Apple tree VEM pink

For regions with a harsh climate and a zone of risky farming, breeders have presented a unique line of hybrid apple varieties of VEM. They got their name from the VM gene, which gives fruit trees excellent resistance to scab and other diseases. VEM pink is the brightest representative of this family. Universal fruits of autumn ripening are suitable for fresh consumption and canning.

A group of breeders of the Sverdlovsk Experimental Gardening Station under the leadership of Professor Leonid Andrianovich Kotov, who devoted many years to breeding varieties for the Ural region and northern regions, worked on the hybrid.

An excellent hybrid with a short growing season perfectly tolerates harsh winters, which indescribably pleases residents of cold regions, who most of all need fruits and vitamins. VEM pink is a medium-sized tree, growing by 3-4 meters, with an annual growth of 50-60 cm. The rounded crown of medium density tends to thicken, therefore it needs monitoring and regulation of shoot growth. The branches are covered with green ovoid leaves with almost smooth edges. VEM blooms with beautiful fragrant pink flowers that cover the crown with a continuous “carpet”.

It is not in vain that the Ural variety is gaining more and more popularity indicators. It has excellent qualities for the fruit tree of the northern regions.

• High yield and stable fruiting.

• Apples are firmly attached to the stalks, which saves gardeners from falling.

• Excellent transportability, attractive appearance, good taste and long-term keeping quality make it possible to realize the harvest by transporting it over long distances.

• Ability to endure northern winters without loss, resistance to return frosts and unfavorable weather conditions in summer (rain, drought).

But the main advantage is that the tree is so unpretentious that even a beginner can cope with its cultivation. Of the shortcomings, only the small size of the fruit can be noted.

The hybrid belongs to late autumn fruit varieties - fruits reach removable maturity in September. The apple tree begins to bear fruit 4 years after planting, it continues to do so with enviable regularity and stability.

The apple tree is adapted to the northern regions - the Urals, Northwestern, West Siberian, East Siberian, Southwestern regions.

The plant annually brings a consistently high yield - 70-90 kg per tree. Frequency is not observed, which allows you to plan actions with the harvest and income from it. Cultivation on an industrial scale allows you to get up to 277 centners / ha, subject to the observance of agricultural practices: watering, feeding, pruning.

Rounded yellow fruits weighing 120-150 g are covered with a smooth thin skin, almost imperceptible when eating. Apples have a beautiful bright pink blush almost all over the surface. The white pulp has a coarse-grained structure and a pleasant sweet dessert taste with a slight sourness. The tasting assessment of the hybrid according to a five-point system is 4.5 points.The fruits can be stored fresh and, if necessary, until February.

VEM pink prefers fertile loamy soils with an acidity close to neutral. Sunny areas are chosen for planting, however, with a limited space, the apple tree easily tolerates temporary shading, for example, in the morning or after lunch. As you know, the time for planting seedlings of fruit trees is spring and autumn, but one should not lose sight of the fact that VEM is designed for growing in areas of risky farming, so it is best to plant plants in spring. Over the summer, even a short one, they will have time to build up a full-fledged root system for a safe wintering. Autumn planting can destroy them due to the early onset of severe frosts. Successful rooting and subsequent fruiting largely depend on the quality of the planting material. It is best to buy seedlings in proven nurseries than to buy a plant on the market and lose several years if the plant turns out to be of the wrong variety or, in general, something else.

Pits are dug in places where there is no close groundwater. The standard hole size 80x80 cm can be increased to a cubic meter. At the bottom, a drainage layer is arranged, where you can place not only pebbles or crushed stone, but also chopped branches, crumpled iron cans, fragments of bricks and more. The excavated soil is enriched with organic matter and mineral fertilizers (superphosphate, saltpeter, urea, 50-60 g each). The plant should stand upright, do not forget about additional support - for the first year, a peg to which a weak trunk is tied will not interfere. After planting, the trunk circle is carefully shed, then they make sure that the soil does not dry out and does not crack. Mulching and weeding will help with this. The distance between the pits is 3 m, the spacing is 4-5 meters. Subsequent tree care consists of watering (3-4 times per season), processing, pruning, crown formation.

The plant is self-fertile, so you need to take care of the neighborhood of apple trees of other varieties with the same flowering time.

After a couple of years from the moment of planting, the tree will need additional nutrition. Top dressing is applied twice per season: in the spring - organic matter with nitrogen fertilizers, in the fall the time for phosphorus-potassium compositions comes.

VEM pink has excellent performance in this regard - plants easily tolerate severe frosts.

The hybrid is highly resistant to scab and fungal diseases, but this does not relieve the fruit grower of the need to carry out annual preventive treatments with insecticides and fungicides.