Content
One of the dangers that can threaten apple trees is freezing during frosty winters. This is especially true for Siberia and the Urals. The Sverdlovchanin apple tree variety was bred specifically for the northern regions. In addition to cold resistance, it has other qualities valuable to gardeners.
Description of the apple tree variety Sverdlovsk
The Sverdlovchanin variety is frost-resistant; this property allows it to be grown in the Urals and Siberia. In order to avoid mistakes when choosing and growing a tree, you need to pay attention to the description and characteristics of the variety.
History of selection
The variety was developed quite recently, entered into the State Register in 2018, and zoned in the Ural region. Originator: Federal State Budgetary Institution “Ural Federal Agrarian Research Center of the Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences”. “Sverdlovchanin” was obtained from pollination of the “Yantar” apple tree with pollen of the varieties “Zvezdochka”, “Orange”, “Samotsvet”.
Appearance of fruit and tree
The fruits of this early winter variety ripen late.The height of the Sverdlovsk apple tree is at least 3-4 m, maybe more, it grows quickly. The crown is sparse, spreading, straight branches are rare, located almost horizontally. The leaves are medium in size, wrinkled, green.
The apples of the “Sverdlovchanin” variety are medium-sized, one-dimensional, weighing approximately 70 g, regular round in shape, slightly ribbed, without rustiness. The main color of the skin is whitish and light yellow. There are small greenish, barely noticeable subcutaneous dots.
The fruits are almost the same average size, making them can be preserved
Taste
The pulp of Sverdlovchanin apples is white, dense, fine-grained, juicy and tender. The taste is sweet and sour, there is a faint aroma. Apples contain 14.3% dry matter, 11.4% sugar, 15.1% vitamin C. The taste was rated by tasters at 4.8 points.
Growing regions
The “Sverdlovchanin” variety was bred for the Ural region, but it can be grown in Siberia, the Volga region, the Moscow region and the northern regions. Due to their high frost resistance, the trees are able to withstand the severe frosts typical of these areas.
Productivity
The average yield of the Sverdlovsk apple tree is 34 kg per 1 sq. m. There is no frequency of fruiting; it begins to bear fruit at 5-6 years of age. The number of fruits increases with each season and reaches its peak by 12 years.
Frost resistance
The Sverdlovchanin apple tree can withstand frosts below -40 °C even without shelter; it is also not afraid of frost in autumn and spring. In winter and spring it can get sunburned; to prevent this from happening, you need to whiten the trunk and branches of the tree.
Resistance to diseases and pests
Almost not affected by scab, resistant to powdery mildew. In conditions of high humidity it can be damaged by fungal diseases.
In the 12th year after planting, the yield from one tree can be 100 kg
Flowering period and ripening period
Sverdlovsk apple trees bloom, depending on the region, during May. The fruits ripen in late September or early October. Freshly picked apples are consumed fresh; they are also suitable for canning and making juice, jam, and any sweet homemade preparations.
Pollinators
Sverdlovsk apple trees do not need pollinators. The variety is self-fertile, the flowers are pollinated by their own pollen.
Transportation and keeping quality
The fruits of the Sverdlovchanin variety apple tree have thick skin and withstand transportation well. They are stored for a long time; in a cool and dry place they can last until March. If you keep them in the refrigerator, the shelf life increases by a month.
Advantages and disadvantages
The “Sverdlovchanin” variety is attractive to gardeners because it is characterized by high winter hardiness, stable yields, and produces tasty fruits of good quality. Resistance to heat and drought is average.
The disadvantages are the following:
- The fruits are not too large.
- Late maturation.
- Late entry into fruiting.
The main quality of this apple tree variety is cold resistance.
Landing
Apple trees grow well in sunny or slightly shaded areas. It is not recommended to plant in the shade of other trees. They prefer fertile and moist soil with neutral acidity. Soil type – loam or sandy loam. Planting time is autumn, after the leaves have fallen, or in the spring, before the buds open.
Before planting, young trees must undergo preparation - you need to cut off the tips of their roots and place the seedlings in a solution of a root formation stimulator. If the seedling has a closed root system, no preparation is required.
The diameter and depth of the planting holes should be approximately 0.7 m. The crown of the Sverdlovsk apple tree reaches a width of 4 m in meters. This means that this distance should be left between the plants in the row, the row spacing should be made a little wider - 5 m. With a smaller area trees will grow worse, yields will decrease.
Landing sequence:
- Place a drainage layer (small pebbles, pieces of slate or brick) at the bottom of the planting hole.
- Place the seedling in the center and straighten the roots.
- Fill the voids with a mixture of earth and humus taken from digging a hole, taken in a 1 to 1 ratio.
- Water the tree with 1-2 buckets of water.
- Compact the soil a little and cover the tree trunk circle with mulch material. This can be straw, hay, fallen leaves, shavings, sawdust and pine needles. You can use agrofibre.
Place a support near the seedling and tie the trunk to it with twine so that the tree grows evenly.
Growing and care
At first after planting, the Sverdlovsk apple tree is watered 1-2 times a week, after rooting - approximately once every 14 days, in hot weather this can be done more often, for mature trees - only in drought.
On loamy soils, the hole must be leveled after watering so that water does not accumulate there after precipitation.
In the first year, the Sverdlovchanin apple tree seedling does not require fertilizing; for now, the nutrition that was added during planting is enough for it.The first feeding is carried out the following spring: add 1 bucket of humus and 1-2 kg of ash. Adult apple trees are fertilized 2 times per season: in the spring, after the snow melts, organic matter is scattered, after flowering and during the period of ovary growth, mineral fertilizers are used. The solution is poured under the root, after watering, if there is no mulch, the ground is loosened.
The first pruning of the Sverdlovsk apple tree is carried out the following spring after planting; part of the central conductor and the tops of the lateral branches are removed from the apple tree. Then, once a year, in spring or autumn, the excess branches directed into the crown, frozen and drying out, are cut off.
Preventive spraying of the Sverdlovsk apple tree is carried out against fungal diseases (especially after the rainy period) and against the main pests: flower beetle, codling moth and aphids. Synthetic insecticides and fungicides are used.
Collection and storage
You can pick apples of the “Sverdlovsk” variety when they are fully ripe or slightly unripe. Collection time is late September or early October. Store only in a cold and dry place (cellar, basement, refrigerator) at a temperature from 0 to 10 ° C and humidity not higher than 70%. Under these storage conditions, apples can last with minimal losses until spring. They should be stored in shallow boxes or baskets, laid in 1-2 layers.
Conclusion
The Sverdlovchanin apple tree variety is highly frost-resistant, so it is suitable for growing in the Urals, Siberia and the northern regions. The fruits ripen late, but can be stored for a long time. Apples have a classic sweet and sour taste; they can be used for eating fresh and for making canned fruits.
