Melba apple tree: description, complete guide to growing
Content:
The article presents Melba apple tree in detail: description, characteristics, a complete guide to planting, growing, caring for, frequently asked questions, reviews of gardeners.
Melba apple tree: description, basic information
Melba apple tree: description
Gardening is a rather hard and painstaking work that requires from the person who does it not only strength and patience, but also quite broad knowledge. The fact is that without them, you simply will not be able to assess which plant you should buy so that it is perfect for your climate and your garden.
This is why one of the biggest challenges for novice gardeners is choosing a plant variety. In their huge variety, the eyes simply run up, and it becomes simply impossible to choose one thing.
Of course, the apple tree, as an incredibly widespread and popular fruit plant, did not escape a similar fate, and therefore, when choosing which one to plant, many fall into a stupor.
We decided to make your job a little easier and help you solve this riddle. We will do this by offering one of the highest quality varieties of this fruit tree. And it is called Melba.
Melba apple tree: description of the history of the variety
Melba apple tree: description
You can find a description of this variety below, and now we offer you to plunge into the history of this wonderful and rightfully appreciated variety.
It was withdrawn at the end of the nineteenth century, and therefore the fact that it still does not give up its positions cannot but admire. In addition, which is a relative rarity, Melba was not bred in our country, but, nevertheless, it was especially widespread in our country, which is also rare.
The homeland of the Melba apple tree is Canada. So, perhaps, it is not surprising that this particular apple tree has taken root so well in our country, given how similar the climatic conditions of these two powers are.
As for the rather unusual name for our ears, it was given to the plant not even in honor of one of the creators, but in honor of the singer, who was especially popular in those years.
The very first harvests of this variety were immediately distributed around the world. Of course, they got to be tasted both by experts from the United States of America and by Russian professionals.
The result of this was that already at the beginning of the twentieth century, the variety was entered in the registers of both countries, and also began to gain its rather wide distribution.
By the way, what is most interesting, in the register this variety is recorded under a slightly different name: "Melba" - without a soft sign. However, since this pronunciation is extremely dissonant for us, everyone still calls the tree Melba - purely out of habit. Therefore, we decided that we should not burden you with unusual pronunciation, and used a name with a soft sign in this article.
Apple Melba: characteristics of the variety
Apple-tree Melba
The fruits of the Melba apple tree ripen in summer. However, the tree, contrary to your expectations, does not possess high winter hardiness.Of course, therefore, using it for growing in the north is far from the best idea. In addition, the plant does not feel better in conditions of high temperatures.
Nevertheless, those who inhabit the middle latitudes of our country should be completely satisfied, because there this tree is grown almost as well as in their homeland.
However, even if you live in regions remote from the central strip, you should not despair, because Melba has some subspecies that were bred specifically in order to successfully withstand frost.
One of these varieties is Red Melba, and it has gained its well-deserved popularity in the northern parts of Russia.
In addition to the fact that this tree belongs to the summer ripening group, it can be said about its fruiting that it begins quite early: already in the third or fourth year of its life, the plant is completely ready for apples to begin to appear on it.
In addition, one cannot fail to note their excellent taste, as well as excellent transportability, which makes the variety almost ideal for sale.
What are the characteristics of the Melba apple variety
At this point you will learn absolutely about all the numerical characteristics of this tree. Nevertheless, sometimes even such detailed information is not enough to form a complete picture of the tree, and therefore we strongly recommend that you look at the gardeners' reviews below, which will help you finally decide whether you want to purchase this variety or not.
Height
Melba belongs to the medium-sized varieties, and therefore its height never exceeds four meters. However, even this is quite deviant indicators, since they rarely exceed even three and a half meters.
Melba apple tree: crown description
During the first three years of the Melba apple tree's life, its crown will be rather primitive and underdeveloped. However, once it has fully formed all of its powerful skeletal branches, the crown will begin to grow very quickly and rapidly.
Compared to the trunk of a tree, it has rather large dimensions: in diameter, the crown of this tree may well reach seven meters. In form, it does not stand out in anything characteristic. However, if it is well looked after and carefully shaped, it can even end up with something like a ball.
The neglect of leaves is far from the highest, which allows the fruits that are in the depths of the crown to receive no less sunlight than those that are at the very surface.
The branches of the tree are far from the most impressive thickness. However, this is quite enough for them to support absolutely all the fruits that grow on them.
Also, the branches differ in that they have barely noticeable pubescence. As for the leaves: they are slightly elongated, and their shape is similar to obovate. Barely noticeable teeth can be observed on their edges, and they are painted in a rather pleasant dark green hue.
Melba apple tree: photo, description of fruits
Melba apple tree: description of the tasting assessment
As you already know, the fruits of this tree are distinguished by their amazing taste characteristics, as well as by how long they can remain as fresh and juicy as on the day of harvest.
Their color is almost completely red, however, both green and yellowish stripes are very clearly traced, which make the fruits especially bright.
Their skin is quite dense, which contributes to high-quality transportation of apples. However, it is not tough at all, and therefore it is still pleasant to eat the fruits.
By weight, fruits rarely reach values of more than one hundred twenty - one hundred and fifty grams. However, if you take really good care of the plant, as well as provide it with high-quality fertilizers, then it is quite possible to see more impressive results.
But the pulp of the fruit is juicy and tasty absolutely always - regardless of their size. In addition, if you take a good sniff, you can smell the subtle caramel aroma emanating from the apples.
And although the tasters' assessments for this variety differ, the arithmetic mean is approximately four and a half points on a five-point system, which is an incredibly decent result.
Self-fertility
Well, now let's move on, perhaps, to one of the brightest and most pleasant qualities of this variety: it is self-fertile, which means that it is quite capable of pollinating its flowers on its own, and therefore forming fruits without any pollinators.
However, it should still be noted that if you want to grow this tree for commercial purposes, you simply need a pollinator, since only with its help you can achieve the maximum efficiency that this variety is, in principle, capable of providing.
Best of all, varieties such as the Antonovka apple tree cope with the role of a pollinator, Suislepskoe, Borovinka, and Stark Erlist.
Melba apple tree: description of fruiting
As already mentioned, these plants begin to bear fruit already in the third - fourth year of life. Nevertheless, it seems to us that it should still be placed on the fourth year rather than on the third, since in order for the apples to really ripen at such an early age, a huge number of unpredictable factors must converge, which, by the way, include the weather, which, unfortunately, you cannot control.
Until about twelve years of age, the fruiting of the plant will only increase, and every year you will receive more and more abundant harvest. However, unfortunately, after crossing this age mark, the plant begins to produce crops only once every two years, and therefore, when planting a whole Melba apple garden, you must keep this in mind.
Sapling cost
Of course, the financial side of the issue is also quite important, and therefore we decided to collect information for you that shows not only the average prices for seedlings of a given apple tree, but also how they are poured in different areas.
Melba apple tree: cost description in different regions
In Moscow and St. Petersburg, prices are especially similar. A three-year-old seedling can be purchased for about a thousand rubles, and for each additional year at the age of the plant, you will have to pay extra. Thus, a four-year-old plant will cost two and a half thousand rubles, and a five-year-old plant will cost as much as six thousand.
However, such biting prices are observed only in these cities.
In the northwestern regions, as well as in the Krasnodar Territory, prices are quite similar and equal to approximately three hundred rubles for a three-year-old plant and six hundred rubles for a four-year-old.
Apple-tree Melba: reviews of gardeners
So that the opinion does not seem biased, we tried to take it from more people and offer you completely different ideas about this variety. Nevertheless, it should be noted that we did not quite succeed, since for the most part gardeners praise this apple tree, and the reviews are equally full of praise.
Oleg (Rostov on Don)
“I got to know this apple tree when I visited my grandmother in the village. She said that it was not easy for her to get this variety. However, the fruits were always worth it, and I loved them incredibly.
Now I grow the Melba apple tree on my own plot, and I have not changed my opinion about it in the least. It is easy to care for a plant, and apples are suitable for almost everything: it is processed before being sold. We even tried to make juice out of them. It turned out very tasty. "
Nikolay (Krasnodar Territory)
“I discovered this variety for myself only recently: I wanted to plant an apple in my garden, but I didn’t know which one at all. Naturally, I went to my neighbor for advice - he is a better gardener than me. And he advised me to Melba.And he did not deceive. I have been caring for this tree for eight years now, and it still makes me happy.
Apples are always very juicy and tasty. True, given what a great family I have, I soon began to understand that I simply did not have enough of them. Therefore, the other day I bought three more seedlings. It's a pleasure to grow them "
Olga (Nizhny Novgorod region)
“You probably won't believe it, but the tree that grows in our garden is much older than me. It was also planted by my mother. Now, of course, she cannot take care of the garden as actively as before, and therefore it was very pleasant for me to take over the baton.
In addition, next to her tree, I planted my own, and now a small apple family is growing in our garden. I hope this little tradition will continue to be passed down from generation to generation, and the apple trees continue to delight us "
Ripening terms
As you already know, this variety is summer, which means that its fruits ripen quite early. Nevertheless, it all begins, of course, with flowering, which occurs even in the very early spring.
The flowers are distinguished by their rather large dimensions, especially compared to the rest of the tree.
As for their color: it varies greatly (from snow-white to pale pink with light purple tints).
The first ripening of fruits occurs in the fourth or even third year of life. From now on, up to eight years, the tree has been constantly improving its performance and giving more and more apples every year.
Fruits ripen approximately in the middle - end of August. Sometimes, in very bad weather, this date can be postponed even to the beginning of September, however, believe me, this is a great rarity.
In addition, it is important to understand that the fruits do not ripen at the same time, and therefore you will have to harvest for at least a month and a half from the day the first apples appear.
If you do not collect the fruits in time, then, of course, they will begin to fall off. However, if you pluck them directly as they ripen, then you will have an excellent opportunity to store them even for some months, which is an amazing result.
As for the taste of just ripe fruits: it is the perfect blend of sour and sweet. However, since the sourness sometimes upsets this balance, the fruit could not get the highest possible score.
However, taste is not the only thing that these fruits can boast of. They are also distinguished by their beneficial qualities, which are found in the many trace elements contained in the pulp.
To summarize: the pros and cons
Of course, you have already made certain conclusions about whether you like this plant or not. Nevertheless, we nevertheless decided to draw a certain line and summarize all the information that you just read in order to consolidate it once again.
The pluses of the plant should be attributed, first of all, to the fact that it begins to bear fruit quite early, and, therefore, it grows incredibly quickly.
Also, the Melba apple tree boasts quite massive harvests. Moreover, even the very first ones, which occur in the third - fourth year of the plant's life, cannot be called scarce.
It should be noted the quality of the fruit, which includes both their presentation and amazing taste characteristics.
The apple can also be used very widely: it has absolutely no restrictions on the preparation of blanks, and they are just wonderful to be realized.
This tree, of course, also has dark sides, without which no variety is complete, no matter what plant we are discussing. First of all, this is a rather weak frost resistance, which, nevertheless, is corrected by varieties specially bred for this.
Also, it should be noted that, although the tree has a rather strong immunity in general, it is still not able to withstand such a disease as scab.
Also, a major disadvantage is that after eight to seven years of constant fruiting, the plant becomes more frail and lethargic, and it begins to bear fruit only once every two years.
Melba apple tree: description of varieties
As you understand, such a popular plant simply could not help but acquire a huge number of hybrid varieties that would have some advantages over the main variety.
Therefore, we decided to present you some of the most useful and used ones.
Melba's daughter
This variety differs for the most part in that, unlike its mother, it does not have a weakness for frost and cold. Nevertheless, this tree also has a very big minus, which simply does not allow replacing the usual Melba with it in one hundred percent of cases, and this minus is extremely low fertility.
More than thirty-five kilograms of fruit do not grow on a tree, which is certainly sad. However, growing a tree in conditions of constant cold weather, one cannot count on record figures.
Melba Red (red Melba)
This variety differs in that, compared to the original Melba, its apples are far from sweet, and they have a rather distinct sourness, which is very popular with some fruit lovers.
Also, about the fruits, we can say that, as paradoxical as it may be, they have a much less bright red color than ordinary Melba, and incredibly distinct and large white spots are observed on their surface.
As for the yield, it is more than satisfactory: you can harvest at least eighty kilograms of fruit from one tree.
Landing
In terms of planting, this apple tree is quite different from most of its relatives. The fact is that when planting apple trees, spring is usually chosen as the most suitable time, since it is in spring that the tree just wakes up from winter sleep, it is not afraid of the impending cold, and it has not even entered the growing season yet.
However, Melba is not planted in spring due to the fact that it belongs to the summer group of varieties, and therefore spring is most often chosen for its cultivation.
As for the soil: the tree is not very demanding for it, and therefore it should not be very worried that the soil in your area is not suitable for the apple tree. Nevertheless, if there is not enough sand or peat in it, then it is still advisable to add these components.
It would also definitely not hurt to introduce compost or manure into the ground in equal proportions with sand or peat, since this will allow the newly transplanted plant to take root in a completely new environment for it.
The planting algorithm, by the way, is quite simple, and it does not require in-depth knowledge of gardening from you: you just need to dig a hole, the dimensions of which will correspond to a meter in depth by a meter in width, and after that, fill in a little prepared soil on the very bottom.
Thus, you should have a small slide, on which you will install the seedling of your tree. After you do this, the roots of the future apple tree will need to be spread in different directions relative to each other so that the roots do not grow in only one direction.
After all these procedures have been carried out, it remains only to gradually and very carefully fill up all the remaining empty space of the pit with soil that you prepared in advance. At the same time, as it falls asleep, it needs to be tamped a little, since otherwise air bubbles may form in the soil, which can lead to the formation of rot.
After you carry out all the operations listed above, you will also need to stick a small peg in the ground next to the seedling, to which you will tie it later. At the same time, it is advisable to burn the tip of this peg, since in this way it cannot cause the onset of decay. It is even better, however, to abandon the wooden peg altogether and use a metal one.
Important!
When planting, there should be absolutely no leaves on the crown of the plant. This is quite important, since absolutely all nutrients in the body of an apple tree should be directed to successfully adapt to new conditions, and not to the growth of leaves.
It is also incredibly important to ensure that there are no particularly large deposits of groundwater in the place where you will dig the hole, as they can lead to waterlogging of the roots. However, this can be avoided by using quality drainage.
Melba apple tree: a description of care after planting
Pruning
The next year after planting, it will be imperative to carry out formative pruning of the tree, otherwise it will never be able to form a good crown on its own.
In addition, this is done in order to rejuvenate already more mature plants, and therefore even after the crown of the apple tree is fully formed, the procedure does not go away.
During its implementation, the main trunk is shortened by about a third, due to which the incredibly rapid and active growth of lateral shoots will begin. This way you can form powerful and sturdy branches.
If you need to carry out sanitary pruning, then at the same time all old branches are removed, as well as damaged ones.
Important!
Some gardeners are afraid and avoid pruning, especially when they involve removing whole branches. This fear is understandable, since you are causing direct damage to the plant. However, this must be done in order to avoid serious problems in the future. The main thing - do not forget that you must wield exclusively high-quality tools, and after each pruning, no less high-quality processing of the cut with a garden pitch must follow.
Top dressing
An equally important procedure that will need to be carried out on an ongoing basis is feeding, since without it your plant will not be able to become sufficiently effective and bear such a large number of fruits, which was indicated above.
However, it is absolutely not difficult to follow the feeding schedule, and therefore you should not have any problems with this, because during the growing season there are only three of them:
The first is in the spring, and even before the beginning of flowering. During this period, fertilization of the near-trunk circle of soil is carried out with humus, as well as a tree hall, which removes all its acidity from the soil.
Also, during this feeding, it is advisable to add potassium chloride to the soil, however, it is very important here not to overdo it with the dosage.
The next feeding is carried out in the summer and involves fertilizing the plant with various nitrogen-based preparations. They can serve as manure, as well as urea.
The last top dressing is the easiest one, and its main purpose is to help the tree survive the winter. For this purpose, potassium chloride and compost are introduced into the trunk circle.
Watering
As for watering: you need to be incredibly careful with them, since the Melba apple tree hates excessive waterlogging.
Therefore, the moistening of its roots is carried out only when there has been no rain for a long time, and there is also extremely dry weather. In this case, you will need to spend about ten liters of water per tree per week.
Pests
It is also impossible not to say about pests, since they are a huge problem for gardeners who just want to calmly work in the garden and do not care about the unpleasant misfortunes that await them at every corner.
Nevertheless, unfortunately, they cannot be avoided, and therefore you will have to actively fight against such parasites as scale insects, caterpillars and beetles, aphids and even moths.
By the way, this is not so easy to do, especially if they have already attacked your tree. However, you can make your life a lot easier by simply doing a couple of preventative sprays, which are likely to help you get rid of small insects.
Fungicides of complex action, which are able to drive away almost all types of insects, cope best with this matter. However, if you are only bothered by one specific pest, then it is advisable to use a narrowly targeted drug against it, since it will cause less harm to the environment.
If you want to use as little chemicals as possible, then such a simple procedure as whitewashing can greatly help you. By the way, it protects not only from insects, but also from rodents, which are very fond of attacking young trunks after winter.
Melba apple tree: description of possible diseases
As already mentioned, despite the rather powerful immunity of this apple tree, it is quite susceptible to such an unpleasant disease for any fruit plant as scab.
This disease is so problematic because it simply cannot be detected for quite some time. It begins to manifest itself only when it becomes extremely difficult to cure it, and therefore the best way to deal with these ailments is to prevent its occurrence.
In order to do this, you will need to constantly monitor the condition of the foliage of the plant and cut off damaged leaves that may be carriers of the infection.
It is also very important to remove all falling foliage, since the fungus can remain in it, and then hibernate in the ground. If this happens, then next spring you will face an inevitable illness.
However, these are far from the only preventive measures you can take to beat the scab. It also works very well, for example, treating the trunk with ammonium nitrate or Bordeaux mixture, which are carried out during the opening of the first buds.
When active flowering begins, it is advisable to carry out all the same procedures. However, this is not all. It will be repeated one more time - two weeks after the very first apples have been tied. It is during these three periods that the plant is most vulnerable to external influences.
However, if you still failed to protect yourself from the disease, then the only thing you have to do is follow these rules:
You will urgently need to purchase and use any fungicide that is aimed directly at destroying the scab. Spraying is usually carried out three times: once - during illness and three more times - after it.
You can find out more detailed instructions directly in the manual for the drug.
Nuances and frequently asked questions
Unfortunately, our world is not perfect, and everything in it cannot go absolutely smoothly and without any problems. Therefore, we have collected for you the most frequently asked questions on the topic of this plant in order to answer all of them.
Why can't you plant in spring?
In fact, no one forbids you to do this and, let's say even more: some professional gardeners even prefer to plant this variety in the spring.
However, by planting an apple tree in the fall, you are much more likely to get your first crop in three years, rather than four. However, this does not negate the fact that the autumn planting is fraught with some dangers, since it must be carried out on time.
Therefore, in order not to definitely confuse with the dates, we advise you to carry it out immediately after the leaves have completely fallen off, and the pit should be prepared even earlier.
Melba apple tree: a description of the formation of the crown
First of all, it should be noted that even simple sanitary pruning makes a huge contribution to the formation of the crown of the future tree. Nevertheless, for the crown to be really beautiful, lush and even, this is not enough. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to carry out some formative pruning.
The central shoot, as already mentioned, is shortened by a whole third, since this gives a huge impetus to the growth of neighboring skeletal branches.
The cutting of the central shoot continues for two or three years after planting the seedling, and all this time it is shortened exclusively by a third.
Speaking about which shoots should be left, it should be noted that it is preferable to choose those whose angle relative to the trunk is forty-five degrees.
As for all other branches and shoots: they are cut to the very first bud - no more and no less.
How to prune in the fall?
It is very important to understand that formative pruning is not carried out in the fall. The fact is that it does too much damage to the tree, and therefore, if you carried out such pruning right before the onset of cold weather, you could easily kill the apple tree.
Therefore, in autumn, exclusively sanitary pruning is carried out, which includes the removal of old and damaged branches in one way or another.
How to choose a suitable landing site?
First of all, it is very important to monitor the level of groundwater: if they are located relatively close to the surface, then you will have to use quite a lot of drainage.
It is also advisable to make sure that the place in which you will plant the seedling is not too ventilated: this will definitely not benefit the plant.
But what he will definitely like is the sun, which should be in abundance on the site for the apple tree to develop normally.
How to grow a garden of Melba apple trees?
The most important rule to follow when growing an orchard is keeping the distance between two adjacent trees. Otherwise, their roots will compete for nutrients underground, and the crowns will collide and interfere with each other.
Therefore, a distance of five meters should be observed between individual trees, and at least six meters between rows.
However, these numbers may vary slightly depending on the purpose for which you are going to grow the garden, as well as where you live. However, these changes are too insignificant.
What are the features of growing in the regions?
Of course, by asking about this, people mean different cultivation of this tree in places with different climatic conditions, and therefore we suggest that you consider the most different places from each other:
In the middle lane, you do not need to carry out any additional procedures, since this is where the variety feels best and does not require any excessive efforts from you. The number of fruits will be maximum, and the number of problems - minimum.
In Siberia, of course, it will be quite difficult for you to grow this tree in view of the fact that it has far from the most impressive winter hardiness. However, if you take care of creating cold-sheltering structures, then you may well be able to get an impressive harvest.
Growing conditions in the Urals are not too different from those that we observe in the middle lane. The only difference is, perhaps, that planting in the spring is absolutely undesirable here. It can also be noted that for safety, mulching can be carried out for the winter, although this statement is also true for the middle lane.
In the suburbs and the Leningrad region, you will need to provide the plant with special care for the reason that there is a much higher chance of infection of the apple tree with scab. This is especially true after long and prolonged rains, which are not uncommon here, because, do not forget, scab is a fungal disease, and they love moisture.
In the Southern Urals, due to some physiological characteristics, the variety becomes much sweeter than anywhere else, and therefore they love to grow it there. In addition, there is practically no need to worry about cold winters.
Comparison of varieties: Candy, Mantet and Melba
For sweets, we decided to prepare for you a small competition of varieties, in which each participant is an extremely high-quality and popular apple tree.
First of all, let's talk about the tasting assessment, because it is by the taste of the fruit that the tree should be judged in the first place. For Melba, as already mentioned, this score is four and a half points. The Mantet variety has the same rating, but the apple tree candy lags behind them. By the way, only one tenth point.
The sugar content of Melba and Mentet is also equal at about sixteen percent, while that of Candy is expected to be higher at thirty percent.
The ripening times are quite similar for Candy and Melba. The difference between them is only five days: the fifth of August and the tenth of August, respectively. But Mnthet is already ripening on the twenty-fifth of July.
However, this is only the beginning of fruit ripening, while the last apples from absolutely all trees are harvested at the same time: at the end of April.
It should also be noted that it is Melba that has the largest fruits: x diameter is seventy millimeters, while for Mantet this figure is sixty, and for Candy - sixty-five millimeters.
Conclusion
Summing up, it should be noted that the Melba apple tree really has its popularity and fame for a reason. This is a truly wonderful variety that has extremely few disadvantages, and is also ready to boast a whole set of undeniable advantages.
We hope that the information provided by us in this article turned out to be useful to you, and now you know for sure whether you want to grow this plant or not. Well, all we have to do is wish you good luck.
Melba apple tree: description