Apple tree Columnar currency: description and characteristics of the variety, planting and care with a photo

Columnar apple trees have become a real find for those who have a small area. In a small area, you can place several varieties of trees that are compact in structure. Among the columnar apple trees, the Currency should definitely be planted. Indeed, the best qualities of the parents are concentrated in the hybrid: the columnar elite KV 6 and the American variety OR38T17. The apple tree obtained by scientists has many virtues and has been cultivated for many years in various fields.

Characteristics and description of the apple tree Columnar currency

Before making a choice, you should familiarize yourself with the main characteristics of the tree.

Tree dimensions

One of the undersized varieties of apple trees The currency consists of a trunk that does not have lateral skeletal branches. The height of the tree can be about 2 meters, and the diameter of the trunk is 25 centimeters. Elongated dark green leaves do not change color for a long time, fall off by the end of autumn without turning yellow.

Frequency of fruiting

Apple tree The currency belongs to the winter species, since fruiting occurs in mid-autumn. The first time apples ripen on the branches of a tree that has reached 3 years of age. Then the fruits appear every year, increasing in number. But by the age of 15, the fruit tree becomes smaller.

Yields

If the first harvests of apple trees are small, only a few fruits, then in the 4th year of the tree's life, up to 5-6 kilograms are obtained. The largest harvest from a columnar specimen will be 10-12 kilograms. For apple varieties, weight is from 130 to 250 grams.

Tasting evaluation

Apple varieties are different:

correct oval-conical shape;
yellowish skin with grayish dots underneath;
blush on the sides;
pulp white, granular, medium density;
dessert flavor;
pronounced aroma.

The taste of fruits corresponds to 4.5 points. A slight sourness is present, but it is in harmony with the sweetness of the fruit. The taste only improves as the apples are stored.

Self-fertility

Columnar apple tree Currency does not need pollination, it is self-fertile. It is planted at a distance of 0.5 meters from other similar types of apple trees. Between the rows you can leave a gap of up to 1 meter. Yields will increase if other varieties of the fruit crop are placed next to the tree.

Winter hardiness

The hybrid obtained by scientists endures spring frosts. In winter, the tree does not freeze even at a temperature of -35 degrees. But it is better to cover young fruit trees from frost, tie the trunk with matting.

Disease resistance

The hybrid has a scab resistance gene. The apple tree does not give in to a fungal infection even under adverse climatic conditions. To prevent other diseases, preventive measures are needed.

Pros and cons of the variety

The positive features of the columnar apple variety Currency include:

compact crown, short stem;
high yield;
immunity to diseases;
frost resistance, medium drought resistance;
long preservation of fruits;
versatility of the use of apples.

Among the minuses of the apple tree, one can single out the fact that with age, the productivity of the tree decreases. A 16-year-old apple tree will have a much smaller yield than a young specimen. Since the rings of an adult tree begin to dry out, it is necessary to rejuvenate the plantings.

How to plant apple trees

The role of planting in crop growth and yield is high.

Date of planting

Apple cuttings should be planted in autumn or spring. After leaf fall, planting pits are prepared. Until October 15, seedlings are determined to the chosen place in the garden. If a crop is planted in the spring, then the pits are prepared in advance, preferably in September-October. If useful fertilizers are added to them, then until spring they will dissolve in the soil, nourishing it. Planting work is carried out immediately after the snow melts, before the start of sap flow.

Distance between trees

If several apple trees are planted, then keep the distance between them. The columnar variety does not have a wide crown, so it is enough to place them half a meter apart. Trees with a lush crown are located 1-2 meters from the columnar culture so as not to shade it.

Fitting technology

2-3 weeks before planting, the pit must be prepared in a well-lit area of the garden. Its diameter should be within 50 centimeters with the same depth.

Fertilizers must be applied to the soil, mixing all the components thoroughly. A seedling is selected one- or two-year-old with a strong root system.

In the center of the pit, a mound of fertile soil is poured and a shoot is placed there, spreading the roots. After backfilling with soil, the layer around the trunk is slightly compacted, marking the boundaries of the trunk circle. Then the planted tree is watered abundantly and sprinkled with mulch to better retain moisture.

Apple tree care

For the column grade Currency care is easy.

Watering the tree

Trees are watered 2-3 times per season, more often if the summer is dry. Be sure to moisten the near-stem circle during the flowering period, after harvesting, increasing the moisture capacity of the soil before winter. For 1 tree you need up to 30-40 liters of water.

Feeding and soil care

To increase the yield of the apple tree Currency needed fertilizer:

After flowering, 10 grams of ammonium nitrate and 5 potassium s alt are bred in 10 liters of water.
In July, phosphorus-potassium fats are introduced, which are prepared from 15-20 grams of superphosphate and 10 - potassium s alt per bucket of water.
Food buckets are enough for 2-3 meters of furrow along the plantings.
Podzolic soils should be fertilized every 7-10 years with lime, 200 grams per 1 square meter.
Fertile areas are fertilized every 3-4 years in the form of wood ash with humus.

The soil in the garden needs loosening and weeding. It is necessary to loosen 4-5 times during the summer, struggling with soil compaction.

Crown formation

To form the crown, the shoots that appear on the sides of the trunk are pruned. If the bole develops 2 tops, then the weak one is removed. When a tree blooms in the first or second year of life, it is necessary to cut off the buds. As they grow older, they leave from 6 to 10 inflorescences on the shoot.

Shelter for the winter and protection from rodents

Although the variety tolerates low temperatures, young trees need protection. Therefore, in October-November, whitewashing the trunk is required, as well as shelter with spruce branches. It is advisable to wrap the trunk with several layers of non-woven material or roofing felt. If you dig a sheet of roofing felt and wrap the trunk, then you can protect the tree from rodents.Trampling the fallen snow in the garden will prevent mice from nibbling the roots of the apple tree.

Peculiarities of reproduction

You can propagate the column by rooted cuttings, seedlings with a closed root system. The apple tree is used as a rootstock for grafting. Budding is carried out only by experienced gardeners, but for this they cut off the top of the apple tree to get a cutting with 3-4 buds.

Prevention and protection against diseases and pests

The immunity gene in the variety Currency is present only for scab. But the column can get sick:

powdery mildew;
brown spotting;
anthracnose;
monoliosis.

Spraying Bordeaux liquid in spring and autumn will save the culture from pathogenic fungi. Of the pests, the tree is affected by the codling moth, aphids, leafworms. Insects, their larvae are visible on the leaves of the tree. They must be fought with insecticide treatment.

Maturation and fruiting

Ripening of apples on a hybrid takes a long time and ends in mid-October. If the summer is cold, then the dates are shifted by 1-2 weeks. It is necessary to collect apples in fine weather. Damaged fruits are immediately removed, and the rest are put in boxes. The harvest is stored until January-February.

Features in regions

The columnar variety Currency is cultivated not only in the southern regions, it grows well in areas with a temperate and cold climate.

In the suburbs

In the Moscow region and nearby areas, the apple tree manages to reach technical maturity. It is easy to care for and ripe apples can be harvested in mid-October.

In Siberia and the Urals

In regions with short summers and unstable weather, apples ripen a little later.For the winter, the tree is covered with spruce branches, the trunk is tied with non-woven material in several layers. In the spring, so that the frosts do not break the inflorescences, it is necessary to water the column abundantly. Moisturizing the soil in late April - early May can delay the flowering of the garden for 5-7 days.