Apple Treasured

Apple trees of the Zavetnoye variety are widespread in Siberia, but gardeners from other regions of Russia are happy to grow them. These are not very tall, but beautiful trees - an excellent decoration for the garden. In the spring they will delight you with luxurious flowering, and in the fall - with a gorgeous harvest. Small, neat apples of the variety are extremely useful, have excellent taste, exquisite aroma, and have a long shelf life.

Taking into account the specifics of climatic conditions, the Zavetnoye variety is one of the most widespread in Russia. The plant was obtained in 1958 at the N.I. MA Lisavenko while working with apple varieties Melba and Autumn Joy. Participants of the work: A. Lisavenko, T. Kornienko and others. Through the efforts of scientists, it was possible to isolate a variety with a strong immune system that effectively resists pest attacks, various diseases and cold weather. Included in the State Register in 1995.

The tree is medium in size (up to 2-2.5 m, less often up to 3.5 m), with a spreading crown of an oval configuration. The crown is not very thickened, which makes it possible to fully illuminate both branches and leaves of trees throughout the summer period. Therefore, the fruits ripen synchronously, undergoing effective ventilation, which saves the trees from scab.

The bark is smooth, dark brown in color. Branches to the trunk are placed perpendicularly. Shoots are slender, dark brown, slightly covered with fluff. The petioles are medium-sized, pubescent. Stipules small, slightly elongated.

The leaves are small, elongated, pointed, dark green in color, with a corrugation, a concave plate. The flowers are medium-sized, white with a slight pinkish-crimson tint and a weak aroma. The buds open from the second decade of May, and in the presence of rains and cold weather - by the end of May. The flowering process takes two weeks.

The variety is fast-growing, gaining its highest height by 7-8 years. During the year, the tree can gain up to 60 cm, which depends on the quality of agricultural care and weather conditions.

Pros:

• begins to bear fruit in the 4th year of growth, and then every year;

• a decent degree of productivity;

• ripening apples later;

• a significant level of keeping quality of fruits - the period of lying in cool places is 5-6 months without loss of taste and presentation;

• excellent commercial properties;

• high degree of immunity to disease and pest attacks.

Minuses:

• low level of tolerance of hard frosts and the possibility of freezing;

• crumbling apples in the process of tree growth.

The fruits are tasty and extremely useful, include a significant number of fortified and acidic components (B1, B2, B6, C, E, P, carotenoids, pectins, sugars, tannins, organics, potassium salts). Elements in percent: sugars - 12.2% (8.5-12.7), titratable acids - 0.43% (0.34-1.25), tannins - 166 mg / 100g (91-250), P-active compounds - 178 mg / 100g (133-223), pectin substances - 6.92%.

The appearance of ripe fruits is noted from the 2nd decade of September or from the beginning of October; in a hot summer, ripe fruits appear by the end of August.

The variety was zoned in the Siberian region in 1995. It is grown in Altai, in Tomsk, Omsk, Tyumen and other regions of the country.

The yield is significant, but with age, some smaller apples are noted. After the first harvest, the harvest is quantitatively increased annually. A mature plant yields up to 70-75 kg of high quality apples.

Fruits of an oval configuration. In young trees, they are larger, their weight reaches 70-80 g. After the lapse of time, the fruits become smaller up to 40-60 g. The stalk is small, with a funnel of medium size. The saucer is small, the size of the slightly open cup is small. The sub-cup tube is funnel-shaped, medium-sized. The axial cavity is not large. Seed containers are enlarged, covered. The seeds of the harvested apples are brownish, miniature. The dominant color is white with deep red stripes. The taste is sweetish, with a touch of sourness and strawberries. The pulp is light, full-bodied, sonorous crunchy. The aroma is not pronounced.

About an hour before planting the variety, its roots should be soaked in water, and then immersed in a clay chatterbox. Planting should be done in the fall (until the second decade of October) or in the spring (with the soil warming up more than +8 degrees under stable warm conditions).

The place is selected bright, protected from winds and flooding. Low-lying areas will not work. Groundwater should lie at a level of 1.8-2 m from the ground surface. The best place for planting will be a site with black soil, loamy or sandy loam soil. In a sandy area, clay formations should be loosened and then dug up. Add sand and peat to the soil. The planting process of the variety is standard, but tree care includes some nuances.

1. The soil under the tree should be moistened 2-3 times a season. In spring, trees over 4 years old need up to 10 buckets of water. In autumn, at the end of leaf fall, with a shortage of natural moisture, significant watering of the near-stem space is performed, saturating the roots before the coming cold weather. With a shortage of summer rains, trees are watered in June and August at least 2 times.

2. As the tree grows, it is necessary to additionally add phosphorus-nitrogen compounds and other useful components to the soil under it. Complex compounds are introduced into the recesses prepared for this, which are then covered and watered.

3. For feeding, compositions of liquid mullein and chicken droppings, which are fertilized both in the spring and in the summer, are useful. Humus is introduced in the spring, during the digging of the near-stem area.

4. Formative pruning is carried out in the spring, before the start of the sap flow process. When growing apple trees of this variety, you should adhere to the bush form of trees with small heights of boles (30-50 cm). This makes it possible to cover the bottom of the tree with snow, which protects them in cold times. When the branches freeze from above, the lower ones restore the crown, and the trees survive.

5. In apple trees, you should not cut horizontally growing branches, since fruits will form on them, but curved branches are usually cut into a ring. Every year, trees are also sanitized, removing sick, dried and old branches.

For effective pollination of a variety, it is important to correctly select a pollinator variety (Altai Rumyanoye, Bagryanoye and others).

During the snowy winter, mounds of snow are formed near the apple trees, which will retain heat and protect the trees from freezing. With the onset of spring, snow and debris are removed, and the near-trunk area is fertilized and dug up.

Despite the strong immunity of the variety, a solution of Bordeaux liquid, iron vitriol, "Horus", "Actellic" are used to protect apple trees from diseases. Spraying is carried out before and after flowering trees, as well as after harvesting.

Defense is also made by Rubigan, Skorom, Medea. In the spring, as a preventive measure, trees are sprayed with a solution of urea and copper sulfate (650 g of urea, 40 g of copper sulfate per 10 liters of water).

Cleaning of fallen leaves and whitewashing of trees is required.