Apple tree Autumn joy

Today on the agricultural market you can find a wide variety of apple crops. Domestic breeders always delight gardeners with persistent species that can withstand harsh climatic conditions and give an excellent harvest. These include the Autumn Joy apple tree.

It is a hybrid. Created by the breeder S.I. Isaev on the basis of VNIIS them. I. V. Michurin. It was based on varieties such as Cinnamon Striped and Welsey. Additional hardening and cultivation on poor soils made it possible to develop high frost resistance and resistance to many diseases in the variety.

The tree is vigorous, with a round, hundred-like, rather dense crown. If you do not engage in the formation of the crown, then the height can reach 12 m. Skeletal branches are brown with sharp angles of discharge. Shoots are thick, straight, dark red with strong drooping. Leaves are medium in size, elongated-ovoid, slightly wrinkled. Their color is dark green.

The plant has long been cultivated by gardeners in their backyards. It is easy to take care of it, getting beautiful and tasty apples that can be consumed both fresh and processed.

Agriculture has the following advantages:

• an enviable stable harvest every year;

• confidently resists many infectious diseases;

• excellent taste;

• high resistance to severe frosts;

• good survival rate.

There are also some disadvantages:

• branches grow at right angles;

• a small amount of formation of young shoots;

• the trunks of the seedlings are fragile.

Autumn joy begins to bear fruit at 4-5 years of growth. But with the first good harvest, it will delight you in the 7th year of planting. Refers to medium ripening varieties. The fruits begin to ripen by the end of August - the beginning of September. Bears fruit every year.

Ripe fruits hang perfectly on the shoots for a long time and do not fall off. However, they must be collected in time so that they do not crumble or deteriorate when falling to the ground. Damage to apples adversely affects shelf life.

Differs in high rates. With proper care, the yield can be up to 90 kg. At the age of 20, the apple tree produces about 150 kg of fruits. They tolerate transportation well without losing their presentation. However, they do not lie for a long time, 1-1.5 months.

The apples are medium-sized, weighing 116-136 g, flat-round shape with a small cone. The color of the fruit is golden green. When fully ripe, there is a bright red integumentary blush with indistinct stripes and strokes.

The taste is balanced, sour-sweet, with a pleasant spicy aroma. Juicy, tender, creamy-white medium density pulp contains a large amount of dry matter - 12.6%, sugars - 10.2, titrated acids - 0.3%.

On a five-point tasting scale, taste is rated at 4.3 points.

Not too whimsical to care for. But in order for the tree to grow healthy and bear fruit, some unfavorable factors should be taken into account when growing. Before planting, you need to make sure that the groundwater is quite deep and mobile. In the spring, with the melting of snows, they can rise to the roots and lead to their decay and the death of the culture.

And also the apple tree does not tolerate: mineral waters, wetlands, sandy and heavy clay soils, limestone slabs, crushed stone. It prefers to grow in a well-lit place with a slight rise. The soil should preferably be with a pH in the range of 5.5-7.0.

It can be planted both in spring and autumn. The planting pit is prepared in advance, more than 50 cm deep and up to 1 m wide. Then a nutrient mixture of compost and humus is prepared in it, filled with water to settle for 10 days. The day before planting, the roots of the seedling are saturated with water.

Pruning and shaping of the crown plays an important role in the development of the tree. It also affects the productivity of the hybrid. Thickening negatively affects the palatability of the fruit. It is considered effective to prune shoots by ¼ of their length, making a good annual growth. And also sanitary pruning of dry, damaged, with signs of diseases, branches is carried out.

It is due to insects. Cross-pollination is not required. The yield also depends on the weather conditions. If the spring is warm and sunny, then the fruiting will be abundant. When the weather is cold, windy and rainy, pollination becomes scarce. Cool temperatures will prolong the flowering period, though.

The specimen needs additional nutrition from the age of 4. Organic fertilizers are applied in spring and autumn. In the summer, the culture needs phosphorus-potassium supplementation. They are combined with watering to avoid root burns and accelerate the process of penetration of beneficial trace elements into the soil.

It tolerates severe Siberian frosts and sudden temperature changes in the form of spring frosts.However, young seedlings under the age of 3 years still have weak immunity and require mandatory shelter for the winter.

Resists many diseases and pests. But carrying out preventive treatments for the entire tree will be useful. If this is neglected, then black cancer, cytosporosis, and bacterial burns can develop on the shoots and foliage. Among pests, aphids, hawthorn and moth are especially dangerous.