The apple tree is perhaps the most common garden culture in Russian dachas. Owners of personal backyards value these trees highly, and for good reason. Apples contain a huge amount of substances useful for the human body, including iron. The fruits are good fresh and processed: they are used to make jams, marmalades, juices, compotes, marshmallows.

Choosing an apple tree for growing on the site is now not so easy. There are over 10 thousand varieties of this important horticultural crop in the world. Recently, undersized are very popular. They take up little space, but they give a large harvest. It is to them that the columnar apple tree Zhigulevskaya belongs.

Zhigulevskoe is a domestic variety bred at the Samara experimental station. It was opened by the Russian breeder S.P. Kedrin, who crossed two varieties - Wagner and Borovinka. The Zhigulevskoye apple variety has received great recognition among gardeners, for which it was included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements. Now it is very popular not only in summer cottages, it is planted on an industrial scale, sending fruits for export. It showed itself best in the south and in central Russia. It also gives good yields in Siberia, but there it must be grown according to the stanza method (trees are buried in the snow).

Apple tree Zhigulevskoe

Apple-tree Zhigulevskoe: description and characteristics

Trees of this variety grow very quickly. The first crop is harvested 4-5 years after planting. For 6-7 years, each apple tree can produce up to 250 kg of fruit.

Despite their high productivity, apple trees are of low growth up to 3 m. The crown of trees is pyramidal. The branches are elastic and thick, dark brown in color. The leaf blade is large, bright green, saturated color. It blooms with white inflorescences. Apples of the Zhigulevskoye variety are large. On average, each fruit weighs 200-250 g, but can reach 350 g. Fruits are beautiful yellowish in color with a blurred blush. Fruits are round, shiny with a thin skin. The apples have a sweet taste, the pulp is juicy, sweet and sour, and aromatic. The seeds are small.

Apple tree Zhigulevskoe tree

On a note! The Zhigulevskoe apple variety is especially appreciated among those who eat the right diet, because the fruits are low in calories (50 kcal per 100 g). This is explained by the fact that apples are 90% water..

This variety cannot boast of increased frost resistance (it can withstand frosts down to -30 ° C), so it is better not to grow the variety in regions with a harsh climate. However, this is acceptable if in winter the tree is completely buried with snow (since its height is small), but there is no 100% guarantee that the tree will survive.

Gardeners of the middle lane do not face such problems, on the contrary, they cannot get enough of the variety also because it has good immunity to diseases and pests (at least, the breeders assure that). But even here everything is not so obvious, since there are reviews on the Internet that say that the apple moth is attacking the tree. Be that as it may, in terms of pests and diseases, it is important to always keep your finger on the pulse and if something happens to take action.

Apple tree Zhigulevskoe: planting and care

Apple Lobo

This apple variety can be planted both in spring (in April) and in autumn (in late September - early October). In the northern regions, it is recommended to plant seedlings in the spring, so that over the summer they acclimatize and meet the cold weather already strong.

The soil for planting should be fertile, it is better if it is loam.

Important! In no case do not plant apple orchards on saline and swampy soils, as varietal apple trees will be very sick and quickly die.

For spring planting, it is better to prepare a pit in the fall (in October), and for autumn planting - at least 1 week before planting. You need to add 50 g of urea to it (nitrogen fertilizer required for plants in the first years of growth). If the soil is not very fertile, then 1-2 buckets of humus or compost can be poured into each hole. But in no case should fresh manure be added. A hole is dug to a depth of 90 cm.

Important! You should not chase adult seedlings, it is better to choose one-year-old or two-year-old, since it is such young plants that take root well.

When planting, the seedlings are not very deep. The root collar should be no higher or lower than 3-5 cm above the soil level. Also pay attention to the root system - it needs to be spread over the entire area of ​​the pit, then covered with fertile soil and tamped well. After planting, young trees are spilled abundantly - 1-2 buckets per 1 seedling.

In the first 3 years, young apple trees do not need to be fertilized, since during planting the necessary fertilizers were already laid in the pit. But this rule does not apply to further tree care. In the first place, moderate watering. If this is the southern region, then the trees are watered especially often - once a week, 1 bucket for each tree. In regions with high humidity, watering so often may not be done, however, at least 3-4 watering of a young tree must be provided: the first time before flowering, the second after flowering, the third in the phase of fruit ripening and the fourth in the fall (water charging).

In the 3rd year of planting, they begin to feed. This must be done three times during the growing season:

  • for the first time, urea is scattered over a crust of ice (at the rate of 50 g per 1 sq. m):
  • the second is done at the beginning of flowering (in liquid form: dissolve 1 tablespoon of urea in 10 liters of water);
  • the third is carried out in August with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers, which are responsible for the good frost resistance of plants in winter.

As for pruning, it is done as needed from the first year of the apple tree's life. Damaged and dry branches are subject to removal, which cannot be left in order to avoid the appearance of pests. Thin branches are cut with a pruner, thicker ones with a hacksaw.

Note! Care must be taken to keep the tools clean and sharp so as not to infect the tree with infectious diseases during pruning. In addition, all sections must be covered with garden varnish, which will prevent the entry of harmful pathogens in the future.

If the Zhigulevskoe apple variety has good immunity to scab, it cannot resist powdery mildew, from which many crops in the garden suffer. Chemical preparations Topaz or Skor will help to cope with this disease. They are bred at the rate of 2 ml per 10 liters of water, and then sprayed on the crown and trunk of the tree.

Apple moth

It was mentioned above that a moth can attack an apple tree of this species, but it can also be defeated. To do this, before flowering, plantings are sprayed with wormwood infusion. Processing must be done twice with an interval of 1 week. Experienced gardeners also recommend hanging bunches of wormwood on trees. Its smell will scare away not only the apple moth, but also many other pests. Even from harmful insects, apple orchards after flowering can be treated with a ready-made product karbofos.

Important! From processing with karbofos to harvesting the fruits, at least 30 days must pass.

Pros and cons of the variety

Apple tree Asterisk

First of all, the variety of this apple tree is appreciated by gardeners for its high yield, large fruits and good scab resistance. Despite the fact that the variety is late-ripening (the ripening period for apples is at the end of September), the fruits are stored for a maximum of 3 months. At the same time, they have a good presentation, excellent sweet-sour taste and can be transported even over long distances.

Of the minuses, it can also be noted that the Zhigulevskoe variety is self-fertile and requires pollinators. To do this, next to it you need to plant other autumn varieties. For example, Antonovka ordinary, Borovinka or Anise striped.And, nevertheless, this variety is not recommended for growing in Siberia, but in the Moscow region it will feel good and give excellent yields.