Apple tree Nastenka: description and characteristics, variety history with photo

Apple tree with late fruiting period Nastenka obtained by L.A. Kotov as a result of the pollination of the variety Anis purple with a mixture of pollen from two tall fruit crops: Raduga and Samotsvet. It is recommended to grow in the southern part of the Urals, as a dry climate suits the fruit crop. When zoning in conditions of prolonged bad weather, the tree is affected by scab.

Variety history

L.A. Kotov is a famous breeder who devoted his life to breeding new varieties for zoning in the Urals. Thanks to maternal features, the new variety is famous for its good fruiting and high winter hardiness.

Nastenka is currently being tested for the possibility of growing in the Urals and in the Sverdlovsk region, therefore it is not yet included in the State Register.

The tree easily tolerates frosty winters, but does not tolerate high humidity, so you need to approach the choice of a place for planting Nastenka responsibly.

Description

Nastenka is a late apple tree, it begins to bear fruit only 5 years after planting the seedling. Such a biological feature of a variety as precocity affects the quick payback of costs spent on laying a garden.

Variety advantages:

resistance to low temperatures;
good yield;
large-fruited;
long shelf life of apples.

The disadvantages include weak immunity to scab disease, especially when grown in conditions with high humidity and prolonged rainy weather. In addition, Nastenka is characterized by the frequency of fruiting.

The surface of the fruit is smooth, dry, with a visible wax coating. The skin has an intense, streaked, brick-red blush.

The fruits are medium and large. The average weight of one apple reaches 150 g, the weight varies between 100 g and 180 g. One-dimensional fruits have a flat-round or round-conical shape.

Seed chambers tightly closed, rarely have small gaps. The flesh is greenish-yellow in color, after ripening it acquires a yellow tint. The fruits are very juicy, rich in nutrients. Apples taste sweet and sour.

In the description, one can note a short stalk, a small funnel with inclusions of a light bronze color. The saucer is smooth, not deep, rather narrow. The cup is closed, the heart is small, similar to an onion.

Chemical composition of Nastenka fruits:

13.5% - solids;
0.85% - sugar;
100 g of fruit contains 18.9 mg of ascorbic acid;
0.85% - titratable acids.

Due to the rich chemical composition, the Nastenka apple tree is classified as a table variety.

Features

Only if the agrotechnical methods of growing the apple tree Nastenka will delight with the sweet and sour taste of its fruits.

Appearance

The crown of a tall fruit crop has a reverse pyramidal, slightly sparse shape. The branches are straight, in relation to the trunk are located at an angle of 40-55 °.

Shoots straight, pubescent, medium thickness, brown, rounded. Medium, dark green leaf blades with finely serrated edges sit on medium petioles with saber-shaped small stipules.

Yields

The apple tree is characterized by the frequency of fruiting, when it bears fruit it gives a high yield. Non-annual fruiting is considered the main drawback of the Nastenka fruit crop.

To increase productivity, it is necessary to inspect the fruit crop in time for diseases and pests. Bad weather also reduces yields.

Tree dimensions

A fruit tree is considered tall, so it is important to select a free site for cultivation. It should be noted that without pruning, the tree can reach 5 m in height, which will make picking apples much more difficult.

Winter hardiness

Unpretentious variety is characterized by high resistance to low temperatures, can easily survive frosty winters with temperatures below -45°, but if planted in a well-lit area, closed from strong winds.

Diseases and pests

Resistance to a disease such as scab is considered by breeders to be an important indicator of the viability of apple varieties. Nastya has a low immunity to this disease, especially when cultivated in conditions of high humidity.

If the weather is bad for a long time, it often rains, black blurry spots of fungal origin appear on the fruits and leaves, which spoil not only the appearance of the fruits, but also affect their taste. If severely damaged, the entire crop may rot.

It is recommended to spray trees against scab with a 7% urea solution. It is necessary to process not only the crown of the plant, but also spray the fallen leaves.

From pests Nastenka is annoyed by codling moth, garden moth and aphids. The moth is the most dangerous pest. During the summer, it can destroy most of the crop, especially if the weather is dry and hot. Of the folk methods of struggle, an infusion of wormwood is recommended.

Garden moth caterpillars are so voracious that they can destroy the entire crop of fruit trees in a season. For the purpose of prevention, it is necessary to remove dry and damaged branches in a timely manner, remove and burn fallen leaves, plant remains. Insecticides are effective against moths.

The appearance of aphids is easy to notice: as a result of their vital activity, the leaves acquire a reddish tint and curl. For the fight, a decoction of garlic, celandine and coniferous plants is used.

To combat silkworms, fruit sapwood, hawthorn, you can use an infusion of tomato leaves or an infusion of wormwood.

Terms of flowering and fruit ripening

Apple tree Nastenka in mid-May or early June is covered with fragrant flowers. It should be noted that the variety itself is sterile, therefore, for fruiting, it is necessary to take care of planting pollinators. There is no specific pollinator variety for Nastya, so it is recommended to plant late autumn varieties, which also bloom in May-early June.

Winter varieties of apple trees cannot be pollinated by summer varieties! When planting pollinators between trees, there should not be more than 50 m.

Harvesting is carried out in mid-September. At this time, the nutritional value of the fruits is very low, they taste sour, and the pulp is hard. After a few months, the full maturity of apples comes, then you can fully enjoy the taste.

If the storage rules are followed, apples retain their taste and nutritional value until the end of March.

The fruits contain: ascorbic acid, organic acids. In winter, a person simply needs vitamins, so it is easy to replenish them with winter apples. The fruits are suitable for fresh and canned consumption.

The opinion of Ural gardeners about the sweet taste of fruits with a pronounced sourness is ambiguous: some consider it poorly revealed, others believe that the taste is not deep enough. The evaluation by tasters is equal to 3-3.5 points.

Growth regions

The Sverdlovsk region is preferable for the cultivation of the variety, since Nastenka is a Ural apple tree that prefers a dry climate.

Cultivation areas of variety:

Chelyabinsk.
Omskaya.
Kirovskaya.
Perm.
Nizhny Novgorod.
Sverdlovsk.

In addition, the variety is recommended for cultivation in Bashkiria and Tatarstan. Every year, the apple tree adapts more and more to the temperate climate of the middle zone.

The apple tree with the cute name Nastenka is considered an unpretentious fruit tree, however, in order to get a good and abundant harvest, it is necessary to follow the agrotechnical methods of cultivation, as applied to this variety.