Frost-resistant apple tree Berkutovskoe is an excellent choice for a summer cottage garden
Apple tree Berkutovskoe is a versatile, frost-resistant variety, bred by breeders specifically for cultivation in all regions of Russia. It gained wide popularity among gardeners due to its high fruiting, resistance to bad weather conditions and diseases, excellent taste and long shelf life of fruits.
Apple tree Berkutovskoe: main characteristics
The qualities and characteristics of the Berkutovskoe apple tree are able to satisfy the requirements of both private farms and an agricultural enterprise. The main features of the variety are high and abundant fruiting, resistance to frost, diseases and pests.
Excellent taste of fruits, their high transportability and long shelf life of fruits are considered equally important advantages of the variety.
The Berkutovskoe apple tree, the description and photo of which are presented below, is a tree up to 2.8-4 m high.
Its features:
- the trunk is even or slightly branched at the top;
- the bark of the tree is steel-gray, with a smooth surface;
- crown with medium density, has a pyramidal shape, rounded and expanded at the base;
- the crown is formed by smooth shoots of a pronounced reddish-brownish hue;
- leaves are oblong, elliptical, with serrated tips and serrated "edging".
The apple tree has a branched root system, very deep - it can reach up to 10 m deep into the soil.
Productivity and fruits
The apple variety Berkutovskoye is characterized by fruits of medium or large sizes - their weight is 180-200 g. Under favorable conditions, the mass of fruits can be 230-250 g.
The main features of the fruit:
- rounded or slightly oblong shape;
- rich sweet and sour taste;
- the pulp is juicy and moderately grainy;
- the peel is medium-dense, pink-red;
- the yield of the variety is 75-85 kg of fruits from each tree per year.
Blossoming at Berkutovskoe apple trees is abundant, begins in the second half of May. But it is not accompanied by a pronounced aroma, as a result of which it is very difficult for pollinating insects to find it. That is why the best option would be to plant apple trees near the apiaries.
The apples are harvested in late September or mid-October. A feature of the Berkutovskoe apple tree is the instant fall of ripe fruits, therefore it is recommended to pluck them from the tree immediately after ripening.
The Berkutovskoe apple tree is distinguished by high immunity, ensuring its resistance to sudden temperature fluctuations, diseases and pests. Trees in zoned growing regions show maximum frost tolerance. In colder, northern regions, frost resistance decreases to an average level.
The variety is resistant to many diseases and infections. But with prolonged rainy weather, the tree can be affected powdery mildewas well as scab.
Features of growing an apple tree
For planting an apple tree Berkutovskoye, it is best to choose an illuminated and well-ventilated area, away from drafts. Strong two-year-old seedlings, which already have strong immunity, take root better and faster.
The main features of planting an apple tree:
- For an apple tree Berkutovskoye, sub-sandy or loamy soil is best suited. If there is black soil on the site, it needs to be stirred a little with river sand.
- Tree holes are prepared in advance. For spring planting - in a few months, for autumn planting in 3 weeks. The pits should be 75-80 cm deep and 1-1.5 m in diameter.
- Regular soil should be mixed with superphosphate and organic fertilizers, poured into a hole and filled with 3 buckets of water.
- Trees are planted at a distance of at least 4-5 m from each other.
- Before planting in open ground, seedlings should be left in warm water for 4-6 hours.
- The root collar should be left 6-9 cm above the soil layer.
- At the bottom of the hole, drainage is necessarily filled up - gravel or broken brick.
The seedling must be sprinkled with soil tightly, without knocking it down too tightly and not tamping it. Immediately after this, all seedlings should be watered abundantly, pouring at least 2-3 buckets of water under each.
Disembarkation dates
The apple variety Berkutovskoe, planting and caring for which does not bring any particular difficulties, is planted both in spring and autumn. The optimal period is the last week of March and the first half of April, before bud break.
Mid to late October is most suitable for autumn planting. It is necessary to ensure that at least 4-5 weeks remain before frost, otherwise the seedlings may die.
For abundant fruiting, the apple tree must be protected from frost - this is especially important in the first 2 years after planting. You can build shelters from various scrap materials - straw, hay, spruce branches, foam rubber
To protect the fruit tree from pests and rodents, in autumn and spring, the stems and lower branches must be whitewashed with lime.
Apple tree care Berkutovskoe
High-quality and regular care of the Berkutovskoye apple tree helps to get abundant fruiting and a rich, generous harvest. Obligatory care measures are regular loosening and digging of the soil, mulching the trunk circle and sowing siderates.
Watering and loosening the soil
Weeding and loosening are recommended at least 2 times a month. To do this, make a circle around the tree with a width of at least 1 m, in which the soil is loosened to a depth of 20 cm. Before the onset of winter, the depth of loosening should be 25-35 cm. It is best to carry out the procedure 24 hours after watering the tree.
The Berkutovskoe apple tree is resistant to dry weather, but the lack of moisture negatively affects the yield of the tree and the taste of the fruit. Therefore, the hybrid needs systematic watering, which is carried out as the soil dries up.
The procedure can be carried out using a special irrigation system, or simply water the tree trunk circle. For one apple tree, you will need from 1 to 3 buckets of water - best of all, settled and heated to room temperature.
Correct crown formation
The Berkutovskoe apple tree grows very quickly, therefore it requires regular formative pruning with thinning of the density. Otherwise, the size of the fruit will decrease every year.
It is also necessary to systematically prune all damaged, diseased and dry branches. Anti-aging pruning is only recommended for trees over 20 years of age. In such cases, 3-4 age branches should be removed - this accelerates the growth of young shoots and strengthens them.
Berkutovskoe is one of the most common varieties of apple trees, distinguished by excellent frost resistance, strong immunity and high yield. Even a novice gardener can grow this fruit tree, because caring for a hybrid is not particularly difficult.