Among fruit ornamental crops, the Siberian apple tree, a representative of the Pink family, is very popular. Its place of origin is China. In Russia, under natural conditions, it grows in Eastern Siberia. As a garden crop, it is grown almost everywhere. It is able to become an ornament of any garden, in spring its blooming appearance resembles a small white-pink cloud, and in autumn it becomes covered with small fruits, like bright beads.
Description
The plant is a small tree up to five meters high. Crown - rounded or umbrella-shaped. The trunk is rather sinuous, covered with gray bark. The elongated leaves are shiny, smooth, with a pointed tip.
Flowering usually starts in May and lasts for two weeks. The tree is completely, like foam, covered with white-pink flowers, the diameter of which is about 3 cm. They are located on long thin pedicels and are collected in corymbs. The berry apple tree, a photo of which during the flowering period can be seen below, is decorative not only in spring, but also in September-October, when beautiful fruits appear on it.
These are small, up to 1 cm in diameter apples of orange-red color. Even after all the leaves fall off, they will decorate the tree for a long time. The berry apple tree belongs to early ripening crops and can bloom and bear fruit already 3 years after planting. The fruits are not used for food, they mainly serve as a delicacy for birds.
Growing conditions
This type of apple tree prefers nutrient-rich, moderately moist soils. They should be slightly acidic or neutral. When planting plants on highly acidic soil, it must first be limed. The most suitable soil acidity is 6-6.5 pH. A place for planting an apple tree is chosen sunny. This is one of the most important conditions for abundant flowering and a rich harvest. In addition, when planting, a distance of at least 5 meters should be maintained between seedlings. This will not only ensure good fruiting, but also reduce the possibility of various diseases inherent in the culture.
Of all the ornamental varieties, the Siberian berry apple tree is especially unpretentious to growing conditions. It can be grown even on moderately fertile soils. This plant is highly drought tolerant and frost resistant.
Landing
An apple tree can be propagated using seeds, cuttings, but there is an easier and more effective way - planting seedlings. Young plants are planted in early spring, until the sap flow begins, or in autumn, before the onset of frost. Prepare in advanceplanting pits according to the number of trees and taking into account the future size of the crown. Their diameter is about half a meter, and their depth is 70 cm. The seedling is placed in such a way that the root neck is 5 cm above the ground, the roots are carefully straightened and sprinkled with soil mixture (humus, leafy soil, sand, taken in a ratio of 3: 1: 2). You can add a little peat and mineral fertilizer. After planting, the tree is watered abundantly. Transplantation of two- and three-year-old plants is painlessly tolerated. Older adults take root more difficult and slow down their growth for the first two years.
In other ways, the Siberian berry apple tree reproduces no less successfully. Growing from seeds is one of the most commonly used by gardeners. They are sown mainly in the fall, and exactly one year later, when the sprouts get stronger, they are transplanted to a permanent place. You can do this in the spring, but in this case, the seeds are subject to stratification at a temperature of 0-5⁰С. To do this, they are placed in a refrigerator or in wet sand.
Features of care
In the first year after planting, the berry apple tree does not need to be fed. But from the second year of life it is necessary. Phosphorus, potash and nitrogen fertilizers are applied to the near-stem zone in dissolved form along with water. Their number depends on the degree of soil fertility, on average it ranges from 15 to 20 g per tree.
In order for the decorative shape of the crown to be preserved, it is necessary to trim. But don't do it too often. Remove only shoots that intersect with each other, as well as weak anddamaged. Pruning is done in early spring, before the start of the growing season.
Almost all varieties of ornamental apple trees are winter-hardy and do not require special shelter from frost. It is enough just to tie the stems, as well as the main branches with burlap.
Pests and diseases
Apple berry is subject to the same diseases as any other ornamental trees, however, to a much lesser extent. If the trees are properly cared for, then such problems can be completely bypassed. When the first signs of powdery mildew and / or scab are detected, immediate measures must be taken to prevent the spread of the disease. Especially dangerous is a disease such as a burn caused by bacteria. It spreads very quickly, so the detected outbreak must be destroyed immediately.
Of insect pests, the green apple aphid is the most dangerous. Its colonies inhabit the tops of the shoots, sucking the juices from young leaves. This leads to drying of the leaves and deformation of the shoots.
Hawthorn can cause great harm to a plant. The caterpillars of this butterfly gnaw out the contents of the kidneys in the spring, and in the summer they eat the leaves, completely scraping off the flesh from them.
When pests are found on trees, you can destroy them manually by collecting masonry and caterpillars. But if there are a lot of plants, they will need to be treated with chemicals. For the purpose of prevention, it is recommended to whitewash the trunks with a solution of lime,dig up the near-trunk zone and destroy fallen leaves.
Application in landscape design
A real decoration of the garden throughout the season can be a berry apple tree (photo, description are given in this article). This plant plays the role of a hedge or wall, used for planting in a group and singly.
