Content
The climate in Siberia is such that gardeners should choose zoned varieties and hybrids for planting in their garden plots. These include the Altai Souvenir apple tree, which is distinguished not only by cold resistance, but also by good yield indicators. This variety is suitable for amateur gardeners, both experienced and beginners, and professional farmers growing fruit for sale.
History of selection
The Altai Souvenir apple tree (sometimes found on sale as an Altai souvenir) was created by a team of breeders who worked at the Siberian Horticulture Research Institute named after M.A. Lisavenko (now the Federal Altai Scientific Center for Agrobiotechnology). It was the result of a “crossing” of the Gornoaltaiskoe, Bellefleur-Chinese and Pepin saffron varieties.
Work began in the 50s of the last century. Stability of characteristics was achieved only in the mid-70s.However, the Souvenir Altai apple tree was included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements even later - in 1999.
Description of the apple tree Souvenir of Altai
Externally, the Souvenir of Altai apple tree is unlikely to be “identified” by a non-specialist. The tree looks completely “standard”. This also applies to fruits - they are quite presentable (especially for Siberia), but not unique.
Crown
According to the description of the originator, the Altai Souvenir apple tree is a tree of medium height, which, in principle, is typical for varieties bred for Siberia and other regions with harsh climates. It grows to a maximum of 4-5 m. The crown is compact, round, and quite dense.
The shoots are strong, withstanding the weight of crops and snow. They are characterized by a thick soft “edge”. The growth rate is high - 35-40 cm per season. Leaf blades have a “wrinkled” surface; a glossy sheen appears in the sun.
The Altai Souvenir apple tree blooms late, which minimizes the risk of death of buds and ovaries due to frost
Description of fruits
The average weight of the fruit is 77 g. Although, if the gardener is lucky with the weather during spring and summer and he provides the Altai Souvenir apple tree with quality care, this figure “rises” to 85-130 g.
The shape of apples is symmetrical, round, cone-shaped or slightly flattened. The light green skin changes to pale yellow as the fruit ripens. On the “sunny” side it becomes covered with blurry spots and stripes of “blush”. Its shade varies from pinkish to crimson and crimson. Often there is a thin layer of a bluish “waxy” coating.
In Siberia, Souvenir Altai apples are considered large, but for other regions this is an average size or even below average
Characteristics of the variety
The main characteristic that gardeners focus on when choosing varieties and hybrids of fruit and berry crops for planting in Siberia is cold resistance. In the Altai Souvenir apple tree, it is successfully complemented by other qualities that allow it to remain “competitive” for several decades.
Taste qualities
The flesh of apples is snow-white, sometimes with a barely noticeable greenish tint. When cut, it is fine-grained, not particularly dense, but juicy and very tender. The pulp has a pronounced refreshing aroma.
The taste is balanced, sweet and sour. According to this indicator, professional tasters rated the fruits very highly for a Siberian variety - 4.4 points with a maximum of five.
Ripening time
According to the timing of fruit ripening, the variety belongs to late autumn. Sometimes it is even classified as winter. The harvest is harvested in the first ten days of September. The fruits ripen en masse, even at the stage of full ripeness they stay securely on the branches and do not fall off.
Productivity
The productivity demonstrated by the Altai Souvenir apple tree during official variety testing was 70 centners per hectare. In terms of this indicator, it slightly surpassed the variety chosen as the reference.
On average, amateur gardeners can count on 35-40 kg of fruit from an adult tree, a professional farmer – 45-50 kg. The Souvenir Altai apple tree reaches such indicators by the age of 7-8 years. Harvests are annual, little dependent on the vagaries of the weather.
“Breaks” in fruiting are uncharacteristic for this variety
The first apples can be tasted 4-5 years after planting the seedling in a permanent place.Accordingly, the Souvenir Altai variety is considered average in terms of early fruiting.
Frost resistance of apple tree Souvenir of Altai
Winter hardiness is officially recognized as “high”. In Western Siberia, it can withstand prolonged temperatures down to -30-35 °C without damage or with minimal damage, especially if the winter is snowy.
A tree damaged by cold weather “regenerates” quickly during the next season. In the future, it brings yields in the same volumes; the fact of freezing does not affect this.
Apple tree pollinators Souvenir of Altai
In the description of the originator, the variety is positioned as self-fertile. However, the practice of its cultivation shows that in the absence of “neighbors” within a radius of 20 m, pollination occurs very “reluctantly”; maximum yields cannot be expected.
Pollinator varieties for the Altai Souvenir apple tree are selected taking into account two criteria - the ability to adapt to the Siberian climate and flowering at the same time. Suitable, for example:
- Gornoaltaiskoe;
- Alyonushka;
- Ranetka;
- Welsey;
- Bellefleur-Chinese;
- Pepin saffron.
Where is it grown?
The Altai Souvenir apple tree was specially created for cultivation in Western Siberia. It is this region that is indicated in the State Register as the most suitable for its cultivation. In the rest of Russia, the variety is not very well known and, accordingly, not very popular.
Disease resistance
The Altai Souvenir apple tree has “innate” immunity to scab. Even during seasons of “mass” epidemics, this fungal disease affects only the leaves; the fruits do not suffer from it. Also in the description of the originators it is mentioned that it has average resistance to moniliosis.
In general, gardeners note that the general endurance of the Altai Souvenir apple tree allows it to successfully resist any pathogenic microflora. Especially if you provide the tree with minimal competent care and do not forget about preventive treatments.
Scab is a dangerous disease of fruit trees; fruits affected by it should not be eaten.
Advantages and disadvantages
Fruits from the Souvenir Altai apple tree are distinguished by a fairly high content of vitamin C - almost 12 mg per 100 g. The balance of acidity and sweetness is achieved by the presence of natural sugars (about 11.5%).
In terms of use in cooking, fruits with apple trees Souvenir of Altai are universal
Pros:
- cold resistance sufficient for Siberia, quick and “painless” recovery in case of freezing;
- high resistance to negative external influences, including the vagaries of the weather;
- the presence of immunity to scab, relatively rare cases of infection with moniliosis and other fungal diseases;
- average height, compactness of the tree crown;
- annual fruiting, stable yield level;
- keeping quality and transportability of apples;
- externally presentable fruits, large enough for Siberia;
- very good, balanced taste;
- versatility of apples.
Minuses:
- actual self-sterility with declared self-fertility.
Planting an apple tree Souvenir of Altai
Considering the severity of the Siberian climate, the place for planting the Souvenir Altai apple tree is chosen as “comfortable” as possible. She needs the following:
- good lighting;
- free air circulation;
- lack of groundwater approaching the surface closer than 2 m;
- fairly fertile, but at the same time loose substrate;
- The acid-base balance of the soil is close to neutral.
The hole is dug in the fall, the approximate dimensions are a depth of 60-70 cm and a diameter of 80-90 cm. About 4 m are left between neighboring trees, the optimal row spacing is 4.5-5 m. Direct planting is the same for any fruit and berry crops algorithm.
Due to the climate, the only acceptable option for Siberia is spring planting
Care instructions
Caring for an Altai Souvenir apple tree takes a gardener a minimum of time and effort. It is limited to standard agricultural technology for the crop:
- Watering. The Souvenir Altai apple tree has good drought resistance; it often has enough natural precipitation. If there is no rain, the tree is watered every 2-2.5 weeks, given that it needs water most at the stage of active growth of green mass, during flowering, formation of ovaries and in preparation for winter.
- Feeding. At the beginning of the season, the tree needs nitrogen fertilizers and humus to maintain soil fertility. Next - three complex feedings: during flowering, a month after it and at the end of September.
- Loosening, weeding, mulching. It is recommended to loosen and weed the tree trunk circle 2-3 times a month. Or immediately after planting, cover it with mulch, saving time on these activities.
- Trimming. The Altai Souvenir apple tree is best suited to a sparsely tiered crown configuration. It is formed in 3-4 years, then you just need to maintain the result. Since the crown is prone to thickening, sanitary pruning is carried out twice a year.
- Preventive treatments.At the beginning and end of the season, it is advisable to spray the Altai Souvenir apple tree with broad-spectrum fungicides and insecticides. Treatments are repeated in the event of “mass” epidemics and pest attacks. For prevention, as a rule, folk remedies are enough.
- Preparing for winter. Despite its high frost resistance, it cannot be neglected. The trunk circle is cleared of debris, the mulch is replaced with fresh mulch (layer up to 15 cm), the trunk and skeletal branches are whitened. If the winter is expected to be particularly harsh and with little snow, it is recommended to additionally “insulate” the trunk.
Mulch prevents the rapid evaporation of moisture from the soil, which allows you to water the apple tree less often
Collection and storage
The approximate ripening time for the Souvenir Altai apple tree is the first half of September. However, if in the spring it blooms later than usual due to unfavorable weather, the harvest of fruits is postponed for about the same amount.
The fruits are removed along with the stalks. Before storing them, they are carefully sorted. All specimens, even with minimal damage of any origin, are left to be eaten fresh or processed into homemade preparations.
To extend the shelf life of fruits from the Altai Souvenir apple tree for as long as possible (up to six months), it is necessary to create optimal conditions for them. The easiest way to do this is in a basement or cellar:
- temperature 4-5 °C;
- air humidity 80-85%;
- lack of light and cold drafts;
- good ventilation.
On average, Altai Souvenir apples last 3-4 months
Conclusion
Apple tree Souvenir of Altai is a variety whose advantages and disadvantages have been well studied by gardeners. For Siberia and other regions with harsh climates, it is suitable according to the main criterion - frost resistance. This quality is successfully complemented by “indifference” in care, annual fruiting, productivity, which is little dependent on negative weather influences, and the presence of immunity to scab.
