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The Kitayka apple tree is an unpretentious tree, it is not afraid of severe frosts, it can survive a drought and always looks very decorative. In spring, it is covered with delicate numerous flowers of white, pink or red color, depending on the variety. In summer, small fruits hang in clusters on its branches, they can be bright red, greenish red or completely golden. In autumn, its usually glossy green leaves turn ocher and purple. Not all apples are tasty, and they are not stored for long, but amazing desserts are made from them.
Description and characteristics of the variety
Strictly speaking, “Kitayka” is not a variety, but rather, a species that combines numerous varieties that were bred by crossing garden apple trees with berry apple trees, in particular with “Sibirka”. These are the varieties: “Anise Chinese”, “Golden Early Chinese”, “Dessert Chinese”, which I. V. Michurin once brought out. The same species includes “Kitayka Saninskaya” with small sour fruits and “Kitayka apricot”, which in the Chelyabinsk region brings up to 100 kg of fruit from a tree with an average weight of 50 to 60 g. Among the popular ones are: “Kerr”, ” Long”, “Belfleur”.
This plum-leaved apple tree got its nickname not because of its distribution in China and not because of its Chinese origin, but its leaves are very similar to the leaves of the Chinese plum. They are long with pointed tips, with small notches along the edge, glossy dark green. Trees grow large, up to 10 meters. The branches tending upward depart from the trunk at sharp angles and form a wide conical crown in an adult tree.
In spring, the trees are covered with lush flowers. Flowers can be of different colors depending on the variety, they are no more than 3 cm in diameter, collected with an umbrella, give the world around them a sweet fragrance. Thanks to this aroma, there are always a lot of pollinating insects near Kitaek, which also fly to other flowering plants. Such a tree in the garden is able to increase the yield of varietal apples growing nearby due to cross-pollination and attraction of insects.
The roots of the apple tree do not lie very deep, but the root system is branched and powerful, it finds the necessary nutrients. These trees are completely undemanding to the composition of the soil, tolerate frosty winters well, are indifferent to droughts, immune to fungal diseases, “Chinese trees” grow well in harsh Siberia and in the north of the western part of the country.
“Belfer”, perhaps the only one of these varieties, gives large fruits, oval light yellow with a bright red blush. They have a sweet and sour taste and a spicy aroma. Apples can reach from 120 g to 300 g. But this variety does not withstand cold winters, it is distributed only in the southern regions, and often suffers from scab.
“Chinese” and “Ranetki” were specially bred by breeders for regions with harsh winters, it was not in vain that “Sibirka” was taken as the material for their selection. But it turned out that only varieties with small fruits – 3 or 4 centimeters in diameter – are not afraid of cold weather, and large-fruited ones still cannot tolerate hard frosts.
The Canadian variety “Kerr” has long been successfully grown in the Moscow region. The tree is medium-sized, its crown is rare, it does not require mandatory pruning. It begins to bear fruit from the 3rd or 4th year, gives large crops, but alternates between plentiful and moderate. “Kerr” is famous for its fruits with a high content of vitamin C. Red apples, reaching 40 g, are harvested in September. If you put them in storage in a cool place, then they are completely preserved until the middle of winter. Canadians love to decorate the Christmas tree with them and stuff the bird for Christmas dinner. Kerr apples have a pleasant sour-sweet taste, but they are rarely eaten fresh, more often they make amazing desserts – marmalades, jellies, preserves, compotes, juices, cider.
“Chinese golden early” looks quite different. The tree has a rare pyramidal crown. Fruiting begins already from the 3rd year after planting. The variety is well cultivated in the Volga-Vyatka and North-Western regions. Harvested in mid-August, small round, indeed, golden apples look like they are made entirely of sunlight. The dense creamy pulp of the fruits of “Chinese golden early” has a delicate sweet and sour taste. They can be stored fresh for no more than a week and a half, so almost immediately after harvesting it is allowed for processing.
The apple tree “Long” is striking in its decorative effect – a round wide crown in early autumn is simply plastered with red small apples. The tree rarely grows above 4 meters, the fruits barely reach 20 g, red cone-shaped apples have a pleasant aroma and sweet and sour taste.
Peculiarities of growing
“Chinese” are drought-resistant, frost-resistant, undemanding in relation to soils, but grow and bear fruit much better if they are given good conditions.
They love fertile, light, non-acidic soils, moderate moisture, and respond well to top dressing. It is better to plant them immediately in a permanent place. Only very young seedlings, two or three years old, can survive transplanting; older trees may not take root. They will survive in a shaded area, but will thrive in full sun.
Acidic, heavy soils and a high level of groundwater will not kill such a resistant apple tree, but will not allow it to grow into that decorative beauty that can decorate the site, regardless of the taste of its spectacular fruits.
The plum-leaved apple tree is often used as a rootstock for grafting, but it should be remembered that not all varieties can be combined with it, tissue rejection is possible.
Care
All apple trees are cared for in the same way – watered, fertilized, pruned. “Chinese” love watering, but you do not need to allow stagnant water. Mulching with sawdust, manure, or tree bark will help retain moisture. Under the trees, you need to remove plant debris, dig up the ground.
Every spring you need to make sanitary pruning, and in the fall to form a crown. But during the summer, it is advisable to carefully monitor the branches, to prevent injuries and wounds, if these happen, then you need to immediately treat them with garden pitch. Some trees grow so that the branches form large forks. This should not be allowed, because under the weight of snow in winter or fruits in autumn, branches can break.
In the spring, the trunks are whitened to avoid sunburn.
Common pests can threaten apple trees: aphids, psyllids, apple moths. From aphids, a solution of tobacco and soap helps well, with which leaves and branches are washed abundantly. The psyllid does not tolerate tobacco smoke, so it is easy to drive it away by fumigation. And the apple moth or apple flower beetle will be defeated by the use of chlorophos.
Usually plum-leaved apple trees are resistant to most diseases, but cytosporosis can damage them. It is best to deal with it with the Hom preparation, it is used before bud break, or before flowering, the tree is sprayed with copper sulphate.
Collection and storage
Fruits of different varieties ripen from August to the end of September. They, as a rule, are cut off, because the apples hold tightly on small stalks. The fruits of most varieties are stored very little. The record holder can be considered Kerr apples, which, under appropriate conditions, can lie until January. If you find a dark and cold place, then the apples “Long” can be stored there for up to two months. And most fruits need to be consumed or processed in a week.
It is believed that all the most useful elements in apples are in the skin and immediately below it. From this point of view, the fruits of “Kitaek” contain only this layer with a high concentration of nutrients. Most fruits, indeed, contain a huge amount of ascorbic acid, sugars and trace elements useful for the body. They are very often used for the preparation of candied fruits, marmalades, wines, compotes. Exquisite jam or caramelized fruits can be the highlight of a sweet table. Adding apples to meat or fish dishes gives them an original taste and aroma.
Video “Chinese apple trees”
We bring to your attention a short review of two ornamental and fruit varieties of Chinese apple trees.
