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Almost all summer residents want to grow apple trees on their plot, but not everyone succeeds – the cold winter becomes a serious argument against such pleasure. Thanks to the work of modern Ural breeders, a new variety has appeared that can grow in all corners of the country. Variety “Wonderful” is winter-hardy, but the description of its dignity is not limited to this. The variety has summer fruit ripening, wonderful taste, a lot of useful substances and a charming appearance.
Appearance
The dwarf apple tree of the “Wonderful” variety grows in height up to one and a half meters, and on a vigorous rootstock – up to two meters. Its spreading crown tends to the ground, dark green branches are ready to spread along the floor, especially burdened with large fruits.
Apples of this variety grow up to 200 g, the average weight is kept at around 140 g. They are round, slightly flattened, yellow-green in color, a blush in the form of red shading often appears on the sunny side. Sometimes ribbing appears on apples, and dots are slightly visible under a thin skin. All descriptions of the variety note the dessert taste of the fruit: sweet, with a noticeable sourness and a very pleasant aftertaste. Juicy fine-grained pulp is usually liked by everyone who has tried Chudnoye apples.
With today’s variety of varieties, it is difficult to surprise with something new, but those who have already planted this variety on their site praise it for its compactness, good yield, winter hardiness and pickyness. Dwarf trees are gaining popularity due to their small size – they are easier to care for, and more convenient to harvest compared to tall four-meter trees.
History of breeding
We are so accustomed to the old varieties of apples that we forget about how much selection work is being done all the time. A wonderful reminder of this was a new variety, which was bred by the Chelyabinsk Research Institute of Horticulture and Potato Growing. The scientists set out to create a frost-resistant variety whose fruits would ripen during the short summer, because not everywhere trees can afford fruit ripening until September or October.
The breeder A.M. was named the author of the new variety. Mazunin: he crossed the Ural Northern x 11-20-12 hybrid and the old German variety Eliza Rathke, long known for its delicious apples. The result was a variety of late summer ripening “Chudnoe”, which can be cultivated in all climatic zones of Our Country.
Apple trees of this variety are natural dwarfs that can also be grafted onto a vigorously growing rootstock. They are not afraid of cold winters – they do not need to be covered in any way before the onset of cold weather. The trees themselves are not afraid of even cold winds, so they can be planted in an open area so that they can get maximum sunlight and heat during the growing season.
Video “Apple tree variety” Miraculous “
We present you an overview of the Chudnoye apple tree, which belongs to Mazunin’s dwarfs.
Peculiarities of growing
The picky variety “Wonderful” can grow on any soil, the main thing is not to neglect watering. But, if we want to get maximum pleasure from growing and rich harvests every year, so that apples grow up to 200 g in weight, then we need to create the most comfortable conditions.
Apple trees of this variety like to grow on light and nutritious soils, preferably not acidified. Sandy or loamy soil, regular watering – these requirements are inherent in almost all varieties of apples.
What distinguishes the Chudnoye apple tree from other varieties? So this is the absence of fear of stagnant water. They can be planted where groundwater is close to the surface and watered weekly.
The only reason wind can interfere with trees is its ability to dry out the topsoil.
The root system of dwarf apple trees is located in the upper fertile ground level, it reaches a depth of 80 or up to 120 centimeters. It is at this depth that moisture must penetrate to nourish the roots. Insufficient watering is perhaps the only factor that can provoke shedding of ovaries in apple trees of this variety. A strong wind dries out the top layer of soil very quickly, which can deprive the trees of the necessary moisture. And the snow does not lie in open spaces, which is not very good for the roots in cold winters. This explains the desire of gardeners to still protect the trees from the wind.
Productivity
“Wonderful” refers to those wonderful apple trees that begin to bear fruit very quickly. Already in the third year after planting, quite a lot of apples often ripen, and after that the harvest increases annually until it reaches its peak. Usually, an adult tree brings at least 80 kg of apples. Well, if such varieties as “Bratchud” or “Mundane” grow nearby, they are the best pollinators for this domestic dwarf.
All descriptions of the variety focus on the fact that outwardly the apples are very similar to the fruits of the German variety Elisa Rathke, which is the parent. They look very appetizing: light green large apples, ripening, gain more and more yellowness, on the sunny side they are covered with a delicate shading of a light red blush, darkish dots are slightly visible through the skin. Juicy, sweet, with a noticeable sourness, the fruits are very tasty fresh. Their delicate fine-grained flesh does not change within a month if apples are stored at a low temperature, for example, in a cellar. For apples of summer ripening, this is a great advantage – they will last until the end of September, without losing their taste and nutritional qualities.
The fruits contain more than 10% sugar, 0,3% acids, more than 18 mg (for every 100 g of weight) of vitamin C, about one and a half percent pectin. In addition to fresh consumption (the benefits of which can hardly be overestimated), apples are often used to make delicious desserts, they are used to make wonderful jams, mousses, jellies, marmalade, preserves and compotes. A delicate aroma and an interesting pleasant aftertaste are also preserved in the wine made from Chudnoe apples.
Planting and care
You can plant an apple tree on a plot in the fall, until mid-October, or in spring, but no later than mid-April (if the ground has already thawed).
If the soil is heavier than necessary, it is prepared in advance – they dig up the top layer (to the depth of a shovel), while adding sand or peat. You can immediately add compost or humus. If the soil is too acidic, then it is worth adding lime for digging.
Pits are located no more than 3 meters apart (if you need to plant several dwarf trees at once). They dig a hole 50 centimeters deep, up to 70 centimeters in diameter. A large bucket of water is poured into the pit, the excavated earth is mixed with compost and rotted manure, then poured to the bottom in a slide. A seedling is installed on this hill, the roots are straightened if necessary, the rest of the earth is covered and rammed. Then the tree is again watered with a bucket of water, a hole is made with sides so that the water does not spread around. The vaccination site should be at a height of 2 centimeters above the ground.
When choosing a seedling, you need to pay attention to the condition of the roots (in dwarf varieties, the root system is shorter and more branched compared to the taproot in vigorous trees). They must be fresh and not dried out (it is advisable to wrap them with a wet cloth during transportation). There should be live buds at the ends of the branches. The seedling does not respond well to temperature changes, so it should be planted in the ground as soon as possible.
After planting, the tree is watered weekly, and after watering, the ground in the trunk circle is loosened. In no case should the soil be allowed to dry out or harden, it should be moist, but allow air to pass to the roots – for this it is loosened every time after watering. Twice a season, it is desirable to feed the trees: add chicken manure (twenty times diluted) or ten times diluted slurry along with watering. After a couple of years (even before fruiting), you need to apply mineral fertilizers – nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus in reasonable quantities (no more than 30 g).
In the first year after planting, the tree is pruned in order to form a crown, then pruning is done to an adult tree, old, damaged or improperly growing (towards the center of the crown) branches are removed.
Before the onset of winter, no special events need to be carried out, just water the apple tree abundantly and that’s it.
Fighting diseases and pests
Variety “Wonderful” is remarkable in that it is resistant to such a common disease for apple trees as scab.
However, pests are very pestering trees. A lot of harm is caused by aphids that suck out juices, as well as caterpillars and beetles that eat buds, leaves, buds, and ovaries. Bark beetles and scale insects can bring the tree to death, they are difficult to fight because they live deep in the bark.
All kinds of insects that eat the foliage and other visible parts of the tree are collected mechanically and destroyed. From the invasion of pests, the tree is treated with urea or copper sulfate. Aphids can be overcome by washing it with a decoction of tobacco, garlic, nettle, mixed with soapy water.
Twice a year, the trees are bleached with the addition of lime, this helps to protect the bark from pests. When fighting a bark beetle, insecticides are injected with a syringe directly into its minks.
To reduce the likelihood of pests, and hence diseases, it is necessary to keep the near-trunk circle in order, to prevent the accumulation of plant residues there, to dig or even change the top layer of soil in spring and autumn. The tree must be carefully examined in order to notice the first appearance of pests, for preventive purposes, spray it with Bordeaux liquid, copper or iron sulfate. A low tree can be carefully examined and treated with a liquid preparation if necessary.
Rodents can also organize trouble for an apple tree, but special repellers or poisonous baits will protect them from them.
Subject to the usual sanitary standards, pests will not be able to cause much harm. An unpretentious frost-resistant apple tree will grow well and abundantly present its owners with tasty and healthy fruits.
Video “Dwarf apple trees”
This video is about dwarf low-growing apple trees, their benefits, varieties and growing features.
Comments:
Elena Semenovna What an interesting variety, I have never seen anything like it! It would be nice to plant an apple tree.
Olympiad I read about him, but in real life none of my friends have planted him yet – very interesting, but painfully good according to the description, probably, the seedlings are expensive.
Ivanov This is a new variety that has not yet been promoted as it should, maybe not expensive.
Anna Of course, it’s good that she doesn’t get sick with scab that ripens in the summer, but storing it only until the end of September is not much. If 8 kg is born, what to do with them? I want to leave it for the winter, but here I need to eat it sooner.