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How often a gardener, in pursuit of some rarities and curiosities for his garden, forgets about the simplest, but at the same time dear to the heart and unpretentious fruits, like apples. It seems to be the most ordinary and grow in every garden, but even among them you can find interesting varieties that conquer either their appearance, or unpretentiousness, or exquisite taste and ability for long-term storage, and sometimes all of the above qualities together.
It is this variety that is the Ligol apple tree. It belongs to the winter varieties of apples, and recently they have begun to enjoy particular popularity. Since fruits are usually plentiful in summer and autumn, apples are of little value. But apples, which fully reveal their bouquet of taste and aroma only by January and can be safely stored until April, of course, cannot but arouse interest.
Variety Ligol and its description
Quite a long time ago, back in 1972, in the Polish city of Skierniewice, scientists from the Institute of Horticulture and Floriculture bred the Ligol apple tree variety.
Trees of the Ligol variety are characterized by an average growth for apple trees, and at the age of ten an apple tree can reach only 3,5 meters in height. The most intensive growth can be observed in apple trees of this variety in the first years of life. With the onset of fruiting, growth rates slow down somewhat.
The thickening of the crown, which in its shape resembles a wide pyramid, is medium, and the branches themselves grow at a rather large angle to the trunk – 65-85 degrees. As a result of this fact, a sufficient amount of air penetrates into the gaps between the branches, which means that the risk of various fungal diseases decreases in the apple tree. The skeleton of the tree itself is quite powerful.
The leaves of Ligol apple trees are slightly elongated, have a pointed tip, the color is dark green, the underside is pubescent. There are twisted leaves with serrated edges. The growth of the main green mass occurs in the period from May to July. And the Ligol apple tree finally sheds its leaves by the end of October – November.
The flowering period is short, within 10 days, white large flowers bloom quite late, at the end of May.
Since this apple variety was originally created for commercial use, it is self-infertile. That is, for good fruiting, he needs apple trees of other varieties growing nearby. Moreover, there are varieties of apple trees that are best suited for Ligol as pollinators. These include primarily:
- Champion;
- Macintosh;
- Idared;
- Golden Delicious;
- Gloucester;
- Spartan;
- Red Delicious;
- Fuji;
- Gold Rush;
- Courtland.
I must say that all these varieties are interesting for their qualities, and you are unlikely to regret planting one of them in your area.
A description of the Ligol apple tree variety would be incomplete without mentioning the fact that young trees bear fruit very early. Already in the third year from one tree you can collect up to 4-5 kg of apples. And every year the number of collected apples will increase rapidly until it reaches 50 kg or more from one tree.
Such a significant yield is due to the high ability of Ligol apple trees to shoot formation. But thanks to the same property, the tree is prone to periodic fruiting, if not helped by annual formative pruning. Indeed, due to the large number of branches with fruits, the load becomes unbearable and the tree itself is unable to cope with it. Trimming Ligol apple trees is recommended in the form of a spindle. And pruning can be done not only in autumn or spring, but also in summer. In apple trees of this variety, there is sometimes a transfer of the crop from one side of the crown to the other.
The undoubted advantages of Ligol apple trees are its frost resistance and drought resistance. In general, Ligol apple trees quite easily adapt to local climatic conditions, therefore they are easily cultivated both in the middle lane and in the southern regions. An important characteristic of the variety is its resistance to the main diseases of the apple orchard: scab and powdery mildew. But at the same time, it is not very resistant to bacterial burn. However, this problem can be dealt with if timely preventive measures are taken.
Fruit Characteristics
Ligol apples have a fairly regular and beautiful round-conical shape. The size of apples is large, on average each fruit weighs about 250 grams, but it is not uncommon for one apple to weigh 350-400 grams.
The fruits of the apple tree are mostly even in size, which is very convenient for commercial use.
Their appearance attracts attention – mainly the color is yellowish green or deep yellow with a bright red blush, which occupies most of the circumference of the apples. However, descriptions of apples from different trees can vary quite a lot – a lot depends on the amount of sunlight falling on the apples, and on temperature conditions, and even on the pollinator variety. Numerous light subcutaneous dots are clearly visible, as in the photo below.
The skin of Ligol apples is dense, glossy, so they endure transportation well, including over long distances. The appearance of apples is estimated at 4,8 points.
The pulp of the fruit is fine-grained, juicy, firm and crispy. The taste is sweet, although there is some sourness. Tasters rate the taste of apples at 4,6 points. The Ligol apple variety is characterized by a strong pleasant aroma.
Ligol apples are ready to be picked from the tree and stored at the end of September. Of course, they can continue to be kept on a tree, since they acquire marketable qualities only by November – January of the next year. But it is undesirable to do this, since overripe apples are poorly stored, and during storage they quickly lose moisture. In order for apples to be well preserved until spring, the following storage conditions must be observed:
- In the dark, in boxes, in layers, lined with newspapers, paper or sawdust;
- In a cool place, not higher than +12°C, and at a humidity of about 60%.
If these conditions are not observed, apples can be affected by skin tan and bitter pitting.
Rules of landing and care
Despite the general unpretentiousness in cultivation, the Ligol apple tree will still show the best results if it is given nutrient-rich soils and light areas. However, it withstands a little shading very well.
But the most important thing for any seedling is proper planting.
The soil at the planting site of the apple tree should not be sandy or clayey. In both cases, in addition to humus, additional addition of either sand or clay is necessary, depending on what exactly is missing.
Usually a standard hole is dug out of such a size that the straightened roots of the seedling fit freely into it. The grafting site or the root collar must not be deepened in any case. It is better that they rise a few centimeters above the ground. In this position, the straightened roots of the seedling are placed in a hole and carefully covered with a mixture of earth and humus, gradually lightly tamping. Simultaneously with planting, a strong stake is driven into the ground parallel to the trunk, to which a seedling can be tied up in the first year until it is fully strengthened. After planting, the apple tree is watered abundantly.
The rest of the rules differ little from the usual care for other apple trees.
Reviews of gardeners
In Our Country, the Ligol apple tree variety has not yet become popular, perhaps due to an innate wary attitude towards everything commercial, so there are not so many reviews from those who actually grew them in their garden. But many managed to taste it.
Conclusion
Ligol apple tree is an interesting and promising variety for home and commercial cultivation. You can try to grow it in the Central region and more southern regions. For more northern territories, perhaps the variety will be rather weak.
