Description and characteristics of the Hornist apple tree, planting, cultivation and care

Tangerine and pomegranate trees do not take root in mid-latitudes, but apple trees grow in any courtyard of a private house and on a summer cottage. In order for apples to ripen every year, you need to select the right varieties, which is not so easy to do due to their abundance. Brown Striped took part in the breeding of the Hornist apple tree, which imparted resistance to frost. The variety, created at the Sverdlovsk Horticulture Station, is adapted to cold and damp climates, but bears fruit well in different regions of Russia.

Description and characteristics of the Hornist apple tree

A hybrid pollinated by Ural varieties is not only not inferior to them in terms of winter hardiness, but is also immune to fungal infection.

Dimensions of an adult tree

The apple tree grows 8 m in height and is distinguished by a pyramidal crown, which becomes wider over time and takes on the shape of a ball. The reddish branches that initially stretch upward gradually spread out to the sides.

Frequency of fruiting

The variety produces its first apples only in the 8th year, but on a grafted apple tree the ovary is formed already in the fourth year. The tree lives for almost half a century, giving fruit literally every year. The fruits are different:

• granular structure;
• juicy pulp;
• pleasant aroma.

The oblong apples are covered with smooth red skin, streaked with veins, and weigh about 100 g. The fruits are harvested in August, and even in damp and cold summers they have time to ripen, have a sweet taste, but are stored for no more than 3 weeks.

Productivity

If the Gornist variety is grown on fertile soil and the crown is formed correctly, the apple tree will delight you with a large amount of fruit every year. 8-9 buckets of beautiful apples are picked from one tree. The variety is unpretentious in care, but requires planting nearby summer pollinators.

Tasting assessment

The fruits of the Hornist apple tree are rich in sugar, pectin, and minerals, but they contain very little vitamin C. Although the apples are juicy and sweet, due to the rough pulp, the taste of the variety is rated not at 5 points, but at 4.4.

Winter hardiness

The apple tree can withstand temperatures below -30 °C, tolerate spring frosts normally, and if it freezes slightly, it quickly recovers. Only seedlings are insulated for the winter.

Disease resistance

The hybrid inherited immunity to bacterial and viral infections from its closest relatives. Unlike other popular varieties, the Hornist apple tree is practically not affected:

• scab;
• fruit rot;
• powdery mildew.

Simple preventive measures help avoid the development of cytosporosis and rust. Thanks to immunity to fungal infection, it is possible to avoid crop losses even in unfavorable weather.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

The advantage of the Hornist apple tree is the absence of interruptions in fruiting; apples are harvested in large quantities every year. The undoubted advantages of the variety include:

• resistance to low temperatures;
• presence of immunity to diseases;
• ease of care;
• early ripening of apples.

The Hornist apple tree also has disadvantages. The tree needs pollinators because the variety is not self-fertile. The harvest is stored for less than 3 weeks, but has a universal purpose.

How to choose seedlings?

In centers and nurseries that grow fruit crops, apple trees that are one or two years old are sold. Such trees take root without problems. You need to choose a seedling with a smooth trunk and fresh buds without cracks or dents. There should be no stains on the branches either. A healthy and strong apple tree has a root that is at least 40 cm long.

Landing rules

In order for the tree to develop normally, you need to choose a place for growing where there is enough light, fertile soil, and water does not come to the very surface.

Landing dates

To remove dead parts, the roots of the apple tree are soaked and a phytohormone is added to the solution.Until the first frosts arrive, but the leaves have already flown off, young trees are planted. By spring they will get stronger and begin to grow. You can graft the Hornist hybrid onto an apple tree of another variety using the budding method.

Selecting a location

The fruit crop loves the sun, does not tolerate acidic and rocky soil, and grows strongly. To plant a tree, the area must be spacious and well lit.

Pit preparation

When the water is closer than 1.5 m from the ground, the roots of the apple tree will gradually rot. If there is no other place for planting, first make a small mound and make a drainage layer of crushed brick or expanded clay. A hole is dug about 60 cm deep and at least a meter in diameter, 2 buckets of compost or rotted humus, wood ash and superphosphate are poured onto the bottom.

Distance between seedlings

Tall apple trees are placed every 5 meters, since as they grow, they will begin to shade each other.

Planting process

The hole for the tree is dug in advance so that the soil has time to settle before autumn. It fills not all of it with the nutritional mixture, but half of it.

Before frost sets in:

1. Install a wooden peg.
2. Lay the top layer of soil in one direction, and the bottom layer in the other.
3. The seedling is placed in the hole.
4. The root collar is left above the ground, facing south.
5. The apple tree is tied to a support.
6. Cover with soil, which is compacted a little.

The tree is watered abundantly and covered with mulch. The plant will develop normally only if the neck is not buried. Otherwise, the apple tree may die.

Features of care

In order for Hornist to please with the harvest, like any fruit crop, the tree must be looked after - feed, prune, remove dried branches, fight parasites.

Crown formation

When seedlings are just beginning to develop, shoots that grow inward or at an angle to the trunk, as well as weak and twisted shoots are removed. When forming the crown, at least 60 cm is left between the branches of the first two tiers, about 40 cm of the third.

The slope of the shoots from the trunk should be within 45°. Sanitary pruning is performed every year, and regulatory pruning is performed as necessary.

Watering

During the absence of rain, apple trees need irrigation; in regions with damp and cool climates, additional moisture is not necessary.

If the weather is dry, the trees are watered when buds appear, the ovary forms, before the fruits ripen and in the fall before wintering.

Top dressing

Apple trees are fertilized in the second year after planting. Mineral complexes are introduced, which contain nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, or organic matter is used. Foliar feeding is carried out with a solution of urea.

Diseases and pests

The Hornist apple tree is rarely affected by fungi. To prevent bacterial and viral infections, trees are sprayed with Bordeaux mixture and urea. Attracts the plant:

• weevils;
• aphids;
• sawfly;
• leaf roller

To cope with harmful insects, traps and special belts are installed. Apple trees are sprayed with insecticides several times a season.

Pollinator varieties

Hybrid Hornist is not self-fertile. To reap good harvests, summer varieties of apple trees are planted next to it, which bloom at the same time and produce high-quality pollen every year.

Features of cultivation in other regions

The Gornist variety is taking root and producing apple harvests in different areas. Planting and caring for a tree in the middle zone and in the north are not very different, but there are some nuances.

In Siberia

The variety was created specifically for cool climates, where the weather is damp in summer and severe frosts in winter. If you take care of the apple tree, you can reap a good harvest in Siberia. After planting a tree, you must:

• form a crown;
• apply fertilizer;
• carry out disease prevention;
• fight rodents and insects.

The apple tree will have to be covered for the winter. Although it tolerates 30–33 °C, in Siberia the temperature often drops even lower.

In the Urals

The variety, bred at the Sverdlovsk horticultural station, grows in the Chelyabinsk, Perm, and Yekaterinburg regions, since it is adapted to the climate of the Urals. Caring for an apple tree, as in other regions, involves the formation of the crown, regular pruning and feeding. In order for air to penetrate to the roots, the ground under the tree must be constantly loosened; the soil in this area is rocky and dense.

Harvest and storage

Apples of the summer variety begin to be picked in the third ten days of August. Unfortunately, they quickly deteriorate and do not last more than 3 weeks even in a cool place. Apple tree fruits are sealed in jars and used to make juice, jams, preserves, and marmalade.