Early Kiev peach is one of the most fruitful varieties of all grown in Ukraine and Russia. One of the advantages of this variety is its high winter hardiness. The early Kiev was bred by the Institute of Horticulture of the UAAS in 1939 by crossing varieties Kashchenko 208 and Gross Mignon. Caring for this variety, like any other, of course, has some of its own characteristics.
Peach Kiev early: variety description
An adult tree of this variety is distinguished by a spherical, slightly spreading crown. The advantages of Kiev early, among other things, include rapid growth. Since the tree is usually not too tall (no more than 4-5 meters), it is quite convenient to collect fruits from it.
The popularity of this old variety is determined, among other things, by the fact that it belongs to the industrial ones. Peach is bred not only by summer residents, but also by large and medium-sized farmers, as well as various kinds of agricultural enterprises. That is, to get seedlings of early Kiev will be completely uncomplicated.
Fruit
The first harvest from a tree of this variety can be harvested already in the third year after planting. The fruits of the peach are not too large, but it cannot be said that they are small (up to 90 g). They have a rounded shape with a pronounced beak. Slightly flat peaches also often grow on young trees .
The pulp of the fruits of early Kiev is very juicy and tender. The color she has is white, even a little transparent. The difference between this variety is the high density of the pulp and its lack of redness in the bone area. In some peaches, pink stripes can be seen in the section (over the entire area).
The taste of the fruits of early Kiev, judging by the reviews of gardeners, is simply excellent. It is always rich, sweet, with a slight acidity. Pleasant and pronounced aroma of peaches of this variety. The stone in the fruit is small, elongated and very pointed. It does not separate from the pulp.
The thin peach skin of Kiev early differs in light yellow color. Often on the tree there are fruits with a pronounced or slightly blurred blush. Peaches of this variety are usually eaten fresh. However, for the manufacture of compotes and preserves, their use is also allowed. For a year, with one tree with good care, you can collect up to 50-60 kg of fruits.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
Growing Kiev early peach is not too difficult. He tolerates winter cold very well. In Ukraine, Kiev early is even considered the standard of winter hardiness. That is, on this basis, all other varieties of peaches are compared with it. Also, the advantages of this species include good resistance to kleasterosporiosis and powdery mildew.
There are practically no shortcomings in Kiev early. The only thing, many summer residents note the fact that the variety, with a rather high resistance to curly leaves, still suffers from this disease.
Where to plant
Like most other varieties, the early Kiev peach variety does not like swampy, moist, low-lying areas. The tree should be planted on a small hill, brightly lit by the sun and at the same time well protected from the wind. No other trees or shrubs should grow near the peach (at a distance of up to 3 meters). You should not plant this variety in the place where plants such as clover, melons, solanaceae or strawberries used to grow. Otherwise, the tree can subsequently become ill.
Landing rules
It is advisable to prepare an early Kiev pit for peach from the fall. The soil mixture for seedlings is made of the following components:
- humus or compost - 15 kg;
- nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers - 200-300 g (each);
- fertile topsoil.
Early Kiev peach is planted (a photo of trees of this variety growing in the garden can be seen in the article) in the spring - in mid-April, after the snow melted and the land dries. A peg is inserted into the pit, which in the future will serve as a support for the young tree, and a prepared mixture of soil is poured with a hill. Next, set the seedling itself and tie it up. After that, the roots of the plant are carefully spread along the soil mixture. Then the pit is covered with fertile soil to the top. Around the peach, you definitely need to make a small moat and an earthen roller. At the final stage, the tree is abundantly watered, and the trunk circle is mulched with sawdust, leaves or peat in a layer of 5-10 cm.
How to fertilize
The fertility of the soil under the peach, since it absorbs nutrients actively, should be maintained periodically. If the tree is planted on good soil, top dressing is done once every 2-3 years. On poor soils, peach is fertilized at least once a year. This variety needs to be fed in early spring or late fall. In this case, you can use both organic and mineral fertilizer. As the first, diluted slurry is usually used. As for mineral top dressing, Kiev Early responds very well to ammonium nitrate, wood ash and superphosphate.
How to water
Kiev early peach is not only winter-hardy, but also quite drought-resistant. Too often watering the tree is not necessary. But the plant should not experience a lack of water, of course, in any case.
Kiev early is watered in special grooves-grooves made in the near-stem circle at a distance of 30-40 cm from each other. For the first time, the soil under the plant needs to be moistened before flowering (10 days in advance). Next, peach is watered as necessary, depending on the amount of precipitation, another 3-4 times per season.
How to protect from the cold
Despite the fact that Kiev is an early peach, the description of which by summer residents makes it possible to judge it as one of the most unpretentious, the tree is winter-hardy, but frost can still have a negative effect on it. Indeed, in any case, peach is a thermophilic plant. Some owners of summer cottages, for example, pay attention to the fact that sometimes after the winter at the Kievsky early trunk crack. In this case, the plant must be treated. Experienced gardeners in specialized forums advise gently scrubbing the wound to healthy wood and laying a crack with a cut and mashed horse sorrel. Porridge needs to be changed from time to time before drying of damage.
Spring frosts on this variety can also affect negatively. If frost hits during flowering, Kiev early peach can lose all buds. Accordingly, in the summer, the owners of the suburban area will not wait for the tree and fruiting. In order to prevent this from happening, gardeners have traditionally advised to fumigate trees with smoke from bonfires when frozen. In this case, you can save at least some of the colors.
To early Kiev had a good winter, in the fall it must be carefully shed. In addition, all dry and diseased branches should be cut. The trunk circle must be mulched with a thick layer of sawdust. Do this in dry weather. Otherwise, the root neck of the plant may begin to rot.
Disease Control: What You Need to Know
Kiev's early peach, as already mentioned, is resistant to most garden crop infections. But sometimes these trees, of course, can also get sick. In this case, various kinds of treatment drugs can be used. Use them as carefully as possible. The fact is that peach trees are very sensitive to all kinds of chemicals. In case of violation of dosages, a plant can simply drop leaves and fruits or slow down its development.
How to deal with curly leaves
An early Kiev peach, planting and care of which are procedures that require exact adherence to technologies, most often it is infected with an acicular fungus that affects the leaves. Spores of this parasite are able to penetrate into the cracks of the cortex and under the scales of the leaves. The latter are twisted as a result, hence the name of the disease. As a prophylactic against curly leaves for peach, a 1% solution of copper sulfate is usually used. Spraying is carried out in early March. After a few days, re-processing is performed. Copper sulfate can be replaced with 3% Bordeaux.
If the plant is already sick, it should be sprayed with a solution of some tank preparation. It can be, for example, the Pentaphagus, Trichodermin, or Planriz. Copper oxychloride may also be used.
Peach Kiev early: reviews of gardeners
According to summer residents of Ukraine and the southern regions of Russia, this variety is really one of the best. In particular, he earned good reviews for the early ripening of fruits (in mid-July) and their excellent taste. With regard to the care of summer residents, this variety also has no special complaints. The only experienced gardeners are advised to be more careful when buying seedlings. Sometimes unscrupulous sellers instead of Kiev early offer customers other, less productive and popular varieties.
As you can see, early Kiev peach is a productive and relatively unpretentious variety. In the case of proper and regular care, this plant will surely please its owners with good development and abundant fruiting.