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The area of the summer cottage is not dimensionless, but I want to plant a lot. It is unlikely to plant a large garden in such limited conditions. Vasyugan is a columnar apple tree, which is suitable for growing in all regions, gives an excellent harvest, but most importantly - it takes up little space. In general, columnar apple trees are now in high demand, but not all of them are able to winter in unfavorable climatic conditions.
General information
Columnar apple trees have been cultivated on the European continent since 1964. It was during this period that they were brought there from America. The tree is small, it looks elegant on the site, it gives a lot of yield. Only now you need to know how to care for it, otherwise it will not only not bear fruit, but also will lose its decorative shape. In this type of apple trees, the trunk grows only vertically upwards, the lateral branches are almost absent.
The height of the columnar apple trees is small, from the ground you can reach not only all the branches, but also the fruits. It is convenient to look after them, no additional devices are required. Vigorous varieties stretch up to a maximum of three meters, and dwarf ones - only up to two. The crown is not wide, only up to half a meter. The advantage of this type is that apple trees hardly need formative pruning. From a distance, they very much resemble the shape of columns, which is why they got their name.
Apple-tree Vasyugan columnar
Description of the variety
The Vasyugan columnar apple tree was bred in 1987. The authors who worked on the creation of the novelty were V.V. Kichin and N.G. Morozov, who worked at that time at the Moscow Institute of Horticulture. The well-known varieties Brusnichny and KV-5 were taken as a basis. Initially, Vasyugan was recommended for cultivation in the middle lane, but over time it was successfully cultivated in the Urals, then even in the Far East.
For those who are interested in the columnar apple tree Vasyugan, a detailed description of the variety will tell a lot of interesting things. The plant is considered semi-dwarf, but the height of an adult tree depends entirely on the scion. If the scion was made for a dwarf species, then the height of Vasyugan will not exceed 2 meters, and if for a vigorous one, it will hold up to 3. The trunk of the tree is strong, and the crown is very compact. There are many ringlets on short branches.
Tree trunk
The leaves of the apple tree are of a rich green color, elongated, rather large, with pointed tips. The root system is very well developed. The variety exhibits increased resistance to major diseases. The Vasyugan apple tree begins to bloom in early May. Her flowers are very large, with a strong aroma, due to which they attract the attention of bees. To achieve maximum yields, plant a pollinator with similar flowering times nearby.
The apple tree forms fruits on ringlets. They ripen by the end of summer or the beginning of autumn. A young seedling is capable of bearing fruit already in the first year after planting, but it is better to break off these ovaries so as not to weaken the plant. With each subsequent year, the yield increases, and by the fourth year of life, up to 8 kg of ripe fruits are obtained from one tree, which are not suitable for long-term storage. It will be possible to keep them without loss of taste and marketability for no more than one month. As evidenced by the characteristics of the variety, after 15 years, the yield of the tree is significantly reduced, and therefore it is recommended to replace it with a new one.
The red striped fruit has a thin but very dense skin. At the same time, most of the fruit is yellow-green, and only a certain part has red-pink stripes. Its shape resembles an elongated cone. One apple weighs 140 grams. The pulp has a white-cream color, quite dense, juicy, with a strong classic aroma. The taste is sweet and sour, the taste characteristics are simply excellent. Fruits have a universal purpose, they are used for the preparation of delicious compotes, jam, juice, baking confectionery. Thanks to their dense skin, apples are suitable for baking in the oven.
The Vasyugan variety is a kind of columnar apple that does not require special care, is distinguished by good frost resistance and high yield.
Harvest
Features of agricultural technology
The Vasyugan apple tree prefers a sunny place protected from drafts for growing. It is better if it is located on a hill, and there is no risk of flooding. It is impossible for groundwater to lie closer than 2 meters from the soil surface. The apple tree loves black soil, loamy and sandy loam soils. If you plan to create an apple orchard, then the gap between the trees should be at least 40 cm. The same distance recedes to other plants located nearby.
Experienced gardeners practice growing Vasyugan on a dwarf rootstock in a large tub. At the same time, the tree develops well and bears fruit. An important point is the purchase of a seedling. It is imperative to pay attention to the roots and bark. They should not have any dark spots or growths, which are signs of dangerous diseases.
Planting a young seedling is carried out in a previously prepared hole. Its depth and width should be from half a meter to 70 cm. A nutrient mixture is poured at the bottom, consisting of the following components:
- Earth;
- dolomite flour;
- compost or rotted humus;
- peat;
- potash fertilizer;
- superphosphate.
The clay soil requires the addition of coarse river sand. Planting a young tree is carried out a couple of weeks after the preliminary preparation of the pit. A bucket of water is immediately poured into it, and a peg is driven in near the center. The tree is placed strictly in the center. In the northern regions, the seedling is planted at a slope of 30 degrees. To provide additional protection from severe frosts, planting can be done in a trench.
The place of the scion should be located several centimeters above the ground level. When planting, the roots must be spread evenly over the pit so that they feel free there. Otherwise, some of them may break. After planting, the soil around the apple tree is trampled and watered with water at room temperature, then mulch and tie the seedling to the previously hammered peg.
After landing
Care
Further care includes measures for watering, loosening the soil, regularly removing weeds, applying fertilizers and fertilizers, sanitary pruning, and preventing pests and diseases. A particularly young tree needs irrigation during the dry summer season. Add a bucket of water under it daily. It would be ideal to organize drip irrigation in the garden. In the absence of rain, once a month, surface watering of the crown is carried out. After each irrigation, it is necessary to gently and shallowly loosen the soil, as well as get rid of weeds. The next year after planting the apple tree, you can sow greenery around it.
From early spring to mid-summer, Vasyugan needs feeding, which is produced at a frequency of once a month. They bring mainly organic matter, as well as ammonium nitrate.
After planting a young apple tree, it is necessary to observe its apical bud. It is from it that the future main shoot grows. If the kidney is damaged, it needs to be replaced. For this, the strongest is selected from several vertically growing shoots, and the rest are cut off. If you leave everything as it is, then the shape of the column in the tree is lost, however, gardeners' reviews indicate that the yield in this case increases.
Before the process of sap flow begins, old, damaged and diseased branches are removed annually. To prevent the development of diseases, it is recommended to carry out preventive treatment of the tree with fungicides and insecticides. In a rainy summer, the risk of damage to the Vasyugan apple tree by scab increases. At the first signs of the development of the disease, they are treated with Bordeaux mixture.
Bordeaux mix
In preparation for the winter period, the mulch around the apple tree is removed, and to protect it from the cold, it is covered with roofing material or spruce branches. Such a shelter will protect the tree from rodents. In the spring, the soil is cleaned of debris, old fallen leaves are removed.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
The Vasyugan columnar apple tree has significant advantages, thanks to which it is gaining more and more popularity every year. These include:
- high marketability and taste of apples;
- strong classic aroma;
- universal application of the harvested crop;
- compactness and low tree height;
- excellent resistance to pests and major diseases;
- increased frost resistance and the ability to tolerate a decrease in temperature to -45C.
Gardeners' reviews indicate that the Vasyugan apple variety is practically devoid of flaws. Some only note that the root system of the tree is too close to the surface, and the fruits are not suitable for long-term storage. However, compared to the grandiose advantages, these disadvantages are quite minor.
Initially, it may seem that growing Vasyugan apple trees and caring for them is difficult and very troublesome. However, first impressions can be deceiving. In fact, there is nothing complicated in the standard procedure, and even a novice gardener can cope with it. But the tree, unusual in appearance, will not only delight you with tasty and healthy fruits, but also serve as a worthy decorative decoration of the site. Columnar apple trees are widely used by landscape designers to decorate summer cottages and country houses.
