Apple trees - planting, cultivation and care, varieties and pruning from A to Z
Contents ✓
- ✓ APPLE VARIETIES - WHAT?
- ✓ SUMMER VARIETIES (EARLY) VARIETIES OF APPLE
- ✓ AUTUMN VARIETIES (MEDIUM RIPENING) VARIETIES APPLE
- ✓ WINTER VARIETIES (LATE RIPENING) VARIETIES APPLE
- ✓ COLUMN APPLE
- ✓ Varieties of Column-shaped Apple Trees
- ✓ SELECTION AND PLANTING OF APPLE SEEDLINGS
- ✓ LANDING OF YABLOI FERTILIZERS
- ✓ CUTTING APPLE
- ✓ APPLE FEEDING
- ✓ FIGHT AGAINST DISEASES AND PESTS OF APPLE
- ✓ FIGHT AGAINST PESTS OF APPLE
- ✓ PLANTING AND CARE OF APPLE TREES - TIPS AND SECRETS OF GARDENERS
- ✓ APPLE SEEDLING CARE - VIDEO
GROWING APPLE - VARIETIES, PRINTING AND CARE TIPS
This type of fruit tree, like the domestic apple tree, has become widespread, it is cultivated in many garden plots, as well as on an industrial scale to obtain delicious fruits. A large number of tales, songs, legends and fairy tales have been created about apples and apple trees.
The apple tree is a tree with a spreading crown, the height of which can vary from 2 to 5 m. There are two types of branches on the apple tree: elongated growth branches, and fertile ones - shortened, it is on them that flower buds are formed. The color of the flowers depends on the variety and can be pale pink, white or crimson. Pollination in flowers is cross, the apples themselves are formed from the lower ovary. On a garden plot, an apple tree can live up to 15 years. As a rule, the seedling begins to bear fruit at the age of four. The duration of the productive period of the apple tree is 100-40 years. Apple trees are resistant to cold weather, they are not afraid of frosts down to -50 °.
If you even have a small country house or a small summer cottage, then you already have the opportunity to plant a small apple tree sapling and watch how it grows and develops. Anyone who has ever tasted an apple plucked from a tree will never forget its taste and aroma. By growing an apple tree, you will receive a double reward: in the form of a harvest of delicious fruits and moral satisfaction from the admiring glances of your neighbors. And, of course, you will understand that apples from your garden are not at all like plastic mummies, like those that are sold in our stores: beautiful, the same size, but tasteless and odorless!
APPLE VARIETIES - WHAT?
Apple tree varieties can be divided into three categories according to the ripening period: early, middle and winter. So, when choosing seedlings, take into account their fruiting period. If you don't have storage space for your crop, then don't plant late varieties. Your desire to plant more is understandable, but imagine how many fruits an adult tree will give you and where will you put them later? Here are some of the most popular varieties.
SUMMER VARIETIES (EARLY) VARIETIES OF APPLE
White filling (Papirovka) - the most famous old variety of early ripening folk selection. The tree is medium-sized, winter-hardy, fruitful and fast-growing - it starts bearing fruit in the fourth year. You can get up to 170 kg of apples from one tree. Medium-sized fruits - about 90 g. White pulp, very juicy, sweet and sour taste. Fruit color is greenish-yellow, when fully ripe it is light yellow, almost transparent. The harvest ripens in August, apples can be stored for no more than two weeks.
Korobovka (Medunichka) - a very popular variety of folk selection. Zoned for the northwestern and southeastern zones of Russia. The tree is medium-sized, with a wide spherical crown. Fruits are medium-sized (30 - 50 g), flat-round, red-striped. The pulp is yellow, juicy, sweet with a pleasant honey aroma. Apples ripen at the end of August, their shelf life is about two months. The variety also differs in the frequency of fruiting, but with timely watering and feeding it will bear fruit annually. The tree begins to bear fruit in the sixth to seventh year after planting. In the early years, yields are small, but over the years, fruiting becomes more and more abundant.
Grushovka Moscow - another popular variety of folk selection. The tree is vigorous, with a dense crown. The fruits are slightly ribbed, weighing 60-90 g, similar in shape to a turnip, the color is yellow-green, becoming lighter as they ripen. The pulp is yellow-white, under the skin itself it can be pinkish, juicy, aromatic, with a pronounced sweet and sour taste. Begins fruiting in the fourth or fifth year, apples ripen in late August - early September, are stored for a month. The variety is winter hardy, but weakly resistant to scab, has a good regenerating ability.
Mantet - Canadian variety. The tree is medium-sized, with a sparse oval crown. Fruits weighing about 120 g, rounded-elongated, greenish-yellow in color with a bright red speckled blush. The pulp is creamy, the skin is pinkish, juicy, with a pleasant sweet and sour taste. The ripening period of the fruits falls on the end of August - the beginning of September, they are stored for only two to three weeks. The fruiting period begins after four to five years. The yield and winter hardiness of the variety are average, in wet years the tree is often affected by scab, but its main advantages are in early fruiting and high taste of fruits.
AUTUMN VARIETIES (MEDIUM RIPENING) VARIETIES APPLE
The Baltics - the variety was bred at the Leningrad fruit and vegetable station. The tree is vigorous, with a crown of medium density. Fruits weighing from 120 g, round, light yellow with a blurred red striped pattern. The pulp is dense, aromatic, white, juicy, with a pleasant dessert taste. Fruits ripen at the beginning of September, they are stored for about two months. The variety is winter-hardy, scab resistant. Regular fruiting begins in the fifth year, from one tree you can get up to 200 kg of apples.
Autumn striped (Streyfling) - a variety of the Baltic national selection, but very popular in Russia. The tree is vigorous, with a wide-rounded crown. The fruits are large (120 g), rounded-conical, slightly ribbed, have a speckled-striped blush. The pulp is white, very tender, sweet and sour taste. The fruits ripen in the second half of September and are stored for two to three months. Productivity and dessert qualities of fruits are very high, winter hardiness is average, but the tree has a very good ability to recover.
Melba - Canadian variety, but very popular in our country. The tree is vigorous, with a powerful rounded crown. Fruits are above average in size (110-180 g), round or rounded-conical in shape, yellowish color with a bright crimson blush and stripes. The pulp is snow-white, juicy, aromatic, very pleasant sweet and sour taste. Fruit ripening begins at the end of August, they can be stored for a month. The variety is winter-hardy, fast-growing, resistant to fungal diseases.
Tambov - the variety was bred in the All-Russian Research Institute of Horticulture. The tree is medium-sized, with a spreading crown. Fruits are large, weighing 130 - 170 g, oval-conical, pale green with a thick dark crimson blush. The pulp is snow-white, the skin itself may have a greenish tint, fine-grained, juicy with an original wine-sweet aftertaste. The fruits ripen in the first half of September, are stored for two to three months. Fruiting is irregular, begins in the fifth or seventh year. The winter hardiness of the variety is average, and its resistance to scab is weak.
September - a tall tree, with a pyramidal crown of medium density. Fruits are large, rounded-conical, one-dimensional, weighing 130 g, blurred red color. The pulp is juicy, yellowish, with a pleasant sweet and sour taste. The crop ripens in mid-September and can be stored for two months. The variety is winter-hardy, productive, relatively resistant to scab.
Bessemyanka Michurinskaya - the variety was bred by I. V. Michurin. The tree is vigorous, with a dense spreading crown. The fruits are quite large - 130 g, round or flat-round, greenish-yellow in color with orange-red stripes throughout the area. The pulp is yellow-green, very tender and juicy, with a pleasant dessert taste. The crop ripens in September and can be stored until December. The variety is fruitful, winter-hardy, scab resistant. Its only drawback is the uneven ripening of the fruit.
WINTER VARIETIES (LATE RIPENING) VARIETIES APPLE
Antonovka ordinary - the most common old variety of folk selection. The tree is vigorous, with a wide, rounded crown of medium density. Fruits are above average size (110-140 g), round-conical, ribbed, light yellow in color. The pulp is white, dense, aromatic, with a pleasant taste. The fruits ripen at the end of September and are stored until February. The tree begins to bear fruit in the fourth to fifth year after planting. The variety is very hardy and productive.
Welsey - the variety was bred in the USA. A tree of moderate growth, with a sparse crown. The fruits are large (140-160 g), rounded-conical, pale orange-yellow in color, covered with a blurry striped blush. The pulp is white, tender, sweet and sour. The fruits ripen at the end of September and are stored until February-March. The variety is fruitful, characterized by regular fruiting, highly winter-resistant and resistant to fungal diseases.
Now a huge amount of all kinds of planting material is being sold, including foreign selection. When choosing a seedling, pay attention to the Finnish varieties. They are frost-resistant enough and have good consumer properties.
Talvikaneli (Talvikaneli) Is a winter variety. The fruits are large, sweet with a slight cinnamon flavor, almost completely red in color. The pulp is firm, greenish-white. The fruits ripen at the end of September and can be stored until the New Year. Productivity is most often periodic, but fruiting is very abundant.
Winter hardiness and disease resistance are high.
Tobias (Tobias) - winter Finnish variety. The fruits are large, conical-comb-shaped, almost completely red in color or with red stripes. The taste of a ripe aromatic apple with a reddish flesh is very refined and sweet. Fruiting is regular, stored until December. Disease resistance is high.
Valtti (Valtti) - also a winter variety, one of the new ones. The fruit is medium or large in size, symmetrically regular, flat-spherical, not firmly attached to the tree. The tree is frost-resistant, resistant to diseases, durable, forms a thin flat crown with drooping branches, needs protection from the winds, enters the fruiting season very early, yields a regular and abundant crop. The fruits are stored for a long time.
COLUMN APPLE
Columnar apple trees grow up to only 2 m in height.
This compact plant is a real find for the gardener, because for such a baby you can always find a place even in the smallest area. This type has a lot of advantages, including: early maturity, yield, small size.
The agrotechnology of growing columnar crops is no different from the technology of caring for ordinary fruit plantings. Unless you need to feed them more often. Seedlings need regular watering, especially in the first year of life, in weeding along the perimeter of the root system, because they deplete the soil, taking the nutrients necessary for the tree from it. Due to the fact that the root system of columnar crops lies very close to the soil surface, loosening must be done very carefully so as not to damage it. To keep the grass less, the soil can be mulched with peat and cut grass.
The rules for planting columnar trees differ from those that apply when working with ordinary seedlings. First of all, they are planted quite densely: from 40 to 120 cm from each other. Typically, columnar trees are planted in rows. The distance between seedlings in a row is 40 cm, and between rows is 100 cm. This allows you to get a decent harvest of different varieties from a small area.
It is believed that planting seedlings of columnar crops is best in the fall, so that the root system will adapt well in a new place. Planting is done in the same way as when using conventional seedlings. Making a smaller planting pit is not entirely effective, since columnar apple and pear trees are intensely fruiting and the soil in which they grow is quickly depleted. Therefore, a well-filled planting pit is a guarantee of yield. Since the planting is carried out in the fall, it is very important to compact the soil well in the area of the root system so that no voids form there (otherwise the seedling will freeze in winter), and be sure to water it with water so that the soil settles more evenly. Spring planting is possible from mid-April to about mid-June.
Columnar apple and pear trees can bloom already in the year of planting, but the flowers must be cut off so that the tree gains strength and forms a strong root system. It should not be allowed to set fruit in the second year, but you can leave several ovaries. Then in the third season you will get a good harvest.
As usual, in the second half of summer, nitrogen fertilizers are not applied, so as not to provoke the growth of shoots that will not have time to ripen before winter. And most importantly, the top of the seedling will not have time to ripen, and in winter it will freeze, and this is very undesirable for a columnar tree. When the growth of the main stem is stopped, then in the spring two or three replacement increments will begin to form, but they will no longer grow vertically, but sideways. Then you will have to choose the strongest and most vertically oriented shoot (this must be done no later than the end of spring), and the rest should be removed.
The dead top of the tree will have to be cut off before the shoot, which will act as the main trunk. In this case, your tree, of course, will remain columnar, but outwardly it will look slightly one-sided. Therefore, it is better to protect the main stem from freezing.
For better maturation of the crown of the main shoot, it is necessary to shorten the four upper leaves by 2/3 in mid-August.
The health of the columnar fruit has to be monitored more carefully, since pests and diseases can cause them more harm than their tall counterparts.
Columnar trees do not need pruning, as you might have guessed. For the simple reason that there is nothing to trim. This, of course, is not about removing diseased shoots.
Varieties of Column-shaped Apple Trees
Columnar apple tree Dialogue - the tree is medium-sized, fast-growing, high-yielding, winter-hardy, resistant to diseases and pests. Fruits weighing 100 g, flattened, yellow. The pulp is white, juicy, sweet and sour, aromatic.
Columnar apple-tree Medoc - variety of late summer ripening, fast-growing, fruitful. Fruits are medium in size, weighing 100 - 250 g, light yellow, round in shape, ripen at the end of August and are stored for a month.
Resistance to pests and diseases is high, and winter hardiness is simply amazing - it can withstand frosts down to -40 °.
Columnar apple tree President - a variety of autumn ripening (harvesting begins in September). Fruits are medium-sized (140-250 g), whitish-yellow in color. The tree is very winter-hardy, practically not affected by diseases and pests.
Reference by topic: Column-shaped apple trees - for small plots and gardens
SELECTION AND PLANTING OF APPLE SEEDLINGS
A good seedling doesn't have to be large. Examine the roots carefully - they should not be dry and lifeless, or too much trimmed. Choose the shoot itself not thick and not long (up to 1 m), with a clean stem without signs of drying out (when the bark shrinks). In the spring, it should have live buds, and not dry leaves in the fall.
Nowadays, seedlings with a closed root system in containers are increasingly being sold. Such seedlings should also be carefully examined: gently touch the stem - if it is swinging. Seedlings in containers are much more expensive than those sold with an open root system, so you must be sure that you do not buy a seedling that was sold yesterday dug out, but today you planted it in a container, added a few hundred rubles to its price and sell it to you.
Saplings with open and closed root systems can also be different:
- seedling with an open root system without soil;
- a seedling with an open root system, dug out with a clod of earth;
- a seedling with an open root system, treated with a clay solution (talker);
- a container-grown seedling with a closed root system;
- a closed root seedling transplanted into a container prior to sale.
What are the risks when buying seedlings with one type of root system or another? A fully open root system dries quickly and thin roots die if they are not constantly moisturized and protected from the sun.
A seedling with a closed root system, dug out with a clod of earth, is more viable, but rare nurseries offer such a product.
When the roots are processed in a clay mash, the risk of drying out is much less, but in this case there are additional pitfalls. An unscrupulous seller can treat already practically dead seedlings in this way, because under a layer of clay you cannot see how the roots look - whether they are alive or already dead, and you risk buying an unviable seedling. When planting such a seedling, you must first soak the roots in water - at least a couple of hours.
A container grown seedling with a closed root system is the best buy. The plant, when transplanted into the garden, will experience less stress and will quickly acclimate to a new place.
See also: The experience of planting an apple tree with 100% survival rate - pros and cons
LANDING OF YABLOI FERTILIZERS
Apple trees can be planted both in autumn and spring. Since the sapling still needs to be looked after, summer residents who do not appear at their dacha in winter should choose a spring planting.
In autumn, seedlings should be planted a month before the onset of stable winter weather with frost. Planting holes for autumn planting should be prepared in two months so that the earth has time to settle, and for spring planting - from autumn. Why is it important for the earth to settle? The fact is that the root collar of the tree must necessarily be above the ground, in no case should it be buried. And when the soil is loose, the earth will settle, and the root collar will be below the ground level.
For fruit seedlings, a planting pit of 80x80x80 cm is prepared. Several buckets of humus, rotted manure or peat can be put into it, mix it all thoroughly, add ash and superphosphate.
Special attention is required when planting seedlings in clay soil. In such a soil, the planting hole should be made wider than usual, due to the fact that the root system of fruit trees in clay soil grows no longer in depth, but in width. A peg is driven into the center of the pit and fertile soil is poured. Inexperienced gardeners are always warned not to use fresh manure when planting seedlings, this may burn the roots. But if you approach the matter wisely, then you can bring in fresh manure. It can be laid at the very bottom of the planting pit with a layer about 20 cm thick, and covered with fertile soil on top. The most important thing is that at this stage the roots do not touch the fresh manure!
And the next year, the manure will be overwhelmed, and let the roots take nutrients from it.
Before planting an apple tree seedling, you need to soak its roots in water for at least a couple of hours. To improve the survival rate, there is a technique: you need to take soil, mullein, dilute them with water to the consistency of thick sour cream, add a root formation stimulator and, dipping the plant roots into this mixture, immediately plant the seedling in the garden. Instead of earth, you can take clay - it has the best binding ability. It is best to plant a seedling late in the evening, when there are no more scorching rays of the sun, or early in the morning. And if the weather is warm, sunny, at first it is better to shade them.
Apple trees tend to bear fruit periodically (after a year). This is because the tree lacks nutrients. But if you regularly apply fertilizers, then fruiting will be annual and abundant.
Both the apple tree and the pear tree love fertile, neutral soil. They benefit from the introduction of potash fertilizers, although the pear prefers a little more phosphorus than potassium.
CUTTING APPLE
In young trees, formative pruning is carried out to create a strong and non-thickened crown. Regulatory pruning is done in apple and pear trees that have entered the season of fruiting, in order to slightly restrict the growth of trees and direct their forces to the setting of fruit buds. Old fruit trees practically do not grow, and their fruits are small, and they bear fruit irregularly. To improve the situation, it is necessary to carry out anti-aging pruning, and then restore the crown (restorative pruning). Sanitary pruning is required for fruit trees at any age, because it helps to get rid of dry, broken, sick or lagging shoots.
APPLE FEEDING
Starting from the second year after planting, the seedling needs nutrients to stimulate shoot growth and root development. In the spring, you need to do nitrogen fertilizing. They should be introduced along the entire perimeter of the location of the root system.
On average, 1 sq. m of soil is covered with 5-10 kg of compost (humus) or manure, 30-50 g of superphosphate, 20-30 g of potassium chloride and 10-15 g of urea. In young orchards just beginning to bear fruit, nitrogen fertilizing is used in the spring and after flowering.
Apple trees need both macronutrients - nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, iron, sulfur - and microelements, which, although in small quantities, are required for full development: copper, manganese, molybdenum, boron, cobalt. But
most often the soil lacks nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Nutrients of the apple tree are absorbed only in dissolved form - that is, with the participation of water. Therefore, top dressing is best applied either before the rain, or provide abundant watering after fertilization.
In hot weather, it is better not to fertilize, and if you fertilize the plant, then you need to water it very well, and not only on the day of fertilization, but also then, so that the roots can assimilate nutrients.
For mature trees, fertilization in multilevel grooves gives a good effect. The fact is that as you move away from the trunk, the roots lie deeper and deeper. Therefore, we make the first groove, which will be closer to the tree trunk, smaller (10 - 15 cm), the second - already deeper (at least 20 cm deep), and the third - by about 40 cm.
See also: Growing columnar apple trees - planting and care. Professional Tips
FIGHT AGAINST DISEASES AND PESTS OF APPLE
The most common disease of apple trees is scab; there are also powdery mildew, fruit rot, cytosporosis, black cancer, bacteriosis and rust.
APPLE PARCH
It manifests itself most aggressively in wet years. At first, weakly expressed brown spots appear on the leaves, then they increase, the leaves dry up and fall off. The fruits stop growing, black spots and cracks appear on them.
Overwintered leaves can be a source of infection. In the spring, spores of the fungus ripen on fallen leaves and on fruits not harvested from under the trees, which subsequently fall first on the lower leaves of the apple tree, and then spread throughout the tree.
The first treatment is carried out in the spring, in the phase of leaf blooming, with a solution of a systemic fungicide. The second treatment (after flowering) using a solution of colloidal sulfur or preparations with copper oxychloride. Prevention is a reliable barrier. In the fall, you need to remove all the foliage from under the apple trees and punch it. Do not allow the crown of the fruit tree to thicken, cutting out all unnecessary shoots in time. In early spring, it is necessary to spray with a solution of copper sulfate (25-50 g per 5 L of water), and then twice more (before the beginning of the growing season and after the appearance of leaves), treat the plants with a solution of iron sulfate (250 g per 5 L of water).
Mealy dew of the apple tree.
A white bloom (mycelium) appears at the ends of young shoots, at first it is easily erased if you rub the leaf with your fingers, and then it becomes denser, brown in color, black dots are clearly visible on the surface of the leaf - the fruiting bodies of the fungus. The pathogenic fungus hibernates in damaged kidneys.
When plants enter the phase of intensive growth and the first signs of disease appear, the apple tree is treated with systemic preparations of preventive and therapeutic action (1 ampoule per 10 liters of water). After flowering, it is necessary to sprinkle with copper-containing agents. Treatment of plants with solutions of colloidal sulfur is effective. If we take 70% paste, then we dissolve 80 g in 10 liters of water, and 35% paste should be taken more - 100 g per 10 liters of water. The first treatment is carried out during bud break, and the next two - every two weeks. In autumn, after harvesting, it is necessary to spray the garden with 1% Bordeaux mixture, burn the fallen leaves.
FRUIT ROT (MONILIOSIS) OF APPLE.
It is found as often as scab. A small brown speck appears on the fruit, which quickly grows, covering almost the entire surface of the apple, then the fruit is covered with small yellowish tubercles in the form of concentric circles - these are fungal spores.
The most important thing is not to leave fallen apples under the fruit trees, especially those affected by moniliosis, and to remove the affected fruits from the branches. This is best done in the fall.
Together with fruit rot, a monilial burn is often found in gardens: flowers darken and dry up, fruit twigs, young shoots and unripe fruits are affected.
Chemical measures to combat this disease are similar to those used to combat scab.
Effectively prophylactic spraying with a microbiological preparation designed to protect plants from fungal and bacterial diseases. You can use an infusion of iodine (10 ml per 10 l of water), spraying must be repeated three times at intervals of three days.
CYTOSPOROSIS
It manifests itself in the form of drying out of individual sections of the bark or even whole branches when the shoot is ringed. The affected area differs sharply from the healthy bark: rough points are formed on it, in which the spores of the fungus are located, the color changes to red-brown, and when trying to separate a piece of the bark, it begins to grind.
Fruit trees must be cut in a timely manner, and most importantly, correctly cut, the necessary nutrients and trace elements, especially phosphorus and potassium, must be applied, protected from frost and bright spring sun, so that there are no frosts and sunburns. To do this, apply autumn and spring whitewashing with a lime solution, which is made as follows: 2-3 kg of lime, 300 g of copper or iron sulfate, 1 kg of clay per 10 liters of water.
APPLE BACTERIOSIS
It appears in spring: young leaves at the ends of the shoots begin to darken, then this darkening passes to the petiole and stem. To save a damaged tree, the affected areas must be removed immediately by cutting them out with a piece of healthy timber. Disinfect the sections with a 3% solution of iron or copper sulfate; it is also desirable to disinfect the instrument with a 1% formalin solution. Burn the cut branches.
Against bacteriosis, spraying with 1% Bordeaux mixture can be carried out during the period of bud swelling, then after flowering and the last treatment - in the fall, when leaf fall begins. Good results are obtained by treating plants with biofungicides.
FIGHT AGAINST PESTS OF APPLE
Trapping belts are the simplest insect pest traps, but they are quite effective.
The hunting belt is a wide strip (about 20 - 25 cm) made of improvised material (burlap, paper, film), which is attached to the tree trunk and serves to collect pests. Traps are most effective against insects that descend to the ground to pupate, and after this process they rise up again for further life. They help well in the fight against the apple and pear caterpillar, plum moth, beetle, goose, cherry weevil, gray bud weevil, apple flower beetle.
We fasten ready-to-use wide strips on trees approximately 40-50 cm above the ground. Periodically, trapping belts must be cleaned of pests, if there are a lot of them, then it is better to burn this belt and make a new one.
PLANTING AND CARE OF APPLE TREES - TIPS AND SECRETS OF GARDENERS
ALL ABOUT PLANTING APPLE TREES
Please tell us about the intricacies of planting an apple tree.
Irina Primorsky kr.
Answered by Nikolai Rogovtsov, agronomist
An apple tree is planted for many decades. It is considered the most unpretentious fruit tree; it can grow and bear fruit on soils of any texture, both in sunny and shaded places. But the best soils are light and medium loamy, with well-permeable subsoil or sandy loamy, rich in humus. It is undesirable to place trees on heavy loams. Soils that are too acidic or alkaline are unsuitable. The apple tree does not like low places and hollows where cold air accumulates. The optimal level of groundwater is no closer than 1,5-2 m from the surface. With their closer occurrence, trees are planted on artificial hills or ridges.
An apple tree in small garden plots is usually placed along the northern, northeastern side, retreating from the border of the neighboring plot by 2-3 m. In this case, it does not obscure other crops. The distance between trees of vigorous varieties is 4-6 m, medium-sized ones - 3 m, undersized (on dwarf rootstocks) -1,5 m.
The best planting dates in regions with mild winters are in autumn 3-4 weeks before the soil freezes, and in cold climates in early spring.
Planting holes are dug in advance. For autumn planting, they are prepared in 1,5-2 weeks, and for spring planting - in autumn, since in spring the soil will still be frozen during planting. For tall apple trees, the pits should be 1,2-1,5 m in diameter and 0,6 m deep; for medium-sized -1,0 and 0,5 m, respectively. For apple trees on dwarf rootstocks - with a diameter of 0,8-0,9 m and a depth of 0,4 m. In low places and with dense subsoils, pits are dug no deeper than 0,3-0,5 m so that water does not accumulate in them. After digging, the bottom of the pit is dug up to a depth of 20-25 cm or loosened with a crowbar.
A stake is driven in the center of the pit, 2/3 of the depth is filled with fertile soil of the upper layer, taken out during digging and mixed with a certain amount of fertilizer, and a layer of fertile soil without fertilizer is poured on top. As the pit is filled, the soil in the middle and especially along the edges is trampled down several times. A fertile mixture and soil without fertilizers are poured so that a mound forms in the center.
Approximate doses of fertilizers for one planting pit: 2-3 buckets of rotted manure, humus or compost, 150-200 g of superphosphate, 100-150 g of potash fertilizers or 1 kg of wood ash. If the soil is acidic in the area, add another 500-800 g of dolomite flour.
A seedling is placed on the mound on the north side of the stake at a distance of 3-5 cm from it so that the root neck (or the place of grafting on clonal stocks) is 5-7 cm above the edges of the pit. This is necessary so that after the soil settles in the pit, the root neck is at the level of the soil surface.
FOR THE NOTICE
The root collar is the boundary between the root system and the ground part of the seedling. Sometimes the grafting site is mistaken for the root collar if it is 8-10 cm higher than the root collar. Then, as a result of improper planting, the root collar will be deepened and the seedling may die.
The roots of the seedling are carefully spread over the mound so that they do not bend, and evenly covered with fertile soil without fertilizers. If it is not enough, they are taken from the aisles. At the same time, the tree is shaken several times so that the gaps between the roots are better filled with earth. As the pit fills, the soil is compacted with the foot of the foot: weaker near the stem, stronger along the edges of the pit. After the pit is completely backfilled, a roller of earth 10 cm high is poured along its edge to water the seedling. To do this, use the soil taken out of the lower layer when digging a hole. Its remains are evenly scattered over the surface of the site. After the seedling is tied up and watered.
See also: Varieties of apples with red flesh - surprise neighbors
APPLE SEEDLING CARE - VIDEO
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- Intensive apple trees - varieties
- How to grow a rooted apple tree - my way and reviews
- Sorts of the sweetest apples and recipes from them (photo, title and description)
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- Retroviral adult apple trees (+ photo)
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- American apple varieties (selection of the USA) - photo + name + description
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Having received a summer cottage, we, the indigenous townspeople, did not know how to do anything - neither cultivate the land, nor plant, nor grow. We started by bringing humus, and then everything got better - we were taught, we studied.
After some time, garden crops began to grow well, especially cucumbers, tomatoes, and peppers. But nothing came of planting the garden. So much money wasted! We buy seedlings, plant them, take care of them - but they don’t take root: they either freeze, or get sick, or someone breaks them... In general, we have no experience or knowledge, and for five years we had no trees except cherries. In the spring I again buy seedlings from my grandfather and complain to him that I want to have a garden, but I have no mind and no garden. Grandfather sympathized and told us a little about how to plant a garden, how to properly place trees in the sun, and what to put under a seedling so that it grows healthy and strong.
That the hole for the tree needs to be dug deeper, 30-40 centimeters from the roots. And pour... a bucket of oats into the bottom! Sprinkle the oats with a layer of soil (10 cm) on top, then plant the seedling tree as expected and water once when planting.
The first three apple trees I planted this way were Jonathan, McIntosh and Snow Calvil. And the miracle happened! The apple trees produced a harvest the second year.
Several years have passed, and we have a beautiful garden - apple trees, apricots, nuts, plums, cherries, cherries. Apple trees give birth every year (neighbors' - every other year), and the harvest is stable. From a distance everything looks red with apples!
And the Pineapple apricot gave a harvest in the second year after planting. The fruits are large and also red-sided, visible from afar - they sparkle with gold. All the neighbors ask for clothespins and are jealous.
And there is only one secret: a bucket of oats.
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The apple tree was planted this fall (several branches leave the table). Should I trim it at the end of winter? Or let her grow as she pleases?
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- If you want to get a compact tree of small stature, then early spring pruning is required. It is enough to shorten the conductor (central shoot) by 10-20 cm. The lateral shoots must be subordinated to the conductor, cutting them off by a third.
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Which of the stems of the apple tree (planted in 2018) is best cut when shaping (see photo)? It seems to me that it is better to remove the right barrel. But I doubt not to remove the vaccination site ...
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- Only the trunk that has grown below the inoculation should be cut unambiguously. Unfortunately, the photo does not show the vaccination site. Therefore, I advise you to dig up the soil a little and find the place of grafting accretion near the stem. After that, feel free to cut out the extra trunk (in early spring). Just do not forget to cover it at the end of the work with garden varnish or paint.
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An apple tree and a mulberry tree have grown at the very border of our site. The neighbors do not like the fact that parts of the crowns of plants every year more and more capture their territory. And we feel sorry for cutting down trees. Is it possible to cut them in one plane so that all branches are parallel to the fence and on our land? Loss in the crop doesn't bother me.
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- To prevent the crowns from hanging over the neighbors' plot, cut off the branches from their side every year. At the same time, do not forget to form and thin out the crowns from your side. It is better to do this in early spring before the buds swell.
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In the spring we want to plant an apple tree in the place where the old red currant grew three years ago. The bush was always sick, and there were enough pests. What is the best way to disinfect the soil now?
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- The best way to disinfect the soil is to uproot the old currant bush and burn it, and not plant anything in this place for the next 3-4 years.
The soils of the northwestern part of Russia, as a rule, do not have high fertility. Therefore, for planting in the fall, dig holes with a diameter of at least 1 m and a depth of 80-100 cm.Scatter the selected soil over the garden area, and fill the holes themselves with a pre-prepared nutrient mixture of the top layer soil, rotted manure, peat, compost (2: 2: 2 :1). In the spring, after the ground thaws, you just have to dig a small hole and plant a seedling.
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At the dacha, between the old apple trees, we put a canopy under which we tea. We trample the earth during the season. It is completely dry as a stone. I'm afraid the apple trees are suffering. But when watering near-trunk circles, everything around turns to mud. Maybe you should dig in the old leaky hoses to a depth of 10-15 cm in order to water the apple trees through them?
Nikolay Parkhomov, Moscow region
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- Do not worry: the root system of old apple trees has long gone into the lower layers of the soil, in which there is enough moisture.
My advice to you: in the fall, when weather conditions no longer allow you to tea, dig up the soil in the trunks under the crowns of apple trees, water well (200-300 liters of water) and mulch with organic matter (about 50 kg of humus per tree).