Today we’ll talk about what a Christmas tree is. Description, photos, reviews of gardeners - this is the information that interests a novice summer resident. How not to make a mistake in choosing an apple tree? How to plant the very variety that will satisfy all the needs of the owner? To make the right choice, you need to carefully study the apple variety "Christmas". It is quite popular among summer residents, and the reason for this we will reveal in the article.
Grade history
To begin with, we will understand how this variety was born. More than thirty years ago, breeder Sedov E. N and his team crossed a hybrid and a sort of “Welcy”. As a result of this, the "Christmas tree" of interest to us was born, a description, selection, planting of which will be considered in the article.
Practice has shown that this experiment was successful, and the tree really became popular. For some time research, experiments, observations were going on, and only fifteen years later the tree was entered into the register and began its journey in the agricultural industry as a full-fledged apple tree.
"Christmas": description, photo, reviews
The first thing to mention when talking about this tree is its unique ability to endure severe frosts. Not every fruit tree can boast of such a quality. We are very familiar with the “Antonovka”, which is firmly entrenched first in the list of frost-resistant crops. So, our variety is no worse than this famous apple. It is very advantageous to distinguish "Christmas" from the background of other species with excellent yield and ability to bear fruit already four years after planting.
Studying the reviews of the owners of this tree, it is possible to form several main advantages that the owners distinguish:
- high yield;
- regular uninterrupted ripening of fruits;
- the ability of apples to be stored for a long time;
- appearance and taste of the fruit;
- high scab resistance.
Among the shortcomings, people note the following: when the apples ripen, they crumble. But this minus does not matter if you collect the harvest on time. Another nuance is the softness of the fetus, which it acquires if stored for a very long time. Although usually apples are eaten long before the onset of this period.
Apple fruit
How do we usually choose a tree to plant? We are primarily interested in the taste of the apple. The Christmas variety, the description of which is presented in the article, has all the necessary qualities that attract lovers of this fruit:
- Size: an apple can be characterized as large, but not huge.
- Weight: the average weight of the fetus fluctuates around 150 grams.
- Shape: the apple is slightly flattened, and you can guess the presence of large cloves.
- Peel: the fruit casts in the sun due to its glossy surface, while the peel is of moderate thickness.
- Color: the standard color of the fruit has a yellow-green hue with a beautiful red blush, on which you can see small burgundy dots.
- Pulp: when cutting the fruit, we will see a dense white pulp, which has a sweet dessert taste with a slight acidity. The juiciness and aroma of the fruit make it even more popular.
What does the apple tree give us
"Christmas" (description, photo, reviews of which you are observing here) has not only excellent taste indicators. A tree can rightfully be considered useful thanks to the substances found in the apple.
Specialists who evaluate the composition of the fruit gave the following data on the chemical composition of the fruit:
- Sugar-acid index - 16-22 (depending on the area where the tree is grown).
- Pectin substances - 14%.
- Sugar - 10%.
- Titratable substances - 0.5%.
Such data will tell knowledgeable people about the quality of the fetus better than any photo of an apple. For those who know little about chemistry, just see and try the apple to make a choice in favor of this variety.
Tree description
Traveling through the expanses of the country, in many gardens you can observe the presence of such a tree as an apple tree. "Rozhdestvensky", a full description of the variety of which is given in the article, is found no less than the same "Antonovka". If we talk about the tree itself, then each variety differs in the size of the crown, the height of the tree, and the nature of the roots. This is important for those people who calculate the territory of the garden by meters and want to plant it as densely as possible.
What you need to know about this type of tree:
- They are distinguished by a stem of medium height, while a young one-year-old tree grows by about seventy centimeters annually.
- The shape of the crown has the form of a cone, does not differ by abundant foliage, has good strength indicators.
- The main stem has a powerful appearance, and lateral branches diverge from it at an angle.
- All branches are covered with a rough bark of gray color.
- Leaflets strongly resemble the shape of an egg, while the edges are wavy, and the tip is pointed. In principle, the type of leaves is more interested in those who want not to be mistaken in choosing a seedling. To calculate the fit, the crown characteristic has more weight.
Productivity
Gardeners really appreciate this variety of apple trees. Rozhdestvenskoe has gained such popularity primarily because its yield indicators are higher than many other species. As already noted, 4 years after planting, the tree can give its first fruits.
Agricultural enterprises that grow trees for industrial purposes give such an average indicator: about one hundred and fifty centners of apples are removed from a hectare of land. At the same time, trees bear fruit regularly every year and do not fail. Ripening of fruits occurs around the beginning of autumn. In the middle of the autumn period, you can already see this variety on the shelves of markets and supermarkets. Due to the fact that ripening takes a long time, the fruits do not disappear from the windows until the start of winter.
Apple trees: varieties, growing characteristics
As for leaving, taking into account all the advantages of this tree, they do not cause special difficulties for the owner. There are several basic recommendations that should be followed in care:
- You need to plant a tree in late spring, when warm weather has already set in and the earth has warmed up. If necessary, you can plant a tree in the fall, but in this case you need to do this long before the first frost. It is also necessary to mulch the earth, which will protect the seedling for the first time.
- When choosing a place to land, give preference to an open sunny area.
- Land in the selected area should be light and loose. If the soil is clay, then add sand and fertilizer to it. Otherwise, the tree has no requirements.
- Digging a hole, make it a little more than half a meter in diameter. Its depth does not need to be done more than a meter. Place peat and ash at the bottom, and sprinkle on top of the ground where you want to place the roots of the seedling. Next, you should fill the whole hole and, having rammed it, make watering.
- It is necessary to adhere to a moderate watering regimen. It is not necessary to water too often, but it is not recommended to dry the land. In order not to make these mistakes, you can make special grooves for the outflow of excess water, and after watering it is recommended to loosen the earth well.
- In spring, it is necessary to inspect the crown for formation.
- It is recommended to fertilize the soil around the tree only after it begins to bear fruit. Prior to this, feeding is not required. An exception is when a tree grows in clay soil. It is appropriate to use a complex of fertilizers that are designed for fruit trees.
All this points to the advantages of such a fruit tree as the Christmas tree, description, photo, reviews of which we presented to you in the article. This plant is a profitable acquisition on all sides. Any gardener, having studied this information, will confirm our conclusion.
Possible problems
And in the end, we will discuss the problems that this apple tree variety may have - "Christmas". Caring for it does not cause much effort, but the tree can still be attacked by some insects. Due to its ability to withstand almost all types of scab, the plant is able to suffer from pests such as:
- mite;
- bark beetle;
- scale shield.
Against these insects "Karbofos" will perfectly help. Also, sometimes a tree can fall prey to moths, copper flakes, leafworms or aphids. It will be appropriate to apply "Chlorophos". It is recommended to spray the tree before the first flowers bloom on it. This will prevent the appearance of the pest and prevent harmful substances from reaching ripe fruits.