

Already in the first September days on the trees clearly appear characteristics next time of the year. They are carried by the imminent autumn. Leaf fall for each type of tree occurs at its own time.

Features of leaf fall

Watching the trees, you involuntarily begin to think, and when does the leaf fall of the linden, mountain ash, apple tree and other plants end? Leaf fall is an uneven phenomenon, its duration is estimated at several weeks. Multi-colored foliage is in no hurry to leave the crown. Colorful leaves seem to reluctantly leave the branches one by one.

Abundant fall of foliage occurs at the end of September and the beginning of October (until the first decade expires). Leaves caught by the third and subsequent frosts fall off en masse. Dense leaf fall covers the ground with a motley carpet.

The leaves, flying vertically, gently fall to the ground, covering it with a thick bedding that saves the rhizomes from freezing. Slanting rushing leaves play bright gusty wind, having circled enough, they find a safe haven.

The beginning of leaf fall

The crowns of lindens begin to blaze with autumn colors long before the arrival of the first frost. In the last days of August, single strands are visible among the branches, painted in grayish-yellow tones. The proportion of colored leaves increases daily, the color palette becomes more intense. A noticeable gilding creeps on the crowns of lindens. And after 14-20 days, the foliage begins to burn with gold.

By this time, birches put on an ocher-yellow outfit. Foliage is reddening. Ash crowns shine with pale honey tones. Oak leaves are filled with brown colors. In the lacy crowns of mountain ash, pink leaves shine. And the wild rose bushes flash with a wine-red color scheme.

By the time the leaves of the linden fall, and this happens not earlier than September 23, the crowns of other trees are already actively exposed. The first leaves of birches, aspens, maples and hazel fell off on September 14th. Intense leaf fall in lindens is noted after the first frost piercing the air, which usually happens on September 27th.

First, lindens lose their leaves from large branches located below. Then the foliage crumbles from the middle of the crown. Tops of lindens are exposed last. In elms, ash and hazel, on the contrary, the upper branches are first exposed.

End of leaf fall

By October 7, lindens lose their last leaves. At that moment, when the leaf fall near the linden ends, together with the alder, they did not even think about exposing their dense crowns. Their leaves do not change color, they remain green until the first fluffy snow falls. Their foliage, seized by a strong frost, instantly turns black. It is difficult for crispy frozen leaves to stay on the branches, they quickly crumble to the ground.

By the time the leaf fall of the linden ends, the elm and bird cherry are completely bare. Their leaf fall ends by September 24th. Aspens are ahead of lindens, their leaf fall comes to an end on October 5th. Birch, maple and hazel are in no hurry to part with foliage. A few leaves are kept on them until October 15.

Natural phenomena during linden leaf fall

The period of leaf fall of lindens is accompanied by the arrival of cold fronts and night frosts. Cumulus clouds displaces a continuous veil and a grayish haze. Flocks of birds flying south appear in the sky. After September 27, the cranes stretch across the sky in a slender shoal in a southerly direction.

And when the leaf fall near the linden ends, the half-naked crowns of other trees blaze with the brightest contrasting colors. Rooks, huddled in friendly flocks, fly away to warmer climes. Snow dust swirls in the air. Falling snowflakes do not yet fall to the ground, do not powder its surface. Puddles twitching thin ice. Skies of dirty grayish shades, devoid of clouds, turn into a gloomy rain film.