Content
The variety of apple tree varieties amazes even experienced gardeners. And each of them differs not only in the taste of the fruit, but also in such indicators as winter hardiness, resistance to fungal diseases, frequency and abundance of fruiting, long shelf life and others. Therefore, every owner of a personal plot chooses the best varieties for his garden in the hope of getting a bountiful harvest of fragrant apples. And when choosing, much attention is paid to such qualities as the speed of fruit ripening, their wonderful taste and aroma. It is desirable that the selected variety combines as many positive qualities as possible. The Lungwort apple tree has almost all the positive characteristics described above.
This variety has deservedly enjoyed great popularity among gardeners for more than half a century.Bred in the 30s of the last century, the Medunitsa apple tree still produces abundant harvests in garden plots in the southernmost regions of Russia, Siberia, and the Urals. The distribution area of Lungwort is so wide that it is difficult to believe in its ability to adapt so quickly to new conditions. In this article you will learn everything about the unique and at the same time unassuming apple tree Medunitsa, description of the variety, photos, reviews, rules of planting and growing, as well as some care features that determine the duration and quality of fruiting.
History of selection of Lungwort
Isaev S.I. began breeding work on developing a new variety, the distinctive feature of which should be frost resistance, in the early 30s of the last century. Thanks to his activities, the catalog of varietal fruit trees has been expanded to include more than 40 different varieties, distinguished not only by winter hardiness, but also by resistance to various fungal diseases. The Medunitsa apple tree variety was developed by crossing the Canadian variety Welsey and the Cinnamon Striped variety.
But this apple tree received the name “Lungwort” not for the aroma and taste of honey that its fruits possess. Rather, the breeder gave this name to the apple tree in honor of the flower of the same name, which is among the first to bloom in the spring. In addition, the biologist called his beloved wife “Medunitsa.” The apple tree has several other names - “Honey”, “Honey”.
For excellent breeding activities and excellent qualities of the Medunitsa apple tree, the professor was awarded the Stalin Prize.But, despite all the merits and the enormous work done, Medunitsa and many other varieties he bred were never registered in the State Register.
Description of the variety
Description of the apple variety Lungwort, as well as its photos and reviews, will allow you to make a first impression about this fruit tree, its external characteristics and distinctive qualities, the taste of the fruit and understand why gardeners love it so much.
Characteristics of trees
In appearance, height and spreading of the crown, Lungwort is more likely to be classified as a tall variety. After all, on the seed rootstock the apple tree grows more than 7 meters in height. The crown skeleton of an adult tree is sparse and close to a pyramidal shape. The apple tree has a fairly wide, well-leafed crown.
Lungwort is characterized by an excellent ability to shoot shoots, which, coupled with its high growth, requires a special approach to the rules and timing of annual pruning of branches to form a crown and abundant fruiting.
The shade of the crown is predominantly light green. The shoots are light brown in color. The foliage has a round, slightly oblong shape with a light yellow tint. In the middle, the leaf plates are slightly curved.
Fruit characteristics
The fruits of the Lungwort apple tree are medium in size. The weight of apples varies between 100-150 grams. Larger fruits are extremely rare. The shape of apples is predominantly round. Occasionally they may have a narrowed, conical shape.
Ripe fruits are yellow-green in color with bright orange-red flashes.In the fully ripened phase, Lungwort apples have a bright red or yellow color with a bright scarlet blush. At any stage of maturity, red flashes are clearly visible.
In terms of taste, the Medunitsa apple tree is classified as a sweet summer variety. The content of natural sugars in fruits is at least 14%, and often exceeds this figure. Acidity is low. For this reason, apples can be eaten even when unripe.
Tasting assessment of the taste of fruits when fully ripe is 4.3-4.6 points on a 5-point system. Apples are juicy. The pulp is dense. The fruits have a light aroma and taste of honey.
Advantages and disadvantages
The uniqueness of the summer lungwort apple tree variety is its ability to grow in cold regions with a harsh climate and retain all of the above qualities. Traditional varieties of apple trees are characterized by high acidity.
Benefits of the Lungwort apple tree
- High frost resistance;
- High resistance to fungal diseases, in particular scab and rot;
- Sweet taste of fruits;
- High percentage of seedling survival rate;
- Easy care;
- Early and abundant fruiting;
- Ripe fruits hang on the branches for a long time;
- Self-pollinating variety;
- Early maturation.
Despite a lot of advantages, the Lungwort apple tree also has disadvantages:
- Very short shelf life of the crop;
- Changes in the taste and aroma of apples during storage;
- Mature apple trees must be pruned regularly to obtain a bountiful harvest.
Fruiting of Lungwort
Saplings of the Lungwort apple tree, grafted onto a seed rootstock, begin to bear fruit in 5-6 years. The ability to bear fruit remains for more than 50 years. But the peak occurs in the first 12-15 years of fruiting. Subsequent productivity depends on timely care and timely pruning of branches to form the crown of the apple tree.
Harvesting the fruits of Summer Lungwort begins in mid-August - early September. Apples ripen unevenly due to the heavy foliage of the trees. Fruits sometimes do not have enough sunlight to fully ripen.
Lungwort flowering and suitable pollinating varieties
The Lungwort apple tree is self-pollinating. But to improve the yield and quality of fruits, gardeners recommend choosing suitable “neighbors” for it. When choosing suitable companions, special attention should be paid to the timing of flowering of trees. Lungwort gains color in late May - mid-June. Therefore, neighbors need to be selected with an identical flowering period.
The following varieties will be good pollinators of the Medunitsa apple tree:
- Victory;
- Anise Sverdlovsk;
- Cinnamon striped.
Harvest and storage
Lungwort apples can be harvested either unripe or in the fully ripened phase. Storing apples depends on the degree of ripeness. Unripe fruits can be stored for 3-4 months. It is not recommended to store ripe apples for more than a month.
A peculiarity of the fruits of this variety is the change in taste and aroma of apples over time, which are perfectly preserved for no more than two to three weeks.
Lungwort fruits are not subject to long-term storage.But sweet and aromatic apples are often used by gardeners to prepare apple compotes, jams, preserves and other preparations for the winter.
Winter hardiness of the apple tree Lungwort
Frost resistance is an important quality when choosing a suitable apple tree variety. Thanks to the excellent indicators of high frost resistance, Lungwort has received well-deserved recognition not only among owners of personal plots, but also in gardening and in growing apples on an industrial scale.
Apple trees tolerate low temperatures well. Frosts of –35˚С –40˚С are not scary for Lungwort. That is why this variety has become so widespread. Apple trees rarely suffer from severe winter frosts and tolerate spring frosts well.
Disease resistance
Scab is the most common disease of fruit and berry trees. The relevance of this problem in gardening was also acute during the years of breeding Lungwort. It has not lost its sharpness even today.
During breeding work, Isaev paid special attention to the resistance of apple trees to fungal diseases. And he managed to achieve his goal - Lungwort has strong immunity to scab.
However, it is worth considering that over such a long period new strains of diseases have appeared. Unfortunately, this variety does not have immunity to them. Therefore, annual prevention against fungal diseases is necessary for apple trees.
What rootstocks should you grow on?
When purchasing Lungwort apple tree seedlings, you need to pay great attention to what rootstock the plant is grafted onto. Depends on:
- Tree height;
- Apple tree appearance and size;
- Ripening period and fruiting period;
- Apple tree planting scheme;
- Duration and frequency of fruiting;
- Lifespan of fruit trees.
Seed rootstock
Lungwort grown on seed rootstock requires careful care and annual pruning to form a crown.
Description and characteristics of the Lungwort apple tree on a seed rootstock:
- With proper care, the apple tree bears fruit for 45-50 years;
- The height of an adult apple tree is 5-7 meters;
- The fruiting period occurs in 5-6 years;
- The minimum distance between seedlings is 4.5-5 meters. The crown of apple trees is very wide.
Semi-dwarf rootstock
Gardeners recommend purchasing tall varieties, in particular Lungwort, on a semi-dwarf rootstock. It is easier for such seedlings to provide proper care and to easily reap a bountiful harvest. Unlike ordinary apple trees, the height of an adult tree will be lower, and fruiting begins much earlier.
Characteristics of the semi-dwarf lungwort:
- The height of an adult tree is 4-4.5 m
- The apple tree begins to bear fruit after 3-4 years
- The distance between seedlings is 3 m.
- Can grow when groundwater is close to the ground.
Columnar and dwarf rootstocks
The convenience and advantages of miniature varieties are undeniable. If an ordinary lungwort has a pyramidal shape, then low-growing apple trees can have a triangular or spherical shape. Like all representatives of this variety, it requires regular crown formation for abundant fruiting.
Characteristics of the Lungwort apple tree grown on dwarf rootstock:
- The height of the apple tree is 1.5-2 m;
- Onset of fruiting in 2.5-3.5 years;
- The minimum distance between seedlings is at least 1 m.
Features of apple trees on columnar rootstock:
- Early fruiting. The dwarf lungwort begins to bear fruit even in its second year. But for the full development of a young seedling in the first 1.5-2 years, experienced gardeners recommend cutting off the ovaries.
- Due to their small size, apple trees require gartering and special care.
- Columnar apple trees bred for the purpose of abundant fruiting. Therefore, their lifespan is very short. Columnar Lungworts bear fruit for no more than 10-12 years.
Do not forget that the root system of all dwarf varieties is the most vulnerable spot. It is not so strongly branched and is located too close to the surface of the earth. Therefore, too strong, gusty winds are destructive for all miniature trees.
Features of planting apple trees
Considering that an apple tree can grow in one place for up to 50 years, the selection of a suitable site must be approached with special care. It is very important to comply with the following conditions:
- The place for planting apple trees should be sufficiently lit and protected from piercing winds.
- Summer lungwort should not be planted in an area with close groundwater. She doesn't like being overwatered. The only exception is the apple tree, grown on semi-dwarf rootstock
- When determining the optimal distances between seedlings, you should strictly adhere to the recommendations of gardeners. Thus, for summer lungwort the minimum distance is 4.5-5 m, for semi-dwarf - 3-3.5 m, for dwarf - 1-1.5 m. This is due to the characteristics of the root system and the size of the crown of different varieties of apple trees.
- The width and depth of the planting hole directly depends on the composition of the soil. Provided that the soil is loose and fertile, the size of the planting hole is 40 cm X 35 cm. On heavy, dense soil, you will have to dig a larger hole: 1 m X 70 cm.
Apple tree seedlings can be planted both in spring and autumn. In spring, planting times are limited. So that young trees can easily adapt and take root in a new place.
In the fall, in the central part of Russia and in the southern regions, it is advisable to plant Lungwort seedlings in October. In areas with a harsh climate, planting work should be completed in late September - early October.
If the soil on your site is not fertile, then during planting you can add humus (1.5-2 buckets), superphosphate or potassium-phosphorus fertilizers (300-400 g), potassium sulfate (no more than 80-100 g) to the soil. . Mix everything thoroughly with regular garden soil.
When planting, please note that the roots of the seedlings should be located freely in the hole. The roots should not be allowed to bend.
Before planting, hammer a wooden stick or peg about 2-2.5 meters high into the center of the planting hole. Subsequently, a young tree will need to be tied to it. This will help the seedlings survive bad weather in the first 1.5-2 years, withstand strong winds, and reduce the likelihood of damage to branches.
Make sure that after planting the root collar is 4-5 cm above the soil level. Place the seedling in the planting hole. It is very convenient to plant young apple trees together. Fill the hole with the prepared soil mixture. Compact the soil well and water Lungwort generously.After planting, you need to pour at least 5-6 buckets of water under each seedling.
For the first 2-3 years, there will be enough fertilizer in the soil for the apple tree. And after this period, the trees will need to be fed annually: in the spring - with nitrogen-based fertilizers, in the fall - with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers.
Winter apple variety
For more than half a century, thanks to the work of breeders, many variations based on Lungwort have been created. The purpose of breeding work was to improve the frost resistance of trees and increase the shelf life of fruits. The result of many years of research was the winter lungwort apple tree.
Description of winter lungwort, photos, reviews:
- Apples ripen a month later - at the end of September;
- The fruits are stored until spring;
- In the winter version of Lungwort, the acid content in the fruits is much higher than in the summer version. Therefore, winter apples are not so sweet during the ripening period;
- The rules for planting and subsequent care of winter lungwort are practically no different from the recommendations for caring for the summer variety.
When planting a winter apple tree, you should take into account the flowering time and plant good pollinators nearby. The flowering period of both should coincide.
The author of the video will tell you about the features of the Lungwort apple tree and its fruits
Conclusion
The Lungwort apple tree is still very popular among amateur gardeners due to such excellent qualities as frost resistance, persistent immunity to fungal diseases, early ripening, and abundant fruiting. The delicate, honey aroma and sweet taste of the fruit appealed to many gourmets and lovers of eating apples straight from the tree. Culinary experts note that apples of this variety make the most aromatic and delicious desserts.Not every variety receives the recognition and love of gardeners that Lungwort deserves.
