The best varieties of apple trees for the Moscow region: cultivation features

The apple tree is one of the most ancient fruit trees that has been grown in Russia for many hundreds of years. It is known that the first apple orchard was founded in 1051 at the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, and in the future, magnificent gardens adorned any Russian city or village. Apple varieties for the Moscow region are presented in the widest variety, so an experienced gardener can provide his variety with tasty and healthy fruits for almost all year round. The correct choice of the variety is very important, since the fruiting of the apple tree depends on it under certain conditions.

Content

• What varieties of apple trees are worth planting
• Summer apple trees for the Moscow region
• Autumn varieties of apple trees for the Moscow region
• Winter varieties of apple trees for the Moscow region
• Planting apple trees on the site

What varieties of apple trees are worth planting

First of all, you need to decide on which groups the apple varieties are divided into, what fruits and when the gardener wants to get.

Breeding work for many years has allowed bring out dozens of varietiesdiffering in the following parameters:

Fruiting period:

• There are summer, autumn and winter varieties: the former bear fruit at the very beginning of August, the latter in mid-September.
• Winter apples ripen fully only in October or even by the beginning of November.
• If space permits on the site, you can plant several apple trees: half of them should belong to winter varieties, 30% to autumn varieties, 20% to summer varieties.
• Winter apples are stored for a long time, so you can provide the table with delicious fruits almost all year round.

Early maturity:

• Today, more and more gardeners choose varieties that are characterized by quick ripening of fruits, although they are usually stored worse.

Heat and frost resistance:

• Winters in the Moscow region can be both warm and cold enough, so it is better to give preference to varieties that can cope with climatic fluctuations.
• If you choose a variety that does not differ in frost resistance, but for the winter, the apple tree will need to be wrapped up from the cold and wind.

Fruiting frequency:

• Apple trees bear fruit abundantly about once every two years, and more often under good conditions.
• It is advisable to choose varieties with a regular fruiting cycle that will provide the owner with a good harvest.

The gardener needs to study all the parameters in order to decorate his garden with truly viable trees, which are guaranteed a long life and active fruiting. The choice is great: today more than a hundred varieties of apple trees are known, and most of them are suitable for the Central Russian climatic zone.

Summer apple trees for the Moscow region

Breeding work in Russia has been going on for a very long time, and their results have made it possible to obtain varieties that give a large number of tasty and large fruits.

The best summer varieties for the Moscow region today are:

Moscow pear tree:

• A traditional variety, without which it is difficult to imagine your garden.
• It is classified as a natural selection: it has been known for a very long time, and the best seeds and seedlings have been selected for decades.
• This variety of apple trees produces small-sized juicy fruits with crunchy flesh with a sweet and sour taste. The variety belongs to the winter-hardy, it calmly withstands the climatic conditions of the Moscow region.
• Minus - the tree is unstable to some diseases, and the fruits are often affected by the codling moth.

Lungwort:

• Apples of this variety are distinguished by their original sweet-honey taste.
• It is considered one of the sweetest summer varieties., he was bred at the Lomonosov Moscow State University.
• It is characterized by a very high yield, the fruits are lightweight, the color is green-yellow with bright red stripes.
• The plant easily tolerates cold, the tree is practically not affected by scab, rot and other plant diseases.

Candy apple:

• An early ripe summer variety with bright colors and a very pleasant taste.
• The pulp is juicy, the fruits weigh up to 100 g, the tree begins to bear fruit 4-5 years after planting.
• This is one of the best solutions for a garden near Moscow.

Melba:

• A variety of Canadian origin, which has large fruits, the weight of which can reach 150 grams.
• The variety is classified as a late summer variety, apples ripen for a long time and are well stored.
• They have a pleasant taste, the color is light green with a reddish blush.

The choice of summer varieties is wide, it is more pleasant to eat them fresh, as well as for all kinds of dishes. For harvesting for future use, autumn and winter varieties are often used.

Autumn varieties of apple trees for the Moscow region

Autumn apple trees are different higher frost resistance, they easily endure adverse weather conditions. The fruits of these varieties can be kept fresh for a long time, and can also be used for harvesting.

The most common in the Moscow region were the following varieties of fruit trees:

Strafling (autumn striped apple):

• A familiar variety with a characteristic pinkish color with bright stripes.
• The origin of this variety comes from the Baltic countries, the trees reach high growth and are distinguished by a wide crown.
• The plant bears large fruits (weight 130-150 grams), they have a sweet and sour, pleasant taste.

They can be stored at a low temperature until December, thanks to which the variety is highly valued and has long been used in breeding work.

Brown striped apple:

• Late-ripening variety, characterized by a flattened shape and special colors.
• The variety is characterized by high winter hardiness, and the fruits can be stored for a very long time.
• The downside can be called a long growth period: the tree enters the fruiting season late, and its wood tends to break easily.

Zhigulevsky:

• High-yielding variety bred in Samara.
• Begins to bear fruit for 5-6 years, the pods are large, their weight can be from 150 to 350 grams.
• The fruits begin to ripen from the beginning of September; after harvesting, they can be stored until January.
• Zhigulevsky variety is classified as high-yielding: young trees bear fruit actively every year, further the fruiting cycle becomes unstable.

Brown new:

• Apple variety with reddish fruit with bright stripes.
• Fruits with juicy fragrant pulp begin to ripen from mid-September, they can be stored for a long time.
• Begins to bear fruit only at 6-7 years old, is distinguished by high winter hardiness and excellent resistance to pests.

Winter varieties of apple trees for the Moscow region

The main goal that breeders pursued when breeding winter varieties was to provide apples with a maximum shelf life, while almost all winter varieties have excellent taste.

Many of them were only slightly improved, before that they were formed by methods of folk selection.

The following varieties remain the most beloved in the Central Russian zone:

Antonovka ordinary:

• A variety that has been known for a very long time.
• Large fruits of yellow-green color have a characteristic taste, which made this variety one of the most beloved for many.
• A vigorous tree is very unpretentious and resistant to diseases, apples with dense juicy pulp can be injured for up to 3 months at low temperatures.
• Mature trees bear fruit less often, so they require proper finishing.
• The fruits are large enough, the weight of an apple can reach 200 grams.

Variety Asterisk:

• It was artificially bred by crossing some other varieties.
• It is characterized by small fruits, the weight of which reaches 120 grams.
• The color is light pink with stripes, the fruits have a long shelf life.
• A vigorous tree is resistant to diseases and pests, it is easy to endure any whims of nature.

Pepin Saffron:

• A common variety bred by Michurin.
• The tree produces small fruits with a deep red blush on a yellowish background.
• Apples are distinguished by their wine-sweet taste; the pods of this variety are actively used in processing for the production of food products.

Moscow winter:

• A winter-hardy variety that gives small-sized fruits of a dark color with a sweet and sour taste.
• The tree bears fruit for 6-7 years, is resistant to diseases and pests.

These are just some of the common varieties, there are many more, and every gardener will be able to find apple trees with the necessary characteristics for themselves. It is important to choose a good place for them on the site so that each tree receives enough sun and pleases the owner with annual fruiting.

Planting apple trees on the site

Whichever varieties you prefer, there are general requirements that apply to almost all apple trees grown in the Moscow region.

Planting seedlings should be carried out according to the rules, as this will ensure good survival of the tree, and it will quickly begin to bear fruit. Planting is usually carried out in the spring, although seedlings can be purchased in the fall. In this case, they are buried in for wintering on the site, and in the spring they are transplanted to a designated place.

It is recommended to prepare pits on the site in advance: their depth should be at least 60 cm, depth - about 80 cm.

A drainage layer is poured at the bottom of the pit: these are stones, expanded clay or other material that will not allow moisture to stagnate near the roots. Black soil and ripe manure are poured onto this layer, the soil is additionally enriched with complex mineral fertilizers.

Before planting, seedlings require preparation:

• It is necessary to carefully examine the root system, removing damaged rotten roots, it is advisable after that to put the seedlings in a bucket of water for several days.
• After that, they are installed in the pit along with a support that will not allow the young plants to break.
• The roots are carefully covered with earth, forming a mound.
• The mound is well compacted, then at its top make a hole for easy watering.
• The tree needs to be watered, in the future it will need regular fertilization.
• The tree must be tied to a support, each hole requires at least 2-3 buckets of water.
• Apple trees usually take root well and very soon the young tree will start to grow rapidly.
• It is important to take care of protection from rodents that threaten the tree in autumn: to fight mice, you can decompose a poisoned bait or just branches of trees that will distract attention from the seedling.

The apple tree is an unpretentious fruit tree that quickly takes root and regains its "place in the sun". Usually fruiting begins at 5-6 years, and the tree can live for several decades. Having chosen several promising varieties, you can conduct your own experiments on cross-pollination: it was folk selection that made it possible to bring out the most delicious varieties that have not lost popularity for many decades.

More information can be found in the video.