Description and characteristics of the columnar apple tree variety Vasyugan, planting and care

Thanks to its unique external characteristics, early fruiting and high yield, the columnar apple tree of the Vasyugan variety is in great demand among amateur gardeners. This variety is easy to care for, has good taste and decorative properties. In order for the apple tree to produce a harvest every year, it is necessary to follow all the rules of agrotechnical work and provide the tree with the necessary care.

Advantages of the columnar apple tree Vasyugan

The advantages of the Vasyugan apple tree include:

• good presentation and high taste;
• compactness and decorative properties;
• abundance and early fruiting;
• winter hardiness;
• lack of a spreading crown;
• affordable care;
• crop stability;
• disease resistance.

External parameters

When replenishing the garden with new specimens of fruit trees, first of all, it is worth familiarizing yourself with the characteristics and description of the crop.

Trunk height

The Vasyugan apple tree has a single trunk (column), the height of which depends on the rootstock and does not exceed 2.5 meters. The trunk is strong, thickened, covered with fruit shoots (rings).

Tree crown diameter

Despite the power of the trunk, the crown of the tree is very compact and has a vertical arrangement. Due to genetic characteristics, there are practically no side shoots; a few branches are formed parallel to the trunk. The crown width is about 0.5 meters.

Root system

The superficial root system of the Vasyugan apple tree is fibrous and resistant to various diseases. The shallow location of the roots in the ground requires regular and thorough watering.

Leaves and flowers

The foliage of the Vasyugan variety is dense, large, and dark green in color. It has an elongated shape with small notches at the tip. The flowers are large, white and pink.

The fruit and its taste

Apples grow elongated and conical in shape with a fairly thin skin of a red-striped hue. The pulp is juicy, with a pleasant dessert taste. The size of the fruit reaches medium-large size, and the weight of one apple is about 150 g. The shelf life of the fruit does not exceed one month.

Characteristics of the variety

The medium-sized apple variety Vasyugan was bred artificially - by grafting a regular variety onto a super-dwarf clonal rootstock, followed by formative pruning.

Winter hardiness

The genotypic feature of the Vasyugan variety is its ability to withstand frosts, sudden temperature changes and spring night frosts, which allows the tree to withstand harsh climates.

Susceptibility to diseases and pests

The predisposition of the Vasyugan apple tree to diseases is less pronounced than that of other varieties. However, pest attacks, various infections, natural disasters or improper care cause the risk of various diseases.

Productivity

A full harvest can be expected in the 5th year, on average up to 6-8 kg per tree. Under favorable conditions, apple tree productivity increases annually to high levels; up to 12-15 kg of high-quality fruit can be collected from one tree.

Lifespan

The period of effective fruiting in the Vasyugan apple tree lasts about 12 years, and then productivity gradually decreases.

Features of fruiting culture

In the apple tree, fruit development occurs on the ringlets, which abundantly cover the column. As soon as the tree begins to bear fruit, its growth is inhibited, and in subsequent years all its forces are concentrated on fruiting, thereby ensuring regular fruiting.

What year does it bear fruit after planting?

The tree is able to bear fruit in the second year after planting.It will be possible to collect several apples from each tree, however, to prevent depletion of nutrients, it is recommended to remove the inflorescences.

Flowering period

The apple tree begins to bloom in early May. At this time, the tree is abundantly covered with large fragrant inflorescences.

Fruit ripening time and harvest

Mass ripening of apples occurs in August or early September. Depending on the location and weather conditions, the period of full maturity may shift either to July or to the second half of September.

How to plant and care

Landing events require serious organization. To do this, the site, the planting hole and the seedling itself are prepared.

Growing area

The Vasyugan variety is intended for cultivation in the Far East and Urals. Due to its high winter hardiness, the apple tree is no less common in Siberia, the Urals and the Trans-Urals.

Planting season

Early spring is the best time to plant trees. In the southern regions, the Vasyugan apple tree is planted in September or in the first half of October. This way the tree will have time to take root and prepare for the upcoming winter before frost.

Preparation of seedlings and planting pit

When choosing seedlings, you need to pay attention to the condition of the bark and roots. If there are growths, dark spots or any damage, it is better to refuse to purchase such a seedling.

Before planting, to select a location, an inspection of the site is carried out, during which the distance between the trees (40-50 cm) and the row spacing (1 m) should be taken into account. The location should be chosen in a well-lit and draft-free area. Chernozem, sandy loam or loam are ideal as soil for apple trees.

Before planting annual seedlings, you should perform the following steps:

1. Saturate the exposed roots of the seedling with plenty of water.
2. Soak the roots for 2 hours in a clay mash.
3. Trim the roots to 4-5 cm.
4. Dig a planting hole measuring 50x70 cm, the depth of the hole depends on the length of the root, approximately 0.5-0.7 cm.
5. Fill the hole with a drainage layer, soil mixtures and fertilizer.

After the soil in the hole has settled, you can begin planting the seedling.

Landing technology

Place a peg in the side of the pit for support. Place the seedling directly in the center of the hole, with the root collar located above the level of the site. Straighten the roots, sprinkle with soil, compact and tie them to a support for reliability. Then make a circle around the trunk and pour in 10-20 liters of water. After water has been absorbed, mulch the soil.

Regularity of watering

The first watering is carried out a week after planting the seedling, with a large supply of water (30 l). It is recommended to water young seedlings rarely, but abundantly (10-20 l). Excess moisture or stagnation of water in the root hole can lead to rotting of the roots. During active growth, the apple tree is watered at least 3 times a week. In rainy weather, the amount of watering is reduced to a minimum.

Mature trees are watered 1-2 times a week. From the end of June, watering is gradually reduced, and by mid-August it is finally stopped, since the trees must have time to complete the formation of flower buds and prepare for wintering.

Seasonal prevention

In order to protect trees from temperature changes, diseases, pests, as well as to prepare the garden for winter, preventive work is carried out:

• pruning;
• fertilizing and treatment with fungicides;
• whitewashing carried out seasonally 2-3 times a year;
• leaf cleaning;
• removal of weeds and carrion;
• mulching tree trunk circles.

When and what to feed a young and mature tree

Foliar feeding of the tree is carried out seasonally, 3 times a year. Feeding on the leaf is carried out during the growing season, for this purpose urea is used (15 g per 10 l). Root feeding is carried out once a year, for this purpose ammonium nitrate is used (35 g per tree).

In the spring, an infusion of liquid bird droppings, diluted 1:8, will be a good feed for young trees. Humus is used as surface fertilizer, which is scattered before digging. In summer and autumn, the best feeding is a solution (1:3) of mullein and nitrophoska (50 g: 10 l of water). Fertilizer application increases productivity and provides crop protection from diseases.

Formation of the correct crown

A year later, when the tree is formed into a column, the lateral shoots are removed, leaving 2 buds. The next year, two shoots form on the remaining buds. One, which grows horizontally, is left, and the other is shortened by 2 buds. The crown is trimmed only if it is damaged.

In addition to shaping, trees need sanitary pruning, which involves removing dry and diseased branches from the crown. It is carried out once a year before the start of sap flow.

Is it necessary to cover a tree for winter?

The superficial location of the roots can threaten the crop with freezing, so the gardener must take care of frost protection measures. To do this, the branches of the tree are tied, and the lower part of the trunk and the top are insulated.

Varieties

Depending on the scion, these apple trees are divided into types: super-dwarf, dwarf, semi-dwarf, medium-sized, and vigorous.

Dwarf

Apple trees of this species are obtained by grafting clonal scions with the Co gene onto dwarf rootstocks. The tree is particularly fragile, slow growing and has a unique ability to form fruits along the entire trunk from the first year. It has moderate winter hardiness and disease resistance.

This group includes the most popular varieties: Dialog, Arbat, Valyuta.

Early

The variety differs not only in tree height, but also in ripening time. Technical ripeness of summer apple varieties occurs from mid-July to the first half of August. The shelf life of such fruits is short, no more than 4 weeks. The most common varieties are: Medok, President.