Sweeping apple-trees: description of varieties, peculiarities of cultivation. The best apple varieties for Siberia and the Urals

To gather a rich harvest of apples in the conditions of Western Siberia and the Urals is quite problematic because of the severe climate in these regions. Tender and heat-loving trees often die from winter colds and recurrent frosts. Trees of standard size with a vertical crown are often zoned only for southern latitudes, so they do not take root in places where the temperature differs by sharp fluctuations. If such a variety does not perish, the fruits of it grow unsavory and small.

The best apple varieties for Siberia

In cool conditions, it is best to grow non-standard stunted creeping trees. They are not as productive as ordinary apple trees, but the unusual shape allows them to completely hide under the snow cover and not to freeze. The seedlings grow low over the soil in an inclined position, because the fruits can ripen more quickly, before the onset of frost. In addition, creeping apple trees look unusually, and the compact size of the crown simplifies harvesting. Collect apples manually, without using special tools.

The best apple varieties for Siberia and the Urals are Bayan, Altai Souvenir, Borovinka, Zheblovsky, Melba, Northern Sinap. These plants are most adapted to the conditions of regions with a cold climate. Melb's apple tree is a Canadian variety, characterized by large fruits that mature at the end of August. Apples of this variety are not stored for long, only for a month. Description, photos and reviews of the Borovinka apple tree indicate that this old variety is distinguished by its excellent winter hardiness and attractive, delicious fruits ripening in autumn. The period of their storage is twice that of Melba, 2 months.

Features of a low-apple tree

A low-bred apple with a horizontal crown was the result of experiments by gardeners in Siberia, who for a long time dreamed of creating a plant adapted to local conditions of growth. The height of the creeping apple tree usually does not exceed half a meter, and shoots, which are almost above the ground, bend under the weight of the fruit. Harvest from the bush can be obtained 3-4 years after planting. The average life expectancy of creeping apple varieties is about 50 years. The shaded trees are not a specific variety, but a group of plants, the crown of which is specially formed as a result of the painstaking work of agronomists.

From any variety you can make creeping. But the feeding of stans should be made more often than standard trees. In winter, the seedlings are bent to the ground, so that about 5 cm remains to the surface of the soil, they are covered with lapnik, humus and other materials. If in the spring the snow melted, you need to sketch over the trees an additional layer, and after the thaw, on the contrary, in time to release the plants from the shelter.

How to choose the right seedling

Apples in creeping forms may have a different maturation period, but one should carefully consider the selection of seedlings, selecting the most suitable apple trees for the Urals and Siberia. It is recommended to use the local wildfowl as a rootstock, and to make a graft from any variety you like. Plants with similar characteristics are most often sold in nurseries. Judging by the description, photos and reviews of the Borovinka apple tree, it is well suited to scion and is widely used in these regions. Buying an apple tree, it is better to give preference to plants with a developed root system, fresh foliage and a thick stem.

Soil preparation for apple trees

As seedlings, one-year-old trees with a fibrous root system are used. The diameter of the trunk should be about 1 cm. The roots are kept in a moist state, placing them in a ground bolt. In case of a group planting, the distance between the crawling apple trees should be at least 4 meters from each other. The landing site is chosen protected from drafts so that snow in winter is not blown away by the wind. The best harvest can be obtained by growing an apple tree on a turf ground.

The top layers of the soil must be fertile, because the tree receives the food from them. It is advisable to avoid wet places, because overmoistening of the root system leads to its decay. Planting pit is prepared in advance, conducting standard pre-plant work. The optimal time for disembarkation is the beginning of spring, when the buds in the trees have not yet blossomed, or late autumn, two weeks before the onset of frost.

Planting a short apple tree

The pit is dug shallow, but wide, and fill it with nutrient soil to 2/3 of the height. The soil is mixed with mineral fertilizers and humus, making a mound in the form of a cone. Planting of stans has some features: the seedling should be placed in the pit not vertically, but at an angle of 35 degrees. The top is turned to the south side. To save a young apple tree from breakage at a bend it is possible, if to turn a place of the thorn cut out on a stockade to a surface of the earth. The root neck can not be buried or planted on too small a depth. It will be enough 5 cm above the soil level, otherwise there will be a lot of growth around the rootstock, and it will have to be cut out regularly. Excessive penetration leads to waterlogging of the root neck and can cause it to rot.

Roots during planting should be carefully spread and distributed along the embankment inside the pit, then covered with soil and compacted. Sapling abundantly watered. One tree will require 2-3 buckets of water. Then the soil around is mulched using peat crumb, humus or manure. Under the southern side of the young apple tree, a bundle of straw or grass is placed to prevent burns on the bark. When planting in late autumn, annual saplings should be bent to the ground and fixed with hooks so that they do not freeze in winter.

Correct formation of a crouched apple tree

The most common methods of forming stans are the Arctic and melon. In the Arctic variant, the branches of the seedlings are bent in different directions, in the melon plant - they are arranged in the form of a fan. Such forms of adult apple trees occupy a large area, so to save space, the formation of a two-bladed stellite is used. Before the beginning of the bending process, in early spring, all trees are freed from covering material and cut the crown by one-third of the annual increment. In June, the formation of the crown begins.

The tree is gently bent, holding the place of grafting so that the trunk does not break. Before forming a creeping apple tree, it is fixed with wooden hooks. To protect the seedlings from burns, bend it to the soil surface so that it remains 5-6 cm up to it. It is necessary to make sure that the base of the trunk does not bend, otherwise the tree will not develop well. The lateral parts of the trunk are sent to the sides and fixed by means of hooks. Skeletal branches are bent and twisted slightly so that when forming they do not break. By the middle of autumn the raised shoots are also fixed with hooks.

Before the onset of winter cold, young plants plant the soil to protect them from freezing. Next year, when the snow comes down, the trunk is dug out a little, and the hooks are removed. In August, the formation of skeletal shoots of the stellite continues, because they are at this moment the most flexible. Branches are sent to the sides and pinned.

In the process, the broken and withered branches are removed, the crown is thinned in early spring, so that there is no excessive shading, then the kidneys develop better. All shoots should be illuminated and correctly directed, as the tree is located at the very ground. If a branch interferes with the development of the crown, it is plucked over the fourth sheet to turn it into a fruit tree. When it grows, the process should be repeated. Adult creeping apple trees before the onset of colds should be 25 cm above the surface of the soil, otherwise the crown will freeze if snow is not enough.

Care of the crown of the stans

A properly formed skeleton is obtained when the shoots of an adult tree do not rise higher. Every year, young branches are fastened to the ground before wintering, and in summer they carry out sanitary pruning. Before cutting the crawling apple tree, it is necessary to prepare a sharp tool and a garden var to coat the spilts. In August, the tops are plucked to stop the growth of branches and the bark had time to stiffen before the onset of cold weather. The full crown is formed 5-6 years after planting. The most important thing is to hold all the events every year. This is a time-consuming process, but otherwise the apple tree will cease to spread and become an ordinary tree.

This form is not natural for a plant, because it will tend to grow vertically and build up tops. It is possible to form creeping trees including directly. For this, one-year-old sapling is cut in the early spring on the fifth kidney, leaving a stump no more than 15 cm in height. Summer shoots are sent to the sides and pins at a distance of 7 cm from each other. The subsequent process of forming the crown repeats the usual method. The strongest branching causes shortening of the trunk by 1/3 of the height. But this option is rarely used by experienced gardeners.

Care of the apple tree

How to care for creeping apple trees? Branches of stans during fruiting should preferably be supported using trellises. This will help to avoid damage to crops and decay of apples. The fruit from the tree is removed manually with the peduncle, trying not to damage the fruit buds, and carefully lowered into a box or a collection basket. For long-term storage, you should try not to spoil the wax coating on the peel. It helps the apples stay fresh and protects them from drying out.

Preparing the apple tree for the winter

Apple trees for the Urals require shelter for the winter. To do this, they are milled with a layer of mulch and fertile soil 10 cm high. You can cover the crown of the tree with lapnik, dry grass and foliage or other materials. Plants must be protected from rodents, wrapping their trunks with capron or placing traps with poisonous bait. The poison should be removed in the spring so that birds do not stick it together.

One of the options for shelter for the creeping apple tree:

• Support all skeletal shoots with supports so that they do not bend from the weight of the material;
• Cover the tree with a dense cloth, for example burlap;
• Fill the edges of the perimeter with ground;
• Place a thick layer of insulation material over the burlap;
• Protect the surface from getting wet with an oilcloth;
• Fix the frame with boards, sprinkle with soil.

Trees need a whitewash of the trunk, which takes place before the shelter for the winter. This will eliminate burns from the bright spring sun. You can not remove shelter too early, otherwise the apple trees will freeze if frost returns. Young trees are very sensitive to sharp temperature changes, therefore protection is removed gradually.

Sanitary pruning and care of the crown

Crown seedlings need to be thin regularly, this greatly affects the fruiting.

Effects of irregular pruning:

• Spread of diseases and pests;
• Fruiting in late terms;
• Low taste of apples;
• Loss of form, grinding fruit.

Lighten the crown and remove excess shoots every year. Such treatment rejuvenates the tree and stimulates its development. With abundant flowering during the first fruiting, the thinning of the ovaries is required, since a young plant can not withstand an abundant harvest.

Diseases and pests of stans

Preventive treatment of creeping apple trees differs from that of conventional ones. The spruce grove should be regularly cleaned of weeds and weeds to facilitate air access to the roots and not to take nutrients from plants. It is advisable to regularly mulch the soil around so that weedy grass does not spread. The easiest way is to process trees with a double-breasted crown, when the branches of the stain are pointed in two directions. This greatly facilitates the work with adult apple trees of large size. Pests undersized plants are damaged less often than others, since insects prefer to lay larvae at a height.

One of the most common diseases of apple trees is the scab of leaves and fruits. It manifests itself in the form of black dots on fruits and sooty plaque on the foliage. Infection quickly develops in wet years, especially on heavily thickened trees, where regular pruning of the crown is not carried out. The fruits of the affected tree begin to rot and the leaves to crumble. Treat the disease followed by special chemical preparations. For prevention use Bordeaux fluid, regularly spraying it with plants. It is very important to regularly burn fallen leaves and fruits. Apple trees with strong immunity do not get scab, even if the spores of this fungus attach to the leaves.

Another common disease - moniliosis. It is expressed in the rot of fruit, foliage and shoots. In young trees, the manifestation of infection can be the sharp blackening of skeletal shoots. Therefore, it is important to remove them in time, treating the cut and other cracks on the bark with a garden vine. For the prevention should regularly destroy the damaged, as well as fallen fruit.