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Sometimes you want to collect as many different varieties of apple trees as possible in your garden in order to please yourself and loved ones with a variety of tastes and colors of apples. However, large apple trees take up a lot of space, and the idea of planting a large number of different trees seems illusory and unfeasible. In such cases, columnar apple trees come to the rescue, which are distinguished by their compact planting. In this article we will give a detailed description of the columnar apple tree “Medoc”. You will learn the characteristics of the variety, as well as how planting, growing, what kind of care an apple tree requires.
About columnar apple trees
Many gardeners are not even aware of the existence of columnar trees, or consider them to be something prohibitively complex in agricultural technology, requiring care at the royal level. In fact, there is nothing difficult in growing such trees. On the contrary, agricultural technology is extremely simple, and it is very convenient to take care of small trees.
For the first time, a columnar apple tree was bred in Canada, having found an unusual shoot on an old apple tree. Over time, breeders became interested in an unusual type of growth structure and launched research work. At its core, the columnar apple tree is very similar to the pyramidal poplar. Fruiting is concentrated on numerous annelids, so that the apples are evenly distributed over almost the entire trunk. At the same time, columnar trees are low, rarely exceeding 2,5 meters, which makes them incredibly comfortable in the garden.
Small trees, however, are able to withstand a crop of up to 12-15 kilograms. Of the main disadvantages, it should be noted that no matter what kind of columnar trees you choose, their root system will still be located quite close to the surface, which significantly reduces their winter hardiness.
With the exception of low resistance to frost, columnar trees already in the first years of growth pay off all costs.
Brief description of the Medoc variety
The columnar apple tree of the “Medok” variety belongs to the autumn species, the fruits of which ripen in late August until mid-September. The variety has an incredibly sweet taste, really reminiscent of honey, while the apples themselves are a pleasant yellow color, which look very nice on the tree. Unfortunately, “Medok” apples cannot be stored for a long time; they retain commercial qualities for only one month. That is why fruits are often used for preservation, making jam, jam or dried fruits. And, of course, they are consumed fresh.
Characterization
Apple column “Medoc” refers to natural semi-dwarfs, growing in height to about 2-2,5 meters. The best rootstocks for the variety are 62-396 and “Mark”. The crown of the trees is small, compact, rarely exceeding 25 centimeters in diameter. The stability of the apple tree is given by a strong, highly developed root system, which allows planting seedlings even in very windy areas, on the one hand, and on the other hand, it increases the tree’s immunity to various kinds of diseases.
The columnar apple tree of this variety bears fruit with medium-large fruits, the weight of which ranges from 100 to 250 grams. It should be noted that the size of apples is largely influenced by the care that you provide to the trees. Apples “Medok” are rounded with a dense skin of white-yellow color without a blush. The pulp is juicy, very sweet, white in color with a coarse-grained structure.
Fruiting
The variety belongs to early-growing – the first harvest, albeit small, can be obtained already in the first year of cultivation during spring planting. However, it is recommended to cut off all the ovaries in the first year in order to get a full harvest the next year. Apple trees of this variety enter the peak of fruiting in the 5th year of cultivation, bringing 9 kilograms of apples from each tree. Intensive care, which is loved by the columnar variety of apple trees, will significantly increase the yield.
Frost resistance
Despite the fact that the average columnar apple tree does not differ in winter hardiness, this variety well withstands extremely low temperatures down to -42 ° C. Such resistance allows the variety to be grown in the conditions of the Middle Belt, in the Moscow region, as well as in almost all corners of Siberia.
Frost resistance in a sense simplifies the autumn care of trees of this variety, since you do not have to worry about the quality and quantity of mulch in the near-stem circle.
Planting and care
Given the frost resistance of the variety, planting seedlings can take place both in early spring and in autumn.
The best place for growing will be lowlands, where a lot of snow accumulates, which acts as a natural mulch and saves the roots of the tree from freezing and death.
Planting is carried out according to the scheme: 45 centimeters of distance between seedlings, 50 centimeters of pit depth, the width is adjusted to the size of the roots, 50 centimeters of row spacing. Planting pits are filled with a mixture of fertile soil, humus, superphosphate, potassium and urea. Before planting, the roots of the seedling are straightened, trying not to damage. When planting, the earth must be tamped, and at the end, the hole must be watered abundantly.
The variety responds favorably to top dressing with urea in the spring, as well as a mixture of phosphate and potassium during the flowering period. During fruiting, it is also recommended to apply potassium and phosphate with a small amount of organic fertilizer so that the tree forms large fruits. Like any other variety of apple trees, this one requires preventive treatment with complex fungicides and insecticides in order to minimize the likelihood of fungal diseases or invasion by aphids, codling moths or leafworms.
The care that this variety requires also includes regular watering, which is carried out at least 2 times a week, and loosening the soil both in the trunk circle and in the aisle. This is done to ensure the flow of oxygen to the roots.
For the winter, it is recommended to wrap the trunk and lower branches with some durable material, such as metal mesh, to protect the tree from the invasion of mice and hares, who love to feast on the bark and shoots.
Video “Protection of the trunk of an apple tree”
This is a video with tips on how to prepare a fruit tree for winter, what work needs to be done in the fall to protect the trunk from the cold and rodents.
