Apple tree Kitayka Kerr, the description, properties and cultivation of which this article is devoted to, was brought from Canada to Russia only a few decades ago. It was brought out by crossing two varietal whales - Long and Haralson. Thanks to this combination, this apple tree is not only resistant to a number of diseases, but also tolerates drought and frost, and bears fruit abundantly in the fourth year after planting. This variety is considered autumn-winter. It is zoned in both the West Siberian and the Ural regions, but it can also be successfully grown in the Moscow Region.
Description of Chinese Kerr
The tree itself is low, with a weak thickened crown. Its smooth elliptical leaves with a slight serration at the edges and pointed upwards are painted in light green. The flowers on the apple tree are quite large, bright pink and very fragrant, which attracts a large number of pollinating insects to it. During flowering, Kitayka Kerr is a wonderful decoration for the garden.
The fruits on this apple tree ripen late - only by mid-September, and then the timing depends on the region of planting. They have a slightly elongated shape and peel of rich burgundy color. The weight of the apples is about 35-40 g. They taste sweet with sourness and unique astringency inherent only to this variety. The fruits are rich in vitamins C and a rather rare P, which helps strengthen the walls of blood vessels. Kerr apples can be used for both compotes and preserves. In addition, they can even be frozen.
Seat selection
Typically, for planting an apple tree, Chinese women Kerr prefer elevated areas, since the growth of this fruit crop in gardens with extremely high groundwater levels greatly slows its growth. Sometimes it happens that a suitable place for planting such trees simply can not be found. If the groundwater is too close to the surface, then additional drainage will be necessary. To do this, arrange drainage channels near the apple trees.
It is believed that Kitayka Kerr is unpretentious tree with respect to the quality of the soil, however, it is best planted on light sandy soil. When choosing a site, one should also pay attention to the fact that apple trees of this variety, in comparison with others, have an insufficiently strong root system. That is why the trees must be protected from the wind.
Landing
The work begins with the fact that for each tree a hole is dug with a depth of at least 80 cm and a width of about 1 m. A special soil is poured into the resulting pit, consisting of two parts of sand (preferably river), three of humus and one of deciduous soil. In addition, it is necessary to add mineral fertilizers: 100 g of potassium sulfate and 250 g of wood ash and superphosphate.
Planting trees can be done both in spring, before buds open, and from mid-autumn. The distance between the holes should be at least 6 m. When planted correctly in the fall, young seedlings begin to grow rapidly and give the first shoots by spring. At this time, they trim the ends of each branch and thereby form a crown in Kitayk Kerr.
Apple care in the first year of planting
Do not forget that the roots of these trees lie shallow, so the first time the seedlings need to be tied to wooden pegs. During this period, it is very important to know that you can not allow a young apple tree to form fruits. To avoid this, it is necessary to cut off all the flowers that are on the tree. Such actions will contribute to good seedling growth and a plentiful harvest in the future.
In the first spring, it will be useful to treat the trees twice with copper sulfate: once during the swelling of deciduous (vegetative), and the second - when the flower (generative) buds mature. In the summer months, the young apple trees of Kitayk Kerr (photo above) also need care. From time to time it is necessary to check them for the presence of pests such as weevils, caterpillars and aphids, to break off already diseased or damaged foliage. In addition, the trunk circle with a diameter of 1 m should be completely free of weeds, as they pick up all the useful substances contained in the soil. At the same time, it is strictly forbidden to use herbicides - they cause irreparable harm to seedlings.
Seasonal Care
In order to get abundant harvests every year, you need to know how to take good care of Kitayku Kerr apple trees (a photo of tree planting can be seen in the article). In March, when snow melts, you need to carefully examine each trunk. If any damage appeared on it, they should immediately be treated with garden var. Sometimes in the spring it is discovered that the trunk is heavily gnawed. In this case, you should be vaccinated with a few twigs.
Despite the fact that, judging by the reviews, the Chinese Kerr is a frost-resistant apple tree, low temperature and can cause significant harm to it. With severe frostbite, its bark becomes covered with brown spots and begins to separate from the trunk. If this happened, it must be removed, and the damaged area should be covered with garden varnish.
With the onset of spring, it is necessary to mulch trunks with straw and humus . At the same time, do not lean them too close to the trunk to avoid the appearance of pests, which include various types of insects and rodents. In autumn, you can protect yourself by tying trees with spruce branches.
Soil loosening
Apple tree Kitayka Kerr, the photo and description of which is presented in this article, will not require any special knowledge from amateur gardeners in the future. It will only be necessary to monitor the near-stem circle: regularly loosen the ground and remove weeds.
Since the root system of these apple trees lies shallow, the earth around them is treated with extreme caution. This procedure greatly contributes to the free access of oxygen to the roots, and this positively affects the general condition and development of trees.
Top dressing
After several years after planting apple trees, it is necessary to fertilize the soil with special complex fertilizers. In the event that young trees were planted not in fertile, but in ordinary soil, then top dressing should be done already in the second year.
When applying organic fertilizers, various nitrogen compounds should be used simultaneously with them. For this, ammonium nitrate is best suited, which must be applied at the rate of 30 g per 1 m² of trunk circle.
Experts advise feeding trees in the spring, when the apple tree Kitayka Kerr grows and develops as actively as possible. With the onset of autumn, gardeners use superphosphate - 30 g per 1 m², as well as wood ash - 2 cups per 1 m² as fertilizers. Usually they are dug directly around the perimeter of the trunk circle.
Watering
As already mentioned, a distinctive feature of these trees is their resistance to drought, and as a result, they do not tolerate excess moisture. Given this feature, they are watered only as needed. For example, if it rained heavily on the eve, then it will not take another 10 days to moisten the soil.
However, in the summer, especially during the hot season, Kerr needs good hydration. In early summer, trees are watered with a solution of boric acid and copper sulfate (0.5 and 2 g, respectively), diluted in 10 liters of water. A young apple tree will need 15 liters, and Kitayka, who is more than 15 years old, will need about 30 liters.
Pruning trees
This process is extremely important for the Chinese woman Kerr. Reviews about her, as an extremely beautiful decorative tree, are not exaggerated. The main thing is to give it the necessary shape. In addition, pruning also increases yield. First of all, you need to leave the skeletal branches and remove all the rest. 2 years after the first pruning, the lower shoots extending into the crown, as well as dried, thin and frost-bitten branches, are removed.
It is worth noting that this procedure requires great care. Severe frosts can cause significant harm to apple trees. Pruning should not be done until the scale of the lesion becomes clear. Most often, in damaged areas, intensive growth of thick vertical shoots, the so-called tops, begins.
For trimming, use only a clean and sharp tool. Tree wounds caused by a blunt garden knife will heal slowly and very painfully. The same requirement applies to the pruner with a hacksaw. Places of cuts must be immediately lubricated with garden var. For this purpose, oil paint made on the basis of drying oil is also suitable.
Pest and disease protection
The first time Chinese Kittles Kerr is sprayed in the spring, when the air has stably warmed above + 5⁰ C. The purpose of this procedure is the prevention of various diseases, as well as the destruction of pests that live in the cortex and have not yet had time to wake up. It is very important that the spraying occurs before the buds begin to swell on the apple tree, otherwise they may burn.
Before starting this procedure, the tree must be freed from lichens, dried branches and dead bark. For spraying, special complex preparations are very suitable, which simultaneously destroy pests and protect the apple tree from various diseases. If these are not available, then insecticides and fungicides are used alternately. At this stage, experts recommend using the following drugs:
- "Nitrofen" - a comprehensive tool that destroys various fungi, as well as larvae and eggs of pests.
- One percent solution of copper sulfate - prevents fungal diseases, rot and heals wounds. For an apple tree no older than 10 years, 2 liters will be enough. Gradually, the amount of the drug will need to be increased to 5 liters.
- Urea - copes with powdery mildew, scab, spotting, aphids and weevils. To do this, 500 g of the substance is diluted in 10 liters of water. At least 2.5 liters of solution are consumed per tree.
The second treatment is performed during budding in late March or early April. Its purpose is the destruction of pests such as ticks, aphids and scale insects. For this, a solution of copper sulfate, colloidal sulfur or a three percent Bordeaux liquid is suitable.
The third stage protects the trees from weevil, moths, aphids, moths and mites. Spraying is carried out when three weeks have passed since the beginning of flowering. For this, solutions of malathion and benzophosphate are suitable. It is worth remembering that any spraying is carried out in the evening in extremely dry and calm weather. Spray the liquid evenly, while capturing the soil around the trunk.
Winter preparations
In the cold season, apple trees need protection from the invasion of rodents and impending frosts. As a binding material for trunks, roofing material, fir branches and even old stockings are well suited. However, simple newspapers are the best option. The fact is that the smell of printing ink is extremely unpleasant for various kinds of pests and rodents. With newspapers, like a bandage, it is necessary to wrap not only the trunk, but also the skeletal branches, securing them with adhesive tape. Such a binding will reliably retain heat.
With the advent of spring, the adhesive tape is removed and the strapping is removed. This should be done only in cloudy weather, otherwise the trees can get a sunburn. In addition to wraps, preventive whitewashing is also carried out. For this purpose, both hydrated lime and white water-dispersed paint, light tones of which reflect sunlight well, can be suitable.
Reviews
Description of the Chinese Kerr (photo can be seen in our article), cultivation of which even beginner amateur gardeners are engaged in cultivation, can be reduced to a simple listing of the advantages and disadvantages of this apple tree. Almost everyone who has these trees growing on the plot is satisfied with their level of frost resistance, resistance to disease, low fruit shedding and plentiful harvests.
Many note the interesting taste of apples of this variety. Depending on the region, the fruits of Kitayk Kerr (their photo is above) ripen from the end of August in the Moscow region and until the beginning of October in the northern regions of Russia. Given the fact that apples have a strong stalk, they can be on the branches for a long time even in a ripened state and not fall, while maintaining their freshness.