Apple Bogatyr: variety description, advantages and disadvantages, cultivation

From the late-winter types of apple trees, the Bogatyr variety is the most popular among gardeners. The fruits of the tree are preserved until spring without changing their qualities. The hybrid was obtained in the 20s of the last century by the Ukrainian breeder S. Chernenko by crossing Antonovka with Renet Landsberg. The variety is valued for plasticity, unpretentiousness, high yield.

Description and characteristics of the Bogatyr apple tree

The main quality of the fruit crop is the appearance of large apples, not without reason they are called the Red Bogatyr. They are superior in weight, and delight gardeners with their harmonious taste.

Appearance variety

The Bogatyr apple tree is different:

up to 5 meters high;
olive bark;
thick branches;
oval leaves, with jagged edges, pubescent below, on reddish petioles;
white-pink inflorescences of medium size.

The formation of the fruits of the variety is mainly on the annelids.

Apple fruits

In the 4th year of life, the tree yields the first apples. Their main qualities are:

roundness of shape with slight ribbing;
light green skin color;
rouge on the sides when in the sun;
sweet and sour taste;
pleasant fragrance;
weight from 200 to 400 grams.

Apples can hang on branches for a long time without falling off until they are removed.

Self-fertility

The stamens of apple flowers are not located on the same level with the anthers, so the Bogatyr variety is not classified as self-fertile. It is necessary that pollinators grow near the tree. Melba, Streflig, Sinap Severny are suitable for this quality.

Yields

If apple trees grown through a seedling give a harvest in the 4th year of life, then after budding they get the first fruits only after 7 years. But the yields of the variety are quite high. From one tree, you can collect up to 50-70 kilograms of fragrant fruits. Every year the tree gives tasty fruits, increasing their number every season.

Tasting evaluation

Bogatyr apples are superior in taste to their parents. They harmoniously combine sweetness with acidity, although vitamin C accounts for 12.9 per 100 grams of the product. The flesh of the fruit is white, crispy, juicy. Apples taken from the branches become tastier as they are stored.

Winter hardiness

The apple tree successfully survives the winter, but in the northern regions it is necessary to wrap it up to protect it from frost. The Central and Volga-Vyatka regions are best suited for cultivation.

Pros and cons

The Bogatyr variety has many advantages. They are made up of:

storage time for apples;
improve their taste as they are stored;
bountiful fruit harvests;
eating fresh apples during winter and spring.

The variety is resistant to scab, tolerates frost well. Among the shortcomings of apples, their soft color is noted. Juices or jams made from green apples look ugly.

Tree planting rules

For better fruiting of apple trees, you must follow the rules and terms of planting crops.

Selecting a place and landing dates

For seedlings of the Bogatyr apple tree, they choose flat places in the garden with sandy and loamy soils. The depth of groundwater should not be higher than 2 meters to the surface of the earth.

Apple trees grow well in areas hidden from the influence of wind from the west, north and east.

Before planting, fertilizers are applied to the soil, taking 4-6 kilograms of manure per 1 square meter, 50 grams of superphosphate, 40 ammonium sulfate and 30 potassium s alt. Be sure to dig up the site, harrow it to break up lumps of earth. The best time to plant trees is early spring before bud break. Where snow falls early, apple trees can be planted before October 10.

Preparing the pit

Pits are prepared in advance, at least 2-3 weeks before planting. In depth, the hole is made 50-60 centimeters, with a width of 70-80.Be sure to add 2-3 buckets of humus, superphosphate and potassium s alt to the pit - 300 grams. Lime is required for acidic soils. It is enough 200 grams. Before fertilizing, they are mixed with the ground. Filling the hole by a third, pour a mound of 1 bucket of humus.

Necessary distance between trees

The seedling is placed in the middle of the pit and covered with nutrient soil. It is necessary to sprinkle the tree with earth so that the root neck is at the level of the soil surface or slightly higher.

During planting, the seedling is shaken several times so that the soil evenly fits between the roots.

The gap between the trees when planting is 3-5 meters, as the tree grows and has an extensive crown. Be sure to water the tree with 3-5 buckets of water. After the liquid is absorbed, lay a layer of peat or humus mulch in a layer of 10 centimeters.

Apple tree care

Caring for the Bogatyr apple tree should be the same as for other trees in the garden. It is important to properly form the crown and properly maintain the earth in the garden.

Cutting

The main point of pruning a young tree is to shorten the shoots, sometimes thinning them out. Remove annual growth by a third of the length. When the tree begins to bear fruit, the shoots stop shortening. You can now only cut annual branches that go beyond the boundaries of the crown. Since the Bogatyr variety has a rare crown, thinning can be omitted.

In the spring, sanitary pruning is necessary to free from frozen and weak shoots.

Feeding

The apple tree is fed annually. Mullein is taken from organic fertilizers, diluting it in water 1:5, or bird droppings - 1:12. First, you can dilute organic matter with water in a barrel in a ratio of 1: 3, and then after 3-5 days bring it to the desired concentration and water it.The first dressing is carried out before the buds begin to bloom, and the second - after flowering.

In August, top dressing consists of superphosphate (20 grams) and potassium s alt (10 grams). You can replace mineral complexes with wood ash. It is taken on a bucket of water 50 grams. Furrows are made along the plantings with a depth of 15 centimeters at a distance of 50 centimeters from the trunk. In a bucket of solution, furrows are introduced into 2-3 meters. Dry fertilizers are also fed under a shovel.

Irrigation

Providing the tree with moisture is an important task during the growing season. A young tree needs more moisture, so it is watered 5-6 times per season. Moisturize especially abundantly in spring, then in June, July and after leaf fall. They take enough water to the apple tree to wet the soil half a meter deep. Usually you need 5-7 buckets of water.

Wintering

Apple variety Bogatyr has an average resistance to low temperatures. Where winters are cold, they prepare a tree, covering it with spruce branches. The trunks are whitened and wrapped with roofing felt or layers of material, matting.

Prevention

If the Bogatyr apple tree is less sensitive to scab, then often circles can be found on the leaves, as if sprinkled with flour. The fungus affects the shoots, bending them, leaves that turn yellow and fall off. To avoid infection with powdery mildew, you need to spray the apple tree with Bordeaux liquid. It is also useful to process with copper sulphate.

The drugs are effective as a prophylaxis against fruit rot. Of the pests, it is necessary to prevent the spread of aphids, hawthorn larvae, codling moth. They will help to cope with the parasites of the birds that are attracted to the garden. It is necessary to collect the foliage in the garden in time, burn it. Digging the soil in the garden in autumn is also a preventive measure.

Variety options

The variety is often grafted onto rootstocks, which give varieties of the Bogatyr apple tree.

Semi-dwarf

On a semi-dwarf rootstock, the variety reaches a height of 4 meters. The species is distinguished by deep-lying roots, a strong crown. The fruits appear on thick shoots in the 4-5th year of life.

Dwarf

Dwarf subspecies of the Bogatyr apple tree is obtained using rootstocks of a dwarf variety. It turns out a hybrid with a root system lying closer to the surface, and the height of the apple tree reaches 2-3 meters.

Columnar

If there is not enough space in the garden, you can get a column of the Bogatyr variety by grafting. This type of apple tree is especially helpful for farmers who grow “heroic” fruits for sale. The yield per tree will be lower, but the fruit quality will be high.

Features of cultivation in different regions

For the Bogatyr apple tree, the best place for cultivation will be climatic zones with warm summers and late winters. But you can grow a crop everywhere, applying the rules of agricultural technology.

Moscow region and the middle lane

The ideal area for growing apple trees is the Moscow region and areas similar in climate and weather conditions. For a gardener, it is only necessary to observe the planting dates and the rules for cultivating crops. Yields will be high.

Ural

The soil composition of the region is not quite suitable for the Bogatyr apple tree. But thanks to the application of fertilizers, the tree will actively develop and give good yields. The trunk circle is kept clean, the earth is constantly loosened. Before the onset of winter, it is necessary to cover the root system, protecting it from frost.

Siberia

The grade differs in the increased resistance to low temperatures. A horticultural crop will be able to survive the Siberian frosts, but it is better to protect the root system of dwarf and columnar subspecies of the variety.

Apple ripening dates, when to pick and how to store

Already in September, apples ripen on the branches, but they should not be picked. Until October-November, until frosts begin, the fruits hang on the tree, only then they are removed. Harvesting early will cause the apples to become wrinkled and tough, and shorten their shelf life.

"Heroic" apples can be stored for a long time, until the very spring, becoming tastier. It is best to collect them in wooden boxes, removing previously damaged and rumpled fruits. Each apple can be wrapped in paper. The container with the harvest is placed in a cool place where the temperature is kept within + 3 … -1 degrees.