If a gardener plants an Early Aloe apple tree in his dacha, he will not be disappointed, because the fruits of this variety have an excellent taste and attractive appearance. This tree is unpretentious, so growing it will not be difficult. Apples of this variety are suitable for consumption both fresh and processed into jam, and compotes are also prepared from dried fruits.
History of the appearance of the variety
The Aloe Early apple tree was bred back in 1966 by crossing varieties such as Melba and Papirovka by breeders from the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute, led by scientist E. N. Sedov.This plant inherited from its parents improved qualities from the characteristics of each variety. It has increased frost resistance and increased productivity.
This variety is intended for the regions of the central zone of the Russian Federation, but it is successfully grown in other parts of the country, for example in the north-west.
Description of the variety
The Aloe Early apple tree is classified as an early summer variety. The tree begins to bear fruit 3-4 years after planting in a permanent place. The winter hardiness of this plant is good. It is self-sterile, so it needs to be planted next to other early summer varieties, such as Serebryanoye Kopytse, Mantet, Brusnichnoe, Solntsedar, Altai Rumyanoye and others.
The description of this variety indicates that the apple tree blooms from May 15th. Fruit ripening is extended over time and begins in early August. The average yield is about 170 centners per hectare.
Appearance
The height of the tree is average, the plant grows up to 4-5 meters. The fruits have some variegation and a thin, shiny skin. The cut flesh is distinguished by white, juicy pulp with a fine-grained structure. The weight of the fetus ranges from 85 to 120 grams. Gardeners rate the taste at 4.5–4.7 points.
Useful qualities of fruits
Early Aloe apples have a sweet taste with a slight sourness and a pleasant aroma. The composition of this type of fruit is as follows:
- P-active substances - 288 mg per 100 g.
- Vitamin C - 14.7 mg per 100 g.
- Sugar - 9.3%.
- Titratable acids - 0.74%.
Escapes
It has deep green, pointed foliage and red fruits. The plates have a concave shape and are pubescent on the underside. The inflorescences are a soft pink hue, the flower petals are closed and arranged vertically.The pistil is placed at the same height as the stamens.
The branches form a rounded dense crown. They are located close to each other, and their ends are raised up. The color of the branches is dark gray.
Features of the variety
The Aloe Early apple tree variety has increased winter hardiness and productivity. Its height reaches 4 meters. The tree is early-bearing and bears fruit already in the 4th year. Bud formation occurs on short shoots with ring-shaped nodules. They are called simple and complex ringlets.
Advantages and disadvantages
The advantages of this apple tree variety include good frost resistance, high yield, excellent appearance and taste of fruit, and early fruiting.
The disadvantage of Early Scarlet is its moderate resistance to scab.
Harvest and storage
The apple tree begins to bear fruit in August. Fruits do not ripen in one period - their ripening occurs over a long period of time, so gardeners make sure that they do not overripe on the tree branches. It is advisable to eat the fruits within a month, but if after this period they remain, then if stored correctly they do not lose their quality.
The picked fruits are placed in a wooden container and stored in a cool place with optimal air humidity.
Disease and pest control
The Aloe Early apple tree, like most other fruit trees, can be affected by scab and tinder fungus, and among insects the enemy is the codling moth. For the purpose of prevention, the following measures are taken:
- do systematic pruning;
- Phosphorus-potassium fertilizing (ash is possible) is applied in a timely manner for better tree resistance;
- regularly collect carrion;
- remove leaves that have fallen in autumn;
- strip the bark down to living tissue before winter;
- before a period of calm, they dig up the soil;
- The tree trunk is whitened on time.
If the apple trees have been affected by tinder fungus, then it is necessary to disinfect them. This is a fungal infection that has no effect on the fruits themselves, but is detrimental to plants. The tinder fungus parasitizes the apple tree, sucking out nutrients. For this reason, the tree gets sick and stops bearing fruit.
The fungus settles on the bark of the apple tree, and at the initial stage it is easy to get rid of: cut out with a knife or cut down with an ax. It is very important to remove the tinder fungus completely to prevent relapse. Afterwards, the plants are treated with diluted copper sulfate. At the end of the procedure, garden pitch is used to seal the wound.
Another serious disease is scab. The Early Aloe apple tree has some resistance to it.
Scab infection occurs due to high air humidity. This usually happens during the rainy season. First of all, the leaves of the tree are affected, and then the fungus spreads to the fruit. Visually, the disease appears in the form of brown spots.
Fruits showing signs of damage should neither be stored nor used for food.
Effective means for combating scab are preparations containing copper:
- Bordeaux mixture;
- copper sulfate solution;
- diluted urea;
- copper oxychloride.
The third dangerous enemy of the Early Aloe apple tree is the codling moth. It is a nocturnal moth, its larvae cause damage to fruits. Apples affected by them cannot ripen and fall off. In this way, up to 90% of the entire harvest is sometimes lost.
If the preventive measures described above are not enough, and the tree is still affected by pests, then gardeners use insecticides.
The Aloe Early apple tree is deservedly popular among summer residents, because it is very prolific, unpretentious and resistant to frost, and its fruits are tasty and beautiful.
