Among the many varieties of apple trees with its unusual appearance stands out the “Wonderful” apple tree. How the variety attracted the attention of farmers and summer residents, especially its cultivation, is described in more detail below in the article.
Description of the plant and its characteristics
Dwarf variety, on average grows to one and a half meters. Branches of the “Wonderful”, as they grow, bend in an arc, forming a rounded crown of medium density. The bark is gray, smooth, without sag and cracks. On young branches, the color of the bark is greenish. The foliage is medium sized, bright green, with a smooth upper side of the plate and a fine-toothed edge.
The fruit mass is from 140 to 200 g, the shape is round. As they ripen, the apples acquire a bright yellow color with a fuzzy green tint, the sides exposed to the sun can be covered with a dashed red blush.
Under-skin light spots under thin skin are hardly noticeable. The pulp is fragrant, crunchy and juicy, with dessert sweet taste and a slight sourness in the aftertaste.
The applicant for inclusion in the register of plants approved for cultivation is the Ural Scientific Research Agrarian Center, Ekaterinburg. “Wonderful” was included in the register in 2001, recommended for cultivation in the Ural and East Siberian regions. The patent holder and the author of the variety is Doctor of Agricultural Sciences Mikhail Alexandrovich Mazunin.
Did you know? In the ancient Celtic language, the word "paradise" is pronounced "Avalon", which means apple country.
Pros and cons of the variety
- The apple tree, according to the reviews of the farmers growing it, has a lot of advantages, including:
- consistently high productivity;
- transportability;
- excellent taste;
- high resistance to diseases;
- frost resistance (-35 ° C);
- resistance to return frosts and wind.
Pronounced shortcomings in the "Wonderful" was not found. The variety is not resistant to drought, so you need to carefully monitor the moisture of the soil.
Productivity
The apple tree gives the first significant crop in the 3rd year of life. Harvest stably flat, annual. From one adult tree receive up to 80 kg of fruit.
Pollinators
A “wonderful” self-fertile variety, but for absolute pollination, and not a part of the flowers, similar characteristics of an apple tree are needed. Among the suitable ones are the Ural cultures "Anis Sverdlovsky", "Grounded".
Features of tree planting
Despite the resistance of the adult tree to weather conditions, seedlings are sensitive to temperature extremes. Therefore, it is important to have time to plant a plant at an appropriate time.
Dates of planting
Spring planting is carried out before the sap flow begins; autumn planting is carried out before the first frosts. The root system of seedlings is sensitive to temperature changes, so you can not be late with deadlines in the fall. They plant, depending on the climate in the region, in late September or early October.
Site and soil selection
The site should be illuminated by the sun most of the day. Wind protection is optional, but a young tree may need support. One of the features of the dwarf variety is the surface root system.
This means that the plant needs more moisture than tall varieties, and the proximity to the surface of the groundwater ground is only welcome.
How to plant a seedling
When planting several plants between them leave about three meters of distance, so that, in the future, the crowns do not interfere with each other. The superficial fibrous root system does not need a deep pit, only half a meter is enough, and in diameter 70 cm.
Landing Instructions:
- Abundantly shed the bottom of the hole with water, spend up to 10 liters.
- A layer of soil extracted from the pit, mix with a bucket of humus.
- Form an earthen mound with a height of 20-30 cm.
- Place a seedling on the embankment, spreading the roots, the growth point is above the soil surface.
- Sprinkling with the remaining earth, the landing is tamped, removing air pockets.
- Watering under the root. Amount of water - 1 bucket.
Apple tree care
In addition to the usual irrigation and fertilizing procedures, you need to remember about the cleanliness of the soil in the near-stem circle. Weeding from weeds is required, as well as loosening the upper layer of soil, so that the roots of the apple tree have access to oxygen.
Irrigation mode
To moisten the root system after planting, a hill is formed around the trunk. Watering the dwarf tree is carried out more often, since the roots of the plant are located close to the surface. In the spring, two waterings are carried out, 10 liters of water each, in the summer period they are watered weekly. After harvesting, if the autumn turned out to be arid, watering is needed to recharge with moisture for the winter.
Fertilizer application
A young, non-fruiting plant is fertilized twice a year: in spring by nitrogen-containing compounds, in the fall by potash. Fruiting specimens need to be fed more often, since a plentiful crop gives a large load on a relatively small root system. In the spring, two root fertilizing organics are needed: humus 3-4 kg per square meter of the trunk circle or the addition of urea solution, 30 g / 10 l of water.
Important! Fresh manure or droppings must not be added: fertilizers are too aggressive for the roots.
In early May, top dressing is carried out on a sheet: a glass of wood ash is poured with 10 liters of water, adding 5 g of boric acid. In autumn, when cleaning the soil from plant debris and digging, dry fertilizers are applied: potassium sulfur 20 g and superphosphate 30 g per square meter of soil around the trunk.
Crown formation and trimming
A sanitary procedure in the spring is to remove all broken, frozen branches. Trees under 2 years old are shortened by a third of the lower branches and shoots are bent inside the crown.
As the apple tree grows, the shoots are shortened, which are knocked out of the general form of the crown, as well as fruit-bearing branches that lie on the ground. By nature, in the variety, the shoots, as they grow, are bent by an arc, so branches growing at an acute angle need to be cut.
Preparation for the rest period
Young plants need shelter of the near-trunk circle with agrospan and spruce branches. Adult plants have enough shelter with a good layer of snow. To protect the trees from rodents, the trunk is whitened in the fall and wrapped in fir branches for the winter, wrapped with a capron and a film.
Possible growing problems
The “wonderful” variety is resistant to the main diseases of the culture. Spring prophylactic treatments with copper-containing preparations are enough to protect the apple tree from diseases. The main problem can be insects.
Important! To protect against insects, experienced farmers recommend planting repellent plants next to the apple tree: tansy, tagetis and others.
Types and methods of struggle:
- Shield. With a large number of pests, the drug "Spark" helps. The solution is prepared as follows: half a tablet is dissolved in 200 ml of water, then five liters of water are added. Plants are sprayed on the bark and leaves.
- Moth. The tick-borne medicine is effective against an insect in the proportion of 2 ml / 1 liter of water that is sprayed.
- Aphid. Against the parasite use "Green Soap", prepare a solution of 400 g of the substance and 10 liters of water.
- Moth. Treatment - spraying with Acarin solution (in a proportion of 2 ml / 1 liter of water).
- Bark beetle. It is necessary to process the tree trunk with Confidor. The liquid is prepared in a proportion of 2 ml / 5 l of water.
Harvesting and storage
"Miracle" matures in early or mid-August. It is not difficult to pick fruit, given the height of the tree and drooping branches. The summer variety is usually processed immediately, some are consumed fresh. Shelf life of apples is a maximum of a month, subject to collection "with a stalk" in dry sunny weather.
Fruits should be stored in a dark room, at a temperature not exceeding + 2 ° C and a humidity of 85%. The variety enjoys well-deserved attention of gardeners, its apples are above all praise for taste. It is not difficult to grow a tree, the main thing is to monitor soil moisture, and also do not forget about preventive measures to prevent diseases and the invasion of pests.
