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Due to the high yield and amazing taste of fruits, the Medunitsa apple tree is in great demand among gardeners. Improper care can cause the death of a fruit tree. Today we will tell you what the Medunitsa apple tree is.
How did the variety
The Medunitsa variety, beloved by many gardeners, is not recorded in the State Register of Breeding Achievements. According to the former head of the State Variety Testing Commission M.K. Efremova, the apples were so tasty that they were picked from the trees in an unripe form.
The apple tree Lungweed of the summer variation appeared as a result of crossing Cinnamon striped and Welsey. The author of this fruit crop is Professor Sergei Ivanovich Isaev. Breeding work was carried out on the basis of the All- Research Institute of Horticulture. I. V. Michurina.
Winter lungwort, which is characterized by late ripening and high frost resistance, appeared due to crossing with the Renet Simirenko variety.
Variety Medunitsa has a second name – Medovitsa.
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Appearance Description
Lungwort refers to tall fruit plants. The height of an adult tree reaches 4–7 m. A fruit tree with a beautiful, sprawling, pyramidal crown will be a worthy decoration of the garden.
The tendency to shoot formation is medium. At the same time, the foliage of the tree is high. Rounded and oblong leaf plates are painted in a discreet light green shade. Shoots and cuttings are light brown in color.
The fruits of the honey apple tree look like from the picture. They are often used as exhibits for photos in horticultural catalogs.
The weight of a ripe apple can range from 100 to 150 g. The pulp is juicy, dense texture. As soon as the yellow-green peel acquires a bright red-brown blush, harvest begins.
Main characteristics
When choosing a fruit plant, it is necessary to take into account the technical characteristics of the variety.
Flowering and pollination
Most gardeners prefer to grow self-fertile crops that do not require additional pollinators.
Lungwort is a self-fertile fruit plant. But as the tree grows older, the yield decreases. It is possible to increase fruiting and improve palatability by cross-pollination. As pollinators, it is recommended to use varieties Pobeda, Anis Sverdlovsky, Cinnamon striped, Kerr and Golden. The fruit ripening period may not coincide, it is important to select the neighborhood according to the flowering time of the crops.
Medovica apple tree blooms in late May or early June. The flowering period depends on weather conditions and climatic features of the region of growth.
Fruiting
The Medovoye variety is highly valued by gardeners in Our Country for its regular and abundant fruiting. The first harvest falls on 5–6 years after planting the seedling in a permanent place of growth. A young apple tree actively bears fruit for the first 12-15 years. Then the stage of alternation of low- and high-yielding years begins.
The average yield from one mature tree is 180 kg.
Winter hardiness and crop storage
Lungwort is characterized by high winter hardiness. The apple tree endures the harsh winters of Siberia and the Urals, while the technical qualities of the fruit are preserved.
You can harvest as you ripen. Apples harvested at the time of technical ripeness are stored for 3-4 months. Fully ripened fruits have a pleasant aroma and honey taste, but are stored for no more than a month. So that the crop does not deteriorate, it is necessary to monitor the level of humidity and air temperature in the room.
Resistance to diseases
In the description of the apple tree variety Medunitsa, it is indicated that this fruit crop is resistant to scab and other fungal diseases. Such a statement is erroneous.
The virus that causes the disease began to mutate, new strains of infection appeared. Fruit varieties bred several decades ago cannot withstand many viral and fungal diseases. For prevention purposes, it is recommended to periodically treat the apple orchard with a solution of ammonium nitrate (10%) or a chemical solution of Bordeaux mixture (1–3%).
Features of planting and care
Depending on the characteristics of the region, seedlings of fruit trees are planted in open ground in late spring or early autumn. The apple tree loves fertile and nutritious soil enriched with oxygen. It is necessary to plant a seedling of the Medovitsa variety in a garden area open to sunlight.
Make sure that the area chosen for planting a young tree is closed from a draft. The planting pit is prepared in advance – at least 2-3 weeks before the seedling is planted in open ground. A layer of drainage is laid at the bottom of the pit. When planting an apple tree, keep an eye on the root neck, which should be at a level of 7-10 cm from the topsoil.
Caring for the Medunitsa variety includes watering as the soil dries out, fertilizing, crown pruning, weeding and loosening the soil, prevention and protection from pests.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
According to the reviews of gardeners, the fruits of the honey apple tree are juicy, tasty and without sourness. But you can often hear complaints about the lack of juiciness. In order for the apple to acquire a more pronounced aroma and delicate taste, let it lie down in a cool and darkened room.
This fruit crop is praised for the absence of carrion. Variety Medunitsa early and late ripening can be consumed both raw and processed. Apples are used for making juices, fruit drinks, compotes, drying, marshmallows, preserves, marmalade and jam.
The main advantages of the Medovitsa variety include:
- abundant fruiting and high yield;
- good frost resistance;
- lack of fruit drop;
- unpretentiousness to growing conditions and undemanding care;
- excellent taste.
This fruit crop has a number of disadvantages:
- during long-term storage, the fruits lose their aroma and characteristic taste;
- For proper fruiting and crown formation, periodic pruning of branches is required.