Description and characteristics of the apple variety Solntsedar
Content
Short description
The "Solntsedar" apple variety was bred artificially at the experimental gardening station in Sverdlovsk, as a result of free pollination of the "Anis scarlet" apple tree. The resulting seedling has undergone many hardening, as a result of which it has acquired a stable immunity to cold and temperature extremes.
The apple tree of this variety is very attractive in appearance. An adult tree is not tall, with a rounded, dense, somewhat thickened crown, which with age becomes more spreading and drooping to the ground. During the ripening period, when many bright, red-sided apples are literally scattered over the green foliage, the apple tree looks very picturesque and gives a special charm to the summer garden, moreover, no special care for this beauty is required.
The trunk and main branches of the apple tree are dark brown, young shoots are less intensely colored, but very pubescent. The branches are round in cross section, in relation to the trunk are located at a wide angle. Leaves are medium in size, slightly glossy above, dark green, with a barely noticeable bluish tint, below - grayish, well pubescent. The leaf plates are slightly serrated, narrowed towards the apex and rounded at the base, at right angles to the branches. The petioles are short and dense, with several small stipules.
The apple tree blooms with large white, pinkish flowers along the edge. Fruits are medium (120–150 g) in size, regular round, slightly truncated, occasionally weak ribbing may be present. The peel of apples is smooth, shiny, slightly covered with a bluish bloom. In full maturity, it has a creamy, yellow, sometimes greenish color with an intense blurred blush on one side of the fruit. Large subcutaneous dots are often visible under the skin.
The pulp is no less attractive than the fruit. It is snow-white, with pronounced red veins, coarse-grained, very juicy, sweet and sour taste (sugar content 10.2%), sometimes slightly tart, with a characteristic aftertaste of sweet wine. This variety of apples is used mainly fresh, but you can also make jam, jam, jams and other preparations from them.
Characteristic
The variety is included in the State Register for the Ural and Volga-Vyatka regions, where it is currently the most popular. Soon its merits were appreciated by gardeners of the Volga region and other nearby regions, thanks to which apple trees began to be widely distributed and cultivated. Of course, these apples grow well in the Urals, but the ideal conditions for their cultivation are considered to be a continental climate with warm summers and long autumn.
As already mentioned, the "Solntsedar" apple tree is very winter-hardy, since its prototypes have been hardened in an area with a harsh climate. But, despite this, the variety is susceptible to various fungal diseases, especially scab. To get a high yield, planting an apple tree of this variety should be carried out in a sunny place. In addition, the tree should be regularly treated with antifungal drugs - this is preventive maintenance.
Apples "Solntsedar" are summer varieties. Their ripening begins at the beginning of August, but the fruits ripen not simultaneously, but in 2-3 stages, thereby prolonging the pleasure of consumers. It is for this quality that many gardeners plant this particular variety. Plucked apples are stored for a short time - 2–4 weeks. After this period, the pulp loses its juiciness, becomes loose and tasteless. Harvesting is also not worth delaying, since ripe fruits quickly fall off the apple tree and deteriorate.
The yield of the variety is high - one apple tree is capable of bearing up to 80 kg of fruit. However, to achieve such abundant fruiting, you should wait 7-8 years. Young apple trees begin to bear fruit at 3-4 years of age, but the first few years, their yield is rather low. A significant disadvantage of the variety is the periodic fruiting of old trees.
Flowering apple trees need cross-pollination. It is desirable that an aniseed apple tree grow next to them, for example "Anis Sverdlovsky".
Planting of young seedlings is carried out in the spring (at the end of March). For planting, it is better to choose an open area, accessible to the sun, on which there were no fruit trees before. Since the variety is susceptible to fungal diseases, it is necessary to monitor the level of groundwater and soil moisture.
A seedling hole is dug a week before planting. The depth of the pit for an apple tree of this variety should be 50–70 cm, diameter - at least 0.5 m. 2-3 buckets of water are poured into the previously dug hole, mineral mixtures or organic (compost, humus) fertilizers are added. The planting itself is carried out according to the usual scheme, acceptable for any variety of apple trees.
Video "Apple tree Solntsedar"
See how the "Solntsedar" apple tree grows and bears fruit in a summer cottage.
Care
Competent tree care is the basis for high yields of any variety. If the landing is made in the right place, then further care consists in the following measures:
- in regular inspection of trees for damage and drying of branches;
- in the removal of diseased and dry branches, followed by healing of the cut sites;
- in regular feeding;
- in watering in the first year of life (in subsequent years, the apple tree needs watering only in abnormally hot conditions);
- in loosening the soil in the near-stem circles and in the aisles (many gardeners cover these areas of land with mulch in order to save themselves from the need for loosening, and thereby facilitate the care of the garden);
- in the whitewashing of trunks in spring and autumn - this measure is necessary to disinfect the bark and get rid of pests;
- in regular processing (spraying) of apple trees for diseases;
- in the formation of the crown.
Much attention should be paid to tree pruning. This variety differs in that the apple tree has a very dense crown, and if it is not thinned out, then real thickets are formed, which interfere with the normal ripening of the fruits, and very quickly lead to a decrease in yield.
The main pruning is carried out in the spring, before bud break, but if necessary, these activities can be carried out in late autumn, when the movement of juices stops.
Caring for apple trees also means regularly dealing with pests and diseases, especially fungal ones. This variety is most susceptible to diseases such as:
- scab (dark brown spots on foliage and fruits) - to combat it, the apple tree must be sprayed with a urea solution;
- powdery mildew (white or grayish bloom on leaves and fruits) - solutions of Bordeaux liquid, colloidal sulfur are used for processing;
- milky shine (white or silvery coating on the leaves) - in this case, the apple tree needs to be treated with a solution of soda ash;
- fruit rot - the fight against this disease is to prevent the spread of the disease (removal and destruction of diseased fruits).
Of the pests, the apple tree is most often attacked by insects such as apple moth, leaf roll, green aphid.Of course, they are not as harmful as fungal diseases, but they can pretty much spoil the appearance of the fruit and the tree itself. In this case, caring for the apple tree consists in treating the tree with insecticides (Karbofos, Enterobacterin, Bordeaux liquid) or available folk remedies.
Crown Formation Video
In this video, the head of the Sady Ural nursery shows how to properly form the crown of fruit trees for fruiting.