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If you have decided to plant a new garden on your site or are thinking about whether you can afford another apple tree, then it makes sense to pay attention to a fairly new, and at the same time promising variety of apple trees - Elena. Of course, it is difficult to pass by a variety with such a popular female name in the past for those gardeners who have a relative with that name in their family. But the Elena apple tree can also interest other gardeners with many of its characteristics.
In this article you can find both a description of the Elena apple tree variety and photos of its fruits, as well as reviews of people who planted it on their site.
History of occurrence and description of the variety
The apple tree variety Elena was obtained by Belarusian breeders Semashko E.V., Marudo G.M. and Kozlovskaya Z.A. as a result of a hybrid crossing of the Early Sweet and Discovery varieties. Both original varieties are summer ripening varieties and are characterized by excellent taste ratings. The Elena variety, obtained as a result of their crossing, took from them the best taste indicators and even surpassed them in terms of aroma and juiciness of the fruit. This variety was bred at the Institute of Fruit Growing of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus in 2000, and a year later it was submitted for state testing.In Russia, the Elena apple tree appeared several years later, and only in 2007 was it officially included in the State Register with recommendations for cultivation in the Central and North-Western districts.
Trees of the Elena variety are distinguished by medium growth vigor, rather short and compact. They can be classified as semi-dwarfs. They usually grow up to three meters in height. The crown is not very dense and has a pyramidal-oval shape. The shoots are thick, round, with dark red bark, and are distinguished by good pubescence.
The leaves are elliptical in shape, medium in size, dark green in color with a grayish coating on the underside. The branches are abundantly strewn with foliage, especially at the edges.
Fragrant white flowers cover the entire tree in the early stages - in late April - early May. The fruits of this variety are formed mainly on ringlets of simple and complex types.
In terms of ripening time, the Elena apple variety is one of the earliest summer apples. Its fruits ripen even a week earlier than White filling apples. The variety is quite early-bearing, that is, it begins to bear fruit already in the second year after planting.
The Elena apple tree reaches its full fruiting capacity approximately 5-6 years after planting. Its productivity is considered quite satisfactory - up to 25 tons of apples are obtained from one hectare of industrial plantings.
The variety is self-pollinating, that is, for fruiting it does not require additional pollinators - apple trees of other varieties growing nearby.This can be especially convenient for small courtyards, where the owners have the desire and opportunity to plant only one small tree.
The Elena apple tree variety is truly highly resistant to frost, even prolonged frosts. She is not afraid of the cold. Therefore, you can try to grow this variety of apple tree even in harsh northern conditions.
Resistance to diseases, in particular to scab, is average.
Fruit characteristics
The fruits of the Elena apple tree have the following characteristics:
- Apples have a traditional flat-round shape.
- The size of the apples themselves is not very large, the average weight of the fruit is about 120 grams. In years when there are not very many apples on the tree, their weight can increase to 150 grams.
- The fruits are very uniform in size. Apples from the same harvest are practically indistinguishable from each other.
- The main color of apples is light green, but more than half of the fruit is usually a blurred blush of a bright dark pink hue. Numerous subcutaneous light dots of quite large sizes are clearly visible.
- The peel is smooth, medium in density, at the same time it preserves the structure of the apple well and does not at all affect the taste.
- The pulp is medium in density, fine-grained, juicy, whitish-green in color with small pink inclusions when fully ripe. Apples contain up to 13.2% dry matter.
- Apples taste sweet, almost without sourness, dessert apples with a good apple aroma. The tasting score is 4.8 points out of five.The fruits contain up to 10.8% sugars, 6.8 mg of ascorbic acid per 100 g of pulp and 0.78% pectin.
- Marketability and transportability are relatively high. Apples can be stored under normal conditions for several weeks. Then the taste deteriorates sharply. Therefore, they are ideal for producing juices, compotes and jam.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
Despite the fact that the Elena apple tree is a fairly young variety, many gardeners consider it promising for cultivation and are happy to plant it in their gardens. The Elena variety has many advantages:
- The trees are small in size, from which it is convenient to collect fruits and which are easy to care for.
- Ultra-early ripening and early maturity - the harvest can begin to be harvested already in the second year after planting.
- High resistance to frost and other unfavorable conditions allows you to grow the Elena apple tree even in the Urals and Siberia.
- Like many modern varieties, it is distinguished by its regularity of fruiting - annually.
- Delicious and beautiful fruits.
The Elena apple tree also has some disadvantages, without which, probably, not a single fruit variety can do:
- The fruits are not stored for very long and quickly lose their taste.
- Remaining unharvested on the branches, it falls off or becomes overripe, reducing its fruit characteristics.
Features of cultivation
In general, caring for the Elena apple tree is not much different from other varieties of apple trees. You just need to remember some of the nuances associated with the characteristics of the variety.
- Since the Elena apple tree can be classified as a semi-dwarf variety, to plant it it is necessary to choose a place where the groundwater comes no closer than 2.5 meters to the surface for the full development of the roots.
- Since trees of this variety are prone to overload with ovaries and fruits, it is advisable to ration the ovaries after flowering.
- It is better to eat the fruits directly from the tree and regularly collect them and process them into compotes, juices, etc.
Reviews
The Elena apple tree has already become a favorite among gardeners for its resistance to frost, dessert taste and early ripening.
Conclusion
The Elena apple tree is a good choice for private gardens and small garden plots due to its compactness, early ripeness and good taste of apples.
