Summer apple trees of the Aborigen variety are suitable for growing in cold regions with frosty winters. They are undemanding in care, have good winter hardiness and immunity to diseases. This variety makes it possible to get a good harvest in your own garden, without making much effort and not in the most favorable climatic conditions.
Description of the Aborigine apple tree
This is a semi-cultivated summer variety with small apples that have a sweet and sour taste and an attractive appearance.Thanks to the latter, they can often be found on market shelves - the beautiful fruits look appetizing and sell well. Apples ripen in August.
An interesting feature is that one tree can have cells with different genetic material, as a result of which fruits will grow on different branches that differ in size and even taste, but still belong to the same variety.
The tree is of medium height, compact, the branches are sparse, due to which the fruits are well illuminated by the sun even deep in the crown and have a uniform “blush”. The branches themselves are thick, dark, grayish-brown in color. The leaves are also dark and large. The crown has a rounded-oblong shape.
Detailed descriptions of fruits, planting and care requirements can be found in the relevant paragraphs.
History of selection
The variety was officially registered and entered into the register in 1974. Its “ancestors” are the Ribbed and Avgustovskoe Far Eastern apple trees, and the selection was carried out by Alexey Vasilyevich Bolonyaev, an outstanding specialist in this field, laureate of the USSR State Prize.
Pros and cons of the variety
Aboriginal Advantages:
- high frost resistance;
- immunity to scab and moniliosis;
- appearance of the fruit;
- ease of care.
Disadvantages include:
- short term storing apples;
- relative fragility of wood;
- noticeable sourness in taste.
Frost resistance and disease resistance
Apple trees winter well, thanks to which they can grow in regions with harsh winters - this is one of the strengths of the variety. On a frost-resistant rootstock it can also be grown in the northernmost regions. In order for trees to survive the winter better, they need to be properly prepared. In the fall, when all the fruits have been collected, the ground is hilled up and fertilized with peat, compost or humus.The trunk is protected from damage by rodents.
Additionally, lay the ground around the trunk with straw to protect the root system from frost.
Full resistance to scab and monilial burn, which simplifies the care of plantings and saves the gardener’s time. These qualities are another plus for choosing a variety for Far Eastern gardens, where fruit trees often suffer from scab due to high air humidity.
Ripening and fruiting
Flowering begins in May, early June. The apple tree has small fragrant white flowers. The variety is capable of self-pollination, but only partially; for greater yields, it is recommended to use pollinating trees of the Avgustovskoe Dalnevostochnoe and Amurskoe Urozhainoe varieties.
Apple trees begin to bear fruit in the 3rd year after planting - single ones, in the 7th year they bloom en masse and bear fruit. The native is a summer plant, the fruits ripen in the second half of August. This is one of the earliest species. Apples are eaten straight from the tree; the ripest and juiciest ones are often blown over by the wind.
Young trees (3-5 years old) in the first years of fruiting produce up to 8 kg of harvest, over time this figure can increase to 50-55 kg. The Aborigine apple tree produces fruit every summer, but yields may vary from year to year.
Properties and uses of apples
Since a tree may have different genetic material (“chimera”), some branches ripen larger fruits than those in the main mass. They will arrive later, in September.
Opinions about the taste of apples vary; they are sweet and sour, a little tart. They are quite small in size, on average - 50-60 g, rarely grow up to 100 g, some specimens - 130-140 g. The shape of the fruit is round. The pulp is juicy and crispy.The peel is smooth, glossy, light cream in color with pink-red ripples throughout the surface.
Aborigine apples are consumed fresh; they are well suited for baking, jam, compotes for the winter, and pickling.
The disadvantage of this variety is the short shelf life of the collected fruits, up to 20 days, in the refrigerator or cellar - a little more than a month.
Where is the best place to grow
The variety is popular in the Far East and is found in the southern part of the Khabarovsk Territory, in the Primorsky Territory. For colder regions (Sakhalin), Aborigine is grown on frost-resistant rootstock.
In Siberia and the Urals, it is possible to grow these apple trees if the crown is formed in the form of slate - a low-growing tree with a flat top. Small, stocky trees resist cold weather better and direct more nutrients to fruit ripening, which is important in harsh climates.
Planting begins in the spring, when the ground has completely thawed and the air temperature during the day does not drop below 10 degrees. For seedlings, choose sunny or semi-shaded places. The soil is chosen to be non-acidic, otherwise dolomite flour or chalk is added.
Before planting, the soil is fertilized with organic matter - manure, humus. For the first 2 months, the seedling is watered every week, adult apple trees - three times during the warm season, at the beginning of summer, during the apple ovary and in the fall.
Thus, the advantage of the Aborigine variety is the ability to grow a decent harvest of apples in the Far Eastern region, in conditions of frosty winters and short summers. Many people like their taste, and the benefits of fresh fruit from your own garden are priceless. With the necessary care, the apple tree will regularly delight its owners with a rich harvest.
