Content
The Aromatnoye apple tree is a variety that successfully combines ease of care and the ability to withstand negative external influences with very good yield indicators and taste qualities of the fruit. It can be recommended to beginner gardeners and those who do not have the opportunity to devote a lot of time and effort to caring for plantings. Of course, the Aromatnoye apple tree is not without certain disadvantages, but the advantages of the variety “cover” them.
History of appearance
The Aromatnoe apple tree is a variety known to Soviet gardeners. It appeared in the mid-60s. The selection was carried out at the All-Russian Research Institute of Horticulture named after I.V. Michurin. A whole team of specialists is indicated as the originators: S. I. Isaev, G. A. Lobanov, Z. I. Ivanova.
The Aromatnoye apple tree is not listed in the State Register of Breeding Achievements. But this does not affect its popularity among gardeners.
Description of the apple tree variety Fragrant
Compared to many varieties, the Aromatnoye apple tree stands out due to its “small size”. There is a place for a tree even on “classic” personal plots of six hundred square meters. Its fruits do not stand out externally, and a non-specialist is unlikely to be able to identify them among others.
Wood appearance
Apple tree Fragrant is a medium-sized tree. Its maximum height is 3.5-4 m, more often this figure is limited to 3 m. The crown is quite compact and not prone to thickening. It does not look too neat, evoking associations with a haystack, but the shoots are intertwined relatively rarely.
The tree blooms quite late, towards the end of May. Depending on the weather, the buds may open 7-10 days earlier or later. Flowering is quite abundant and long-lasting (about two weeks).
The leaf blades are large, curved along the central vein, the degree of foliage is medium
Description of fruits
The fruits of the apple tree are aromatic and regular in shape, with a thin, but quite strong and elastic skin. The main color of ripe fruit is pale yellow with a slight golden-amber tint. Where the sun hits the skin, it becomes covered with a blurry brick-red or orange-pink “blush” in the form of irregularly shaped spots. The fruits are of different sizes (130-220 g), some “record-breaking” specimens gain weight up to 250 g.
The shape of apples varies from round-flattened to obovate.
Characteristics of the variety
Among the varietal characteristics of the Fragrant apple tree, most gardeners are, first of all, “captivated” by the yield.But the list of positive properties that allow it to successfully compete with modern varieties and hybrids is not limited to this.
Taste qualities
The pulp of fruits from the apple tree is aromatic, medium-density, fine-grained when cut, snow-white or with a slight greenish tint. The juiciness is average, the taste is sweet and sour, balanced. Professional tasters rated it 4.5-4.75 points. There is a noticeable wine-spicy aftertaste.
The Aromatic apple tree fully justifies its name. The pulp has a pronounced, but not sharp, refreshing-spicy smell. Moreover, it is preserved even after heat treatment in any homemade preparations.
Ripening time
The Aromatnoe apple tree belongs to the category of winter varieties. The technical ripeness of the harvest occurs in the second half of September. The consumer will have to wait about another month.
Productivity
Considering its small dimensions, the Aromatnoye apple tree can be called a high-yielding variety. 140-150 kg of fruit are removed from an adult tree. Fruiting is annual; resting seasons are not typical for this variety.
“Unfortunate” weather during spring and summer and other negative “external” factors have little effect on the harvest volume
Frost resistance of apple tree Fragrant
The cold resistance of adult apple trees of the Aromatnoye variety allows them to winter without damage or with minimal damage at a temperature of about -30 ° C, even if frosts set in for a long time and are accompanied by a deficit of snow and strong winds.Trees damaged by cold recover normally during the next season; this fact does not affect the yield in the future.
Pollinators of the Fragrant apple tree
The Fragrant apple tree is characterized by the property of self-fertility. It does not require the “help” of other pollinating varieties to set fruit.
Growing regions
Initially, the “habitat” of the Aromatnoe apple tree was limited primarily to central Russia. But gradually gardeners discovered that it successfully adapts to more severe conditions than a temperate climate. Nowadays trees are found in almost all regions where gardening is, in principle, possible.
Disease resistance
Due to its general endurance and “stress resistance,” the Aromatnoe apple tree “catch” fungal and other diseases quite rarely. The descriptions mention her immunity to scab, but the experience of gardeners shows that “protection” is not absolute, especially if the weather is favorable for the activation of the pathogen.
The risk of apple trees becoming infected with scab increases if it is damp and cool outside.
Summer residents do not notice pests that are particularly “interested” in the Aromatnoye apple tree. But during massive attacks on the garden, they will not bypass the tree.
Advantages and disadvantages
The pulp of fruits from the Aromatic apple tree is quite “loose”. However, they are distinguished by good transportability and keeping quality.
Due to its characteristic smell, juice from apples of the Aromatnoe variety is especially popular among all homemade preparations.
Pros:
- general endurance and “stress resistance” of the tree, the ability to successfully resist negative external influences;
- cold resistance sufficient for most Russian regions;
- good resistance to pathogenic microflora and pests;
- early entry into fruiting;
- self-fertility;
- consistently high productivity, annual fruiting;
- small height, compactness and average density of the crown;
- good balanced taste and bright aroma of fruits;
- keeping quality and transportability of apples.
Minuses:
- rapid shedding of ripe fruits from the tree;
- loss of keeping quality and transportability by overripe fruits.
Planting an apple tree Fragrant
In order to collect the maximum possible yields from the Aromatnoye apple tree, you need to take into account its “requirements” regarding the planting location:
- good lighting;
- absence of cold drafts (presence of protection is not critical, but desirable);
- deep (below 1.5 m) groundwater;
- quite nutritious, but at the same time “light” substrate (loam, forest sierozem);
- neutral or close to it soil pH.
The Aromatnoye apple tree feels worst when planted in a “heavy”, constantly waterlogged substrate, where normal air exchange is impossible. Also, the prerequisites for regular stagnation of rain, melt water, and damp air are created by placing a tree in a lowland, at the foot of a hill.
Gardeners practice both spring and autumn planting of the Aromatnoye apple tree, taking into account, first of all, the climatic nuances of a particular region. But the planting hole is always prepared in advance.
A nutrient mixture of fertile soil, humus and fertilizers “stands” for a minimum of 2.5-3 weeks, and a maximum of all winter
The approximate dimensions of the planting hole for the Aromatnoe apple tree are 60-70 cm in depth and 80-90 cm in diameter. It is planted according to the same algorithm as other fruit and berry trees.
Key points to pay attention to during the process:
- sufficient watering of the soil before and after planting;
- the position of the roots of the seedling, if they are open;
- absence of air “pockets”;
- position of the root collar (5-7 cm above ground level);
- pruning, tying to support, mulching.
When planting several seedlings, the minimum interval between neighboring trees is 4 m, between their rows - 5 m
Features of care
Caring for the Fragrant apple tree will not be labor-intensive for the gardener. The list of necessary agrotechnical measures is limited to the following:
- Watering. The soil is moistened only if it is hot and dry outside for longer than two weeks. The approximate norm is 60-80 liters per adult tree. It is also necessary to take into account that the Aromatnoe apple tree especially needs water during flowering and 1.5-2 weeks after it.
- Feeding. Fertilizers are applied according to the standard scheme - nitrogen at the beginning of the active growing season, complex preparations during flowering, approximately 1.5 months before harvest and in preparation for winter.
- Trimming. Despite the fact that the crown of the Aromatnoye apple tree is not prone to thickening, sanitary pruning in spring and autumn is mandatory. It is most often formed using the sparse-tier method. The process lasts for 3-4 years, one tier per season. The finished configuration consists of several levels of main shoots on the trunk, from which “auxiliary” branches of the 2nd-3rd order extend.
- Preventive measures.To protect the Fragrant apple tree from fungal diseases and insects, it is recommended to spray it with fungicides and insecticides at the beginning and end of the active growing season. During the season, folk remedies are usually sufficient for prevention.
- Preparing for winter. For adult Aromatnoe apple trees, you can limit yourself to cleaning up debris in the tree trunk circle, replacing the layer of mulch and whitewashing the trunk and skeletal branches. During the first winter, seedlings are recommended to additionally “insulate” the trunk or cover them completely, for example, with a special or homemade cover.
If autumn is dry and warm, additional water-recharging irrigation is required to prepare for winter.
Collection and storage
Harvesting from the Aromatnoe apple tree occurs in the second half of September. You can’t be late with this - overripe fruits quickly and “en masse” fall off the branches, lose their consumer properties and keeping quality. Apples ripen after being picked from the tree; they can be eaten about a month after picking - towards the end of October.
Fruits from the Aromatnoye apple tree are stored at least until the New Year. If you create optimal conditions for them, they will last until the end of winter, retaining their taste, pulp texture, benefits and other consumer properties.
First, the harvest from the Aromatnoye apple tree is sorted, getting rid of fruits even with minimal damage (mechanical and other). It is most convenient to store apples in a basement or cellar, providing them with:
- temperature 4-7 °C;
- air humidity 80-85%;
- lack of light;
- good ventilation (but not cold drafts).
The crop reacts negatively to any sudden changes in the parameters that determine the microclimate at the storage location.
Conclusion
The Aromatnoe apple tree successfully takes root and bears fruit in most of Russia. Moreover, the nuances of the local climate unfavorable for gardening have little effect on the yield and taste of the fruit. Therefore, despite its rather “venerable” age, it is still popular among those who prefer “reliable” and easy-to-care varieties.
Reviews from gardeners about the Aromatic apple tree
