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Pepin Saffron apple tree is a winter variety with fragrant, appetizing fruits. For a long time, it was he who was the most cultivated both by amateur gardeners in summer cottages, and on an industrial scale in state horticultural farms. Juicy crunchy apples were used fresh as a dessert and for making juices, jams, preserves. In recent years, interest in the variety has undeservedly decreased and lovers of these particular apples are increasingly engaged in the cultivation of Pepin saffron.
History of breeding
The variety of apples Pepin Saffron was bred by the famous scientist, breeder – geneticist I. V. Michurin in 1907 in the Tambov province, the city of Michurinsk. The new variety has inherited the best qualities of the parent pair – Renet Orleans and the hybrid variety. Obtained from Pepin Lithuanian and Chinese apple tree. The breeder received the first fruiting in 1915.
Subsequently, on its basis, breeders bred about 20 varieties of fragrant apples, widely distributed throughout the country.
Description of the variety and characteristics
Apple trees of this variety reach medium size with a round, rather dense crown and lowered branches. Young shoots of Pepin Saffron light olive color with a grayish bloom. The leaves are small, oblong, with a sharp tip, matte. The shoots and leaves of the Pepin saffron apple tree have a strong pubescence.
Mature tree height
Within 5-7 years of growth, the Pepin Saffron apple tree reaches an average height. Mature trees can also be described as medium-sized. Young shoots are long, hanging down to the ground. The fruits are tied on fruit twigs and spears.
crown width
The crown of young apple trees is spherical, and of adults it acquires a wide rounded shape with many shoots reaching the ground.
Self-fertility, pollinators
Pepin Saffronny apple trees are self-pollinating, have high self-fertility, but good pollinators contribute to increased yields. As pollinators, the varieties Calvil snowy, Slavyanka, Antonovka, Welsey proved to be the best. Apple tree rootstocks begin to yield 4-5 years after grafting.
Fruit
The fruits of Pepin Saffron apple trees are medium in size, more often small than large. The weight of apples reaches 130-140 g, but the average weight usually does not exceed 80 g. The fruits have an oval-conical slightly ribbed shape. The surface of the apples is smooth, the skin is quite dense, shiny.
The characteristic color of Pepin Saffron is green-yellow, with a pronounced dark red blush, through which darker lines, strokes and dots clearly appear. During storage, ripening, they take on an orange-yellow color with a blush. The stalk of apples is long, 1-2 mm thick, emerging from a deep funnel-shaped fossa with rusty edges. The fruits on the tree are held very firmly.
The pulp of apples is juicy, dense, fine-grained, firm and crunchy, creamy in color. The chemical composition of the pulp is quite rich:
- sugar – 12%;
- ascorbic acid;
- organic acids – up to 0,6%;
- vitamin C – 14,5mg/100g;
- vitamins of the PP group – 167 mg / 100 g;
- dry matter – about 14%.
Tasting assessment
Pepin Saffron apples have a wonderful wine-sweet dessert taste and a delicate spicy aroma. Grade lovers appreciate the balanced pleasant taste. Fruits of universal purpose – suitable for both fresh consumption and processing. Juicy fragrant apples will decorate any table, and thick purees and jams have a unique original aroma.
The fruits have excellent transportability, long shelf life – up to 220-230 days. In the process of maturation, they improve taste, retain their marketable appearance. The harvest is usually harvested in mid-late September, and by the end of October, Pepin Saffron apples acquire an even richer taste.
Productivity
The first fruits from young Pepin Saffron apple trees can be obtained 4-5 years after planting or rootstock. Fully begins to bear fruit from the 7th year of life. With proper care and sufficient moisture, from 220 kg to 280 kg of fragrant juicy apples are harvested from each tree annually.
The frequency of fruiting
The variety Pepin Saffron does not have a frequency of fruiting – every year you can get stable high yields. But, according to some reports, in an arid climate, without sufficient soil moisture, trees bear fruit with a pronounced frequency.
Winter hardiness
Apple trees of the Pepin Shafranny variety have an average winter hardiness, therefore they are not suitable for the northern regions, but they are cultivated quite successfully in the regions of central Our Country. In the southern regions, in Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, the countries of the Caucasus, they are winter-hardy, easily tolerate winter and quickly regenerate (recover) after damage to branches from frost and spring pruning.
Resistance to diseases
Apple trees of the Pepin Saffron variety are more susceptible to scab and fungal diseases (especially powdery mildew) than other varieties. Resistance to codling moth is average – most of all, the pest damages the seed box. It is imperative to treat with fungicides and other means to avoid damage to trees and crops.
Landing
Since the apple variety has an average resistance to low temperatures, one- and two-year-old seedlings are planted only in early spring. Seedlings planted in open ground in autumn may die in winter. Soil preparation and planting are carried out in two stages.
Site selection, pit preparation
Given the average winter hardiness, a place for seedlings should be chosen sunny, well protected on the north side (wall of the house, fence). Low-lying areas should also be avoided, as cold air accumulates there.
Groundwater at the landing site should be no closer than 2 m from the surface of the earth. Melt or rainwater should not accumulate in the near-stem circle in order to avoid damage to the root system.
In the autumn
The soil for planting seedlings is prepared in advance, in late autumn. Organic fertilizers (rotted manure) are distributed on the soil surface at the rate of 4-5 kg per 1 sq. m, ash for alkalization of the soil – 200-300 g per 1 sq. m and 1 table. a spoonful of potassium phosphate fertilizers. When digging, fertilizers are buried in the ground and left until spring.
In the spring
In early spring, the earth is again dug up to enhance aeration and planting pits are prepared with a diameter of 1 m, a depth of 0,75-0,80 m. Drainage is laid out at the bottom of each hole – 2-3 cm of expanded clay or pieces of brick. Sand, humus, peat and 20 g of nitroammophoska are mixed in equal amounts, the composition is laid on top of the drainage. The pit is covered and left for 10-15 days.
Pepin Saffron apple tree seedlings must be planted in prepared planting pits before bud break. To do this, the planting material is lowered into the hole, poured with a bucket of water over the roots, so that the roots, along with moisture, naturally deepen into the soil. From above, the roots are sprinkled with earth and compact the top layer well. Then the apple tree must be watered with at least 30 liters of water and mulched.
When planting, you need to try to place the basal neck at the level of the soil. Young seedlings are watered until fully rooted every week with 10 liters of water.
Care
Apple trees of the Pepin Saffron variety are demanding for top dressing. To obtain stable, plentiful harvests, it is necessary to make additional nutrition in a timely manner.
Watering and feeding
Young and adult trees are watered as needed, once every 10 days, keeping the soil normally moist (the earth compressed in handfuls should not fall apart). Pepin saffron apple trees are fertilized as follows:
- every 2-3 years in the fall, after harvesting, potash-phosphorus fertilizers are applied to the near-trunk circle;
- annually after flowering, they are watered with infused bird droppings in a ratio of 1:15;
- in the fall, organic fertilizers (humus or compost) are added to the trunk circle by adding 1 glass of ash;
- in order to avoid shedding of the ovaries, the tree is watered with infusion of slurry, diluted with water 1: 3.
Trimming
Trees are very picky about pruning. In the first few years after planting, crown formation is carried out, and then annual pruning in the spring before bud break, shortening the shoots and freeing the trunk and skeletal branches from extra branches. Annually it is recommended to cut up to 25% of the crown of the apple tree.
Prevention and protection against diseases and pests
Scab and other fungal diseases, to which the Pepin Saffron apple variety is most susceptible, often occur in thickened, poorly ventilated crowns, so pruning serves as a good prevention of infection. Potassium-phosphorus fertilizers improve the crown of apple trees and prevent the spread of diseases.
In autumn, after leaf fall, all dry leaves are removed, the soil around the tree is loosened, fertilized and watered well – this will help the roots to endure the winter. The trunk and skeletal branches must be whitewashed with slaked lime with the addition of copper sulfate in the fall.
Completely clean the crown of the apple tree from pests and diseases will help eradicate spraying with a 3 or 5% solution of copper sulfate, and in early spring with a 3% solution of Bordeaux mixture.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
Choosing seedlings of this variety for planting, gardeners are guided by the positive and negative qualities of Pepin Saffron apple trees. The main advantages of the variety:
- good self-fertility;
- stable high yields;
- excellent trade dress;
- good transportability and duration of storage;
- fast regeneration.
The disadvantages of the variety include:
- low frost resistance;
- the need for annual pruning to avoid crushing the fruit;
- relatively low resistance to scab and other diseases;
- the older the tree becomes, the weaker the aroma and taste of apples.
This variety of apples has good taste and quality indicators. With constant care, it pleases with generous harvests that are perfectly preserved until spring. It is with these qualities that Pepin Saffronny has been attracting gardeners for more than a hundred years.