To gather a rich harvest of apples in the conditions of Western Siberia and the Urals is quite problematic due to the harsh climate in these regions. Tender and heat-loving trees often die from winter cold and return frosts. Trees of standard size with a vertical crown are often zoned only for southern latitudes, therefore they do not take root in places where the temperature fluctuates sharply. If such a variety does not die, its fruits grow tasteless and small.
The best apple varieties for Siberia
In cool conditions, it is best to grow non-standard low-growing creeping trees. They are not as productive as ordinary apple trees, but their unusual shape allows them to completely hide under the snow cover and not freeze. Seedlings grow low above the soil in an inclined position, so the fruits have time to ripen faster, before the onset of frost. In addition, creeping apple trees look unusual, and the compact size of the crown simplifies harvesting. You can pick apples by hand, without using special tools.
Bestapple varieties for Siberia and the Urals are: Bayana, Altai Souvenir, Borovinka, Zheblovskoye, Melba, Northern Sinap. These plants are most adapted to the conditions of regions with a cold climate. The Melba apple tree is a Canadian variety with large fruits that ripen in late August. Apples of this variety are stored for a short time, only for a month. Description, photos and reviews of the Borovinka apple tree indicate that this old variety has excellent winter hardiness and attractive tasty fruits that ripen in autumn. Their shelf life is twice as long as that of Melba - 2 months.
Features of a low-growing apple tree
The low-growing apple tree with a horizontal crown was the result of experiments by Siberian gardeners who had long dreamed of creating a plant adapted to local growing conditions. The height of a creeping apple tree usually does not exceed half a meter, and the shoots that are almost above the ground sag under the weight of the fruit. Harvest from a bush can be obtained 3-4 years after planting. On average, the life expectancy of creeping varieties of apple trees is about 50 years. Slate trees are not a particular variety, but a group of plants, the crown of which is specially formed as a result of the painstaking work of agronomists.
Creeping can be made from any variety. But top dressing of stlanets should be done more often than standard trees. In winter, the seedlings are bent to the ground so that about 5 cm remains to the soil surface, they are covered with spruce branches, humus and other materials. If the snow melted in the spring, you need to sketch over the treesan additional layer, and after the thaw, on the contrary, free the plants from shelter in time.
How to choose the right seedling
Apples in creeping forms can have different ripening periods, but you should carefully consider the choice of seedlings, choosing the most suitable apple trees for the Urals and Siberia. It is recommended to use a local wild game as a rootstock, and make a scion from any variety you like. Plants with similar characteristics are most often sold in nurseries. Judging by the description, photos and reviews of the Borovinka apple tree, it is well suited for grafting and is widely used in these regions. When buying an apple tree, it is better to give preference to plants with a developed root system, fresh foliage and a thick stem.
Preparing the soil for the apple tree
One-year-old trees with a fibrous root system are used as seedlings. The diameter of the trunk should be about 1 cm. The roots are kept wet, placed in an earthen mash. When planting in groups, the distance between creeping apple trees should be at least 4 meters from each other. A place for landing is chosen protected from drafts so that the snow in winter is not blown away by the wind. The best harvest can be obtained by growing an apple tree on turf land.
The upper layers of the soil must be fertile, because the tree receives nutrition from them. It is advisable to avoid damp places, because waterlogging of the root system leads to its decay. The landing pit is prepared in advance by carrying out standard pre-planting work. Optimal timefor planting - the beginning of spring, when the buds on the trees have not yet blossomed, or late autumn, two weeks before the onset of frost.
Planting a stunted apple tree
The hole is dug shallow, but wide, and filled with nutrient soil to 2/3 of the height. The soil is mixed with mineral fertilizers and humus, an embankment is made in the form of a cone. Planting stlanets has some features: the seedling must be placed in the pit not vertically, but at an angle of 35 degrees. The top is turned to the south. You can save a young apple tree from breaking when bending if you turn the place of the spike cut on the stock to the surface of the earth. The root neck should not be deepened or planted too shallow. It will be enough 5 cm above the soil level, otherwise a lot of shoots will form around the rootstock, and it will have to be cut regularly. Excessive deepening leads to waterlogging of the root neck and can cause it to rot.
When planting, the roots should be carefully straightened and distributed along the embankment inside the pit, then covered with soil and compacted. The seedling is watered abundantly. One tree will require 2-3 buckets of water. Then the soil around is mulched using peat chips, humus or manure. A bundle of straw or grass is placed under the south side of a young apple tree to prevent burns on the bark. When planting in late autumn, annual seedlings should be bent to the ground and fixed with hooks so that they do not freeze out in winter.
Proper formation of a creeping apple tree
The most common ways of forming slates are arctic and melon. In the arctic version, the branches of the seedlings are bent in different directions, in the gourd they are arranged in the form of a fan. Such forms of an adult apple tree occupy a large area, therefore, to save space, they use the formation of a two-arm slate. Before the beginning of the bending process, in early spring, all trees are freed from covering material and the crown is cut to a third of the annual growth. Crown formation begins in June.
The tree is gently bent down, holding the grafting site so that the trunk does not break. Before forming a creeping apple tree, it is fixed with wooden hooks. To protect the seedling from burns, it is necessary to bend it to the soil surface so that 5-6 cm remain before it. It is necessary to ensure that the base of the trunk does not bend, otherwise the tree will develop poorly. The side parts of the trunk are directed to the sides and fixed with hooks. Skeletal branches are bent and twisted a little so that they do not break during formation. By mid-autumn, the raised shoots are also fixed with hooks.
Before the onset of winter cold, young seedlings are covered with soil to protect them from freezing. The next year, when the snow melts, the trunk is dug out a little, and the hooks are removed. In August, the formation of skeletal shoots of the stalk continues, because at this moment they are the most flexible. The branches are directed to the sides and pinned.
In the process, broken and dried branches are removed, the crown is thinned out in early spring so that there is no excessive shading, then the buds are betterare developing. All shoots must be lit and properly directed, since the tree is located near the ground. If some branch interferes with the development of the crown, it is pinched over the fourth leaf to turn it into a fruit-bearing one. When it grows back, the process should be repeated. Adult creeping apple trees should be 25 cm above the soil surface before the onset of cold weather, otherwise the crown will freeze if there is not enough snow.
Care of the crown of slates
A properly formed skeleton is obtained when the shoots of a mature tree do not rise higher. Every year, young branches are fixed near the ground before wintering, and sanitary pruning is carried out in summer. Before cutting a creeping apple tree, you should prepare a sharp tool and garden pitch to cover the saw cuts. In August, the tops are pinched to stop the growth of branches and the bark has time to stiffen before the onset of cold weather. The crown is fully formed 5-6 years after planting. The most important thing is to hold all events annually. This is a laborious process, but otherwise the apple tree will stop creeping and turn into an ordinary tree.
This form is not natural for a plant, because it will tend to grow vertically and build tops. You can form creeping trees, including straight. To do this, a one-year-old seedling is cut in early spring above the fifth bud, leaving a stump no more than 15 cm in height. Summer shoots are directed to the sides and pinned at a distance of 7 cm from each other. The subsequent process of crown formation repeatsthe usual way. The strongest branching causes shortening of the trunk by 1/3 of the height. But this option is rarely used by experienced gardeners.
Apple tree care
How to care for a creeping apple tree? It is advisable to support the branches of the stlanets during the fruiting period using trellises. This will help to avoid damage to the crop and rotting of apples. The fruits are removed from the tree by hand along with the stalk, trying not to damage the fruit buds, and carefully lowered into a box or basket for collection. For long-term storage, you need to try not to spoil the wax coating on the skin. It helps the apples stay fresh and prevents them from drying out.
Preparing the apple tree for wintering
Apple trees for the Urals require shelter for the winter. To do this, they are spudded with a layer of mulch and fertile soil 10 cm high. You can cover the tree crown with spruce branches, dry grass and foliage or other materials. Plants must be protected from rodents by wrapping trunks with nylon or setting traps with poisonous bait. The poison must be removed in the spring so that birds do not peck at it.
One of the shelter options for a creeping apple tree:
- support all skeletal shoots with props so that they do not sag from the weight of the material;
- cover the tree with a thick cloth, such as burlap;
- cover the edges around the perimeter with earth;
- place a thick layer of insulation over the burlap;
- protect the surface from getting wet with oilcloth;
- fix the frame with boards, sprinkle with soil on top.
Trees need whitewashing of the trunk, which is carried out before shelterfor the winter. This will prevent burns from the bright spring sun. It is impossible to remove the shelter too early, otherwise the apple trees will freeze if frosts return. Young trees are very sensitive to sudden changes in temperature, so the protection is removed gradually.
Sanitary pruning and crown care
The crown of seedlings needs to be thinned out regularly, this greatly affects fruiting.
Consequences of irregular pruning:
- spread of diseases and pests;
- late fruiting;
- poor taste of apples;
- loss of shape, chopping fruit.
It is necessary to lighten the crown and remove excess shoots annually. This treatment rejuvenates the tree and stimulates its development. With abundant flowering during the first fruiting, thinning of the ovaries is required, as a young plant may not withstand a bountiful harvest.
Diseases and pests of slates
Prophylactic treatment of creeping apple trees is different from that of ordinary ones. The trunk circle should be regularly cleared of overgrowth and weeds in order to facilitate air access to the roots and not take away nutrients from the plants. It is advisable to regularly mulch the soil around so that weeds do not spread. The easiest way to process trees with a two-arm crown is when the branches of the stlanza are directed in two directions. This greatly facilitates the work with an adult large apple tree. Pests damage low-growing plants less often than others, since insects prefer to lay their larvae onheight.
One of the common diseases of apple trees is scab of leaves and fruits. It manifests itself in the form of black dots on the fruits and a sooty coating on the foliage. Infection develops rapidly in wet years, especially on heavily planted trees where regular pruning is not carried out. The fruits of the affected tree begin to rot, and the leaves begin to crumble. The disease should be treated with special chemicals. For prevention, Bordeaux liquid is used, regularly spraying plants with it. It is very important to regularly burn fallen leaves and fruits. Apple trees with strong immunity do not get sick with scab, even if the spores of this fungus are attached to the leaves.
Another common disease is moniliosis. It is expressed in the rot of fruits, foliage and shoots. In young trees, a sharp blackening of skeletal shoots can serve as a manifestation of infection. Therefore, it is important to remove them in time by treating the cut and other cracks in the bark with garden pitch. For prevention, damaged and fallen fruits should be regularly destroyed.
