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Golden Delicious apple tree
The Golden Delicious apple variety is late autumn. The harvest ripens towards the end of September. Apples are juicy and have a long shelf life.
Description of the variety “Golden Delicious”
The trees are undersized, growing up to 3 m in height. The first fruits appear 2-3 years after planting. In the first year, fruiting is weak, but in the second, the branches are bursting with the harvest. In one place on a branch 2-3 apples grow at once. From one tree at the age of 6-7 years, you can collect up to 17 kg of fruits.
The fruits of “Golden Delicious” are firmly held on the branches, therefore, after harvesting, they retain their presentation.
Apple trees of this variety are long-lived. They can live and bear fruit for up to 30 years. The crown of trees is round, dense. Apple trees need pruning every year. Leaves are oval, wrinkled, oblong ends. The shade of the leaf plate is light green. The apple tree blooms in white and pink. During fruiting, the branches go down. If the year turned out to be fruitful, then it is better to prop them up.
The Golden Delicious apple tree needs pollinating trees. Jonathan, Idared, and Melrose will do.
Description of fruits:
- The apples are round, small. Weight is 120-220 g, large fruits rarely grow.
- The skin is yellow-green, rough. Closer to harvest, apples acquire a golden yellow hue. If they grew on the sunny side, a blush appears.
- The taste of apples is sweet and sour. The sugar content in fruits is 10-13%. The pulp is dense, green, juicy.
The fruits retain their taste and do not spoil until March-April. They should be stored in a low humidity room. The preservation of the fruit is improved if the apple tree grows in a tinned area.
Advantages and disadvantages of the “Golden Delicious” variety
The advantages of the apple tree are high yield, frost resistance, early maturity, as well as good taste characteristics of the fruit.
Disadvantages of the variety:
- trees are demanding in terms of growing conditions and care;
- in regions with high humidity, apple trees suffer from powdery mildew;
- with a good harvest, apples become smaller;
- apple trees have poor drought tolerance;
- if the temperature regime is not observed during storage, the fruits may wilt.
Despite all the disadvantages of the variety, it is used to breed new early varieties of apple trees that are resistant to scab and powdery mildew. Among such breeding achievements are Florina, Delbar Jubile, Orion and Yantarnoye.
When growing Golden Delicious apple trees, keep in mind that as the tree ages, its fruiting becomes irregular. Productivity depends on weather conditions and care.