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How often does a gardener, in pursuit of certain rarities and wonders for his garden, forget about the simplest, but at the same time dear to the heart and unpretentious fruits, like apples. They seem to be the most common and grow in every garden, but even among them you can find interesting varieties that captivate with their appearance, unpretentiousness, or exquisite taste and ability for long-term storage, and sometimes with all of the above qualities together.
Exactly like this apple variety Ligol. It belongs to the winter varieties of apples, and recently they are beginning to enjoy particular popularity. Since in summer and autumn fruits are usually in abundance, apples are not of particular value. But apples, which fully reveal their bouquet of taste and aroma only by January and can easily be stored until April, of course, cannot but arouse interest.
Variety Ligol and its description
Quite a long time ago, back in 1972, in the Polish city of Skierniewice, scientists from the Institute of Horticulture and Floriculture developed the Ligol apple tree variety.
Trees of the Ligol variety are characterized by average growth for apple trees, and at the age of ten the apple tree can reach only 3.5 meters in height. The most intensive growth can be observed in apple trees of this variety in the first years of life. With the onset of fruiting, the growth rate slows down somewhat.
The density of the crown, whose shape resembles a wide pyramid, is average, and the branches themselves grow at a fairly large angle to the trunk - 65-85 degrees. As a result of this fact, a sufficient amount of air penetrates into the spaces between the branches, which means the apple tree reduces the risk of being affected by various fungal diseases. The tree skeleton itself is quite powerful.
The leaves of Ligol apple trees are slightly elongated, have a pointed tip, are dark green in color, and the underside is pubescent. There are curled leaves with jagged edges. The bulk of the green mass grows from May to July. And the Ligol apple tree finally sheds its leaves by the end of October - November.
The flowering period is short, within 10 days, large white flowers bloom quite late, at the end of May.
Since this apple variety was originally created for commercial use, it is self-sterile. That is, for good fruiting, it needs apple trees of other varieties growing nearby. Moreover, there are varieties of apple trees that are best suited for Ligol as pollinators. These include, first of all:
- Champion;
- Mac;
- Idared;
- Golden Delicious;
- Gloucester;
- Spartan;
- Red Delicious;
- Fuji;
- Gold Rush;
- Cortland.
I must say that all these varieties are interesting for their qualities, and you are unlikely to regret planting one of them on your site.
A description of the Ligol apple tree variety will be incomplete without mentioning the fact that young trees begin to bear fruit very early. Already in the third year you can collect up to 4-5 kg of apples from one tree. And every year the number of apples collected will rapidly increase until it reaches 50 kg or more from one tree.
Such a significant yield is explained by the high ability of Ligol apple trees to form shoots. But thanks to this same property, the tree is prone to periodic fruiting if it is not helped by annual formative pruning. Indeed, due to the large number of branches with fruits, the load becomes unbearable and the tree itself is unable to cope with it. It is recommended to trim Ligol apple trees in the shape of a spindle. And pruning can be done not only in autumn or spring, but also in summer. In apple trees of this variety, there is sometimes a transfer of harvest from one side of the crown to the other.
The undoubted advantages of Ligol apple trees are their frost resistance and drought resistance. In general, Ligol apple trees adapt quite easily to local climatic conditions, so they are easily cultivated both in the middle zone and in the southern regions. An important characteristic of the variety is its resistance to the main diseases of the apple orchard: scab and powdery mildew. But at the same time, it is not very resistant to bacterial burns. However, this problem can be dealt with if preventive measures are carried out in time.
Fruit characteristics
Ligol apples have a fairly regular and beautiful round-conical shape.The apples are large in size, on average each fruit weighs about 250 grams, but it is not uncommon for one apple to weigh 350-400 grams.
Apple fruits are mostly uniform in size, which is very convenient for commercial use.
Their appearance attracts attention - the color is mainly yellowish-green or deep yellow with a bright red blush occupying most of the circumference of the apples. However, descriptions of apples from different trees can vary quite a lot - a lot depends on the amount of sunlight falling on the apples, and on temperature conditions, and even on the pollinator variety. Numerous light subcutaneous dots are clearly visible, as in the photo below.
The skin of Ligol apples is dense and glossy, so they can withstand transportation well, including over long distances. The appearance of apples is rated at 4.8 points.
The pulp of the fruit is fine-grained, juicy, hard and crunchy. The taste is sweet, although there is some sourness. Tasters rate the taste of apples at 4.6 points. The Ligol apple variety is characterized by a strong, pleasant aroma.
Apples of the Ligol variety are already ready to be picked from the tree and stored for storage at the end of September. Of course, they can continue to be kept on the tree, since they acquire commercial qualities only by November - January of the next year.But it is undesirable to do this, since overripe apples are poorly stored and quickly lose moisture during storage. In order for apples to be well preserved until spring, the following storage conditions must be observed:
- In the dark, in boxes, in layers, arranged with newspapers, paper or sawdust;
- In a cool place, no higher than +12°C, and with a humidity of about 60%.
If these conditions are not met, apples may be affected by skin tanning and bitter pitting.
Rules for planting and care
Despite the general unpretentiousness in cultivation, the Ligol apple tree will still show the best results if it is given nutrient-rich soil and light areas. However, it can withstand slight shading very well.
But the most important thing for any seedling is proper planting.
The soil where the apple tree is planted should not be sandy or clayey. In both cases, in addition to humus, additional addition of either sand or clay is necessary, depending on what exactly is missing.
Usually a standard hole is dug of such a size that the straightened roots of the seedling can freely fit into it. The grafting site or root collar should under no circumstances be deepened. It is better that they rise above the ground by several centimeters. In this position, the straightened roots of the seedling are placed in a hole and carefully covered with a mixture of earth and humus, gradually tamping lightly. Simultaneously with planting, a strong stake is driven into the ground parallel to the trunk, to which the seedling can be tied in the first year until it becomes completely stronger. After planting, the apple tree is watered abundantly.
The remaining rules differ little from the usual care of other apple trees.
Reviews from gardeners
In Russia, the Ligol apple tree variety has not yet become popular, perhaps due to an innate wary attitude towards everything commercial, so there are not many reviews from those who actually grew them in their garden. But many managed to taste it.
Conclusion
The Ligol apple tree is an interesting and promising variety for home and commercial cultivation. You can try to grow it in the Central region and more southern regions. For more northern territories, the variety may be weak.
