Creeping apple tree: description and characteristics, planting and care, pruning

Apple tree, not ordinary, growing up, but creeping, was the result of numerous experiments by Siberian gardeners, systematically trying to grow a garden with high productivity of trees. In other words, stlantsy are low-growing apple trees, only half a meter high, with an artificially formed crown that spreads its branches horizontally above the ground.

Advantages of creeping shape

Apple trees are low, only half a meter high, which allows you to cover them for the winter. And in the Siberian climate, this is a guarantee of the survival of plantings and stable yields of trees.Already by 3-4 years you can get the first fruits. And the tree itself will bear fruit for more than four decades, if the agricultural technology is correct.

For what areas is recommended for cultivation

Siberian gardeners cultivated creeping apple trees specifically so that apple trees could grow and bear fruit successfully in Siberia, with its winters with severe frosts and snowfalls.

The specifics of growing slate apple trees in Siberian conditions

If a heat-loving tree is planted vertically, it will die from the cold, and the owners will not wait for apples. Varieties of local selection survive in such conditions, but they do not differ in good taste, and they are small.

In the Siberian climate, it is possible to grow stlanets when the crown of the tree is as close to the ground as possible so that the snow covering it becomes a real protection from severe frosts.Only from creeping varieties of apple trees will the owners be able to wait for good harvests, and their fruits will be large and tasty.

Does apple variety matter?

Stlanz is not one specific variety. This is the name of cultivated apple trees, the crowns of which have been shaped in a certain way.

This can be done with any variety. Moreover, their maturation time may be different. The main thing is to know how to grow them correctly.

Boarding rules

To grow such a tree, you should know the specific rules of agricultural technology. It has its own subtleties in trees with a creeping crown.

Preparing the seedling

According to the recommendations of experienced gardeners, preference should be given to seedlings grown specifically for the area. An apple tree on the stock of a local wild game will take root better. And you can graft any selected variety.A one-year-old seedling with a fibrous root system and a trunk of 80-100 millimeters is suitable. Its roots should be kept moist. They are usually dipped in earthen mash.

Choosing a landing site

Pay attention to how protected the site that you have outlined for the creeping apple tree seedling is. It should be on a hill, well protected from the piercing wind, and not swampy in any way. It’s great if snow begins to accumulate around the tree, and not be blown away from the site. Now about the soil. She must be fertile.

Preparation of soil and holes for apple trees

A deep hole will not be needed, as the roots of the apple tree will be covered with surface soil. 2/3 of the hole is filled with soil mixed with humus. The earth is poured in a cone, and the roots of the seedling are evenly straightened along it when planting. They are covered with soil, which should be compacted and poured with 2-3 buckets of water.

Date and disembarkation scheme

Slate apple trees are planted in autumn and spring.

Start of work in September-October. With frosts, rooted trees are tilted to the ground, fixed with hooks. Any protective material will do for shelter. They are freed from fastenings with the first days of spring, allowing them to grow freely.
But the most favorable time for planting is early spring. The moment is chosen while the buds have not yet blossomed. After watering with peat, humus and other improvised materials, the holes around the tree are mulched. And on the south side, a pile of straw is applied to the trunk of the seedling to protect the bark from sunburn.

Annual slate formation plan

Slatse apple seedlings are planted in different ways:

at an angle of 40;
straight.

The creeping apple tree spreads its branches right above the ground. Therefore, it is extremely important for each skeletal shoot to have its own direction and enough light so that the fruit buds form better.

Sprouted shoots are unnecessary, because they are turned into fruit shoots, pinned over the 4-5th leaf. As soon as new shoots grow, pinching should be repeated.

In winter

Apple tree, for protection, covered with material. Snow will be a great way to protect it from Siberian frosts. If the tree is not covered enough, the gardener will have to do it.

Spring

To release the overwintered apple tree, the earth is raked from its trunk. Perform pruning of excess shoots. You can not do this, but it is better to shorten it by 1/3 of the length of the annual growth. And do it in the first days of spring. So the tree will branch well.

Summer

July is the month when crown formation begins and apple trees bend down.

Autumn

All grown and stretched shoots are pressed to the ground with hooks. The trunk should be piled 8-10 centimeters to protect the root collar from freezing.

How to properly care

It's time to talk about the intricacies of caring for a creeping apple tree.

Sanitary pruning and crown care

Beginner gardeners should learn especially how to prune fruit trees.

Cutting Features

Usually pruning is carried out in early spring. The cut points are covered with garden pitch, and the dead branches are removed. If the saw cut is large enough, oil paint, iron red lead or ocher are used. This can be done in the last days of spring and the first days of summer. The warmer, the faster the wounds heal.Saplings of the slate apple tree are cut to 4 or 5 buds. In this case, the crown is formed from newly emerging young branches, which are fixed horizontally with hooks. Branches must not touch the ground.

Goals

What is pruning done for? Due to the particularly dense crown of the creeping apple tree, often:

tree bears fruit late;
diseases develop and pests spread rapidly;
apples are getting smaller and taste worse.

Scheme and timing of work

Start pruning in the spring before the sap flow begins. Professional gardeners manage to prune apple trees even in winter. But don't even try. Autumn pruning is allowed only after leaf fall. And yet it is worth doing this in the spring, because the place of the cut will not have time to heal before the onset of frost.

Fertilization timing

The apple tree needs top dressing. When determining the amount of fertilizer, the age of the tree and the area it occupies should be taken into account. After flowering, you can feed the stlanets by diluting a mixture of nitrophoska and sodium humanate in water. It is much easier to soak green cut grass - you will get an excellent green manure.

At the same time, trees are sprayed with urea. Then the apple tree will receive the required elements through the leaves.

During the summer, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium should be contained in top dressing. It should be applied several times, every couple of weeks. For autumn top dressing, substances rich in potassium and phosphorus are used. Nitrogen fertilizers are contraindicated.

Irrigation

Slates will have to be carefully watered, having previously lifted the tree branches with props. From the end of August, watering should be limited. This contributes to the maturation of the wood.

Load control

Timely high-quality pruning allows you to form a strong skeleton. It will give the tree the ability to withstand the pressures of large crops, provide the apple tree with large, tasty fruits, rich in vitamins and other nutrients.

Vaccination

There are no differences in the grafting of the stlan. It is enough to choose the right stock. Cut off an annual cutting in the fall and store it until spring. The vaccination is done on a solid branch, without waiting for the buds to bloom.

Treatment of the near-stem soil circle

In late autumn, it is recommended to dig up the soil around the trunk. Mulching with a layer of up to 5 centimeters is also advised - with material that is at hand.

Diseases and pests of slates

Among the most common:

Scab of leaves and fruits - collect and burn diseased leaves, spray the tree with 1% Bordeaux liquid.
Moniliosis - destroy infected fruits and leaves, collect all the apples and leaves that remain on the tree in the fall, and use Bordeaux liquid or copper oxychloride.

Mice pose the greatest threat to the apple tree. But they can be successfully de alt with.

Protection against rodents

The easiest way is poison. It can be added to whitewash mix, packaged in plastic bottles, and left on the ground near a tree trunk. Rodents do not like strong odors, and strong-smelling grass tied to apple branches should scare them away. As an option - cover the tree with spruce branches. Any of these methods is quite effective.

Whitewash

This procedure is required by the apple tree in the fall. The solution is prepared from lime, clay and paste (fresh mullein can play its role). By applying the solution to the trunk and skeletal branches, you protect the tree trunk from the sun and all kinds of pests, such as pupae and insect eggs.

Weed control

Deep digging will be appropriate in autumn. And loosening and mulching will help retain moisture. In spring and summer, the soil should remain clean, free of weeds.

How to cover for the winter?

To cover the crown, gardeners use warming materials and what is at hand:

spruce branches;
dry foliage;
ground;
snow.

As soon as warm days come, the insulation must be removed.

Rootstocks for slats

For a slate apple tree, any variety can perform the role of a rootstock. The main thing is not fragile and resilient.

Reproduction

It is enough to dig in an apple tree tree so that small roots form at the point where the branch touches the ground.Usually a small incision is made on the branch, it is deepened into the ground and fixed with a wire clamp. Sprinkle with earth on top and water a couple of times a week. In autumn, the mother branch can be cut off, and a new place can be allocated to the rooted plant. Another method of reproduction is grafting.

Growing errors

If the skeleton has taken the wrong shape, you will have to correct it. To do this, the growing shoots are tilted to the side and literally pinned to the ground with hooks.

Causes of infertility of the stlanta

When purchasing an apple tree seedling, be curious about when the tree begins to bear fruit. If you have chosen an early variety, wait for the harvest after 3-4 years, if late - 8.

Abundant fruiting can not wait if:

landing wrong;
the crown was formed in violation of the rules;
agricultural practices were not followed;
the variety does not grow in Siberia.

Ways to save a frozen apple tree

If you notice that the stlanets has suffered from severe frosts, take action immediately.

Main features:

small whitish leaves;
weakened state during spring bloom.

Rejuvenation pruning is required to save the tree. As a result, new wood will appear very soon, the apple tree will restore its functions. It is not easy to grow such a heat-loving tree as an apple tree in the conditions of Siberia. And to wait from her noble harvests - and even more so. Still, local gardeners have learned to cope with the Siberian climate, when winters are especially cold and frosts often return in spring. And this heat-loving culture pleases Siberians with abundant harvests.