Description and characteristics of the summer variety of apple trees Mantet, planting and growing rules

The Mantet apple tree was bred by Canadian breeders in 1928. The variety is a hybrid, obtained by natural pollination of Grushovka Moskovskaya. Mantet is included in the State Register of Fruit Trees for the Central and Middle Volga regions of Russia.

Description and characteristics of the variety

The variety is heat-loving and can hardly tolerate frost. With minor frostbite, it recovers quickly. Requires methodical care. Like any summer variety, it is not distinguished by its keeping quality.

Tree height

A medium-sized adult Mantet apple tree does not exceed 4.5 meters. The trunk is topped with a rounded crown, of medium density, not subject to strong thickening.

Bloom

The inflorescences consist of white flowers with rounded, slightly elongated petals, a short pistil and stigmas located below the anthers.

The petals have a pinkish tint, turning into purple (closer to the middle of the flower).

Leaves

Leathery, with a glossy surface, large leaves of a dark green color. The shape is oval, the tip of the leaf is pointed, the edges are wavy and raised, reminiscent of the cutting edge of a metal file. The veins are lighter than the main color of the leaf. The peculiarity of Manteta foliage is that a leaf and thin stipules emerge from one pubescent bud.

Crown

Manteta's crown consists of several types of branches:

• Two-year and earlier shoots stretch almost vertically towards the sun.
• The geniculate shoots are brown in color.
• Short lentils have gray bark.

Adult Mantet apple trees have hardy branches and the bark is quite dense, which cannot be said about young trees.

Fruit

A cone-shaped apple of regular shape, weighing from 90 to 180 g, is distinguished by pronounced ribbing in the upper and lower parts, the middle part is smooth. The seeds of the ripe fruit are dark brown in color, triangular in shape, and round in silhouette. The peel is smooth, dense, thin yellowish-green in color, the blush on these apples appears as bright red spots and vertical stripes. The juicy pulp is cream-colored; greenish and pink shades are possible at different stages of fruit maturity.

Tasting assessment

The taste is sweet, slightly sour without aroma and received a rating of 4.4-4.6 points out of 5 possible.

Harvest ripening time

Fruit ripening is uneven; the first fruits in the southern regions can be harvested as early as mid-July. In the middle zone, you will be able to enjoy sweet dessert apples only at the end of July - beginning of August. The last fruits are harvested from Mantet apple trees in the first half of September.

Productivity

At the first fruiting, which occurs in the 3rd season after planting, it can reach 20 kg. Every year, with proper care, the harvest will become richer. From an adult plant over 10 years old, 70 kg of fruits are collected. Mantet bears fruit for half a century.

Winter hardiness

The winter hardiness of the Mantet apple tree is not designed for planting in regions with harsh winters. It does not always come out without loss after frosts of -18 °C. Where air temperatures below -10 °C are possible in winter, the trunk of the apple tree must be securely wrapped, and the area of ​​land above the root system must be mulched with a thick layer of sawdust and straw.

Disease resistance

The scourge of apple trees of the Mantet variety is scab; the apple tree of this variety does not have strong immunity to other fungal and infectious diseases.

Beneficial properties of apples

Apple diets or fasting days are recommended even for pregnant women, only 48 kcal, and apples will fully provide nutrients, fruit fiber, iron, vitamins and minerals for the daily diet. The main thing is not to overuse it, because there are a lot of sugars in these fruits.

Advantages and disadvantages

The advantages and disadvantages include:

• The sparse, neat crown of Manteta does not require close attention.
• The plant is not whimsical in choosing its neighbors; flowers and vegetables can be planted next to it.
• Apple trees of other varieties, with which Mantet has the same flowering period, only improve the yield of the self-fertile variety.
• The fruits are delicious.
• After 10-11 fertile seasons, the apple tree will delight you with a rich harvest in a year.
• The presence of apple pollinators and favorable weather conditions greatly influence the quality of the harvest.
• Uneven ripening of fruits.
• Young, immature branches of the apple tree break under the weight of the fruit.
• The higher the harvest, the smaller the fruits.
• Weak immunity to diseases and attractive to pests.
• Low winter hardiness.
• During rainy seasons, the likelihood of scab infection increases.

Landing Features

The low winter hardiness of the Mantet apple tree practically reduces its survival rate to zero if it is planted in the fall in temperate latitudes. The optimal landing date is from April 1 to April 15.

Selection of seedlings

When choosing seedlings you need to pay attention to:

• strongly pronounced trunk;
• the presence of 3-5 flexible branches with a length of 50 cm;
• evenness, uniformity of the bark;
• health of the root system, consisting of skeletal and lobe 30-centimeter roots.

Time and place

The best soil for the Mantet apple tree is loam in a place protected from strong winds. Sunlight should easily penetrate the plant, and groundwater should not come into contact with the roots. If it is not possible to find a more favorable place, then it is necessary to provide the plant with high-quality drainage.

Preparing the planting hole

The hole for an apple tree seedling must be prepared in advance - in the fall or 2 weeks before planting. Its width and depth are ≈ 100 cm. Part of the selected soil is mixed with humus, wood ash, potassium sulfate, and superphosphate. This enriched pillow is backfilled with a layer of 20-30 cm.It must be separated from direct contact with the roots by a layer of fertile soil. All this is filled with 10 liters of water. A stake is driven into the middle; it will be needed to tie up the seedling.

Planting scheme

The gap between Mantet trees is at least 3 meters. The seedling is lowered into the hole parallel to the peg, its roots are carefully distributed over the earthen cushion. You should ensure that after filling the hole with soil, the trunk rises 5-7 cm above it. The plant is tied up; it needs an additional axis in the first two years after transplantation.

After planting, you should make a circular ditch at a short distance from the trunk and water it. Each seedling requires 30 liters of water.

Nuances of care

The Mantet variety is sensitive to both drought and waterlogging. In the absence of natural precipitation, you should consider an irrigation system, because each mature tree may require from 70 to 120 liters of water during the flowering period, and when fruit juices are poured, this norm doubles.

Watering and weeding

High-quality soil moisture for the Mantet apple tree is recommended at least 4 times per season:

• before flowering;
• in mid-June;
• in July at the stage of fruit ripening;
• in mid-October.

After each watering, the soil adjacent to the trunk of the apple tree must be loosened and simultaneously cleared of fallen leaves, dry branches and other debris, and the soil must be mulched again.

Pests

Apple mite, leaf roller, aphid, codling moth. To combat them, infusions of onion peels, wormwood and spraying with chemicals carried out before flowering are suitable.

Trimming

Planned pruning of Mantet apple trees is carried out in early spring and after harvest. At these stages, frozen, dried, old branches are removed.In summer, you need to remove unwanted shoots that take away the juices of the fruit tree. The roundness of the crown is also maintained through systematic pruning.

Top dressing

To accelerate rooting, form skeletal branches, and bring apple trees closer to fruiting time, root fertilizers are used. Dry fertilizers are applied to well-moistened soil. It is easier for a tree to absorb liquid products from dry soil:

• For April feeding, 500 g of dry urea is enough; it is distributed around the tree trunk within a radius of 50-70 cm from the trunk.
• When watering before flowering, it is recommended to apply organic fertilizer - manure, diluted so as not to overfeed and burn the apple tree. For a young seedling, 30 liters is enough; an adult plant needs 100 liters of nutrient fluid.
• In the process of loosening the soil of the apple tree, compost is added.
• In mid-May, a comprehensive feeding is required, consisting of: 7 liters of water, 35 g of potassium sulfate, 200 g of superphosphate, 330 ml of guano infusion.
• 600 g of urea are re-distributed over the area next to the tree trunk at the end of May after preliminary high-quality moistening of the soil.
• To obtain a high-quality harvest in mid-June, fertilizing with 600 g of nitrophoska and 5 g of sodium humate diluted in 20 liters of water is required.
• After harvesting, 350 g of superphosphate and potassium sulfate are distributed on top of the soil around the trunk.

Whitewashing and preparation for winter

Whitewashing protects the trunk from freezing, rodents, and insects that are not averse to settling in the bark of the apple tree. Such comprehensive protection will be provided by lime whitewash enriched with clay and copper sulfate.

To insulate the trunk of an apple tree, any available material of natural origin is used - hay, straw, reeds, sunflower greens; they are wrapped around the trunk and lower branches.

The outer layer that protects the natural insulation and the apple tree from getting wet, respectively, should be roofing felt. For even more reliable protection of the plant, it is recommended to pour a peat blanket 20-30 cm thick over the root zone. In winter, a thick layer of snow also reduces the risk of roots freezing.

Collection and storage

Mantet apple trees are harvested due to the non-simultaneous ripening of the fruits of this variety from July 15 to the first ten days of September. At positive storage temperatures, apples retain their presentation and original taste for no more than 2 weeks from the moment they are removed from the tree. Apples can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-3.5 weeks. Fallen fruits spoil faster.