Choosing the best apple varieties for the Moscow region

What varieties are worth planting

In recent years, many varieties have been bred that are resistant to sudden changes in temperature, various diseases and cold. All of them can be successfully grown in the gardens of the Moscow region, both on an industrial scale and in private households.

To provide yourself with healthy fruits all year round, you should plant several varieties of different ripening periods.

If the area of ​​the garden allows, then the following ratio of apple trees is recommended:

• winter - 50%;
• autumn - 30%;
• summer - 20%.

Each of these varieties has its own characteristics:

• winter apples ripen in late autumn, are removed from the tree in incomplete maturity and are safely stored in a cool place until spring, without losing their taste and vitamins;
• autumn ones ripen in late summer - early autumn, they are not stored as long as winter ones, but they are distinguished by excellent taste and amazing apple aroma;
• summer fruits ripen early (mid-July - early August), have a very juicy and sweet pulp, but their storage period is very short - 3-4 weeks.

However, the ripening period is not the main criterion by which to choose apple trees for the Moscow region. The following characteristics are much more important for this region:

• Frost resistance. In principle, an apple tree is able to withstand frosts of -20 ° C. But do not forget that in the regions of the Moscow region, the winter temperature often drops to -30 ° C, and therefore the varieties for this territory must have high cold resistance.
• Resistance to various diseases. The culture is often exposed to fungal infections: scab, powdery mildew, cytosporosis. And since summer in the central zone is humid and cloudy, which is a favorable condition for the development of diseases, apple trees for the Moscow region should have high immunity to these fungi.
• Early fruiting (early onset of fruiting). Any gardener seeks to choose varieties for his garden that give the first harvest 2-3 years after planting a seedling.
• The frequency of fruiting. Most apple trees are capable of producing a high yield every 2 years, but thanks to the hard work of breeders, new varieties are regularly bred, differing in more regular (annual) fruiting.

This raises the question: how to choose a variety that has all these qualities? The answer is quite simple - you need to grow columnar apple trees. In recent years, these fruit trees have become very popular, and for good reason.

Columnar hybrids are quite resistant to disease and cold. They are high-yielding (the columnar apple tree is literally hung with fruits). And what significantly distinguishes them from standard trees is their high decorative value and compactness.

Columnar apple trees are miniature standard trees 2–2.5 meters high with a very compact (up to 0.5 m) crown. They do not have side branches, and the fruits are densely located on the main trunk.All columnar types of culture are early-growing - their fruiting begins at 2-4 years of age, however, they give high yields only for the first time 10-15 years, and then their yield drops sharply.

Columnar apple trees, like ordinary ones, are very diverse. Conditionally, they can be combined into two main types: dwarf and semi-dwarf. The former are ideal for creating a garden in a small area, since they can be planted at a distance of 1.5 m. As already mentioned, such columnar trees are highly productive: one 2-meter columnar apple tree can bear 6-12 kg of fairly large fruits ...

It is not easy to acquire good seedlings of such apple trees. To buy, you should choose a special nursery with a good reputation, since only a nursery is able to provide real columnar seedlings and give the necessary recommendations for their cultivation.

Summer apple trees

Almost all summer varieties grow well in the Moscow region. However, the following are considered the most popular:

• Grushovka Moscow. A very old and well-known local variety. Fruits are medium in size, in technical ripeness they have a yellow, with a slight blush color of the peel, the pulp is dense, taste sweet and sour, very aromatic. Differs in high frost resistance.
• Nectar. This is a columnar tree, delighting with its fragrant, yellow fruits already at the end of July. It belongs to semi-dwarf - its height reaches 2 m. Fruits are large (200 g), the pulp is very juicy, granular, sweet, with a characteristic honey flavor and aroma. The variety is resistant to cold and disease, in particular, to scab.
• Lungwort. A very high-yielding variety that ripens at the end of August. As the name suggests, the fruit is very sweet with a honey flavor. The rind is greenish-yellow with a bright blush covering most of the fruit. The variety is resistant to cold, scab, powdery mildew, and other diseases, but apples are not stored for a long time, maximum 3-4 weeks.
• Wonderful. The apple tree is distinguished by its compactness and short stature. The fruits are large (up to 200 g), warm by mid-August, the peel is bright yellow, the flesh is sweet and sour. The tree is frost-resistant, immune to a number of diseases, including scab, but is often affected by aphids.
• Candy apple. This variety is considered the best in taste. Its fruits are really sweet, like candy, ripen in August, but if not removed in time, they quickly crumble. Trees tolerate frost well, but are often affected by fungal diseases.

Autumn varieties

Choosing autumn apples for his garden, few gardeners will ignore the well-known Antonovka. This is not even a variety, but a variety type that includes more than 15 varieties: Antonovka ordinary, red-sided, golden, one and a half pounds and many others. Apples of this variety are distinguished by dense sweet-sour pulp with a very delicate apple aroma, as well as, sometimes an impressive fruit size - from 200 to 600 g.

The variety of autumn striped apples or Streyfling is no less popular. Fruits are of medium size (120–160 g), characteristic for the name, yellowish color with red stripes. The pulp is sweetish-sour, exuding a delicate aroma. The variety is quite winter-hardy, lies for a long time, is well transported.

Variety Zhigulevsky - very high-yielding, with large (200-350 g) fruits of bright red color. Harvesting takes place at the end of September, but apples are stored until January.

Vasyugan is a very fast-growing columnar apple tree. Begins to bear fruit in the first year of life if planted in autumn. Apples of medium size (150-220 g), the color of the peel is yellow, with a bright blush. The pulp is dense, crispy, rather juicy, sweet and sour taste. This columnar apple tree easily tolerates frosts of -40 ° C, is highly resistant to many diseases, including scab, and is well transported.

Video "Apple tree Antonovka in the suburbs"

Watch a short video about the Antonovka apple tree and its cultivation in the Moscow region.

Winter varieties

When breeding winter varieties, two main goals are pursued: so that apples are stored for a long time and at the same time have a good taste during the entire storage period. The following winter apple trees have such qualities:

• Star. A hybrid of domestic selection, bred specifically for this region. Fruits are medium-sized (100–130 g), almost completely covered with a bright blush. Apple trees easily tolerate any frost and are highly immune to disease.
• Moscow winter. A very common winter-hardy variety. The apples are medium-sized, greenish-yellow, with a slight blush in color. The pulp is very dense and juicy, it tastes sweet and sour. The variety is resistant to diseases, rarely exposed to pests.
• Pepin Saffron. A very famous variety, bred by Michurin himself. Medium-sized fruits of yellow color with a dark blush have an exceptional wine-sweet taste and characteristic aroma. They are stored for a long time, almost until a new harvest.
• Moscow necklace. Columnar apple tree of very late ripening. The apples are large (170-200 g), spherical, yellowish peel, completely covered with intense blush, the flesh is firm, but juicy, sweet and sour. This columnar apple tree is loved by all gardeners for its exceptional yield and frost resistance. Due to the high demand, such a seedling is difficult to buy even in a nursery.

Apple tree planting technology

Whichever apple trees you choose, regular or columnar, for all varieties there are almost the same planting rules. It is very important to plant the crop technologically correctly, since not only its development, but also the yield depends on it.

It is known that young seedlings can be planted both in autumn and spring. However, autumn planting is preferable, especially when it comes to winter apples. Summer varieties take root well in spring, but in this case, the tree will have to be watered all summer so that it does not die from the heat.

The landing itself is carried out as follows. The landing pit is prepared in advance - about a month before disembarkation. The depth of the pit should be 60–80 cm, depending on the size of the seedling, and the depth should be at least 80 cm. If the apple tree is columnar, the width of the pit may be wider, since these varieties, despite the compactness of the crown, have rather developed roots. Fertilizers (compost, humus) are placed on the bottom of the pit, if the soil is not very loose, then first you need to lay a drainage layer on the bottom.

If the nursery provided the seedlings to you, then it is advisable to put them in water for a couple of days before planting, since in the nursery the roots are treated with special solutions. The tree is set vertically in a hole, the roots are leveled, and covered with earth. The soil around the tree is compacted, forming a small mound, around which a circular shallow hole is made for irrigation. Weak or very small trees are tied to a support (stakes), which are then removed as the seedling takes root. Young apple trees are watered immediately after planting at the rate of 2-3 buckets for 1 tree. In the future, watering is carried out only in extreme heat and drought.

If the trees are planted in the fall, then care must be taken to protect the trunks from rodents. For this, the trees are wrapped from the roots to the lower branches with any covering material or a bait is placed next to it, which distracts pests.

Video "Columnar Apple Trees"

This video will help you understand what columnar apple trees are, what are their advantages and features, what varieties exist.