Apple Tree Sweet Nega

The task of Russian breeders of fruit crops has always been to develop the most frost-resistant varieties of apple trees, which in their taste and market characteristics are not inferior to the southern varieties. The works were successfully carried out in the last century, and they continue to this day. One of these varieties is the Sweet Nega apple tree.

For almost a century, the Sverdlovsk Experimental Gardening Station has been working to promote fruit crops to the north of the country, a large number of apple varieties have been created that can grow and bear fruit in the most difficult climatic conditions of the Urals, Western and Eastern Siberia and the European north. One of the oldest specialists of the station, Leonid Kotov, a scientist and breeder, among whose creations an honorable place is occupied by the apple variety Sweet Nega.

Apple-tree Sweet Nega is still a rarity in Russian gardens. Only a few connoisseurs of extraordinary taste and collector gardeners cultivate the variety.

The Sweet Nega tree is medium-sized, with strong skeletal branches and a dense, oval, densely leafy crown, up to 3.5 m high. The leaf is light green, rounded with a sharp tip, there are barely noticeable notches along the edge of the leaf blade.

In order to save space and increase early maturity, the variety is grown on dwarf and superdwarf rootstocks, for example, on Malysh Budagovsky, the height of such a tree does not exceed 2 m.

The variety was zoned in the conditions of Western and Eastern Siberia and the Urals, therefore it has outstanding frost resistance, according to some reviews, it is able to withstand frosts down to -40 ° C.

The pluses include:

• early maturity;

• dessert, sweet taste;

• high frost resistance;

• resistance to pests and diseases of fruit crops;

• annual fruiting:

• ease of care and collection of fruits.

The disadvantages of the variety are:

• insufficient keeping quality of fruits;

• apples of the variety do not tolerate transportation well.

Sweet Nega is a partially self-fertile variety; apple-pollinating apple trees planted in the same area with it will help increase yields.

Harvests can be expected 4-5 years after planting. To obtain a significant first harvest, experts recommend cutting off all inflorescences at the first flowering. Having entered the season of maturity, Sweet Nega bears fruit annually, without the frequency inherent in many varieties of apple trees. Experienced gardeners recommend carrying out rationing of the crop by removing excess fruit ovaries. Thus, you can improve the quality of the fruit and increase their size.

The flowering of the variety occurs in June, this makes the variety unique, suitable for growing even in the most unfavorable climatic conditions, because such a late flowering guarantees that flowers and ovaries will not beat recurrent spring frosts. The ripening time for apples comes in the summer, around the middle of August, removable maturity comes by the end of the month or by September, depending on the local climate. Apples ripen on the tree almost instantly.

Up to 50 kg of fruits can be harvested from one apple tree of the Sweet Nega variety, which allows it to be classified as a medium-yielding species.

Apples are medium-sized, round, slightly flattened along the axis, weighing 150 g, individual specimens may be larger, but not more than 200 g, with juicy, white flesh, fine-grained and crunchy. The skin is thin, yellow, with a red blush. The taste of the fruit is honey, there is absolutely no sourness, therefore it is recommended for people with high acidity of gastric juice and for children. The aroma is gentle, unobtrusive. Assessment of tasters - 4.3 points on a 5-point scale.

A variety of universal use, but it shows its best qualities when consumed fresh. For storage, apples are removed with stalks and placed in a wooden container with slots. Shelf life without loss of taste and quality - up to 1 month in a cool room with the possibility of ventilation.

For planting seedlings of Sweet Nega, it is necessary to choose a sunny site, the variety is sensitive to a lack of light. The best soils are loam, chernozem and gray forest soils. The trees are planted in rows, maintaining a distance between them of at least 2 m, if the size of the site allows, it is better to increase the interval to 3-3.5 m. Between the rows of trees, the distance should be at least 4 m, so the grown apple trees will not shade the neighboring ones, and the area the food will be sufficient.

The root system of the tree grows in the depth of the soil, therefore, areas with a high, above 2 m, groundwater bedding are not suitable for growing an apple orchard.

Observance of the rules of tree care will help to get rich harvests of Sweet Nega apples:

• regular watering - for successful rooting, seedlings are watered at least 2 times a week; in a dry period, sprinkling irrigation is recommended, capturing the crown of the tree;

• top dressing - a complex of mineral fertilizers is best used in the spring, in the fall to add organic;

• competent crown formation and timely sanitary pruning - are carried out either in early spring, after the frosts recede, but before the period of bud swelling and the beginning of sap flow, or in the fall - after leaf fall;

• early spring treatments for pests and diseases of fruit crops are carried out before the leaves bloom, they are designed to destroy all pathogens and larvae of garden pests.

Despite the rather strong immunity of the Sladkaya Nega variety to the main diseases of fruit crops and field resistance to scab, treatment against fungal diseases, such as powdery mildew, fruit rot and brown spot, will preserve the health of trees, improve the quality of fruits and extend their shelf life. Apples without damage and wormholes retain their consumer qualities longer. This will be achieved by a set of measures to ensure the health of apple trees of the Sladkaya Nega variety:

• timely sanitary pruning, which prevents the spread of fungal diseases;

• treatment of the crown with fungicides and other means of combating fungal diseases of apple trees.

The incomparable taste and excellent frost resistance of the Sweet Nega apple tree makes the variety desirable for any gardener, because with a minimum of effort you can get excellent apples every summer.