Pear is an old apple that is obtained by natural evolution. Apple trees of this variety are of value among summer residents and amateur gardeners for the excellent properties of apples, for frost resistance and high yield.
Apple trees of the Grushovka variety are distributed throughout all regions of the Russian Federation. But if you plan to plant seedlings, it is worth studying the characteristics of this variety of fruit crops.
Description of apple variety Grushovka
Breeding history
The Grushovka variety is a variety of apple trees that appeared by natural selection, that is, naturally. This variety is one of the oldest, more than 200 years old. Even in ancient Russia, there are references to these apples. In 1797, the Grushovka apple tree was described in detail by the famous scientist A.T. Bolotov in scientific work.
On the basis of Grushovka, other varieties of apple trees were obtained by crossing - Grushovka early, Grushovka winter, Grushovka Moscow.
Description of the apple tree
Trees of the Grushovka variety have the following characteristics:
- Large in size. The height of the tree is 6-7 meters;
- The crown, branched with a round appearance, young trees have a pyramidal crown;
- Apple trees Grushovka is an upright plant with a sympodial type of branching, branches without thorns;
- The bark of the branches is yellowish-orange;
- Shoots of the vegetative type have a bark with a reddish-brown color;
- Shoots of the generative type or ringlet are located in large numbers, their color is much darker than the main branches;
- Leaves are arranged on long petioles, elliptical shape;
- The color of the leaf blades is green or yellowish-green;
- The leaves of young trees have a fringe on the surface; in adults, there is sparse fluff on the leaves or their surface is smooth;
- During the flowering period, flowers with pink petals appear, after a while they change their shade to light pink or white.
Description of fruits
At the time of fruiting, fruits appear on the trees of the Grushovka apple trees that have the following characteristics:
- Small ripe apples... The weight of one fruit at the time of ripening ranges from 60 to 80 grams. The maximum weight is 100 to 120 grams;
- The fruits are round in shape with a flattened structure;
- The surface of apples is greenish-yellow with a lot of stripes and blotches with red or pink color;
- The skin has a fine structure with a smooth surface. There is a natural wax coating on top;
- The fruit has a soft pulp with high juiciness, which has a bright and pleasant aroma.
This variety can be used for dietary meals. The calorie content of apples is low - only 47 kcal per 100 grams.
Growing region
Grushovka apple trees grow in all regions of Russia. They are widespread in the following regions:
- All regions included in the European part of the territory of Russia;
- Ural;
- Western regions;
- East of Siberia.
In addition, the variety grows in other CIS countries - in Belarus and Ukraine.
Productivity and storage of the Moscow and winter varieties
Grushovka is an early variety. The ripening period for the crop begins in late July and early August. Apple trees can live up to 50-60 years. The fruiting period starts from 4 years after planting. The yield in the first year of fruiting reaches 10 kilograms, and if the tree is 15 years old, then the yield level reaches 80-100 kilograms from one tree.
Fruit picking begins in early August... The storage period of the crop is 2-3 weeks.
Since the flesh and peel of Grushovka apples have a soft structure, they are not suitable for transportation. For this reason, this variety is not used commercially.
Pollinators
The Grushovka variety is self-fertile; for the fruit set, pollination with pollen from other varieties is necessary. For pollination of this variety, you can use such pollinators as Antonovka, Papirovka, Anis Polosaty, Cinnamon, Bellefleur-Chinese.
Advantages and disadvantages
The Grushovka variety has a number of advantages, of which the main ones are worth highlighting:
- Trees have high frost resistance and can withstand temperatures below 50 degrees Celsius;
- Long life expectancy up to 50-60 years;
- Have early fruiting;
- Rapid appearance of ripe fruits;
- High productivity;
- A high level of useful components in apples;
- You can make compotes, preserves, jams, juices, and jam from apples.
In addition to the advantages, there are also negative sides:
- Trees are susceptible to diseases, pests;
- High susceptibility to weather conditions;
- Irregular fruiting;
- Has uneven fruit ripening. On one tree, some fruits are fully ripe and fall off, while others remain green;
- Short shelf life. The harvested crop will lie for a maximum of 2-3 weeks;
- Not intended for transport.
Photo of ripe apples
Below are the varieties of apples of the Grushovka variety:
Landing rules
Suitable growing bases are loamy, sandy and soddy.
Planting seedlings in the soil is done around the end of April in early May or from the beginning of autumn - September-October.
Rules for planting seedlings:
- Holes should be made with steep slopes. The holes must be 100 cm wide and 60 cm deep;
- 4 days before planting, fertilizer mixtures should be placed in the pits. Each pit needs to be filled with 25 kilograms of humus;
- In the dug hole, a depression should be made for the branched roots of young trees;
- Planting must be done with pegsand, to which the planted seedlings are tied;
- The pegs should be driven in from the north side;
- After planting, the tree is immediately watered. One seedling requires about 30 liters of water;
- After watering, the holes are mulched with humus and compost.
Care rules
Care instructions:
- For good development of the tree at the time of the first flowering, 85% of the flowers are cut off, 50% of the fruits are in a green state;
- Apple-trees varieties Grushovka do not tolerate severe drought, therefore, be sure to water them at least 2-3 times a week. A complete cessation of watering should be done in late August and early September, so that the tree has time to prepare for wintering;
Fertilizing the tree is required in the second season. In the first year of his life, you can loosen and water constantly.
- In spring, rotted horse manure or humus must be poured into the ground to fertilize trees. For 1 square meter 8-12 kilograms. For mineral fertilizers, 400-600 grams of urea is used;
- In the autumn, the trees must be fed with complex fertilizer mixtures. "Kemira overshadowing" For 1 sq. meter will need 30-40 grams;
- In the autumn, to improve the winter hardiness of the tree, mulching with horse manure is carried out, the layer thickness should be 5 cm;
- To make the trunk straight and form, the tree is trimmed a year after planting. During pruning, the upper branches are cut into a third part. The trunk is shortened by 30-40 cm. Further trimming is done as needed.
It is imperative to whitewash the trees in late autumn. This will protect apple trees from lesions by lichen, moss, and also destroy pests and spores of pathogens in the bark.
Whitewashing recommendations:
- Before starting whitewashing, all cracks and various holes in the bark of the tree must be covered with garden pitch;
- For whitewashing, you need to prepare a solution, which should consist of 2 kilograms of quicklime, 6 liters of water and 1 kilogram of oily clay. All components are mixed, add a little skim milk so that the whitewash sticks to the wood better;
- Whitewashing of trees should be done in November, after the end of autumn showers%
- The surface of the trunk and forks, which are the base of large branches, are whitened.
Pest control
In order to avoid scab damage to apple trees, every year in the autumn period, the garden must be completely cleaned of old foliage, volunteers. It is imperative to dig up the entire surface of the trunk circle, and also treat all wounds with special agents, for example, garden varnish.
If the trees already have scab lesions, then they need to be treated with a Bordeaux mixture with a 1-3% solution. When preparing this mixture, it is necessary to mix a solution of copper sulfate and lime.
During the preparation of 1 solution, 100 grams of copper sulfate and 120 grams of quicklime should be poured into 10 liters of water. First, copper sulfate must be diluted in 1 liter of boiling water... Then slowly pour 5 liters of cold water into this mixture.
Lime also needs to be diluted in 1 liter of boiling water. Then 5 liters of cold water are poured into this solution. Both solutions are individually filtered through a gauze material. Next, a solution of copper sulfate is poured into the lime solution. Everything gets mixed up. Trees must be treated with this mixture on both sides.
Spraying trees should be done during bud break. The second treatment can be done after all flowers have fallen off.
Other means will help get rid of scab lesions. The most effective are "Strobi" and "Speed". Apple trees should be treated with Strobi in early spring, and Skor in autumn. Both drugs are diluted in the same way - 1 ampoule in 10 liters of water.
Gardeners reviews
Olga: “An apple tree of the Grushovka variety has been growing in my garden for a long time. This variety is early. I pick ripe fruits in early August. Although the apples are small in size, they taste excellent. When fully ripe, they become green mud and yellow with a lot of red or pink blotches. The structure of the pulp is white. However, they don't last too long. "
Elena: “I have several Grushovka apple trees growing on my site. They are about 15 years old. I get a big harvest, from each tree I collect up to 3 bags of apples. The ripening period begins in early August. Ripe apples have excellent taste and high juiciness. However, only the shelf life is not long, only 3 weeks. "
Alexander: “We have one apple tree of the Grushovka variety growing in our garden. He is almost 20 years old. Ripening period is rather early. We already pick ripe apples at the beginning of August. The color of ripe fruits is light green with a lot of red blotches. They taste excellent - juicy, sweet and aromatic. "
The Grushovka apple tree is an old variety that has a high value. Trees take root well in a region with any climate, and also tolerate severe frosts. Ripe apples have excellent taste and health benefits. Moreover, almost every year you can get a high level of harvest.