Columnar Apple President

Over the past few decades, many improved apple varieties have been created, which have shown themselves well in the climatic conditions of the center of Russia. New varieties are unpretentious, quick-growing, do not take up much space on the land, give good yields with minimal care. One of these varieties is the President apple tree.

One of the interesting varieties of the President was created in 1974 by a Russian breeder, Professor Viktor Kichina, a great enthusiast in the selection of columnar varieties of apple trees and a pioneer in this field in our country. Working on the basis of the Scientific Selection and Technology Center for Horticulture, he crossed the Vazhak variety, the ancestor of all columnar varieties of apple trees, and the traditional Abundant, resulting in a productive, winter-hardy variety.

In 2002, the President was zoned in the Central Region and included in the State Register in 2004.

The shape of the crown is columnar, dense, compact, up to 2.2 m high, which allows the President to be attributed to the semi-dwarf varieties of apple trees. The fruits begin to set already at a height of 30 cm above the ground. Short, strong reproductive shoots - ringlets and spears, arranged in groups, evenly and densely cover the tree trunk.

The leaf blade is medium in size, oblong, ovoid. The tree blooms in May with large white fragrant flowers. Forms a powerful, root system. The survival rate of seedlings is high.

The fruits of the President are intended for fresh consumption. The life span of apple trees does not exceed 20-25 years. They have proven themselves well in dacha gardening and household plots of the Perm, Samara, Moscow regions, Chernozem and Non-chernozem zones. With the right preparation for winter, they overcome the vicissitudes of the difficult climate of central Russia.

Variety President has many short fruit formations on the trunk and vertical shoots (if the tree is grown in more than one trunk). There is practically no branching, especially in the first years of growth.

An interesting feature of the columnar President is not the yield of one tree, it is not impressive, but the receipt of a significant amount of fruits per unit area, achieved due to the high density of planting of seedlings. It makes sense to cultivate apple trees of this type on an industrial scale, the high costs of planting material begin to quickly pay off due to the early maturity of the cultivar.

The creator of the variety V. Kichina focused on increasing the frost resistance of apple trees, and the President was a success in this regard. Variety characteristics:

• early maturity;

• high resistance to diseases and pests of fruit crops, average resistance to scab;

• large fruit size;

• no need for regular shaping pruning;

• the possibility of harvesting without the use of stepladders;

• high decorativeness of plantings during flowering and fruiting periods;

• quick payback of plantings and high profitability;

• the possibility of cultivating the variety on small plots of land.

Among the disadvantages of the variety are:

• short shelf life of fruits;

• overestimated cost of seedlings of the variety and a shortage of high-quality planting material;

• short tree life;

• death of baby pods during temperature stresses;

• the bark is often damaged by rodents during the winter.

An important nuance for the successful harvest of the columnar apple-tree President is the purchase of planting material only in a proven and reliable nursery.

The beginning of ripening occurs in the last decade of August, the timing depends on the climatic zone and natural factors. Full maturity occurs by mid-September. The President is considered an autumn variety.

At the time of fruiting, trees enter at the age of 2 years and bear fruit annually, without frequency.

From one tree that has reached 4-5 years of age, up to 10 kg of fruits are harvested, the yield can be doubled, providing the apple tree with increased attention and care. With industrial cultivation, the yield reaches 70-90 c / ha.

The apples are dense, yellow-white, shiny, the integumentary color is weak, insignificant, red-violet, occupies a smaller part of the apple. Fruits are medium (100-140 g) or large (up to 250 g) in size with sweet and sour, dessert taste. The aroma is pronounced. The pulp is fine-grained, unusually juicy, white. The shape of the fruit is flat-round,

Apples are stored for 1.5-2 months.

The main task of a gardener who wants to get a high yield from a columnar President is to choose a place with fertile, well-drained soil, or to enrich poor soil before planting. The apple tree requires moderate regular watering, which should be increased on sandy soils. It is advisable to mulch the soil around the tree, but not to loosen it. The landing site is chosen well-lit and without strong winds - the President is sensitive to a lack of light, does not tolerate frequent and cold winds. Groundwater should be no higher than 1.5 m.

Single and group plantings of apple trees of the variety are allowed. The tree definitely needs support. Planting scheme of columnar trees:

• between seedlings - from 0.5 m;

• between rows - from 1 m.

Variety President has a weak point - an apical bud, which grows into a powerful central shoot. In winter, it can freeze, be damaged by rodents. In this case, the tree forms several shoots, the strongest of them is left, the rest are removed.

Experienced gardeners involved in the cultivation of columnar varieties of apple trees, to which the President belongs, recommend that in difficult climatic conditions form a tree not into one trunk, but a candelabrum (2-3 vertical branches). In this case, the planting pattern changes - the interval between trees is maintained at 0.75-1.0 m.

Sanitary pruning is recommended for the President variety. Due to the fact that the bark on the trunk of a tree is often damaged by mice or hares, it is necessary to arrange protection for the winter - a metal mesh with a fine mesh.

The flowers of the apple-tree President are bisexual. The variety is self-pollinated, however, for more successful pollination and obtaining high yields, it is necessary to plant apple trees of other varieties in one area.

In terms of winter hardiness, the variety is identical to Antonovka. In order for the trees to survive the winter better, it is recommended:

• overlay the lower part of the trunk of apple trees with spruce branches, straw, wrapping the shelter with burlap or roofing felt;

• wrap the upper part of the crown with a rag, cover with a bag.

Growing columnar varieties of apple trees is not only useful, but also interesting for the gardener, the opportunity to get the first harvest in 2 years instead of the usual 5-7 years makes these varieties desirable in every garden.