The choice of apple varieties for your garden is a very responsible matter. Take care of the cuttings for several years, until the first harvest. Therefore, if the selected variety does not meet your requirements, then the result will be a great disappointment. Agrotechnicians are constantly breeding new apple trees, so the gardener only needs to monitor the market and purchase seedlings in proven farms. The last point is very important.
Column-shaped apple trees spread rapidly in domestic gardening. The imagination of the summer resident simply astounded the opportunity to get about five centners of fruit from one hundredth. In addition, short stature and compactness remains an indisputable advantage of the column-shaped form. Today we want to consider in more detail the care of such landings.
Intensive growth
This is both a plus and a minus, which are characterized by columnar apple trees. Pruning and care must be appropriate. These are varieties of intensive growth and extreme early maturity. It often happens that seedlings planted in the spring already begin to bloom in the summer. This situation is stressful for the plant itself, since it did not manage to take root in a new place and form a root system.
Therefore, in order not to lose the plant and not pick the buds, you need to carefully prepare the conditions for it, in particular, the soil. Only in the case of the correct application of fertilizing can colonized apple trees grow and develop normally. Trimming and caring for them at first glance is not difficult, but it has certain pitfalls. Let's talk about this in more detail.
Main types
In 1964, colony-shaped apple trees were first obtained. Pruning and caring for this new species was not yet mastered, but year after year the rules improved, along with the advent of new varieties. To date, there are two types of "columns". Each of them has a further division, but more on that later.
The first type is actually columnar varieties. Inoculate them on dwarf rootstocks. The second are ordinary, modern apple trees, characterized by high productivity and quality of fruits, and grafted onto super-dwarf rootstocks and formed according to the type of column.
They bloom already for 2-3 years of life, and individual specimens from the nursery, already one year old. That is, you do not have to wait a long time for apples. However, the life of such a garden is very short, each tree pleases the gardener from 5 to 10 years. When growing, you need to follow certain requirements, otherwise you will see an ordinary apple tree on the site, and you will not remake it back into the column.
Choose seedlings
In addition to the fact that varieties are dwarf, semi-dwarf and vigorous, they, in turn, are also divided into species. Summer varieties are characterized by early flowering, the fruits can be removed in August. The most popular are Medoc and the President. The trees are very compact, suitable for growing in a small garden.
Autumn varieties are the most popular. Their fruits ripen throughout September and October; they are large, sweet and tolerate frosts perfectly. These are Vasyugan, Gin and Titania.
Finally, the latest, winter varieties - Arbat, Bolero, Currency. Very productive, without the support of the trunk can even break. Apples are well stored throughout the winter season.
Landing Features
Indeed, it all starts from the moment you bring home the colon-shaped apple trees. Trimming and care should be carried out correctly from the first day. If the planting site is buried during planting, the graft will give its own roots. Pay special attention to this, since clonal rootstocks do not have a root neck. In this case, the expected result is a vigorous, root-growing apple tree.
Coloniform varieties are small in size, and extremely fertile. The lack of growth hormone that is produced in the roots leads to super dwarfism. However, this point has a downside.
It is thanks to this feature that flower buds are laid in large numbers, including on the main trunk. Lateral branches to the column are not needed at all, it is enough that there is a strong central conductor. As a result, we get the main advantage that the columnar apple trees possess . Planting and care (see photo of the garden below) are greatly facilitated. The distance between the trees is reduced to 0.5 meters. Due to this density, productivity increases.
Preparing the soil
This is a very important point, since without high-quality fertilizer you can’t grow columnar apple trees. Planting and care (photo shows the real dream of the gardener, a neat tree, hung with fruits) must meet certain requirements. You will get a good crop only when the plant is provided with everything that is necessary for its development.
Landing pit must be prepared in advance. The optimal size is 90 * 90 cm, but 50 * 50 is acceptable. However, it is very important that the roots are placed freely. It needs to be fertilized. These are superphosphate (100 g) and potassium (50 g). Be sure to mix them well with the ground, and then condense. The next step is to plant an apple tree. Now you need to water abundantly. If you introduce organic matter into the pit, you need to separate it from the roots with a layer of earth.
We provide conditions for normal development
Another important point that allows you to grow columnar apple trees. Spring care consists in high-quality top dressing. It is very important to water the seedling 3-4 times with slurry. Concentration 1:10. A fermented chicken manure is suitable, but it must be bred stronger, about 1:30.
The next moment is a peculiar pinching of the seedling during the summer. The fact is that the columnar apple is characterized by prolonged growth. To accelerate the process of maturation of the apical kidney, two-thirds of the plate of the four upper leaves must be removed. This is done in early August.
What else you need to know because he wants to grow columnar apple trees. Planting and care (varieties are now being developed more promising) will bring the desired effect only if the apical kidney survives. This is a weak spot. She is prone to freezing. In the event of her death, several energetically growing vertical shoots are formed. They can be left and allowed the plant to form two columns.
Pruning
Today we want to offer the gardener a general instruction on how to plant colon-shaped apple trees. Planting and care, pruning and cultivation, the best varieties - all this is important information that as a result will help to form a dream garden. Above, we have already talked a little about spring work, now we move on. The main secret to growing these unique fruit trees is that the more we cut, the stronger the remainder grows. Therefore, you do not need to regret landing, but it is important to know what and when to remove.
Trimming branches by 2/3 and leaving four buds, you get 3-4 powerful shoots. Moreover, if you decide to "feel sorry" for the plant and remove ½ part of the branch, then as a result 5 shoots will grow on average. Accordingly, if only the apical bud is removed, a good dozen weak branches grow.
There are some more features that a summer resident should know. The closer the branch to the trunk, the stronger it grows, compared with deflected shoots. Therefore, the central conductor should not be cut; branching is not necessary from it. With proper care, the annual growth is 10-15 cm.
Throughout the season
For the first time, spring-shaped apple trees are pruned. Planting and care, propagation of these crop varieties are somewhat different from vigorous, and this must be taken into account. Even before the sap flow begins, the lateral branches are shortened by two buds. Due to them, the tree acquires two strong shoots during the warm season. In the second year, the one that is closer to the horizontal is left, and the vertical one is again shortened by two kidneys. The first will bear fruit, and the second will give two good shoots. The next year, the branch that gave the apples is cut out, and with the remaining two, they do the same as last year.
Sometimes a high activity of tree growth leads to the fact that flower buds laid in the trunk sprout in the side shoots. In this case, the tree acquires an interesting external Veda, like a brush for dishes. And when the crop ripens, the fruits hang directly on the trunk. By the way, all gardeners note how convenient the columnar apple trees are. Care and pruning in the fall is carried out as necessary, if you see that during the summer season did not have time to follow the tree.
Top dressing
It is not so easy to grow columnar apple trees on your plot. Planting and care, pruning, everything must be done in a timely manner, otherwise you will not see the results. Growing such varieties is an intensive technology. Without a constant presence on the garden plot, their growth and fruiting are impossible.
It is important to remember that they require a large amount of nutrients. Therefore, annually you need to make complex fertilizers under the columnar apple trees. Care in the fall includes the creation of a basal ring. Fresh humus is introduced into it, after which the ground is gently loosened and mulched. Now the tree no longer requires heavy watering, as during the summer season.
Crop rationing
Despite the good nutrition and conditions, such a large number of ovaries cannot be grown even by a large tree, not to mention such a tiny plant. In the first year after planting, it is best to pluck the flowers, especially if it was performed in the spring. In the second year, focus on the state of the seedling. If he takes root well, then it will be possible to leave a few apples. Already in the third year, enjoy the first harvest.
But rationing is carried out very individually. Watch how your tree grows, what fruits are formed, and, based on this, plan events for the next year. If you notice that the fruits are smaller, then you need to reduce the number of ovaries. This is done as follows. During flowering, 2 bouquets are left on each fruit link. Tweak the rest. Initially, look at the number of flowers that is twice the future crop. When an ovary appears, half of the bouquets are removed. Now you need to wait a bit until the apples become the size of a cherry. Now leave only 2 ovaries in a bouquet. Having let them grow to the size of a nut, they thin out again. Now each fruit link has only one ovary.
Root system
All clonal stocks do not have a rod extending deep into the earth. Their root system is gentle and weak, while the more pronounced the dwarfism of the variety, the worse the tree is fixed in the soil. No other garden tree grows like this, so if you are planting a column for the first time, then pay special attention to this item. The roots extend from the trunk by only 20 cm, and are fragile. They can be damaged by trampling the earth or loosening. Therefore, gardeners use the tinning technique. That is, cereal is sown in the basal circle and periodically mowed. If there is no time for this, then the soil is mulched.
Watering
As you can see, a little effort, and on your site will grow columnar apple trees. Planting and care (photos, reviews emphasize that you will have to spend a lot of time to get a good harvest) will be justifiable. Proper watering is also very important. It is desirable that it be constant, drip. If this is not possible, then pour a small amount of water every 2 days. In both cases, from time to time, plentiful watering is required. The optimal interval is 14 days, so that the water completely saturates all layers, and the soil is enriched with oxygen.