Content
For many gardeners, the selection of fruit crops for the site becomes a difficult task. One of the successful solutions is the Sokolovskoe apple variety. It has recently been increasingly grown in private gardens and on an industrial scale.
Description of the creeping apple tree Sokolovskoe
Small dwarf varieties, which include the creeping apple tree "Sokolovskoe", are easy to care for, handle and harvest. In addition to these advantages, the variety has other distinctive features, thanks to which it has gained great popularity.
In 2003, the variety was zoned and recommended for cultivation in the Ural region.
Breeding history
The winter apple-tree of the Sokolovskoye variety was bred on the basis of the South Ural Research Institute of Fruit and Vegetable Growing. The authors are breeders Mazunin MA, Mazunina NF, Putyatin VI The variety Vidubeckaya pendula was used as a pollinator for seedlings. The name of the dwarf apple was given in honor of the director of the research institute N.F. Sokolov, who actively supported the selection work of scientists.
Fruit and tree appearance
The Sokolovskoe apple tree has a height of 1.5 to 2 m if grown on seed stocks and from 1 m to 1.5 m - propagated by vegetative means. The crown is horizontal, spreading, often flat. The annual growth of the apple tree is 15-20% less than that of other species. Over time, it decreases and the tree stops growing. The bark on the trunk is brown, the shoots are brown-green, firm and strong. The leaves are emerald, large, rounded, with slight pubescence and a jagged edge.
The fruits of the dwarf apple "Sokolovskoe" are slightly larger than average in size, rounded, flattened at the top and bottom. The skin is smooth, firm, with a slight sheen. After ripening, the apples are greenish-yellow, with a pronounced dark red blush covering a large surface of the fruit. The apple stalk is strong, straight, of medium length.
Life span
The lifespan of dwarf apple trees is only 15-20 years. After that, they must be replaced with new seedlings. Due to the yield and compactness of the Sokolovskoe apple tree, the variety during this time bears no less fruit than the usual tall ones for 50 years of life.
In hot dry summers, the apple tree requires daily watering.
Taste
Fruits of the Sokolovskoye variety are sweet, pleasant to the taste, juicy, with a slight sourness. The pulp is creamy, fine-grained, not friable. The sugar content per 100 g of product is about 11%. Tasting score - 4.3 points.
Growing regions
The main enemy of the Sokolovskoye apple tree is heat. Therefore, its cultivation in the southern regions is not recommended. The dwarf variety is zoned for the Urals (Chelyabinsk, Kurgan, Orenburg regions, Bashkortostan), feels good in Siberia, where snow cover protects it from freezing in severe winters.
Yield
When grown on an industrial scale, the yield of the Sokolovskoye variety is more than 200 c / ha. For one apple tree, this figure is 60-65 kg.
The planting site for apple trees should be sheltered from northern winds and drafts.
Frost resistant
The variety is winter-hardy, it perfectly tolerates a drop in temperature, but flower buds can freeze under severe frosts. In winters with little snow, mulching of the trunk circle and the use of covering material are recommended.
Disease and pest resistance
Under unfavorable weather conditions and violation of agricultural technology, apple trees of the "Sokolovskoye" variety are affected by black crayfish. Among the main signs are brown spots at the sites of infection. They gradually increase, turn black, capturing more and more new areas. To fight cancer, you need to clean out the lesions, treat with Bordeaux liquid and garden pitch.
Coccomycosis of the apple tree manifests itself in the form of brown spots on foliage, fruits and shoots. You can prevent infection with the timely removal of foliage from under the trees.
Fruit rot is not common, but it poses a great danger to the Sokolovskoye variety. The source of infection is rotten fruits, which should be promptly removed from the garden.
The indisputable advantages of the Sokolovskoe variety include its resistance to scab.
To protect fruit trees from aphids, moths and leafworms, it is recommended to use preventive whitewashing of trunks, set traps and use chemicals.
Flowering period and ripening period
The first fruiting of the Sokolovskoe apple tree is observed in the 3-4th year of life. Flowering begins in the third decade of May and lasts about three weeks. This duration is due to the gradual budding. First, the buds located near the ground bloom, then those that are higher.
With the arrival of the first frost, at the end of autumn, the fruits ripen. Depending on the region of cultivation and weather conditions, the timing of flowering and harvesting apples can be shifted in both directions.
Pollinators
The Sokolovskoe apple tree is not self-fertile. For the formation of ovaries, the variety needs pollinators that coincide in terms of flowering. Breeders recommend using dwarf apple trees for this purpose:
- Bratchud (Bratchood).
- Carpet (Kovrovoe).
- Snowdrop (Podsnezhnik).
Transportation and keeping quality
Due to its high commercial qualities, the Sokolovskoe apple variety can be transported over long distances. The dense skin prevents damage and spoilage of the fruit. Under optimal conditions, apples can be stored for about 4-5 months.
Advantages and disadvantages
Among the main advantages of the Sokolovskoye variety:
- compactness of the tree;
- ease of care and harvesting;
- scab resistance;
- great fruit taste;
- high productivity;
- storage duration;
- possibility of transportation.
Apples have good scab resistance
There are not so many disadvantages of the Sokolovskoe apple-tree:
- irregular fruiting periods;
- high probability of damage to flower buds when exposed to low temperatures;
- decrease in fruit quality in hot dry weather.
Landing
When choosing a place for planting an apple tree of the Sokolovskoye variety, one should take into account that high groundwater is unfavorable for the root system of a fruit tree and leads to a dry top of the crown. He does not like wetlands, sandy areas or lands rich in lime. The ideal soil for planting is light loam, podzolic or soddy-calcareous soils.
To plant the Sokolovskoe dwarf apple tree, you need to perform a number of sequential operations:
- Dig a hole up to 100 cm deep and about 80 cm wide.
- Loosen the soil at the bottom of the pit to the depth of the shovel bayonet.
- Pour fertile soil into it, adding one glass of superphosphate, wood ash and compost (3 buckets).
- Mix all ingredients thoroughly.
- Pour a mound from a fertile substrate.
- Soak the root system of the seedling for a day.
- Establish a support for the future seedling.
- Place it in the center of the hole and, spreading the roots, cover it with soil.
- Tie the apple tree to the support.
- Water abundantly, mulch the soil.
Growing and care
At the first time after planting, the trunks must be freed from weeds and mulched. Watering is carried out once a month, spending for this purpose the number of containers equal to the age of the seedling (3 years - three buckets of water).
In spring and autumn, whitewashing of trunks and processing of crowns from pests and diseases is carried out
Top dressing is carried out three times per season. In early spring, urea is introduced into the soil, in the summer (in June) the crown is sprayed with sodium humate, and fed with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers in September.
Crowns formation
Pruning and shaping the crown of a dwarf apple of the Sokolovskoye variety must be done on time and correctly, otherwise it will be difficult to correct the error. Thanks to this operation, it is possible to regulate fruiting, achieve a compact crown, and its harmonious development.
Natural
This option assumes the formation of a natural crown. In the second year of life, the seedling is shortened by 20%. The next year, strong growths are cut to the same length, ensuring the tree grows evenly in any direction.
Creeping
An apple tree of the Sokolovskoye variety is formed artificially, bending and pinning branches to the ground. The creeping crown shape is created using special structures, wooden stakes, twine, which promote the growth of shoots in a horizontal plane.
Vegetative clonal
On the lower tier, the branches are brought together artificially (3-4 each). The remaining shoots are placed one at a time, placing the first one at a distance of 40 cm from the lower tier, and the next ones at a distance of 20 cm from each other.
In order to prevent the depletion of the seedling, in the first two years it is necessary to remove the blossoming buds
Collection and storage
The picking of Sokolovskoye apples begins in September, after which they are placed for storage and ripening. While maintaining the optimum temperature and humidity in the room, the fruits do not lose their qualities for 4 months.
Conclusion
The apple variety Sokolovskoye not only serves as a decoration for the garden, but, subject to all the rules of planting and care, brings an annual high-quality harvest. The ease of maintenance of fruit trees is another reason for the growing popularity of the winter dwarf variety.
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