Experienced gardeners will agree that before planting an apple orchard or choosing a variety for your garden, you need to understand what do you want to end up with:
- What kind of harvest do you expect;
- What taste should the fruit have;
- What level of care are you willing to provide for your fruit trees.
Without orienting yourself in your basic requirements and not understanding what you expect from the acquired variety, you will not be able to clearly regulate the care of it for yourself, and accordingly, you will not get the maximum possible quality and quantity of fruits.
Each variety has its own personality, for everyone there are special care conditions, without studying which, you will come to disastrous results or be disappointed in fruit growing at all.
Having decided on the answers to these basic questions, you can safely start choosing an apple tree variety.
If we are talking about an early maturing summer variety, Arkadik will be one of the best options. In this article, we will give a description, photo, reviews for this wonderful variety.
The history of apple tree breeding Arkadik
The apple tree of the Arkadik variety appeared on the market quite recently, it was bred in 2002 in Moscow at the All-Russian Institute of Selection and Technology of Horticulture and Nursery.
The author of this promising plant was Professor, Doctor of Biological Sciences Viktor Valerianovich Kichina. For the work, such hardy and high-yielding varieties as Arkad yellow and SR 0523 were selected. As a result, a variety was obtained with sweet fruits and increased resistance to unfavorable environmental factors, the main ailments.
Cultivation regions
Due to a sufficient degree of endurance, the Arkadik apple tree can be cultivated almost everywhere.
Moscow suburbs
On the territory of the Moscow Region, the Arkadik apple tree grows and develops quite normally. The main thing here is to properly prepare the soil for planting seedlings. In the presence of podzolic soil with an acidic environment, neutralization will be required by introducing lime compounds.
Middle lane
The Arkadik variety thrives on the conditions of the Middle zone. The success of cultivation here directly depends on the correct agricultural technology. To protect the apple tree from various kinds of diseases and the invasion of parasitic individuals, it is enough to carry out planned preventive measures.
Siberia
Despite the harsh climate of the area, the Arkadik apple tree has enough strength to cope with low temperatures. The basic rule for growing in cold regions is proper planting and care. The best option for such conditions is Arkadik on a dwarf rootstock.
When planting seedlings, the main thing is to prevent its active vegetation, so work should be done in late autumn.
Subspecies
There are several varieties of the Arkadik variety, when choosing the best option, you must first familiarize yourself with them, with their features.
Pink
This subspecies of Arkadik is distinguished by small fruits, their weight is no more than 80 g. Unlike the classic variety, the apples are flat, pink in color. Despite the low growth, the trees are able to bear fruit well.
Sugar
This variety of Arkadik apple tree has won the recognition of gardeners for its high productivity, it is possible to harvest up to 200 kg of harvest from one tree.The fruits are distinguished by their presentable appearance, excellent keeping quality, and decent taste characteristics. Subspecies Sugar does not require special care, all techniques are of the standard type.
Summer yellow
A distinctive feature of this subspecies of Arkadik is the small size of the fruits, but this does not in the least impair their taste. The only drawback of the summer yellow subspecies is its weak immunity to scab.
Columnar
The subspecies is characterized by compact size and small crown. The rules of agricultural technology are used here, as for the Arkadik variety. Only when planting seedlings is it necessary to choose a site with fertile soil and a neutral environment.
Dwarf
This subspecies of Arkadik grows no more than 2.5 m in height. Among its advantages are: a high degree of frost resistance, compactness, excellent taste and marketability.
How to care for
To get a harvest, you need to properly water the plant. The apple tree requires systematic watering. The variety is resistant to droughts, but it does not have the ability of succulents to store moisture, so its lack affects the ovary, and later on fruiting.
Choosing the best watering
There are several types of watering for fruit crops.
Surface
This method involves irrigation through canals and longitudinal furrows around the plants. Suitable for gardens where strict tree planting is used.
Drip
It is a specially designed system that provides moisture directly to the root of a particular plant.
Main advantages and disadvantages
The Arkadik apple tree is in demand among gardening lovers due to the following positive characteristics:
- high performance indicators;
- quick survival of seedlings;
- the ability to grow even in regions with a cold climate;
- unpretentious care;
- increased immunity to major diseases;
- sufficient frost resistance;
- stable fruiting.
But, despite the many advantages, the Arkadik apple tree has its own weaknesses:
- the tendency of fruits to shatter quickly;
- the need for additional pollination;
- low degree of keeping quality of the crop.
Important! The tasting score for fruits of the Arkadik variety out of 5 possible is 4.2.
Testimonials
Anna Vladimirovna. Saratov. Not a bad variety, delicious apples and I have no special problems with care. There are a lot of apples, all are even, beautiful, large as one. And it is nice to treat friends and it is not a shame. The tree is again large, spreading, it looks wonderful on my large plot! There are no problems with diseases, the insects were not announced either. I recommend to lovers of fresh sweet juicy apples.
Igor. Apatity. I don't really like these apples. Very sweet and not stored. But in fairness, I can say that the smell is excellent! It is inconvenient to pick - you will be a little late - and they themselves fall and are damaged. Although, maybe someone will suit. And I prefer more sour and to last longer. These are barely a month.
Lyubov Mikhailovna. Krasnoyarsk. Last year, I planted an Arkadik sapling on the advice of a neighbor at the dacha, he has a lot of experience in fruit growing. I advised this variety specifically for a large family - so that everyone ate plenty of fresh apples and not have any special problems in care. I'm happy so far. It grows very quickly, and there is no particular hassle with it. I endured the winter well, did not freeze, the roots did not stuck. I will wait for the first harvest! Shoveled a bunch of articles before settling on this grade. I wanted a big apple tree - the place was empty, but I didn't want to plant anything.
Characteristics and description of the variety
In order to harvest the maximum possible yield, it is recommended that you familiarize yourself in more detail with the main qualities of the Arkadik apple tree.
Tree size and annual growth
The apple tree Arcadia is classified as a vigorous, hardy tree, in height it can reach up to 4 m.This viable plant has a wide conical crown, which is made up of powerful rounded shoots of a reddish hue. Yield indicators depend on the number of annelids, the more there are, the higher the productivity of the variety. Arkadik's leaf plates are egg-shaped, have a sharp tip and a matte surface of a bright green color. The annual growth is 10 cm.
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Description and subtleties of growing apple varieties Krasa Sverdlovsk
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Life span
Since the Arkadik apple tree has a high degree of endurance in relation to adverse environmental factors, its life span is quite long, over 30 years.
The main thing is to provide the apple tree with comfortable growing conditions and regularly carry out anti-aging pruning.
All about fruiting
The Arkadik variety has established itself exclusively on the positive side, it is capable of stably and abundantly bearing fruit.
Flowering and pollinators
The apple tree of the Arkadik variety is partially self-fertile, if there is a pollinator in the garden, all the flowers will be with ovaries. It is necessary to plant such plants in the area of 50 m. It is best if the pollinating varieties are in the autumn ripening period.
Advice! To increase yields, you can spray the tree with honey water, which is prepared at the rate of 3 tablespoons of a natural product per liter of water.
Thanks to such a simple technique, Arkadik manages to attract beneficial insects to the apple tree.
Ripening time and yield
Apple tree Arkadik belongs to the varieties of early ripening. The first fruits are removed already in the third year after disembarking to a permanent place. The crop reaches its technical maturity by mid-August.
Apples of the Arkadik variety are large in size, their weight is 210 g, but with proper care they can reach 350 g. On average, productivity indicators are 300 c / ha. The fruits have a thin skin, a whitish-green color, but upon reaching full consumer maturity, it is complemented by dark red stripes.
Tasting qualities of apples
The fruits of the Arkadik variety have a sweet taste and slight sourness, astringency and a pronounced aroma. There are few seeds in them. Since apples are dessert, they are eaten fresh. They are also good raw materials for the preparation of various culinary masterpieces, winter preparations.
Storage and transportability of the crop
The fruits of the Arcadia variety are prone to rapid shedding, they must be harvested as soon as they began to fall off. They are stored relatively little. If you keep them in the refrigerator, then the shelf life is 3 days, and in the basement - 1.5 months. The transportability of Arkadik apples is low.
Sustainability
The Arkadik apple variety occupies a leading position among early ripening plants. This is due not only to high productivity rates, but also to sufficient resilience, the ability to withstand bad weather and diseases.
To diseases and pests
A tall apple tree is highly resistant to major diseases and attack by harmful insects. But this is subject to timely and effective preventive treatment. In the case of admitting regular and gross violations during planting and care, a stressful state is noted in the apple tree, which provokes its weakening in front of infections and parasites. The Arkadik variety has an increased degree of resistance to scab and other fungal ailments.
Unfavorable climatic conditions
The tree can withstand prolonged drought quite well, but watering must be timely and abundant in order to harvest a rich harvest. Low temperatures are also not afraid of him. The apple tree can withstand frosts down to -35 ° C without losing its characteristics.
The specifics of planting fruit crops
Planting seedlings should be carried out taking into account the basic requirements for this manipulation.
Only a competent approach will allow the apple tree to quickly take root, adapt to new conditions.
Timing
Planting work is equally effective to carry out:
- in autumn (from the last days of September to mid-October);
- in spring (from the third decade of April).
If you choose the date for planting the apple tree, then it is better to prefer spring. Young trees will have time to root well and prepare for wintering before the onset of cold weather.
Site selection and preparation
For normal growth and development of the Arkadik apple tree, it is worth giving preference to glades sufficiently illuminated by the sun, where there are no northern winds.
Advice! Since the root system of the tree is powerful and goes deeper, then the planting site should not be with a close occurrence of groundwater (from three meters). To suspend its growth in the pit during planting, you need to lay a sheet of slate and the roots will grow to the sides.
As for the composition of the soil, the apple tree is able to take root on almost any soil, with the exception of rocky wetlands. The best option is a site with loose, loamy or sandy loam soil, where nothing has grown for two to three years before.
The preparation of the site for the apple tree should be done a month before planting. The place needs to be cleaned of debris, a pit should be dug 50 cm deep and 90 cm wide.Fill it with a nutrient composition: compost (4 buckets), potassium sulfate (1 glass), wood ash (3 glasses), superphosphate (2 glasses).
Preparing seedlings
Annual seedlings with a height of 120-130 cm are quite suitable for planting, if two-year-olds are used, then their height should be 150 cm. When buying, young apple trees should be examined for signs of disease, damage, rot. Before planting, the trees must be kept in a container with water for two to three hours.
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Technological process of disembarkation
When the pit for the apple tree is ready, enriched with useful substances, you can start planting work.
The seedling planting algorithm provides for the following actions:
- Place the tree in the hole on the earthen hillock.
- Spread out the root system and sprinkle with fertile soil.
- Moisten if the soil is dry.
- Gently compact the soil without dusting the root collar.
- Form a well for watering around the plant. The rate of water consumption per tree is 2 buckets.
- Mulch the ground with peat or humus.
Upon completion of all work, the apple tree must be tied to a support.
What can be planted next door
From the neighbors for the Arkadik apple tree, it is recommended to choose berry bushes growing in partial shade: black currant, raspberry. Due to the difference in the size of the underground part, there will be no competition between these plants. The only thing to consider is the distance between them. It should be at least one and a half meters.
What to look for when choosing seedlings
The choice of seedlings is a rather responsible procedure. Therefore, it is better to arm yourself with useful knowledge in this matter. On the market you can find seedlings of different ages: from 1 to 3 years.
Which one is better to take? Stay on a younger plant and ignore its appearance, because you will definitely not be intimidated by the fact that a one-year-old will look much smaller and not as powerful as a three-year-old plant. Therefore, a one-year or two-year-old apple tree is ideal. When transporting a seedling, be sure to wrap its roots in a wet cloth, and leave it in water for several hours before planting.
It is important to pay attention to the roots: they should look healthy, without any thickening in different places. Feel free to ask the seller to check the bark tooIf you cut it in one place, you should see a healthy green inside, without brown stripes. Such stripes indicate that the plant froze over last winter.
And the last piece of advice is choosing a place to buy. Saplings of different varieties are difficult to distinguish from each other, even for an experienced gardener. Therefore, you should give preference to proven specialized points or stores. Today there are entire departments for gardeners in building materials hypermarkets. In such places, you will definitely not be deceived. In addition, technologies allow you to find online resources where you can place an order with the delivery of a seedling to your city.
Read the description and peculiarities of cultivation of the varieties Chudnoe, Starkrimson, Aport, Red Chief, Rozhdestvenskoe, Orlinka, Zvezdochka, Papirovka, Ekrannoe, Pepin saffron, Champion "," Solnyshko "," Candy "," Melba ".
Further care
The Arkadik apple tree is looked after according to the standard scheme: irrigation measures, weed control, loosening, and fertilizing.
Watering and feeding
In the first year after planting, the apple tree is moistened twice a season. Watering adult plants is necessary in the hot season every 3-4 weeks, 3 buckets of water are consumed per apple tree. If the soil is light, then the frequency of irrigation activities is 2 times a month. To preserve moisture, mulch is laid in the near-stem circle, the layer thickness should be 10 cm. The number of irrigations is 3 times: during the awakening of the buds, 3 weeks after the end of the flowering phase, and 3 weeks before the expected day of harvest.
If it was noticed that the Arkadik apple tree stopped growing (in the first 3 years), or its leaf mass changed its green color to yellow, there is no fruit formation, then the soil should be saturated with nutrients. Organic fertilizers are used once a year - in spring, manure or compost is used.
Mineral additives must be applied strictly according to the dosage, otherwise, instead of benefit, the plants will be harmed. In the spring, feeding procedures are done using ammonium nitrate, and in the fall, using phosphorus and potassium compounds. Mineral fertilizers are still good to use before the onset of cold weather, after harvesting.
Pruning
Formative pruning should be done as early as the second year after planting the seedling in a permanent place. The procedure is performed in February or March, before the start of sap flow. The air temperature on this day should be at least 10-12 ° C frost. Branches that interfere with each other or grow to the trunk are subject to removal. In addition, the center conductor is shortened.
Sanitary pruning is carried out in the fall. The tree is freed from incapacitated branches affected by the disease. After work, the tool is disinfected, and the plant waste is burned.
Barrel circle care
To achieve the desired results, the soil in the near-trunk circle must be regularly cleaned of weeds and loosened. Compaction of the soil should not be allowed, otherwise the roots of the tree will experience oxygen starvation. Mulch is periodically poured as needed.
Preventive treatments
In order to avoid the appearance of negative consequences when growing an apple tree of the Arkadik variety, it is necessary to spray with appropriate preparations in order to prevent diseases and pests:
- Copper sulfate is used three times: before the bud formation phase, before the flowers appear, after they fall.
- The drug containing phosphorus and potassium is used before the onset of cold weather.
- To protect against rodents, the tree is fenced with spruce branches, reeds.
Winter protection
Given the sufficient level of winter hardiness of the variety, there is no need for additional shelter. Here it is enough to perform sanitary pruning, remove fallen leaves and loosen the soil in the near-trunk circle, as well as add a nutrient composition and moisten the earth.The trunk of a young apple tree is treated with a chalk solution, and an adult - with a lime liquid.
Agrotechnics
Apple tree "Arkadik" does not need special conditions for planting. They plant it like ordinary apple trees. The soil can be of any quality. Planting time is autumn or spring.
Before placing a seedling in the ground, it is necessary to mark the area. The distance between adjacent trees should not be less than 5 m. After that, a hole is dug 0.8 m in diameter and 0.7 m deep. The bottom layer of the earth can not be used, but the top one is mixed with humus.
IMPORTANT! When planting, do not add mineral fertilizers, as this can lead to burns to the roots of the seedling.
When planting, the roots of the tree should be straightened, gradually filling them with prepared soil. In this case, the roots should be facing down.
After planting, a ditch is dug around the hole, into which water is poured. Subsequent watering (if planting was carried out in spring) should be carried out at least 1 time in 2 weeks.
For the tree to take root better, around it you need to mow the grass and loosen the soil. The trunk can be protected from pests by wrapping it in parchment. This will need to be produced for the first five years after planting. Then the rodents will not be afraid of the trunk.
When the crown appears, it needs to be trimmed so that it is not too tall. This is done so that the branches grow to the sides and not up. In the early years, it will also be necessary to remove excess flowers, since the abundance of fruits will cause irreparable harm to the young apple tree. And when the tree becomes completely adult, the branches, on which there are too many apples, need to be tied up or propped up so that they do not break off.
