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Aromatnoye apple tree is a variety that successfully combines ease of care and the ability to tolerate negative external influences with very good yields and fruit taste. It is quite possible to recommend it to beginner gardeners and those who do not have the opportunity to devote much time and effort to caring for plantings. Of course, the Fragrant apple tree is not without certain disadvantages, but the merits of the variety “override” them.
The story of
Aromatnoye apple tree is a variety known to Soviet gardeners. It appeared in the mid 60s. The selection was carried out at the All- Research Institute of Horticulture named after I. V. Michurin. A whole team of specialists is indicated as originators: S. I. Isaev, G. A. Lobanov, Z. I. Ivanova.
The Aromatnoye apple tree is not listed in the State Register of Breeding Achievements. But this does not affect its popularity among gardeners.
Description of the apple tree variety Fragrant
Against the background of many varieties, the Aromatnoe apple tree favorably stands out for its “small size”. There is a place for a tree even on “classic” personal plots of six acres. Its fruits are not outwardly distinguished; it is unlikely that a non-specialist will be able to identify them among others.
tree appearance
Apple-tree Fragrant – medium-sized tree. Its maximum height is 3,5-4 m, more often this figure is limited to 3 m. The crown is quite compact, not prone to thickening. It does not look too neat, evoking associations with a haystack, but the shoots are relatively rarely intertwined.
The tree blooms quite late, towards the end of May. Depending on the weather, the buds may open 7-10 days earlier or later. Flowering is quite abundant and long (about two weeks).
Leaf plates are large, curved along the central vein, the degree of foliage is medium
Description of fruits
The fruits of the apple tree Fragrant regular shape, with a thin, but strong enough and elastic skin. The main color of mature fruits is pale yellow with a slight golden-amber tint. Where the skin hits the sun, it is covered with a blurry brick red or orange-pink “blush” in the form of irregularly shaped spots. Fruits of various sizes (130-220 g), individual “record holders” gain weight up to 250 g.
The shape of apples varies from rounded flattened to obovate.
Characteristic of the variety
Among the varietal characteristics of the Fragrant apple tree, most gardeners, first of all, “bribe” the yield. But the list of positive properties that allow it to successfully compete with modern varieties and hybrids is not limited to this.
Palatability
Fruit pulp from apple trees Fragrant medium density, fine-grained on the cut, snow-white or with a slight greenish undertone. Medium juiciness, sweet and sour taste, balanced. Professional tasters rated it 4,5-4,75 points. There is a noticeable wine-spicy aftertaste.
The Aromatnoye apple tree fully justifies its name. The pulp has a pronounced, but not sharp, refreshing-spicy smell. Moreover, it is preserved even after heat treatment in any home-made preparations.
Terms of maturation
Apple tree Aromatnoe belongs to the category of winter varieties. The technical ripeness of the crop falls on the second half of September. Consumer will have to wait another month or so.
Productivity
Given the small size, the Fragrant apple tree can be called a high-yielding variety. From an adult tree, 140-150 kg of fruit are removed. Fruiting is annual, the seasons of “rest” for this variety are uncharacteristic.
“Unsuccessful” weather during spring and summer and other negative “external” factors have little effect on the volume of the crop
Frost resistance of apple tree Fragrant
The cold resistance of adult apple trees of the Fragrant variety allows them to winter without damage or with minimal damage at a temperature of about -30 ° C, even if frosts set in for a long time and are accompanied by a lack of snow and strong winds. The trees affected by the cold recover normally during the next season, this fact does not affect the yield in the future.
Apple tree pollinators Fragrant
The Fragrant apple tree is inherent in the property of self-fertility. She does not need the “help” of other pollinating varieties to set fruits.
Growing regions
Initially, the “habitat” of the Fragrant apple tree was limited mainly to central Our Country. But gradually, gardeners found out that it successfully adapts to more severe conditions than a temperate climate. Now trees are found in almost all regions where, in principle, gardening is possible.
Disease resistance
Due to its general endurance and “stress resistance”, the Fragrant apple tree “picks up” fungal and other diseases quite rarely. The descriptions mention that she has immunity to scab, but the experience of gardeners shows that “protection” is not absolute, especially if the weather favors the activation of the pathogen.
The risk of infection of apple trees with scab increases if it is damp and cool outside.
Pests that are particularly “interested” in the Fragrant apple tree are not noted by summer residents. But during mass attacks on the garden, they will not bypass the tree.
Advantages and disadvantages
The pulp of fruits from the Aromatnoye apple tree is quite “loose”. However, they are distinguished by good transportability and keeping quality.
Due to the characteristic smell, the juice from Aromatnoye apples is especially popular among all home-made preparations.
Pros:
- general endurance and “stress resistance” of a tree, the ability to successfully resist negative external influences;
- cold resistance sufficient for most regions;
- good resistance to pathogenic microflora and pests;
- early entry into fruiting;
- self-fertility;
- consistently high yield, annual fruiting;
- small height, compactness and medium thickening of the crown;
- good balanced taste and bright aroma of fruits;
- keeping quality and transportability of apples.
Cons:
- quick shedding of ripe fruit from the tree;
- loss of keeping quality and transportability of overripe fruits.
Planting an apple tree Fragrant
In order to collect the maximum possible yields from the Fragrant apple tree, it is necessary to take into account its “requirements” regarding the landing site:
- good illuminance;
- lack of cold drafts (protection is not critical, but desirable);
- deep (below 1,5 m) groundwater;
- quite nutritious, but at the same time “light” substrate (loam, forest gray soil);
- soil pH is neutral or close to it.
Worst of all, the Fragrant apple tree feels when planting in a “heavy”, constantly waterlogged substrate, where normal air exchange is impossible. Also, the prerequisites for regular stagnation of rain, melt water, damp air are created by placing a tree in a lowland, at the foot of a hill.
Gardeners practice both spring and autumn planting of the Fragrant apple tree, taking into account, first of all, the climatic nuances of a particular region. But the landing pit is always prepared in advance.
A nutrient mixture from fertile soil, humus and fertilizers “stands” for at least 2,5-3 weeks, and maximum all winter
Approximate dimensions of the planting pit for the Fragrant apple tree are 60-70 cm deep and 80-90 cm in diameter. They plant it according to the same algorithm as other fruit and berry trees.
The main points to pay attention to in the process:
- sufficient watering of the soil before and after planting;
- the position of the roots of the seedling, if they are open;
- lack of air “pockets”;
- the position of the root neck (5-7 cm above ground level);
- pruning, garter to support, mulching.
When planting several seedlings, the minimum interval between adjacent trees is 4 m, between their rows – 5 m
Features of care
Caring for an apple tree Fragrant will not be labor-intensive for a gardener. The list of necessary agrotechnical measures is limited to the following:
- Watering. The soil is moistened only if heat and drought are established outside for longer than two weeks. The approximate norm is 60-80 liters per adult tree. It should also be taken into account that the Fragrant apple tree especially needs water during flowering and 1,5-2 weeks after it.
- Top dressing. Fertilizers are applied according to the standard scheme – nitrogen at the beginning of the active growing season, complex preparations during flowering, about 1,5 months before harvesting and in preparation for winter.
- Pruning. Despite the fact that the crown of the Fragrant apple tree is not prone to thickening, sanitary pruning in spring and autumn is required. It is formed most often by a sparse-tiered method. The process stretches for 3-4 years, one tier per season. The finished configuration is several levels of the main shoots on the trunk, from which “auxiliary” branches of the 2nd-3rd order depart.
- Preventive measures. To protect the Fragrant apple tree from fungal diseases and insects, it is recommended to spray it with fungicides and insecticides at the beginning and at the end of the active growing season. During the season, folk remedies are usually sufficient for prevention.
- Preparing for winter. For adult apple trees Fragrant, you can limit yourself to garbage collection in the near-stem circle, replacing the mulch layer and whitewashing the trunk, skeletal branches. In the first winter, seedlings are recommended to additionally “insulate” the trunk or close them completely, for example, with a special or home-made cover.
If autumn is dry and warm, additional moisture-charging watering is required to prepare for winter.
Collection and storage
Harvest from the Aromatnoye apple tree falls in the second half of September. It is impossible to be late with this – overripe fruits quickly and “massively” fall off the branches, lose their consumer properties and keeping quality. Apples ripen after being removed from the tree, they can be eaten about a month after picking – towards the end of October.
Fruits from the Aromatnoye apple tree are stored at least until the New Year. If you create optimal conditions for them, they will lie until the end of winter, retaining the taste, texture of the pulp, benefits and other consumer properties.
First, the harvest from the Fragrant apple tree is sorted out, getting rid of fruits even with minimal damage (mechanical and otherwise). It is most convenient to store apples in the basement or cellar, providing them with:
- temperature 4-7 °C;
- air humidity 80-85%;
- lack of light;
- good ventilation (but not cold drafts).
The crop reacts negatively to any sudden changes in the parameters that determine the microclimate at the storage location.
Conclusion
The Aromatnoye apple tree successfully takes root and bears fruit in most of the territory of Our Country. Moreover, the nuances of the local climate, which are unfavorable for gardening, have little effect on the yield and taste of fruits. Therefore, despite its rather “venerable” age, it is still popular with those who prefer “reliable” and unpretentious varieties in care.
Reviews of gardeners about the apple tree Fragrant
