Experienced gardeners plant several varieties of apple trees on their homestead, often among them there is a variety of Candy, the fruits of which are distinguished by their juiciness and sweetness. If the care of the crop is appropriate, the first Candy apple will appear in July.

General information about culture

The creation of the variety is credited to an employee of the I.V. Michurin, a selection expert, scientist S.I. Isaev. He crossed the Papirovka and Korobovka varieties and got a new variety - Caramel or Candy tree. This type of apple is not used in industry, but it is dearly loved by amateur gardeners.

On a note! There are alternative names: apple variety Caramelka, apple-tree ranet Candy, apple-tree Sladkoezhka. Sometimes the Caramel apple tree is confused with Candy, but their description is very different.

Apple-tree Candy.

The variety is characterized by early ripening of fruits. Bears fruit for 4 years after planting. The apple tree got its sweet name for the corresponding, almost honey flavor of its fruits. Many gardeners affectionately call the tree Candy or the apple tree Candy bowl.

Important! Caramel has a high yield. Thus, a five-year-old tree can produce up to 50 kg of fruit during the fruiting period, while an apple tree with a 10-year growth - up to 100 kg.

Characteristics and description of the apple variety Sweetie

Apple Lobo

The culture belongs to frost-hardy and hardy species. Even after significant damage, it is able to quickly recover.

According to the description, the Candy apple tree is a fast growing crop. In the first three years, the apple tree reaches a height of 3 meters, but then its growth stops, on average the plant grows up to 5 m. The crown is spherical, not too lush. Even young shoots are durable and flexible, heavy apples will not break them.

Three-year-old apple tree "Candy"

The formation and growth of an apple tree will depend on the type of rootstock. Even cold winters are not terrible for the Candy variety, after which the culture can easily regain its strength, gain color and give apples on time.

The leaves are dense and deep green. They are both large and small in size. The tree has small inflorescences with white and pale pink flowers.

Fruit characteristics

Fruits have not only an attractive appearance, but also excellent taste. On average, each apple can weigh from 85 to 115 g, but it happens that the fruits even reach 150 g. The color of ripe fruits is yellowish, with red streaks and a blush. There are small dots under the smooth skin. The fruit is round in shape, with a slightly beveled base. The pulp of the fruit is white, juicy, with a sweet taste, contains iron and vitamin C.

Good apple harvest "Candy"

The tree bears fruit well, the harvest in the season is very high. From one tree - up to 100 kg.

Diseases and pests

Apple-tree Aport

Despite the fact that the Caramel apple tree is resistant to various ailments and is rarely infested with pests, sometimes the culture is overcome by scab. Periodically inspect the undersides of the leaves for velvety light green spots.

If you do not take action, over time the leaves begin to fall off, they must be immediately collected and burned. And the near-stem section, including for preventive purposes, should be treated with a 10% solution of ammonium nitrate. This is done in the spring.

Disease "Scab" on apple leaves.

Agrotechnics

The tree prefers sunny areas, so it is better to plant seedlings on the eastern side of the garden area. Since it is there that the sun shines in the morning.

Landing

Apple tree Bratchud

The earth must be pre-saturated with useful additives. Such processing:

  • will improve the structure of the soil;
  • will make it looser;
  • will reduce the acidity of the soil;
  • moisture will easily penetrate into such soil.

5 days before planting, the earth is completely dug up and loosened. Weeds are removed along with the roots. Fertilizers are also added there. The digging depth should be at least 50 cm.

The soil structure should be as follows:

  • If the soil is clay, then it must be mixed with sawdust, sand, rotten leaves, lime and mineral additives.
  • If the soil is sandy, the following components are taken: clay soil, peat, lime, superphosphate and potash fertilizers.
  • If there is a large amount of peat in the soil, it is worth adding phosphate rock, lime, potassium sulfate, superphosphate additive and manure.

Important! If there is a lot of groundwater in the area with peat soil, trenches are dug along the perimeter of the territory and drainage is laid on their bottom.

Green manure plants are also planted there, these include peas, buckwheat, oats, lupine and mustard. After they grow, you need to dig up the soil again, right with the plants.

Planting sequence and technology

Saplings are best planted in the fall. The days are still warm, so the culture will have time to adapt and endure the winter cold.

Planting an apple tree.

Here are the rules for planting seedlings a gardener must follow:

  • A place is chosen where there is no accumulation of spring melt water, and the groundwater is deep.
  • In depth, each landing pit breaks out up to 60 cm, and up to 80 cm in diameter.
  • After planting, you need to immediately pour in 2.5 buckets for each seedling. In warm weather, watering is carried out once every three days.
  • To retain moisture, the hole is mulched with compost.
  • To protect a young tree from rodents, exposure to frost and sunburn, it is wrapped in a cloth or roofing paper.

Care

It is not difficult to care for the Candy variety if you follow all the planting rules.

Pollination... The tree is self-fertile, so pollinators need to be planted nearby: apple varieties such as Grushovka, Kitayka, Krasnoe, Orlovoe and the like.

Watering. It should be regular. Newly planted saplings are watered every week, provided there is no rain. Later, watering is carried out once every 2-3 weeks. In hot weather, watering should be increased to twice a week, and several buckets will be needed for each tree.

Watering the apple tree in summer.

But it is worth remembering that the tree does not like excess moisture. On hot days, you can also use the sprinkling method, but this should be done in the evenings so that the sun's rays do not burn the apple tree foliage.

How to loosen the soil

In order for the air to circulate freely in the root soil, it is necessary to constantly loosen it at a distance of 50-60 cm from the stem part and at a depth of up to 40 cm.In autumn, hilling is carried out by 20 cm and mulching of the near-stem area with peat additive, humus or compost. After that, straw or dry grass is lined with a layer of 5 cm on the organic layer.

Mulching prevents weeds from spreading.

How to trim

Seasonal pruning not only forms the crown of the tree, but also promotes better fruiting. If you cut off old branches in time, the apple fruits will be larger.

Pruning apple trees in the spring.

The best time to trim is:

  • Spring before budding
  • Autumn after the whole crop has been harvested

In summer, pruning of candy apple trees is not carried out due to the intensive circulation of juices in the plant.

Advice! In order for the apple tree to have a well-groomed crown in the future, immediately after planting the seedling with a pruner, cut its top.

To properly prune a tree, you need to know which branches are considered unusable:

  • Growing inward, at an angle;
  • Twigs, intertwined or touching;
  • Extra shoots that can thicken the crown;
  • Unnecessary small twigs and twigs;
  • Damaged or cracked branches.

To prevent the apple tree from losing its juices, all the cuts are covered with garden varnish.

We cover the sections with garden pitch.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

Like any other plant, the Candy apple tree has its pros and cons.

The advantages of this variety include:

  • High productivity;
  • Frost resistance;
  • Fruits appear early, already in the middle of summer;
  • Apples taste great;
  • Resistance to disease and insect attack;
  • Unpretentiousness.

 

Early apple harvest "Candy"

Negative qualities of the Candy variety in comparison with other apple trees:

  • The need for additional pollination;
  • Often a scab attacks the Candy apple tree;
  • Crown formation takes a long time;
  • Caramel apple is not used for industrial cultivation;
  • Apples spoil quickly, so they cannot be stored or transported for a long time. At room temperature, fruits also disappear soon.

Apple-tree Candy is widely grown by amateur gardeners. The variety is not used in industrial production due to its short shelf life. However, the tree's yield is high and the fruit is sweet and aromatic. Another advantage of this variety is its unpretentious care. All that is required for him is planting in a lighted and not very humid place, timely watering and fertilizing. The variety easily tolerates cold weather, is not susceptible to diseases and pests. The only disease that overcomes the Candy apple tree is scab. But if preventive measures are taken in time, the disease will bypass.