Apple tree Christmas

The Rozhdestvenskoye apple tree is considered a fairly young subspecies of domestic selection. This variety appeared back in 1985, at the All-Russian Research Institute of Selection of Fruit Crops. And now, only in 2001, this subspecies was entered into the State Register. The appearance of this tree is due not to one scientist, but to a whole group, they bred it by crossing the Welsey variety with one of the hybrids. Due to the fact that the Vf gene is embedded in the subspecies under consideration, this apple tree has an amazingly high level of immunity to such a dangerous and widespread disease as scab. And this is not the only advantage of this subspecies. In this article, we will consider in detail this variety, all its features, advantages and disadvantages, and also talk about all the agrotechnical measures associated with this variety.

Apple tree Christmas - description and characteristics

Description

The tree of this subspecies is of medium size and is a representative of fast growing fruit crops. This apple tree has quite powerful and strong branches, the stem is endowed with a grayish tint, and the shoots have an average thickness and a brownish color. Fruits are formed on ringlets (otherwise on annual growths) with a rather developed apical bud. All this should be taken into account during the pruning procedure. The inflorescences of this variety usually include 4-6 flowers, which consist of round petals and are of average size. The buds are umbrella-shaped and pinkish-white in color. The leaves of this tree are endowed with a rounded-elongated shape, they are pointed with medium pubescence, and also have a matte structure and wavy edges. When ripe, the fruits reach an average weight of 140-180 grams each, but the exact weight of these apples depends on climatic conditions. The maximum fruit weight of this variety reached 200 grams. The fruits of this subspecies have high commercial characteristics. The surface of the fruit is covered with a fairly dense skin of medium thickness, with a glossy sheen. This skin has a yellowish-green hue with the presence of a red-cherry blush. The subcutaneous dots of gray color are clearly visible, and there are a lot of them, and they are large in size. The stalks of such fruits are thin and long, sloping. The funnel is shallow and has a gray tint.

At the end of the description, it should be noted that this subspecies can often be found in the gardens not only in our country, but also abroad. The subspecies has rightfully earned love and popularity due to the combination of its advantages.

Tasting benefits and chemistry

The inner part of the fruit of this subspecies has a dense structure, it is prickly and juicy at the same time. Has a cream color. This pulp has a dessert flavor, which is distinguished by a harmonious combination of sweetness and slight sourness. The inner part thinns the delicate aroma. In their chemical composition, the fruits have: sugar 10.4 percent; titratable acids 0.48 percent; pectins 14.1 percent; the sugar-acid index is 21.7 percent. It is worth noting that the taste characteristics and their indicators may change, depending on the weather and climatic conditions of the growing region. During the tasting, these fruits were given a score of 4.3 points out of five.

Advantages and disadvantages

Like any other subspecies of apple trees, the Rozhdestvenskoe apple tree has its pros and cons. The advantages of the subspecies include:

• - The most important distinguishing feature is absolute immunity to a rather harmful disease, scab. Moreover, both the foliage and the fruits of the tree are endowed with immunity.
• - Commercial characteristics of fruits and their dessert flavor.
• - Storage period.
• - High level of productivity.

The disadvantages of the variety include:

• - The ripening period of fruits does not occur together.
• - The fruits of this variety are capable of crumbling.
• - With prolonged storage, the tasting benefits of the fruit are reduced.

Tree size

The tree of this subspecies is considered a medium-sized plant that can grow to a maximum of three meters. This tree has a wide pyramidal crown. The apple tree has several layers of skeletal stems, each with up to 5 branches. The stems are almost at right angles to the main stem. The apple tree itself is quite powerful, has a flaky bark and a medium thickened crown. This tree at maturity can have a width of up to two meters in a circle. Be sure to take this fact into account when planting a plant. Only after reaching its indicators, the Rozhdestvenskoye apple tree will produce the most abundant and high-quality harvest of ripe fruits.

Annual growth

Every year, the skeletal stems of this plant are stretched, and it is worth noting that in the first years of its life after planting, this growth occurs most rapidly than in subsequent years. Thus, for annual seedlings, the annual growth is 40-70 centimeters. In adulthood (20-25 years) the crown of the tree reaches its full volume. The gain becomes minimal and is only activated thanks to the anti-aging pruning procedure.

Frequency of fruiting

The Christmas apple tree is distinguished by regular fruiting. Although it is worth recalling that some factors may affect the frequency of this fruiting, here are the most important ones:

- Formation of too many ovaries on the apple tree. In this case, you need to thin them out, while maintaining a distance of 10 centimeters.

• - Insufficient or untimely feeding.
• - Incorrect trimming.
• - Attack of pests, or infection with any diseases.

It is also worth remembering about circumstances that are beyond the control of the farmer, such as extreme frosts, prolonged rainy weather during flowering, and other unfavorable weather conditions.

Yield

The apple subspecies in question is considered a very promising hybrid, therefore its yield is at a high level, which has already been noted in its advantages. At a young age, the Christmas apple tree can produce up to 180 centners of ripe tasty fruits from one hectare. For old trees of this variety, these indicators are two times lower.

Drought and frost tolerance

For many years, scientists have been working to increase the endurance of apple trees to unfavorable temperature conditions. And in the process of working on this subspecies, specialists managed to reach a high level. Apple trees, which have passed preliminary hardening, were subjected to freezing to -40 degrees, in special chambers of an artificial climate. After the end of such an experiment, damage to wood and buds was revealed by 1.6 points on average. If we compare, for example, with Antonovka, then her indicators were in the range of 1.0-1.5 points. With regard to the drought tolerance of this subspecies, it is worth recalling that this tree is of medium height. Therefore, taking into account the surface location of the rhizome, this crop requires additional moisture. Otherwise, if there is a lack of moisture, it can happen:

• - Reducing the number of ovaries, due to which there will be a negative impact on the yield.
• - Slower growth.
• - Shedding not only leaves, but also fruits.

It is also worth noting that with a lack of moisture and dehydration of the tree as a whole (in summer), there will be a negative impact on the frost resistance of this tree.

Disease immunity

As already noted, this variety has excellent, absolute immunity to the five races of scab. Thanks to this, the subspecies is considered indispensable for farmers who want to cultivate subspecies that are resistant to such a harmful and dangerous disease, rather than fighting it. But with such a high immunity to this disease, the tree can be attacked by dangerous pests such as leafworm, aphids, ticks and others.

Apple tree Christmas: planting

After the seedling with a closed root system appeared, farmers began to plant it all year round. But the most common planting methods are still:

- Autumn. Disembarkation is carried out after the fall of leaves, approximately by the beginning of the second half of October. In this case, the seedling has time to recover and take root before the arrival of the first cold weather.

- Spring. Disembarkation is carried out until the bud breaks. This landing is best suited for regions with a difficult and harsh climate, where the air temperature in winter drops to -20 - -30 degrees.

During spring planting, seedlings need to be watered abundantly, since with a lack of moisture it can lead to infection with various diseases, as well as slow growth.

Apple tree Christmas: care

Agrotechnics

In order to carry out the planting of this seedling, it is required to prepare garden tools in advance and act in the following sequence:

1. - Dig a planting hole, the diameter of which should be approximately 80 centimeters to one meter. In this case, the upper fertile soil layer should be set aside in one direction, and the subsequent ones should be set aside separately in the other side.
2. - The bottom of the planting hole, which is at a depth of 60 centimeters, should be loosened and driven into the middle of the peg, which will serve as a support for the seedling in the future.
3. - A soil mixture is poured onto the bottom of the hole, consisting of compost (6-8 kilograms), peat with superphosphate (90-100 grams), potassium salt (35-45 grams), thus forming a small mound.
4. - A seedling is placed on this mound, the roots are carefully straightened and tied to a peg.
5. - Fertile soil is poured from above, forming an earthen roller, after which the planted seedling is watered abundantly.

Most importantly, remember that a pre-prepared planting hole will make it possible for the plant to adapt quickly. It is also worth recalling that the apple tree of this subspecies is medium-sized, so 3.5 meters will be the best gap between crops.

Growing

There are three most important points in the cultivation of this subspecies:

- Top dressing. In the first year of life after planting, the young tree has enough fertilizers applied during planting. And in the next years of life, you need to follow this scheme: in the autumn season, fertilizers based on potassium, superphosphate and organic matter should be applied, and for digging. In spring, the soil needs to be enriched with nitrogen-containing fertilizers. Moreover, two-thirds of the composition should be applied before the flower buds bloom, and the rest after the flowering period. In the first years of life after planting the seedling, nutrients should be applied to a depth of no more than 15 centimeters. From the third year of life, they are brought to a deeper distance - up to half a meter, while retreating from the tree trunk by one and a half meters.

- Watering. The frequency of watering for this plant depends on the weather conditions in the place of growth. As for the amount of watering, experienced gardeners say this: how old a tree is, so many buckets of water are needed for watering.

- Cropping. The pruning procedure for this tree is very important, since the level and quality of the crop directly depends on it. It should be carried out throughout the year in the appropriate time frame.The pruning technology depends on the climate of the growing region, the age of the plant and the type of rootstock. Briefly about the main types of pruning, then: in the autumn, pruning is carried out after leaf fall, as a result of which broken, diseased and old stems are removed. In the spring, the pruning procedure is carried out in order to help the apple tree enter the growing season. This period is best suited for tree rejuvenation, crown formation and thinning. If pruning is done correctly, the tree of this variety will give a high yield, there will be an increase in healthy shoots and a decrease in the growth of the apple tree.

Pollinating varieties

Cross-pollination can only occur if this subspecies and pollinating varieties are flowering annually. Another very important point is the distance between apple trees, it should be no more than 50 meters.

Flowering, fruiting and ripening periods

From the planting of a seedling of this subspecies to the ripening of the first apples, it usually takes no more than 4 years. The exact time of flowering is difficult to name, since it depends on the weather conditions of the growing region. But we can say for sure that most often this period falls on the second and third ten days of May. The subspecies in question belongs to the early winter representatives of this fruit crop, therefore, the harvest takes place at the end of September. One of the disadvantages of this variety can be called the non-simultaneous ripening of the fruits. The winter subspecies are characterized by the longest storage periods of the crop. Although there is such a possibility for a longer shelf life of this variety, even until next year. True, apples do not become so juicy and sweet over time.

Types of rootstocks

There are two main types of rootstock for this subspecies, these are:

- Semi-dwarf and dwarf.

This rootstock has moderate growth. The Rozhdestvenskoe apple tree can grow up to a height of three meters, the crown has a width of no more than two meters and is endowed with a surface type root system. Thanks to the latter, one should remember about the underestimated frost resistance. In this case, the apple tree cannot survive temperatures below -15 degrees. Thorough warming for the winter will help protect the tree from death.

- Columnar.

There is no subspecies of the columnar apple tree of this variety, therefore, let us consider briefly about the columnar apple trees as a whole. These fruit trees will be an excellent option for gardeners with a small area. Such apple trees do not have skeletal stems, they grow into one trunk and, as a rule, occupy a maximum of 30 centimeters of space. The optimal distance for planting is half a meter between the columns and up to 9 centimeters between the rows. It is worth noting that the first fruiting period for such trees begins in the second year of life after planting, although at the same time the fruiting period is half as compared to ordinary vigorous trees.

Growing in regions

A rather changeable climate prevails in the Moscow region. This subspecies is quite susceptible to sudden changes in temperature. This variety can be grown in this region, although you should still cover the tree trunk for the winter, just in case.

Here is what region will be ideal for the cultivation of this subspecies, so this is the Volga region. Although you will need to make frequent and thorough watering of this tree.

Experts talk about the high level of frost resistance of the subspecies with a certain hardening of the tree. But more often than not, farmers do not have enough experience to cultivate this crop in a difficult climate. Therefore, it is better not to try to grow this subspecies of apple trees in the Urals and Siberia.

Apple tree Christmas: reviews

In conclusion, it should be said about the prospects of the subspecies. Fans of this tree note the dessert flavor of these fruits and their immunity to scab disease.

The fruits of this variety are consumed both fresh, not processed, and processed. Due to the large amount of pectins in the fruit, an ideal consistency is obtained for jam, mousse and jam.

The main thing is not to forget about caring for this beautiful plant!

On the Internet, on various forums about this culture and articles, you can find a huge number of reviews and advice about the apple variety in question. Here are a few of them:

- I like this subspecies very much, I appreciate it. The most important thing for scab disease resistance. The tree does not require any treatment measures for this unpleasant disease. Therefore, we collect the fruits much cleaner (from an environmental point of view) and tastier than other varieties. We use them both fresh, and make various blanks. Wonderful grade!

Tamara, Oryol

- A pretty good variety, although, in my opinion, it is better not to grow in regions with an unfavorable climate. Still, the subspecies was initially zoned for the central Chernozem region.

Igor, Moscow region

- Personally, I really like this variety. Quite easy to grow and care for, scab treatment is not needed, which is very pleasing, and the apples are very tasty and beautiful. They have good storage. In January, it is even very juicy, but, however, not as sweet as in the autumn period.

Anatoly, Krasnodar

- For me, the taste of these apples is too sour, you won't be able to eat a lot. Although, on the other hand, caramel notes are quite clearly traced in the aftertaste. But what is definitely a big plus is that they are very juicy and crunchy.

Svetlana, Tambov

- Once I really wanted to create an apple orchard on a trellis on my site. For a very long time I made a choice, read, asked the specialists, and, as a result, chose this variety as an experiment. The result was very pleasing! Both the yield and the taste of the fruits are quite satisfied. Plus, for the winter period, this tree is quite convenient to cover for the winter. After all, for such a culture, we are still chilly.

Olga, St. Petersburg