Apple Red Free

The Red Free apple tree is an amazing tree for planting on the site. Unpretentiousness and stable yield made it popular among gardeners.

The Red Free variety appeared in the United States after crossing a domestic apple tree and Malus floribunda 821.

This apple tree can grow up to 4 meters, while the crown is formed by a wide oval, its branches are spreading, but there is no strong density.

The tree bears fruit soon after planting, does not require special care. There is good resistance to some diseases.

The advantages are:

• thin crown;

• annual harvest;

• unpretentiousness.

The main disadvantage of Red Free is poor resistance to powdery mildew.

This is a late summer plant that begins to bear fruit 3-4 years after planting. The stability of the crop can not fail to please the gardener.

Today, Red Free is actively grown in the North Caucasus, in the middle zone of our country, as well as in other countries:

• Ukraine;

• Belarus.

When the tree reaches its maturity, it can produce up to 50 kg of apples.

Red Free apples do well for transportation. This is a fast-growing plant with universal fruits.

Apples have a greenish-yellow tint, they have a dark red cover. The shape is round, slightly conical. The weight of one apple can vary from 140 to 150 grams.

The peel of the Red Free fruit is very strong, it is squeeze-resistant. The pulp inside is of medium density, very juicy.

The aroma of these apples is slightly caramel, delicate.

After harvest, apples can sit in the warehouse for up to 2 months.

Red Free grows on moisture-consuming, breathable soil. Suitable for her:

• fertile soil;

• loam;

• sandy loam soil.

An early harvest apple tree will grow best in moist, well-drained soil.

Be sure to plant apple seedlings in the sun. The distance between trees must be at least 2.5 meters.

These trees are not drought tolerant, so you have to make sure they get the right amount of water throughout the growing season. An early maturing apple tree requires regular watering.

The best time to prune this variety is either late winter or very early spring when the trees are dormant. During this period, the leaves fall off, or the appearance of new buds has not yet been observed. The gardener should strive to ensure that the cuts have time to heal and not remain unprotected from the cold winter temperatures.

Pruning is important for the apple tree, it will allow the gardener to form a crown that is convenient for him, and will also make it easier to care for the tree, respectively, will allow you to get a higher yield of fruits.

During the pruning process, it is imperative to remove dead or diseased wood to help the tree stay healthy. Pruning also allows sunlight to penetrate the branches, making the foliage dry faster after rain.

If a grower wants to grow large apples, he will need to thin out the fruit in the spring. Of all the inflorescences, only a few fruits will begin to grow. In each bunch, 2-7 apples are formed. Choose the largest one in each cluster and leave it on the branch. Break off the rest of the apples gently. The total amount is usually around 2-3 fruits per branch.

In the area where Red Free trees are planted, it is recommended to periodically plow the soil so that the air well penetrates all layers of the soil and oxygenates the root system.

The variety is self-fertile. In this case, a pollinator is required on the site. You can graft seedlings of other varieties so that they bloom at the same time and pollinate the apple tree. And you can plant additional varieties on the territory of the site.

Top dressing is useful during all periods of tree formation. It is brought not at the very root, but in the space around it. For the winter, it is necessary to mulch the apple tree with humus, hay or bark.

Every year the apple tree should grow 20-38 cm. You do not need to fertilize the tree if everything is fine, however, if there is no intended growth, then it definitely needs fertilization. You need to understand that too much dressing can stop the growth of the apple tree, therefore, a soil test is usually done in order to know exactly which trace elements should be added, and which are better to refrain from.

The test results will indicate the recommended NPK ratio, which is the percentage of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium that the soil needs. For example, if it is recommended to use a 15-5-10 NPK mix, you need to buy a fertilizer with a ratio of 15-5-10, 3-1-2, 9-3-6, or 12-4-8.

1-2-year-old trees are fed twice a year - in spring and summer. Experts recommend doing this immediately after planting, and then a second time in early summer. Mature Red Free trees are fed once a year - in the spring.

The Red Free's frost resistance is at -30 degrees.

This variety has good scab resistance but lacks adequate immunity to powdery mildew.

Common pests of Red Free are moths, silkworms, aphids. After the tree begins to bloom in the spring, it will have to be sprayed with Imidian spray or some other similar in composition to kill the moth worms. Some gardeners are against such remedies, therefore they prefer to simply process the tree with a thick soapy solution, neem oil, and copper sulfate.

Powdery mildew is one of the main enemies of this culture; symptoms of this disease can appear at any time of the year. If you do not take action, the spots darken and spread throughout the tree: on the shoots and, worst of all, on the fruits. In the spring, the shoots must be treated with Bordeaux solution.