Apple-tree Bellefleur-Chinese: a true classic of gardening

Description of the variety

As already mentioned, the Bellefleur-Chinese variety is the author's work of the outstanding Russian scientist, biologist and breeder I.V. Michurin. More than a century ago, in 1908, in the process of crossing the American variety "Yellow Bellefleur" and the well-known apples "Kitayka large-fruited", a relatively cold-resistant autumn-winter variety of apples turned out.

The apple tree of this variety is distinguished by its large size (up to 10 m in height), powerful branches and a wide rounded crown. The main branches of the tree are thick and highly branched, the fruits are located mainly on the branches and edges of the shoots. The color of the bark is brown with a reddish tint, the leaves are dark green with a grayish tint.

The leaf plates are large, rounded at the base, pointed at the apex, wrinkled from above, strongly pubescent below, serrated along the edge. The leaves grow at right angles to the branches. Their shape differs depending on the place of cultivation and climate. The leaf petioles are not very long (rather medium), thick and powerful, with stipules at the base.

Fruit

Bellefleur-Chinese apples are large (200-300 g), sometimes medium-sized. A young apple tree produces larger fruits. There are cases when apples of this variety reached very outstanding sizes (up to 500 g). As the tree ages, the fruits become smaller. The shape of the apples is slightly flattened, ribbed in length, the calyx is slightly closed, the saucer is small, folded.

The apple stalk is not long, sometimes it does not go beyond the edge of the funnel, the skin around the stalk is rusty. The seed nest is located close to the apex. The seeds are large, dark brown. The color of the fruit at removable maturity (in September) is greenish-yellow, during the ripening process the color of the peel turns white, and a bright blurry blush appears on one half of the fruit.

The pulp of apples is quite juicy, sweet and sour taste with an unusual, slightly spicy aftertaste. The consistency is dense, slightly grainy, with multiple subcutaneous punctures. Ripe apples have an excellent presentation, are well transported and retain their high taste for a long time.

Variety characteristics

Initially, the Bellefleur-Chinese variety was intended for the southern regions and the middle zone. But soon it was successfully zoned in some European countries with a temperate climate: Armenia, Ukraine, Belarus. In Russia, it is most common in the Central Black Earth Region, the Lower Volga Region, and the North Caucasus. In the south, the variety is considered late-summer, since apples ripen at the end of summer, and in the middle lane, apples ripen at the end of September, so there they are considered autumn.

This variety does not have high immunity to cold and disease, therefore, over time, it was replaced by more frost-resistant and adapted varieties. In a cold winter, the apple tree freezes easily, and in a damp climate it is affected by fungal diseases.In this regard, on an industrial scale, these trees are grown only in the regions of the North Caucasus.

The apple yield depends on the place of cultivation: in the middle lane it is average, in the south it is high. The variety is characterized by relatively late fruiting - a young apple tree begins to yield a harvest starting from 6–8 years of age, and up to 14–15 years of age its yield remains rather low, and increases only after 20 years. Then the annual harvest of the tree remains at about the same level.

The fruits are removed from the branches in the first half of September, but then they are not yet ready for use. The main value of the apples of this variety is their high taste, which are achieved 3-4 weeks after removal. Despite its large size, the fruits practically do not crumble, which is one of the advantages of this variety. Apples are stored in a cool, dry place (basement, cellar) separately from other fruits, as over time they begin to give off a characteristic aroma.

Planting of seedlings is carried out according to the usual scheme in spring or autumn. The apple tree of this variety prefers neutral fertile soil and good moisture.

The best way to grow fruiting apple trees is grafting, but a high percentage of seedlings is obtained by sowing seeds.

Care

After planting, young seedlings are lightly tied to a support (peg). After a while, when the soil has settled, the tree is tied up more firmly, usually with three pegs. Immediately after planting, the apple tree is watered abundantly, even if the soil is wet. Since the Bellefleur-Chinese apple tree loves moisture, the soil is mulched with sawdust, peat, wood chips to prevent drying out.

In hot climates, the trunks are whitewashed in the spring (treated with lime). This procedure prevents sunburn of the bark, which is very typical for this variety. To obtain high yields, it is necessary to regularly form a crown (cut off branches), and carry out preventive spraying against diseases. Fertilizing with potassium and phosphorus increases the resistance of apple trees to diseases, while nitrogen, on the contrary, increases the likelihood of infection.

Diseases and pests

It is no secret that the Bellefleur-Chinese variety has a very low resistance to diseases, especially fungal ones. Most often, the apple tree is affected by scab and powdery mildew, and the former affects fruits to a greater extent than leaves.

The main preventive measures are timely pruning and thinning of branches, treatment of trees with Bordeaux mixture, as well as sufficient distance between trees.

Powdery mildew (dense white coating on the leaves) appears in spring. If you do not take action in time, this plaque becomes brown, the leaf plates become thinner, curl and die. You can get rid of this fungus by spraying with fungicides, both long-proven (Bordeaux liquid) and more modern ("Zircon", "Healthy Garden"). New drugs have a complex effect on trees - they increase resistance to fungi and protect against harmful insects.

Like most fruit crops, apple trees are often attacked by pests. Aphids, spider mites lay their larvae under the leaves of a tree, from which whole colonies of insects, feeding on the sap of the leaves, then emerge. If you do not spray the crown in time, then the probability of foliage death is high, since pests multiply very quickly.

A no less dangerous pest is the sucker, an insect that damages the buds and flowers of the apple tree, which, of course, affects the yield. Pests such as apple moth and sawfly can significantly spoil the harvest. These caterpillars damage almost ripe fruits by making passages in them and laying their eggs there. You can protect yourself from them with insecticides at the stage of flowering and fruit formation.

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