The pride of any gardener is the fruiting apple tree. Especially if good harvests are pleasing in areas with sudden changes in weather and harsh climatic conditions that are characteristic of most regions of our country. In the presented article, we will discuss precisely the variety Bashkir beauty that is perfectly adapted to such troubles.
The apple tree, the photo of which is presented, cultivated for almost a hundred years in the territories of the Central and Ural regions, does not give up its positions even today, thanks to many advantages, very appreciated by domestic gardeners. Let's talk about them and the basics of agricultural technology for growing this crop.
Apple tree Bashkir beauty: description. A photo
The early winter variety of Russian selection is a medium-sized tree with a round or wide pyramidal crown shape. Branches depart from the trunk at an acute, close to right angle. The structure of the brown-brown bark of the trunk and adult branches is smooth.
A distinctive feature of the variety is the strong pubescence of apical shoots. Their light, almost white shade makes it possible to recognize precisely this culture in plantings or a nursery - the Bashkir beauty. The apple tree is medium leafy. Large rounded leaves of juicy green, pubescent from below, end with a short, pointed tip. The variety is self-fertile and needs additional pollination, which is created by Antonovka, or Titovka's seedling. Young crops begin to bear fruit for 4-6 years.
Universal fruits are consumed fresh and processed. Apples are smooth, regular rounded. The color of the ripened fruit is remarkable - light with a striped raspberry blush. The fine-grained juicy pulp has an excellent sweet and sour taste and a well-defined, classic apple flavor characteristic of the Bashkir beauty variety. The apple tree, the photo of which is presented, has fruits weighing from 90 to 140 grams.
Cultural qualities
The apple variety Bashkir beauty has several advantages:
• excellent winter hardiness;
• high transportability and fruit preservation (up to 130 days);
• medium disease resistance;
• good annual yield (up to 80 kg per tree);
• rapid restoration of the plant and increasing the yield after frosty winters.
The fruits ripen in late August – September. Among the breeders, the apple tree Bashkir beauty, the description of which is presented, is appreciated for the unique opportunity to use it as a material for breeding new varieties.
Landing preparation
Harvest apple trees depends on the conditions of its growth. Considered undemanding, this culture nevertheless reacts sharply to adverse factors. Therefore, choosing a place for planting an apple tree, you should consider all the nuances.
The site should be protected as much as possible from the cold northerly winds and close
groundwater approach
, since a strong
root system penetrates 3-4 meters deep and, when this zone is reached, the roots rot and the plant dies.
The apple tree Bashkir beauty grows well and fruitfully bears fruit on neutral neutral light and medium loams of gray forest soils and chernozems. Responses of gardeners practicing cultivation of this crop are unanimous: raw soils and groundwater prevent the plant from developing productively. The classical scheme of planting apple trees is 4 * 4 m. The dimensions of the planting pit depend on the age of the seedling and the volume of the root system, but cannot be less than 0.6 m in depth and 0.7-0.8 m in diameter. A strong stake is clogged to the bottom of the pit, which will subsequently serve as a support for the young tree. The upper layer of soil removed from the pit is mixed with 20 kg of humus, 60 gr. superphosphate and 50 gr. potassium sulfate.
Apple tree planting
Before planting, the seedling is inspected, damaged or rotted root fragments are removed. A seedling is placed in a pit on the north side of a stake driven into a pit. Its roots spread and carefully pour soil, gradually filling the hole. The root neck of the plant should be at a level of 4-5 cm from the ground. Then the soil in the near-stem circle is well compacted, but not trampled.
Around the trees make an earthen roller, holding water during irrigation. A young plant is generously watered and mulched with humus or shredded wood bark with ash. The seedling is fixed to the stake with twine (not wire), without pulling it, since this can damage the plant with further growth and thickening of the stem.
Bashkir beauty: an apple tree requiring care
The fruit formation of any culture depends on competent caring events. The Bashkir beauty is no exception. The apple tree should be provided with normal nutrition, water and other necessary conditions. The soil in near-stem circles and row-spacings must be loosened periodically (no deeper than 8-12 cm) and cleaned of weeds. Mulching with humus or compost saves gardeners from the hassle of loosening and weeding, and provides additional nutrition to young plants. Some lovers use sodding as a technique that improves the structure of the soil, but in this case they increase the rate of fertilizer application by 20-25%. It is noticed that when the garden is sod, the fruits are more brightly colored and better stored.
The apple tree of Bashkir beauty is no exception. Reviews of gardeners agree: sodding improves the soil layer and increases yield, but the use of row-spacing for
vegetable crops does not throw the plot out of circulation and increases the productivity of the garden as a whole. The method of maintaining crops is selected individually.
Top dressing and watering
The amount of fertilizer introduced during planting is sufficient for the plant for 2-3 years, then, as the crop grows, fertilizing is necessary, the norms of which depend on the structure of the soil and the level of its fertility and variety. The Bashkir beauty is an apple tree, very demanding on moisture, and regular watering, adjusted for weather conditions, is very important. In years with a particularly generous harvest, care must be taken to protect the apple tree from breaking branches from the severity of the pouring apples. Use special strong supports with a slingshot at the top.
Shaping and trimming
For high-quality development and increase fruiting, the crown of the apple tree is formed. This mandatory operation should be carried out annually and has several objectives:
• prevent thickening of the tree, leading to a decrease in yield and the occurrence of diseases;
• prevent breaks;
• timely remove aging branches, replacing them with young ones and rejuvenating the tree, thereby increasing fruit production.
The crown is formed in various ways, the most common of which is to give the tree a sparse-tier form. The method consists in creating tiers of 4-6 main branches located from each other at a distance of 0.3-0.5 m.
The earlier formation work begins, the more successful the operation is. At the first pruning of a two-year-old plant, 2-3 shoots are left on the stem, directed in different directions (but not inside the crown). The central conductor should be one third longer than the other branches and this proportion should be observed constantly.
The article lists the main activities for the cultivation of such a unique culture as the Bashkir beauty apple tree. Description, photos and explanations of caring for her introduce a traditional high-yielding culture for many regions of the country.