Content
Apple-tree Currency is a productive winter variety. Caring for columnar varieties has its own characteristics that must be taken into account when growing them.
Breeding history
Columnar Apple tree The currency was derived in 1986 by the scientists of the Russian Agricultural Academy in Moscow. Parent varieties: columnar KB6 and American OR38T17. The breeding work was carried out by V.V. Kichina and N.G. Morozova.
The application for registration of the variety Currency in the state register was filed in 2001. After the tests, information about the apple tree was entered into the state register in 2004.
Description of the variety and characteristics with a photo
Columnar apple tree The currency is recommended for cultivation in the Central region. The variety is wintry and ripens late.
Adult tree height
The apple tree Currency is compact in size and reaches a height of about 2.5 m. Although the trees are considered semi-dwarf, they grow rapidly. The annual growth is up to 20 cm.
Fruit
Valyuta apples are large in size and weigh from 130 to 240 g. The shape is correct, rounded-conical.
The color of the apples is light yellow, there are imperceptible gray subcutaneous dots. A red blush appears in the sun. The pulp of the fruit is white, medium density, juicy and fine-grained.
Yield
Ripening of the Currency variety occurs at a later date. The fruits are harvested in early October. Ripe apples stick to the branches and do not crumble. The fruits are suitable for winter storage.
Columnar Apple Currency brings its first harvest 3 years after planting. Productivity is rated at a high level.
For 4 years, 5-6 kg of apples are harvested from the tree. With constant care, the yield from an adult apple tree reaches 10 kg.
Winter hardiness
The Currency variety has a fairly high resistance to winter frosts. Trees tolerate temperatures as low as -35 degrees Celsius. At the same time, drought resistance remains at an average level.
Crown width
The crown is dense, columnar type, 20 cm wide. Shoots are medium-sized, compactly located. The leaves are dark green, elongated. In autumn, the leaves do not turn yellow, but fall green.
Self-fertility
Variety Currency is self-fertile. When planting, a distance of 0.5 m is maintained between the apple trees. 1 m is left between the rows. To obtain a high yield, other columnar or ordinary varieties are planted between the apple trees of the Valyuta variety.
Disease resistance
The Currency variety is characterized by increased scab resistance. This feature is genetically determined. For the entire period of cultivation of the variety in the Moscow region, signs of scab were not recorded.
The frequency of fruiting
Fruiting of the Currency variety remains stable for 15-16 years. Then part of the ringlets dries up, and the yield drops. The life of an apple tree is up to 50 years.
Tasting assessment
The apples of the Currency variety have a sweet dessert taste and a pronounced aroma. Tasting score - 4.5 points out of 5. Sourness is felt in the pulp. Taste qualities are preserved during long-term storage of apples.
Landing
Apple tree Currency is planted in a prepared place. Works are carried out in spring or autumn.The procedure is independent of the planting period.
Site selection, pit preparation
An open area is suitable for an apple tree, which has protection from the wind and is remote from buildings, fences, and other fruit trees. The culture prefers light, fertile soils.
A planting pit for an apple tree Currency is prepared 2-3 weeks before work. This period is necessary for the soil to shrink. A pit 50x50 cm in size is enough for a seedling. The depth depends on the length of the root system.
In autumn
Columnar apple currency is planted in September or October after leaf fall. The plant will have time to adapt to new conditions before the onset of cold weather.
When planting in autumn, substances containing nitrogen are not introduced into the soil. Such fertilizers stimulate shoot development.
In the spring
For spring planting, it is better to prepare a pit in the fall. The soil is fertilized with compost (3 buckets), potassium sulfate (50 g) and superphosphate (100 g). Until spring, soil compaction and dissolution of nutrients will occur.
Currency starts planting an apple tree after the snow melts and the soil warms up. Work is performed before bud break.
Care
Regular care of the Currency apple tree helps to get a high yield. The tree needs watering, feeding and pruning. For the prevention of diseases and the spread of pests, spraying is carried out.
Watering and feeding
The root system of columnar apple trees does not go into the deep layers of the soil. Therefore, in spring and summer, young trees are watered every 3 days. In a drought, moisture will have to be applied every other day.
Adult trees need watering every week. Moisture is especially important during the flowering period of the apple tree. In mid-June, the intensity of irrigation is reduced, in August, it is completely stopped. The last application of moisture is carried out in the fall to prepare the apple tree for winter and increase its frost resistance.
Watering the apple tree Currency is combined with top dressing. In early spring, before bud break, trees are watered with slurry or infusion of chicken droppings.
Before flowering and during the pouring of fruits, the Currency apple tree is fed with a solution consisting of 50 g of superphosphate and 40 g of potassium sulfate. Fertilizer is poured under the root.
In the fall, after the end of fruiting, 100 g of potash and phosphorus fertilizer are placed in the trunk circle. It is better to refuse the use of substances with nitrogen during this period.
Preventive spraying
Preventive spraying is necessary to protect trees from diseases and pests. The processing of the Currency variety is carried out in early spring before the start of sap flow and in late autumn, when the crop is harvested. During the growing season, all spraying is stopped 3 weeks before harvesting.
Apple currency is sprayed with Bordeaux liquid or Nitrafen solution. In the spring, a urea solution can be used for treatment, which saturates the trees with nitrogen and destroys insects.
Pruning
Apple currency is pruned in early spring before sap flow. The center conductor is not shortened to avoid excessive branching.
The columnar apple tree is cut into 3-4 eyes, then powerful branches will grow from them. If you leave 7-8 eyes, then shoots of medium strength will appear. Be sure to remove dry, broken and frozen branches.
Shelter for the winter, protection from rodents
In late autumn, the trunk of a young apple tree is treated with a solution of chalk and covered with spruce branches. Additionally, hilling and mulching of the trunk circle with compost are carried out.
In mature trees, it is recommended to whitewash the trunk and only then proceed to the shelter. After the snow falls on the Currency apple tree, they throw a snowdrift.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
The main advantages of the Currency variety:
- unpretentiousness of trees;
- stable yield;
- increased frost resistance;
- commercial and taste qualities of fruits;
- compactness of trees;
- long storage period for apples.
Among the disadvantages of the currency apple tree are the following:
- fruiting period does not exceed 15 years;
- average yield compared to other columnar varieties.
Prevention and protection against diseases and pests
The main diseases of the apple tree:
- Fruit rot. The disease is diagnosed by brown spots that appear on the fruit. The lesion spreads quickly and results in crop loss. For prophylaxis, spraying trees with Bordeaux liquid or Horus solution is performed.
- Powdery mildew. The causative agent of the disease is fungal spores. A grayish bloom appears on the buds, leaves and shoots, which eventually turns brown. Copper-based fungicides are used against the fungus.
- Brown spotting. The spread of the disease is evidenced by the appearance of small brown spots on the surface of the leaves. Bordeaux liquid and urea solution are effective against damage.
The greatest damage to the apple orchard is caused by pests:
- Color beetle. An insect of the weevil family that feeds on swollen flower buds. The ovary does not form after the flower beetle.
- Aphid. A dangerous pest that can multiply quickly and feed on plant sap. Most active at high temperature and humidity.
- Leaf roll. The caterpillars of the leafworm eat the buds, buds and ovaries of the apple tree. The pest hibernates on young branches or in the bark of a tree.
Conclusion
Columnar apple currency is distinguished by its yield and high resistance to diseases. The fruits are suitable for a daily diet or processing.
