Apple tree Pepin Saffron: description and characteristics of the variety, cultivation and care

Pepin saffron variety will delight you with its excellent taste. Juicy sweet apples are considered an excellent dessert in any form. Due to the peculiarities of selection, the tree is widely distributed in different regions of the country. The Pepin saffron apple tree is planted by private gardeners and farms.

Variety description

The Pepin saffron variety began its history more than a century ago. It is considered the best breeding work of I. V. Michurin. The new species was obtained by crossing Renet of Orleans, Pepinka Lithuanian with Kitayka.

Features of the external features of the apple tree determine the order of planting care, areas for its cultivation:

1. Trees are low. The maximum height of the trunk is 3 m.
2. The crown is sprawling, round. Branches are drooping. They lean towards the ground as the fruit ripens.
3. The bark on the shoots changes color depending on the age of the plant - from light green to gray.
4. Foliage - green-gray. The leaves are long and pubescent.

Winter-hardy variety is unpretentious in care. Its harvests are plentiful and annual.

Characteristics of Pepin saffron apple tree

The characteristics of the Pepin variety determine the best location, allow you to choose the best care option.

Where it grows

Pepin saffron variety - frost-resistant. The geography of its distribution covers many regions of the country:

1. Rostov region.
2. Voronezh.
3. Krasnodar Territory.
4. Moscow region.
5. Central District.
6. Ural.
7. Siberia.

The versatility of the variety allows you to grow an apple tree at low and high temperatures.

Fruiting

The timing of the onset of the first fruiting after planting depends on the form of cultivation of the Pepin saffron variety. A tree grafted on a dwarf rootstock will bear fruit 4 years after rooting. Ordinary apple trees give a harvest in 5-6 years. The abundance of the crop increases with the age of the plant. Up to 80 kg of fruits are usually harvested from a young tree. After 10 years, the figure rises to 220 kg.

Fruits

Pepin has excellent taste:

1. Medium sized fruit. Weight of one - up to 100 g.
2. Apples are round in shape, slightly conical.
3. The main color is green-yellow. Ripe fruits develop a bright red blush on the sides.
4. Tender but firm flesh is especially juicy.
5. Slightly noticeable sourness and spice are added to the sweet taste.
6. Aroma of wine apples.
7. Each fruit is rich in useful and nutritious substances, vitamins.

Fresh apples are a great dessert. They are used for sweet preservation - jam, compotes, jam. An excellent snack is obtained from pickled fruits.

Pollinator varieties

For a long time it was believed that Pepin Shafranny did not need additional pollinators. In practice, many gardeners have noted the need for additional pollinator varieties. Best for pollination:

1. Antonovka.
2. Slavyanka.
3. Welsey.

These varieties improve the quality and increase the yield.

Winter hardiness and disease resistance

Pepin's apple tree has a high level of frost resistance. It tolerates temperatures as low as -25 degrees. Seedlings need additional protection from the cold. Before the onset of winter, they are covered with special material, the ground around the trunk is mulched with sawdust or peat. In severe frosts, mature trees should also be insulated. They are wrapped with a covering film. The roots are covered with mulch.

Resistance to fungal diseases and pests of the variety is strong. Prevention is important:

1. Regular cleaning of the area from debris, rotten fruits, dry branches, fallen leaves.
2. Digging soil under a tree
3. Sanitary pruning. Affected, dry shoots must be removed immediately.
4. The use of special chemicals for the timely treatment of apple trees. Nitrafen, Karbofos, others are best suited.

Pros and cons

The variety's many virtues have made Pepin saffron a popular planting in many gardens:

1. Fruiting comes early.
2. Ripe fruits do not fall to the ground.
3. Apples look presentable.
4. Fruit tolerates long-distance transportation well.
5. High level of frost resistance.
6. The harvest is annual and plentiful.
7. Probability of being affected by diseases and pests is negligible.
8. Self-fertility.

The variety has specific features. Given them, you can avoid problems when caring for a variety:

1. With poor care, the fruits shrink.
2. Pepin is very demanding on the composition of the soil at the planting site.

Rules for planting seedlings

To plant Pepin, you need a quality seedling, a suitable area, a set of garden tools.

Optimal timing

Recommended planting period - spring. If you root the plant in the fall, then it should be carefully insulated before the onset of cold weather.

Choosing a seat

Pepin prefers a well-lit area. With a lack of light, the fruits of the tree are crushed. Swampy areas should be avoided. Plant a seedling on a hill. The groundwater level should not exceed 2 m.

The apple tree is demanding on the composition and quality of the soil. It will grow well in fertile lands where there is good aeration.

Preparing the site

Preparing for planting in the fall in August. Compost, superphosphate, potassium s alt are evenly distributed on the site. The soil is carefully dug up.

If planting is planned in the spring, then the pit for the seedling is prepared in the fall. A mixture of fertilizers and soil is poured into the recess.

Preparation of seedlings

It is important to choose a quality, he althy seedling of Pepin saffron. Before planting, it should be lowered into the water for 4 hours. Rinse the roots of the plant in a clay mash.

Process and landing pattern

Recommended landing steps:

1. Prepare the planting hole: depth - 70 cm, diameter - 80 cm.
2. Drive in a couple of wooden stakes on both sides.
3. Lower the seedling into the recess. Spread its roots, cover with soil. Plot around tamp.
4. Tie the handle to the supports with a soft rope.
5. Dig a hole around the trunk for watering.
6. Plentifully water the planting.

When properly planted, the root neck is placed 5-7 cm above the ground.

How to care for an apple tree

Mandatory procedures should be followed: watering, fertilizing, crown formation, disease prevention.

Irrigation

Regular irrigation recommended. Every week, 10-15 liters of water are consumed per plant. An adult apple tree is watered 1-2 times a month. The frequency and abundance of watering depends on the surrounding weather conditions. At the end of summer, the planting is not moistened.The final watering is carried out after the leaves fall. This will increase the resistance of the tree to frost.

Feeding

The quantity and quality of fertilizer affects Pepin's harvest. Top dressing is applied by periods:

1. After flowering, the tree is fertilized with bird droppings, diluted with water in a ratio of 1:15. For one apple tree - 8 l.
2. Slurry dissolved in water is applied under the tree trunk after the ovaries fall off.
3. Cow dung, compost are used in autumn.

Cutting

The optimal period for pruning the Pepin variety is spring, autumn. A year after planting, the main trunk is cut into 2 buds. Then carry out the formation of the crown. Be sure to perform sanitary pruning: dry and damaged branches must be removed. In mature trees, the crown is removed. The crown should not come into contact with other plantings.To do this, the side shoots are shortened.

Pest and disease control

Apple Pepin can be affected by scab. It extends to weak trees that are not cared for. It is important to take preventive measures to prevent the development of the disease:

1. Compliance with planting hygiene. Cleaning up garbage, rotten fruit residues, fallen leaves.
2. Digging the soil.
3. Garden var is used for cutting branches.
4. In early spring, the soil around the apple tree is treated with fungicides.
5. The plant is treated with a decoction of manganese, Bordeaux liquid, copper sulfate.
6. Timely remove the affected foliage, branches.

Preparing for winter

Despite the frost resistance of the variety, it is recommended to additionally protect the plant from frost:

1. Young cuttings are completely covered with special material. In adult apple trees, only the trunk is covered. Soil mulching is carried out using peat, manure.
2. Rodents are especially dangerous for the fruit tree. To scare them away, mechanical traps or repellers are placed in the garden.
3. After reaching 5 years, apple trees begin to whiten with a solution of lime or emulsion.

Subspecies variety

There are several varieties of Pepin saffron.

Cultural Winter

Cultural winter subspecies is common in the Middle and Central regions of the country, in the Volga region, grown in the Moscow region. It is demanding on the soil. It is not recommended to plant in soil with high acidity.

Crawling

The creeping form of Pepin saffron is resistant to frost. Its distinctive feature is that the crown spreads along the soil. To do this, you need to work with skeletal branches, bend them to the ground.

Features of cultivation in the regions

The universal variety Pepin is cultivated in many regions of the country.

Moscow Region

The territory of the Moscow region is a great option for growing apple trees. Soil composition, climate are favorable for the development of a he althy tree.

Ural and Siberia

High frost resistance of the variety allows planting Pepin saffron in local garden plots. In severe frosts, additional shelter is needed.

Harvest and storage of crops

Feature Pepin variety - the crop is harvested before it ripens. In early autumn, the fruits are cut off from the branches. Full maturation occurs in 40-60 days. Apples have a long shelf life - about 1 year.

Apple Pepin saffron - the owner of numerous advantages. Sweet fruits contain vitamins and minerals that are beneficial to the human body.The universal variety is widely zoned. It is grown by gardeners in the northern, central and southern regions. They appreciated the benefits of the popular apple tree.

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