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A large number of varieties of apple trees opens up endless possibilities for arranging and filling your garden. And if you take into account the number of varieties of columnar apple trees, then your eyes run wide. The topic of this article is the Vasyugan columnar apple tree, a description of its features and tips for caring for trees in your garden.
Variety description
Variety “Vasyugan” is perfectly zoned for cold regions. High frost resistance makes it suitable for growing in the gardens of Siberia and the Urals. At the same time, the variety is considered one of the most unpretentious among the columnar apple trees.
“Vasyugan” refers to semi-dwarf varieties, reaching a height of about 3 meters. The tree has a dense crown and an abundance of ringlets on which fruits are formed.
The columnar apple tree bears fruit with large fruits of saturated red-green color weighing up to 200 grams. The average yield from one tree is 6-8 kilograms. The variety has a sweet and sour taste, its flesh is fine-grained, juicy, with a light, persistent aroma and aftertaste. You can realize the harvest both in conservation and cooking, and by eating fresh apples.
This variety of apple tree brings the first harvest already in the first year of growth in the garden. However, you should not expect a full-fledged harvest at this time, only 6-7 apples will ripen. In full force, apple trees bear fruit in the fourth year, if during this time they have not been replanted.
The columnar apple tree “Vasyugan” gives a stable harvest for at least fourteen years. However, after this, the crop declines, so experienced gardeners and breeders recommend updating the garden every ten years. This method of planting helps to maintain fruiting at the same level annually.
The variety ripens at the end of August and bears fruit until mid-September. You can keep apples fresh for one and a half months, subject to the general storage rules – a cool place without high humidity.
Peculiarities of growing
Speaking about growing apple trees of any kind (and it doesn’t matter if it is columnar or dwarf), you should start with planting, because this is the foundation of the foundations, which largely affects the further development and fruiting of the tree. Vasyugan apple trees are planted in pits at least 90 centimeters deep, keeping at least 40 centimeters of free space between seedlings for the free formation and development of the root system, while I leave 1 meter of free space between rows to provide free access to trees.
The soil must be fertile, saturated with mineral and organic trace elements. It is important that in the area allotted for an apple orchard, groundwater does not lie very close to the surface.
Before planting, it is necessary to carefully straighten the roots of the seedling, and fill the hole with a mixture of humus and the top layer of soil, so that the roots do not come into contact with fertilizers, since they can get burned from this. The pit is moistened, a seedling is placed in it, covered with earth, and then watered again and the stem of the seedling is tied up to protect it from the wind.
Strawberries or cereals can be planted in the aisle or gaps between trees. This will help retain moisture in the soil during the dry summer months.
Care
First of all, a columnar apple tree requires regular watering. At the same time, situations in which moisture accumulates in the soil should be avoided, since this negatively affects the condition of the root system and creates favorable conditions for the development of fungal diseases.
This variety practically does not need to be formed and pruned, since with an intact apical bud, only one shoot is formed annually as an extension of the conductor. If, due to frost or disease, the apical bud is damaged, then the columnar apple tree produces several shoots. Of these, only the strongest and most developed should be left, and the rest should be cut off. Do not forget to cover the cut with lime to protect the tree from infections and the development of diseases.
Twice a year, in spring (before buds open) and autumn (after fruiting ends and leaves fall), it is necessary to treat trees with fungicides and insecticides. This will help protect apple trees from diseases and harmful insects, which significantly reduce the quantity and quality of the crop. It is also important to weed weeds so that they do not take away nutrients. For the winter, the trunks are wrapped with covering material to protect them from hares and rodents.
The columnar apple tree requires several top dressings throughout the year. Usually a solution of mullein or horse manure and an infusion of chicken manure are used. However, the variety also accepts top dressing with complex fertilizers, which can be purchased at garden stores. The first feeding is carried out in May, and then every two weeks. After top dressing, you can mulch the near-stem circle to retain moisture and nutrients in the soil longer. Also, in early spring (before the appearance of buds), the trees are watered with a solution of urea, and before flowering, with potassium-phosphorus mixtures.
Fighting diseases and pests
The variety is highly resistant to the two main diseases that affect apple trees – scab and powdery mildew. He also has a high resistance to various insects that harm the leaves and branches of apple trees. However, high resistance does not mean that the tree is completely invulnerable, and it is not necessary to carry out preventive treatments every year. Keep an eye on the condition of the leaves, which are often occupied by green aphids and apple leafworms. Preventive treatments can be carried out with the help of Nitrofen and Enterobacterin preparations.
The variety requires the shelter of trunks and sometimes even crowns with special protective materials so that the rings and bark do not become food for hares and mice.
Video “Apple-trees-columns “Vasyugan”, “President” and “Dialogue”
This video provides a small overview and comparison of the fruiting columnar apple trees “Vasyugan”, “President” and “Dialog”.
