Apple tree, loved since childhood, Glory to the Winners: planting and caring for a fruit tree
The apple tree Glory to the Winners, planting and caring for which is not difficult, was bred back in 1928 at the gardening station. Simirenko. In 1975 it was adopted by the State Register, which recommended it for cultivation practically throughout the USSR. The variety quickly gained popularity and the love of gardeners for its unpretentiousness, good yield, and amazing fruit taste.
Description of the variety
The shoots at the beginning of growth are reddish in color and pleasant glossiness. Growing up, they turn brown. The leaf blades are slightly pubescent, of a pleasant pale pistachio color, sometimes slightly yellowish. They are round or slightly oblong in shape with a slight bend along the central vein.
The apple tree blooms profusely with pinkish, rounded flowers. Buds and stamens at the base of a pleasant scarlet color. In the gardens and nurseries, during flowering, you can enjoy the spectacular appearance of apple trees, reminiscent of lush and incredibly fragrant pink clouds.
Variety yield
The tree bears a steady harvest. The fruits are large in size and rounded-oblong in shape, they are smooth with barely perceptible ribs. The average weight of one apple is 125-180 g. The color of the fruits is light green, they are covered with a pink blush, which smoothly spreads throughout the whole apple. Ripe apples look very nice. They are ruddy, pink-green with a slight waxy bloom. Very aromatic, with a lot of juice, with a delicate whitish or slightly creamy pulp. The taste is sweet and sour, dessert.
Speaking about the description of the Slava Winners apple variety, it should be mentioned that its fruits after full ripening do not hold well on the tree. They fall, break and become unusable. It is important to harvest on time, as overripe apples become tasteless, with a loose “cotton” pulp. Usually the fruits are consumed fresh, juice is prepared from them, processed, as they spoil rather quickly.
The Slava Winners variety needs pollination with other apple varieties. Without the presence of potential pollinators nearby within a radius of 40 m, it will give no more than 4% of the possible yield.
Gardeners need to plant nearby or make sure that apple trees with a similar flowering period grow in neighboring areas.
The most suitable pollinators for the Slava Winners variety are:
- Borovinka;
- Ordinary Antonovka;
- Vadimovka;
- Delicacy;
- Melba.
The apple tree begins to bear fruit in the middle lane for 6-8 years. In the southern regions, the process begins at 4-5 years. The further north the territory where Glory to the Winners is grown, the later it begins to bear fruit.
Apple tree Glory to the Winners: planting and care
It is better to buy seedlings for planting in proven nurseries. They should have a strong root system, no dry or rotten roots, with healthy bark without damage.The best for planting are annual or biennial apple trees 150 cm high. They are planted in the fall during leaf fall or in spring after thawing the soil. But at the same time, the buds of the seedling must still sleep. If planting is carried out in the fall, all leaves are removed from the seedling.
Young apple trees are planted in an area with groundwater occurrence no closer than 3 m to the soil surface. The place should be well lit. Trees need a lot of sunlight. The crown of apple trees of the Slava Winners variety grows widely and spreadingly, therefore, a distance of more than 4.5 m is left between the trees. This is necessary for the full growth of the apple tree itself and the formation, ripening of fruits.
Planting is carried out on a warm, clear day. It is better that the sun is not very active. A week before the planned planting, a hole is dug 50-60 cm in diameter and 1 m deep. 1/3 fill it with a mixture of wood ash, humus, turf and mineral fertilizers.
During planting, a peg is dug into the hole so that it protrudes 50 cm above it. The seedling is placed in the middle, the roots are carefully straightened and the hole is filled with soil. After filling the hole, the soil is slightly trampled and 10 liters of warm water are poured under each apple tree. Mulch with straw, peat, spruce branches. A tree is tied to a support.
Taking care of apple trees further
Like all fruit trees, an apple tree needs Glory to the Winners after planting and care, which consists in watering, forming a crown, feeding, protecting against diseases.
The apple variety Slava Winners has poor drought resistance. With a lack of water, a young seedling dies, an adult tree gets sick, discards ovaries and already set fruits.
In hot weather, apple trees are watered weekly with 30 liters for each seedling. In cold weather, the trees are watered, focusing on the drying of the topsoil.
A lush and rapidly growing crown blocks the sun's access to fruits and earth, so Glory to the Winners needs regular pruning. This is necessary not only for beauty, but also to prevent the development of diseases, falling apples. Pruning is carried out at the beginning of the second season after planting the apple tree. If this is not done, it will give small yields of small apples. During the first pruning, the top is shortened by 10 cm. This is done in the spring for the next 3 years. Then they only keep the crown neat, thinning it out and removing unnecessary, as well as diseased branches in autumn and spring.
Top dressing, pruning
After planting the apple tree, Glory to the Winners also needs care in the form of feeding, at least 2 times per season. In the spring, nitrogen-containing fertilizers are applied. At the end of summer, they are fed with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers, nitrogenous fertilizers are completely excluded. Potassium with phosphorus helps the tree survive the winter well due to the maturation of the wood. This will significantly affect the formation of future fetuses.
The variety is susceptible to many diseases. These are fruit rot, cytosporosis, powdery mildew, scab, milky shine. To protect against scab, trees are treated with fungicides (for example, with Topaz). For other diseases, seedlings are treated with Bordeaux liquid, copper sulfate, and Hom.
In order for the apple tree to give good yields in subsequent years, it is carefully prepared for wintering. To do this, remove diseased, dried branches, dig up the soil under the trees, mulch the root zone with a thick layer of organic matter.
The bark is whitewashed with lime and fungicides to prevent them from being damaged by hares. The lower part of the trunk is tied with spruce branches, the trees are enclosed with a metal mesh of one meter height. These manipulations are enough for the safe wintering of apple trees.
Glory to the Winners - a variety of apple trees, bred in the USSR, but still popular among gardeners. In breeding, it is used as a donor to create apples with an excellent presentation.