Columnar Apple Garland

Apple-tree Garland is an unusual variety, which in its appearance and yield significantly differs from the varieties of this fruit tree familiar to all. The amazing columnar shape of the apple tree is confidently gaining more and more popularity among gardeners and owners of personal subsidiary plots.

At the beginning of the 21st century, the All-Russian Research Institute for Breeding Fruit Crops undertook the creation of a completely new variety of columnar apple trees that would be adapted to the Russian climate. The priority in the work was frost resistance and immunity to scab in the future culture.

Already in 2010, the breeder Knyazev S.D. and his team created a variety that met the assigned tasks. After a series of experiments, this new product confirmed its characteristics, and in 2018 the Garland apple tree was entered in the State Register as a separate variety with its own distinctive characteristics.

Apple-tree Garland is a mid-season variety that is characterized by increased productivity. The tree reaches 2.5 m in height, while the crown is as compact and not branched as possible. Small branches are placed strictly vertically, the total diameter of the crown does not exceed 35 cm. Leaves of pronounced green color, located on short cuttings. They have a characteristic serration.

The main thing that distinguishes the Garland apple tree from other varieties is its columnar shape. It gives the tree many advantages over other varieties of apple trees.

An obvious plus is compactness. The small diameter allows the maximum number of fruit trees to be planted in a limited area. Hence follows the second advantage - good yield per unit area. Of course, a separate tree of the columnar type does not compare in yield with an ordinary apple tree, but if we consider planting, for example, on one hundred square meters, then the advantage becomes obvious.

The garland does not have a crown as such, so all apples are evenly illuminated by the sun. This significantly improves the taste of the fruit and the care of the tree itself, because it is much more difficult to process a wide crown than a narrow trunk covered with apples.

Also, an advantage can be considered the extraordinary decorativeness of the described variety - the unusual appearance of this apple tree with large fruits will decorate any site.

Of the minuses, a relatively short life span of an apple tree can be noted - no more than 15 years. Upon reaching this age, the yield decreases sharply.

Apple Garland blossoms in May. The entire trunk is strewn with flowers, which looks very attractive. The flowers are fragrant and attract quite a few insects. This is necessary for the apple tree, since it needs pollination.

The apple tree begins to bear fruit in early autumn; in the southern regions, ripening is possible at the end of August.

The yield of the Garland variety is assessed as high only among columnar apple trees. With commercial cultivation and a standard planting density (20 thousand apple trees per 1 ha), up to 200 tons of fruits can be harvested per hectare.

When grown in a personal subsidiary farm, gardeners receive an average of 15 kg from one tree.In favorable weather years, 20 kg of apples can be easily removed from the tree.

Apples from Garland are good both for fresh consumption and for making preserves. They are small, up to 220 g in weight, fruits of a light green hue, with a slight blush on the sunny side. Their size does not exceed 8 cm in diameter.

The apples are sweet and sour to taste, with a pronounced aroma, slightly reminiscent of a pear. The pulp is greenish-white, juicy, fine-grained and very delicate in taste. The tasting score of Garlanda fruit is 4.2 points, which is a very good result for columnar apple varieties.

Apple Garland is a self-fertile variety, therefore it needs pollinators and neighbors nearby. The best candidates for this are the varieties Gin, Chervonets, Ostankino.

The Garland can be planted in a permanent place of growth both in spring and autumn. In regions where the climate is rather harsh, it is still better to land in April. It is important to have time to do this before bud break, otherwise there is a great risk of freezing new shoots and losing the apple tree.

In warm regions, it is permissible to plant an apple tree in the winter. It should be borne in mind that first you need to clear the area from foliage and grass, since insect pests and bacteria that cause infectious diseases can hide in them for the winter. If a young apple tree undergoes attacks during the cold season, it is unlikely to grow in the spring.

For planting an apple tree Garland, you should choose sunny, protected from wind and drafts. Almost any soil is suitable, but chernozem and sandy loam soil are most preferable for this variety. It is important that there is no groundwater near the surface of the earth, where the apple tree will be planted. This can cause decay of the root system of the tree and, as a result, its death.

The Garland should be planted according to the 1.5 by 2 m scheme. Such a distance between the trees will allow you to comfortably process the crown and harvest, and also will not allow air to stagnate between the apple trees. Sunlight will hit the crowns throughout the day, which will have a beneficial effect on the palatability of the fruit.

The apple tree of the described variety needs abundant watering throughout the growing season. In dry weather, up to 50 liters of water should be poured under one tree. If the weather is rainy, watering is not required or done in moderation.

The Apple tree does not need pruning as such. It is only important to ensure that the lateral shoots that appear on the trunk are not lignified, and to remove them in a timely manner. If they are even covered with a thin bark, then after cutting these places will overgrow for a long time and become vulnerable to diseases and pests.

If you notice that the fruiting of the apple tree has noticeably decreased, then there may be three reasons for this.

• Disease or pests. It is necessary to inspect the apple tree and exclude damage to the leaves by insects and infectious diseases.
• Also, the initially incorrectly selected area can affect the yield. In this case, only a transplant to a sunny place or to a hill without a close occurrence of groundwater will help.
• And one more unfavorable factor is too poor soil. Over time, any soil is depleted, and only timely application of top dressing and fertilizers can solve this problem.

The garland is a frost-resistant variety (up to -42 ° C), but requires shelter for the winter. For this, its base is wrapped with spruce branches, straw, sawdust, then all this is wrapped in cloth and covered with roofing material on top. Some people practice sheltering the apple tree Garland in a tent-like way - from the base to the top, they wrap the trunk with a film or tarp.

Before wintering, the trunk of the Garland is treated with lime to a height of 1.5 m from the base. This will exclude pest attacks on the fruit tree and keep it intact under cover until spring.