Modern advances in agronomics and breeding allow gardeners to grow apples in various climatic conditions. Even residents of northern regions with low air temperatures can plant varieties of apple trees for the Urals in the garden. Before planting such Ural varieties, it is recommended to familiarize yourself with their characteristics in advance.
General characteristics of Ural apple trees
The Urals are considered a special region, which differs from many others in its climatic conditions.This territory has harsh and long winters, short and cold summers, and constant temperature changes. All these climate features negatively affect plant growth and productivity. Therefore, apples that will be grown in this region must have certain properties. Ural varieties have the following distinctive features:
- resistance to frost, which occurs in winter and spring;
- rapid recovery of trees after exposure to low temperatures;
- a reliable immune system that protects apple trees from scab and common diseases;
- ease of care;
- good tolerance to high summer temperatures;
- resistance to droughts and dry soil;
- rapid ripening of fruits, thanks to which apples ripen within 30-40 days.
Also, the characteristic features of the Ural varieties of apple trees include the duration of storage of their varieties. On average, such fruits are stored for about two months after picking.
Main groups of varieties
All types of apples that can be grown in the Urals are divided into three groups of varieties. It is recommended that you familiarize yourself with them in advance to find out their distinctive features.
Summer
To obtain ripened apple fruits, it is recommended to plant just such varieties in the first half of summer. Summer plants are distinguished by drooping thin shoots that are olive-colored with a brown tint. The trees are covered with medium-sized and oval-shaped leaves.
The fruits are conical in shape and small in size. At first they are colored greenish, but after ripening a lightish coating appears on their surface. The skin of the fruit is soft and has a smooth, non-rough surface. The ripened harvest is juicy and sour in taste.
Winter
Winter apples include Ural apples, the harvest of which, after harvesting, can be stored until the end of winter or the beginning of spring. This storage duration is due to the fact that the harvest is not fully ripe.
It is during storage that the fruits begin to ripen and acquire the aroma characteristic of ripe apples.
Often the fruits of winter varieties grow to medium size. However, if you grow them in optimal growing conditions, you can get a large harvest. Apples are covered with a dense, smooth peel and have a round shape. The pulp has a greenish tint and excellent taste with a sweetish taste without sourness.
Dwarf
Gardeners with small plots are more likely to grow low-growing plants that do not take up much space in the garden. The characteristic features of dwarf apple trees include their height. Most plants grow up to one and a half meters. However, if you grow grafted varieties, they will not grow higher than one meter.
The disadvantages of dwarf apples include the frequency of their fruiting. They begin to bear fruit only 4-5 years after being planted in the garden.
The best apple trees for the Urals
Before planting apples in the Urals, you need to familiarize yourself with the varieties that are intended for planting in this region. There are several varieties that grow better than others in cold climates.
Aport
Gardeners consider this variety of fruit legendary, since many other Ural varieties were bred from it. The advantages and main features of Aport include its huge fruits. Ripe apples grow up to 300-400 grams if grown outside. In greenhouses with a constantly maintained temperature, their weight can increase to 700-800 grams.
Each planted Aporta tree will produce a harvest for 30-45 years. In this case, the first harvest can be harvested only 5-7 years after planting. Collected apples are stored for five months.
Folk
Fans of compact trees should pay attention to apples folk, which grow up to three meters. The variety is classified as an autumn variety of apples with late ripening. The harvest will mature only 3-4 months after planting. The plant is intended for cultivation in the central part of the Urals. In the northern regions it is better to grow trees in greenhouses.
The fruits are not very large, as their weight is 140-150 grams. The top of the apples is covered with yellow skin, which turns golden when ripe.
Bashkir
This is an old variety that began to be actively grown in the northern regions of the country in the first half of the twentieth century. Its main advantages include high yield and resistance to low temperatures. Trees also cope with fungal pathologies and pests.
The harvest of Bashkir apples will be fully ripened in early September or in the second half of August. The fruits are small and their weight is only 80-90 grams. Not everyone will like the taste of ripe apples, since their sweetish taste contains a slight bitterness. Because of this, housewives often refuse to use them for making jam.
Sverdlovskaya
The apple tree is a high-yielding and early-ripening plant, the fruits of which ripen in 35-50 days. The trees have a rounded crown and grow up to 4-5 meters.
The main advantage of Sverdlovskaya is the size of ripe apples, the weight of which reaches 150-200 grams.Sometimes on trees you can find specimens that grow up to 250 grams. Sverdlovskaya fruits are distinguished by dense granular pulp with a sour taste. The harvest is first carried out 8-9 years after planting in the garden. Collected fruits are stored for at least 7-8 months.
Zhigulevsky
Gardeners value Zhiguli apples for their resistance to common diseases and good yield. Also, the advantages of the fruit include the taste of its fruits. They have juicy flesh with a sweetish taste and slight sourness. The fruits are collected in the first half of autumn or in the last days of August. Collected fruits can be stored in the cellar for no longer than six months.
The trees of the variety are poorly protected from low temperatures and sudden temperature changes. Therefore, experienced gardeners advise growing them in greenhouses to increase productivity.
Nastenka
In the harsh climate of the Urals they grow well apples Nastenka, which tolerate temperature changes without problems. The advantage of the variety is considered to be large fruits, the weight of which reaches 150-180 grams. They are oval in shape and covered with matte skin with a reddish tint. Nastenka's pulp is distinguished by its high density, sweet taste and pleasant aroma.
Ripe fruits are harvested in mid-July, when a blush appears on their surface. The harvest must be stored in a cellar at a temperature of 12-15 degrees. Under these conditions, fruits can be stored for about 2-4 months.
How to choose the right variety?
It is recommended to familiarize yourself in advance with the peculiarities of choosing the variety of apple trees for planting. When choosing, pay attention to the growth strength of the trees. For example, for a large garden, a vigorous apple tree that grows up to ten meters is suitable.For smaller areas, choose low- and medium-growing plants with a height of 3-6 meters.
The winter hardiness of seedlings should also be taken into account, since resistance to low temperatures depends on this. For residents of the Urals, it is best to plant varieties with a high level of winter hardiness, since this region has a cold climate.
Conclusion
It is difficult to grow apple trees in the Urals due to the climate, and therefore many gardeners have difficulties with this. It is necessary to familiarize yourself in advance with the Ural varieties of apples that grow well at low temperatures, and choose from them the most suitable variety for planting.
