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Having set yourself the goal of arranging a beautiful garden, you often have to sacrifice the taste of trees and shrubs for the sake of the composition. However, if you want to have delicious fruits of the apple tree at the end of the year, as well as decorate the garden, you will certainly be interested in the ornamental Niedzwiecki apple tree. Lush flowering, dense foliage, alluring scattering of fruits – this Nedzwiecki apple tree is a decoration for the garden all year round. In this article, we will consider in detail the fruit characteristics of the variety, the rules for planting and proper care, and also pay attention to disease prevention.
History of the variety
The history of the appearance of the variety in our area is quite unusual. Initially, an unnamed apple tree was found during a trip to China by Vladislav Efimovich Nedzvetsky. Not far from the city of Kashgar, in the province of Xinjiang, he noticed an unusually tall, about 8 meters tall, apple tree with beautiful, decorative leaves and an unusually smooth bark. Vladislav Efimovich is known as an amateur botanist and it is not surprising that he was interested in a decorative apple tree. Taking samples of the tree with him for reproduction, he gave them to another biologist, Georg Dick. It was Georg Dick who grew the specimen in Kazakhstan, and then compiled a detailed description of the variety and registered it in the plant catalog under the name “Nedzvetsky Apple Tree”.
Features and characteristics of the variety
Nedzvetsky’s apple tree will decorate any garden plot. It is distinguished by spreading branches that form a spherical crown. Its branches are covered with purple-brown bark. In spring, the leaves that bloom on the branches are purple in color, however, with time they become dark green, with a purple halo at the base. The apple tree blooms with large dark red buds with a strong aroma. When they bloom, they become rich pink. The tree grows to a height of 8 meters and is covered with smooth bark without thorns.
The fruits are small, spherical, about 2-3 centimeters in diameter. The peel is deep purple with a purple hue and with a clear waxy coating. At the same time, the pulp tastes sour, pink-purple in color. Inside there are up to 9 seeds.
Seeds for subsequent planting must be stratified for 3-4 months, at a temperature of about +3 ° C. After that, they are suitable for planting, moreover, they germinate at a temperature of already +10 ° C.
Nedzvetsky’s apple tree belongs to frost-resistant varieties and, moreover, it is extremely unpretentious. It is highly resistant to many diseases. Ripening occurs in late September – early October.
Planting and care
The description of planting a variety should begin with the fact that, despite the rather high resistance to diseases, it is important to carefully monitor its health.
When choosing a landing site, give preference to an open area with a low standing groundwater. It is not recommended to grow an apple tree in swampy or dry areas.
Seedlings that are already two years old are suitable for planting, and the rule “the older the better” does not work here, since from the third year of a seedling’s life it loses high adaptability and gets sick more often. When marking for planting, keep in mind that the crown of the trees is quite sprawling, so there should be at least 6 meters of free space between the planting pits.
For landing, you will need a hole at least a meter deep and 80-90 centimeters wide. The soil is recommended to be fertile, light, and it is best to mix it with humus, leafy soil, sand and 300 grams of superphosphate. All preparatory work is best done in the fall, on the eve of the first frost. Less often, apple trees are planted in the spring, before the buds bloom on the seedlings. At the same time, it is possible to grow Nedzwiecki’s apple tree from stratified seeds. They are grown in school for two years.
Whichever way you plant apple trees, it is important that the root neck is at least 7 centimeters above ground level. Before planting, carefully straighten the roots, being careful not to damage them, carefully cover them with soil, crushing each layer, and then water the planting hole abundantly. The next watering of the seedling will be required only in a week. For greater stability, it is recommended to tie up all seedlings.
Nedzvetsky’s apple tree, as already noted, is quite unpretentious and does not require special care. In the first years of seedling growth, it is very important to regularly weed weeds, as well as water every month, bringing at least 3 buckets of water under each tree. If the summer turned out to be dry, then watering is increased, spending it every 2 weeks. At the same time, in order not to flood the tree, it is enough to know how old it is, and depending on this figure, calculate how much water will be needed. For example, 1 year of life equals 1 bucket of water. During fruiting, it is recommended to stop watering, as it will lead to cracking of the fruit and reduce their shelf life.
Formative pruning of the apple tree is practically not required, it is enough just to cut off in early spring (before the buds appear) the branches that grow inside the crown or those that have dried up.
Trees respond well to mulching the trunk circle. You can use sawdust, pine bark, often use walnut shells.
Do not do without annual top dressing. Both organic and mineral fertilizers can be used. They are brought in twice a year:
- for the first time in the spring, when warm weather sets in (recommended to combine with the first watering);
- the second time at the end of summer to support the tree during fruiting.
Fighting diseases and pests
It should be noted that this variety has a rather high resistance to various diseases compared to other ornamental varieties. Therefore, it is impossible to forget about preventive treatment with fungicides and insecticides. Also, care consists in whitewashing the trunks with garden lime and removing weeds from the trunk circle. The smooth bark of trees in a sense protects them from the preservation of fungal spores in the folds of the bark. Of course, at the first signs of the disease, it is necessary to remove the affected branches and process the sections.
When choosing fungicidal preparations, preference should be given to those with a systemic effect, that is, capable of simultaneously leveling the harmful effects of powdery mildew, rust of leaves and shoots, as well as scab. These drugs include “Skor”, “Topaz”, “Fitosporin”.
Ornamental plants are no less susceptible to attacks by leaf-eating insects, so it is advisable not to skip annual treatments with insecticides such as Ecoberin, Zircon, or use any preparations based on Karbofos.
Video “Decorative apple tree in garden design”
In this video, a garden plant expert will show you how to use an ornamental apple tree in your garden design.
