The benefits of planting dwarf apple trees on the plot are very obvious.
They take up less space and are able to bestow on you quite large crops.
However, dwarf apple trees have their own characteristics and care requirements, which gardeners should be aware of.
Detailed information about dwarf apple trees, we share with you this article.
Description of dwarf apple trees
Gardeners know that the habitual trees of apple trees, which everyone is used to, receive as a result of inoculation to the rootstock, which grew from seed, varietal cutting. In the case of dwarf apple trees, a varietal stem is grafted onto a semi-dwarf or dwarf rootstock. Such a stock has all the necessary properties of the mother plant and allows the young tree to grow to a height of four meters.
Since in order to independently grow such a tree, it is worth making immeasurable efforts and spending a lot of time, it is still much easier to buy ready-made seedlings on the market.
Dwarf sapling also slightly different from the usual. When buying, pay attention to the fact that at the ends of the branches were large buds. Also, the root system of such a seedling is fibrous with small roots, whereas in ordinary seedlings the root system has a core system.
note on the type of junction between the root neck of the seedling and the bole - there should be a well-marked protrusion, since cuttings of the main rootstock were grafted on this place.
The price of a dwarf sapling will also be indicated: it will be slightly higher than that of vigorous seedlings, since it takes more effort to grow a clone stock.
It is worth knowing that there is another type of apple - kolonovidnye. They have a lot in common with dwarfs, so they are easy to confuse. To prevent this, pay attention to what type of branching. A sapling of a columnar apple has practically no branches, only one main trunk.
Varieties of dwarf apple trees
Varieties of dwarf apple trees can be divided into summer, autumn and winter.
To the most popular summer varieties include:
Variety "Melba". Refers to high-yielding varieties. Harvest can begin to collect as early as 3 after planting. Fruits ripen in late July. Apples are medium in size. The flesh of apples is juicy, the taste is caramel.
Variety "Candy". Bred by the famous breeder Michurin. This is an early variety. The peel of apples are dark green in color, dense and juicy fruits.
Variety "Wonderful". Refers to late summer dwarf varieties. Begin to bear fruit already at 4 years after planting grafting to the rootstock. It is appreciated by a relatively high yield, which is 75 kilograms per tree. Ripe fruits are large, weighing about 140 grams. The shape of the fruit is flat with ribbing. On the main color apples are yellow-green, but have a very intense dark-red "blush".
To the best autumn varieties include:
Grade "Zhigulevskoe" starts to give a harvest for 3 year. Fruits of large size, have a red-orange color, are well preserved for 6 months. The variety of dwarf apples "Autumn striped" gives large fruits, their shape is round, the taste is pronounced sour-sweet, retain their presentation at a temperature of about +6 ° C.
Variety "landed". This dwarf apple tree fructifies already in the autumn, in the middle-end of September (depending on the breadth of growth). Can bear fruit already in the 3rd year after vaccination. The vegetative period is only about 150 days, as a result of which a tree yields up to 130 kilograms per tree. Fruits are large, weighing up to 145 grams. The shape of the apple is flat. The peel is not dense, smooth. Color - greenish with bright red "blush". The taste of the fruit is excellent, sweet and sour. The variety is resistant to scab and low temperatures.
Dwarf Sokolovskoye variety. The ripening of fruits of this variety occurs in late autumn, closer to the first frost. Fruiting tree starts at 4 years of age. The amount of harvest, which on average is collected from a single tree, is about 85 kilograms. Fruits are rather large in size, they are 190 grams in weight, and up to 370 grams in trees that just started to bear fruit. The shape of the fruit - flat, with a smooth pleasant surface. The main color is greenish-yellow, peculiar bright red "blush". To taste ripe apples sweet and sour.
Dwarf grade "№134". This dwarf tree is distinguished by green rootstock with a not quite strong layer of the root system. This variety is also very tolerant of low temperatures. Its advantage is the early entry into fruiting, especially those trees that were grown in the nursery. Also well combined with other pollinators.
Dwarf grade "Bratchud" ("Brother of the Wonderful"). Late-ripening variety, the fruits of which ripen only by October. Resistant to frost and scab. The yield of one tree is about 120 kilograms. The mass of ripe fruit is about 160 grams. They are flat-round in shape, ribbing characteristic. The main color is greenish-yellow, with a special reddish blurry blush.
The best winter varieties dwarf apple trees:
Grade "Grushevka Moscow region" characterized by small apples, their peel is yellow. It is resistant to scab, the fruits themselves rarely begin to rot. Brings high yields starts with 5 years.
Variety "Bogatyr" has a fruit taste sourish, yellow-red. Tree tolerates winter, resistant to pests and diseases.
Variety "Moscow Necklace". Apples are juicy, large, sweet-sour. The color of the fruit is bright red, the flesh is pale pink. She begins to sing in mid-October, perfectly preserves its properties for 6 months.
Dwarf apple tree "Carpet". Another autumn variety that comes into fruition at 4 years after inoculation. It has abundant yield (from one tree I harvest up to 110 kilograms) and large large fruits, which on average weigh up to 190 grams (on young trees, all fruits can reach 270 grams).
The shape of the fruit is flat. The skin is smooth and shiny. The main color is greenish-yellow, there is a red, brightly shown, "blush". Taste of ripe fruit is dessert.
Variety "Snowdrop". Also a winter variety with high winter hardiness and resistance to scab damage. About 90 kilograms of crop is harvested from one tree. The average fruit weight is up to 170 grams. The shape of the fruit is round-conical. The main color is light yellow, with a blurry reddish “blush”. The taste of apples is sweet, sweet and sour.
Variety of dwarf apple "№57-146". Dwarf apple trees of this variety have reddish small leaves with a glint. Zimoustoychivny grade possessing high ability to rooting. Also, the crown of the tree is characterized by a large number of thin branches, which should be regularly cut if necessary. The disadvantage of the variety is the fragility of its wood, which, under the weight of its own fruits, can easily break.
Apple tree "№57-233". This variety is semi-dwarf. Its frost resistance exceeds all the above-mentioned varieties, since the root system can easily withstand temperatures of -16 ºС. The seedling is easy to take root, has no special requirements for care. The tree grows quickly and starts fruiting early, yielding abundant yields. Also, the yield contributes quite extensive, as for a bonsai tree, crown.
It is worth noting that semi-dwarf varieties have a great viability, unlike the dwarf ones. Their root system is deeper, which makes it possible to produce more abundant crops with a small total size of the tree.
Virtues
Dwarf varieties have several advantages:
Main advantage dwarf trees are their sizes. After all, when planting such apples in your backyard plot, you will be able to concentrate a sufficiently large number of fruit bearing trees on a small plot. The distance between seedlings can be only 1.5 meters and this will be enough for them to effectively grow and bear fruit.
In addition, the task of harvesting is facilitated, which grows almost at eye level. Thus, it is much easier to keep track of the maturation of apples and preserve their presentation. The care of the tree is facilitated, since it is not necessary to invent special devices in order to cut the high-growing branches of the apple tree.
AT fruiting This species of apple comes very early, already at 4-5 years after planting the seedling. At the same time, the harvest is increasing with every year more and more, and a large enough tree can be as good as the abundance of the harvest of a strong apple tree.
If we consider the purely biological features of dwarf fruit trees, it is worth noting that a small growth contributes to the enhanced nutrition of fruits. This is due to the fact that the small size of the wood requires little nutrients, while the root system allows the tree to receive a sufficiently large number of them.
The most important advantage of dwarf apple trees over tall ones is that high groundwater is not terrible. After all, for ordinary types of apple groundwater constitute a great danger, because they can wash away the roots and cause them to rot. In dwarf apple trees, the root system is practically on the surface and the groundwater is indifferent to it.
Also, due to the placement of the roots under the ground surface, the tree responds quickly to watering and fertilizer. In addition, through the small size of the tree, the amount of fertilizer is greatly reduced. Also, spraying the crown in pest control becomes less expensive.
The summer growth of a tree ends rather early, which gives the tree time to “fall asleep” before the onset of winter. Thus, he is not afraid of the first unexpected autumn frosts.
disadvantages
And because the tree starts to bear fruit very early, it getting older faster. However, despite the 15-20 years of life, the tree manages to give a harvest comparable to the crop, which gives a tall tree for 40 years of life. Also, there is an opportunity every 15-20 years to replace the varieties growing in your garden.
Despite the fact that all the above varieties of dwarf apple trees have a sufficiently high resistance to frost, you should consider the location of the root system almost on the soil surface. Therefore, you should not forget to warm the surface around the tree for the winter, because if the ground freezes, the roots can easily suffer.
Due to the superficial placement of the rhizome of a tree, dwarf apple trees are very demanding on soil fertility.
Insofar as yield Dwarf apple trees are very high, sometimes it can cause loss of crop quality. In addition, the tree can be so exhausted with its fruits that the fruiting becomes irregular. Therefore, even in the spring it is recommended to cut off or cut along with the branches of the inflorescence.
Also, a small tree is very heavily loaded with its own fruits and requires additional supports both to the main trunk and to each branch.
Landing
For good growth and obtaining the best yields from a dwarf apple tree, it is advised to plant it on fertile soils, make the necessary fertilizers, and not to forget about regular watering. Black soil is considered the most suitable soil, but an apple tree can grow on clay and sandy soils.
Dwarf apple trees can grow in slightly darkened places. They are planted on elevated areas or on slopes, it is desirable that the place was protected from the wind.
Before landing, young trees are pruned a little to form the lower trunk of the crown. The next pruning of growths occurs in a year, in the case when the apple tree bears fruit quite well. If everything is done correctly, the tree will be young longer, and the apples will never be small.
Saplings are planted at a distance of 3 meters in a row and 4 meters between rows. Dig a planting hole in width and depth of 50 cm. The next step is to prepare the pit. When digging, the upper layer of soil is thrown off from the spade to the right, and the lower layer to the left.
Root system before planting, it is necessary that the ground fall into all the free space between the roots, then the soil is gradually compacted. The trees are buried in a hole to the site of grafting, a hole is made around the trunk about 15 cm high.
The second step is watering just planted tree. Norm - three buckets per well, spend mulching with humus wells. Subsequent watering is done until mid-summer, with a frequency of one every two weeks.
In the second and third year of the tree’s life, regardless of whether the apple tree produces fruit or not, it is fed with complex mineral fertilizer (30-40 grams of phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen), the ground is loosened and dug over in pristvolny circles, getting rid of weeds. Before the onset of winter cold, a dwarf apple tree is watered abundantly.
Timing
Dwarf Apple Trees best planted in springhowever, it should then be carried out immediately after the snow melts as soon as the soil is prepared. If you decide on an autumn planting, it is better to do it in the period from the second half of September to the middle of October.
Over the long winter period, he will be able to regenerate all of his damaged roots and with a new force start growing in spring. It should be in advance, even in the fall, for planting in the spring, to prepare landing pits.
It is also interesting to read about the sort of apple tree "Candy"
Apple care
Care during landing
Upon completion of planting in the hole around the tree about 3 buckets of water are poured, and the near-stem circle is almost completely mulched. To do this, you can use humus or peat, the most important thing is that it retains moisture in the soil well.
Do not forget about the supports for your wood. They can be installed immediately after landing.
Pruning trees
Dwarf apple trees that delight us with fruits need a lot of nutrients from the crown. Gardeners are pruning. Pruning dwarf apple trees is carried out in order to form a uniform distribution of fruits throughout the tree and branches of all orders, while removing excessive density, cutting off small rootstocks that take a lot of nutrients.
For newly planted trees, the entire process of growth and development occurs a little later than for trees of the second or third year of growth. For example, a little later, the buds start to bloom and the shoots grow later. The apple tree, which grows the first year, has a very strong root system. Over the summer, it reaches 35-40 cm in girth, and increases to a depth of 3 times the original size.
Pruning able to regulate the fruit of the bonsai. Before proceeding directly to pruning, you need to count the number of buds and the time of their blooming in spring. The first to awaken continue shoots - apical buds, which have a strong influence on the growth of the tree. And the so-called competitive escape, it is located near the upper bud, can win in the growth of the continuation of escape.
It is recommended to remove the upper buds, and the average shoots growing at right angles will develop and give strong shoots.
In early spring, until the buds have dissolved, the length of the conductor is cut by 20%. In the next few years, annual growths are also pruned by 20%. Due to this, uniform growth of the apple tree is formed.
If the pruning process is done correctly, then there should be no bare spots on the dwarf tree, and annual shoots should be evenly distributed over the entire tree crown. In the opposite case, a dwarf apple tree will not be able to fully produce crops, and fruit will be located on the periphery of the crown.
On trees that have been growing for several years, only damaged, dry or diseased branches are removed during fruiting, that is, thinning of the branches is done. And the shoots that grow at the base of the tree, also called fat, are removed in the summer, as soon as they appear.
Watering dwarf apple trees
Watering is necessary and young trees, and those that bear fruit. Level and time of watering depend on the weather, soil moisture. Before the apple trees bear their first fruits, they need to be watered three times a year, the rate of watering is five buckets per tree. Finish watering in early August, if this is not done, there may be stunted growth, i.e., wet wood may be damaged by frost.
Apple trees that delight us with fruits should be watered several times a year, about 3-5 times. The optimum period of watering is considered the period before the beginning of flowering or during it, then before the ovaries fall off in June, the last time the trees are watered before the fruit begins to ripen. Watering rate depends on what soil dwarf apple trees were planted, if on sandy soils, then 4 buckets of water, and on loamy ones - 6 buckets of water.
It is sometimes advised to water at the end of October, especially if there was no rain during this period. This type of watering is called podzymny. Thanks to him, the soil is stored enough moisture, and the root system is easier to tolerate harsh and little snowy winters.
The rate of autumn watering is 10 liters. воды на 1 м² земли.But you should not zealous with irrigation, because the wet soil has a negative effect on the roots of the tree, but rather on their suction function. On soils with a high groundwater level, underwinter watering is not recommended.
