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To form a real garden, it is advisable to plant several varieties of apple trees. Orlovim apple trees are distinguished by many advantages and are completely undemanding in care. Therefore, even a novice gardener will be able to grow a good crop.
Variety description
Orlovim trees very quickly reach their final height (about 4,5-5 m). The rounded or broom-shaped crown is characterized by medium thickening. The main branches grow sparsely and most often have a curved shape. Often they depart from the trunk almost perpendicular. The bark and main branches are painted in light brown shades. The surface of the trunk is often flaky. The oblong leaves have a greenish color with a slight yellowish tinge.
Fruits of a slightly sloping shape have an average size and weight of approximately 125-165 g. The glossy smooth skin of ripe apples is colored with stripes of rich red color.
The pulp of Orlovim fruits has a creamy hue. The structure of the fruit is dense juiciness. According to summer residents, apples have a strongly pronounced aroma and have a pleasant sour-sweet taste.
The root system of the Orlovim apple tree is widespread in depth (approximately 4,5 m) and in breadth, therefore it takes up a lot of space.
The variety Orlovim is characterized by high frost resistance. Also, the apple tree is not often affected by scab.
There are several advantages of the Orlovim variety:
- fruiting begins quite early;
- volumetric harvest;
- if you normalize the size of the crop, then you can adjust the size of the fruit;
- elegant appearance and excellent taste of apples.
Among the shortcomings, it is worth paying attention to the short shelf life of Orlovim apples, the significant height of adult trees (harvesting is difficult), and the loss of immunity to scab with age.
Planting of seedlings
When choosing a place for a seedling of the Orlovim variety, special attention should be paid to the level of illumination of the site. It is this indicator that affects the yield and taste of Orlovim fruits.
Since this variety does not tolerate highly moist soils, seedlings are planted on hills or a good drainage layer is equipped. The best soil option for the Orlovim variety is chernozem, loamy or sandy loam soils.
Soil preparation
In order for the seedling to take root easily, a pit for planting is prepared in advance. Suitable parameters of the pit: diameter 0,6-0,8 m, depth – 0,5-0,6 m. Moreover, it is desirable to fold the fertile and lower layers of the soil separately.
A small layer of drainage is laid out at the bottom of the pit (especially important if the groundwater is shallow). First, the top fertile layer of soil falls asleep. The remaining soil is thoroughly mixed with humus, compost, ash, mineral fertilizer are added.
Landing steps:
- The root of a seedling of the Orlovim variety is carefully examined. Sections should be white. If there is a brown tint, then the root has been damaged and needs to be shortened a little with a pruner or knife.
- First, a stake is driven into the center of the pit – this will be a support for the seedling. Then the tree is lowered into the hole and the roots are carefully straightened.
- The pit is filled with a fertile mixture. The soil around the seedling of the Orlovim variety is compacted.
- A small depression is made around the circumference of the pit in the form of a moat. Thanks to this, moisture will be absorbed in the right place.
- The surface of the earth around the seedling is watered and mulched with sawdust or peat.
watering trees
The irrigation regime depends on the type of soil, the climatic features of the region. On average, one irrigation requires:
- one-year-old seedling – 2-3 buckets;
- two-year-old apple tree Orlovim – 4-5 buckets of water;
- adult apple trees – about 60 liters per square meter of the trunk circle. The soil should be saturated with water by about 60-80 cm.
It is important not only to pour the right amount of water, but also to do it on time. The first time the earth is moistened when the Orlovim apple tree blooms. The next watering is carried out when the trees already have ovaries.
The third time the trees are watered after the harvest, before the autumn frosts. Thanks to watering, the Orlovim apple tree will better tolerate frosts.
Watering the apple tree is carried out along the circumference of the crown. To do this, a groove is dug 10-15 cm deep, and it is necessary to dig carefully so as not to damage the root system. Water is poured in portions. After watering, the soil must be loosened.
Application of fertilizers
During the season, top dressing of the Orlovim apple tree is carried out three to four times. For top dressing, two methods are used: with the root method, fertilizers are applied to the soil, and with the foliar method, the crown of the apple tree is sprayed.
In April, the first fertilization is carried out. To do this, you can spread about four buckets of humus on the ground, as it contains the nitrogen necessary for trees to grow. If there is no manure, then urea will be an excellent substitute. The fertilizer is diluted with water, and for seedlings and young apple trees Orlovim make a weak solution.
The second dressing is applied during the flowering of this variety of apple trees. An excellent composition for this period: 400 g of potassium sulfate, 500 g of superphosphate and 5 liters of manure liquid are diluted in 100 liters of water. This mixture should be infused for about a week. Then the trunk ditches of the Orlovim apple tree are well saturated with water, and then with a solution. With this method of fertilizing, top dressing goes directly to the roots.
After the formation of ovaries on the apple tree of the Orlovim variety, the third top dressing is carried out. The following mixture is prepared: 500 g of nitrophoska, 10 g of sodium humate are also diluted in 100 liters of water. For one adult tree, 3 buckets of mineral solution are enough. In order for the fertilizer to be better absorbed, it is necessary to slightly dig the soil after watering (but not deep so as not to damage the roots). Then it is desirable to lay out a layer of mulch around the trunk of the apple tree.
pruning apple trees
This procedure is needed, first of all, to ensure the access of air, light inside the crown of the Orlovim variety, rejuvenation of the tree.
The most suitable time for pruning the Orlovim apple tree is spring and autumn:
- in the spring, before the buds appear, frozen branches are removed, a crown is formed;
- in autumn, pruning is carried out when all the foliage has fallen. Old, diseased or broken branches are removed.
Branches growing inside the crown or parallel are always cut. Moreover, from the two branches for pruning, an old or diseased one is selected.
Harvesting
Young apple trees begin to bear fruit already for 3-4 years and are distinguished by stable yields. From a ten-year-old Orlovim apple tree, you can collect about 60-80 kg of fruit, and an older tree brings about 100 kg of apples.
Usually for the middle lane, the apple harvesting period falls on the end of August and lasts until the end of September. In the process of picking ripe Orlovim apples, care must be taken: avoid strong impacts of the fruit or their fall. Since the apples are simply cracked.
tree diseases
The apple variety Orlovim is resistant to scab, but sometimes the tree can become infected with powdery mildew, which is a fungal disease. Most often, the disease affects the foliage. Symptoms appear as a dense whitish coating located on the leaves and shoots, fruits of the Orlovim apple tree (as in the photo).
If you do not fight the disease, you can lose 40-60% of the crop. In addition, the frost resistance of the tree is significantly reduced. In a densely planted garden, this disease spreads very quickly.
The most effective method of combating the disease is regular spraying of the Orlov crown with special preparations or colloidal sulfur, a solution of potassium permanganate. As a preventive measure, crown treatment with Bordeaux mixture is recommended.
The hardy variety Orlovim has taken root well in the gardens of Our Country, Belarus and Ukraine due to its high annual yields and resistance to scab.