Apple "Champion": features of the variety and agricultural technology

Apples "Champion" have an attractive appearance and have excellent taste.Fruit trees of this variety are easy to maintain and provide high yields, which is why they are usually grown not only at home but also on an industrial scale. Consider this kind, its advantages and disadvantages in more detail.

Reviews of gardeners indicate that the apple of this variety are characterized by precociation and a large number of fruits. The trees are small and do not require special care, they begin to bear fruit in the third year of life. The fruits are distinguished by an exquisite taste, an attractive appearance, and while ensuring the necessary conditions have a long - up to 6 months - shelf life.

"Champion" is a stunted fruit trees with a neat crown and a small density of branches. The development of shoots continues until fruiting, then slows down.

The tree has a rather narrow trunk and branches, going up at an angle. Pruning should be done very carefully, as new branches grow slowly. The kidneys react strongly to changes in temperature and begin to develop when the first heat is established. The disclosure of flowers occurs towards the end of spring. Apple tree is prone to partial self-pollination, it helps her to form up to a third of the fruit. Good neighbors in this aspect will be such varieties as "Teremok", "Florin", "Aydared" and "Lobo".

Champion apples are very large and beautiful, with an average weight of 160-200 grams. They are characterized by roundness of forms, the color in the period of ripening is yellow-green, but after collecting it changes to a purple-orange with a pronounced red blush. The taste of the fruit is sweet with a specific sourness, which especially attracts fans of this variety, the aroma is delicate and very pleasant. On average, the caloric content of this product is 45-47 kcal per 100 grams.

With proper care, this crop brings a large amount of crop annually. Moreover, the fruits begin to begin to set when the seedling is 2–3 years old, and after another same period at least 20 kilograms of apples per season can be harvested from each tree.

Eating apples can be both fresh and in the form of compotes, juice and jam. They are well tolerated transportation and stored for a long time, maintaining their appearance. This variety is very suitable for sale.

If adult trees do not have problems with how to survive the cold, younger members of this class require special care in this regard. Gardeners call the frost resistance of trees medium, they can not fully develop in a harsh climate.

Mature plants tolerate temperatures as low as -18 degrees, but for seedlings this can be disastrous. They need mulching pristvolnyh circles, even in the case when the cold will come for long. In addition, it is necessary to cover the branches with insulating material.

The mulching procedure should be carried out at a distance of 10 cm from seedlings. This will help avoid the transfer of fungus and bacteria to the plant. For it is not recommended to take materials that can oxidize the soil, for example, sawdust from the needles.

It is no secret that unhealthy and weak seedlings will not be able to provide the gardener with the desired harvest, so their choice must be approached wisely. After all, on how strong the plants are, their development and fruiting in the first years of life depend. Therefore, experts give several recommendations on this topic.

First of all, it is necessary to acquire planting material in specialized and proven places. When buying you need to pay attention to the roots of the plant - they must be healthy, free of defects and stains, do not have rot.

The best seedling size is within 0.5 meters, higher ones can adapt poorly in the soil. A quality seedling has 5 skeletal branches. If the choice is made in the autumn period, there should be no leaves on the plant. So that the transportation does not harm the apple, the root system is wrapped in a moistened piece of cloth and wrapped with polyethylene. The branches should be fixed at the trunk. In the case when there is a lot of time left before planting, the roots should be placed in a moist soil.

In fact, to obtain a good harvest, the acquisition of healthy seedlings of the desired variety is not the main thing. The process of landing in this process is very important. In order for it to go right, you need to take into account many points.

First, the landing should be carried out at the most appropriate time for this. For our country, the best option are the spring and autumn periods. This is due to the fact that the sun is not as active as in summer.

When planting in the spring, the root system and the trunk have time to adapt to new conditions, to develop and grow stronger. The best option is considered the last days of April, when the weather is already quite warm. However, it should be borne in mind that much attention will have to pay watering. Before planting, the tree needs to be left in the water for a day, this will allow it to absorb the required amount of moisture.

If the procedure is carried out in the fall, the apple tree will have time to settle down and grow new roots, and with the arrival of spring it will develop very quickly. In this case, it is necessary to take into account that several weeks should pass between the landing procedure and the first cold. Watering in this case is not required, the ground is already quite wet and cool, and the landing itself should be made in early October.

But also the planting period depends on the age of the seedlings: young should be planted in the spring, and more adults in the fall. The considered variety can be planted in any of the periods, it all depends on the personal preferences of the gardener.

Secondly, the choice of location plays an important role. For an apple tree, both the shadow and the excessively active sun are equally unpleasant, so diffused light would be the best option. In the lowlands, trees can be threatened with fungus and bacteria, as moisture and coolness contribute to their development. The best option would be planting among other varieties of apple trees that will help the tree to pollinate at the right time.

Preparatory work should be started one month before planting. First of all, you need a pit to a depth of 80 centimeters and a width of not more than a meter. Next, you should divide the upper and lower layers of the soil into 2 parts. The bottom should be laid out with broken brick, top should be added with fertilizers, in which quality humus, compost and peat in equal proportions are quite suitable. All this must be mixed with the earth from the lower layer.

The prepared place is covered with polyethylene until landing. This will allow the soil to warm up.

Before placing the seedlings in the soil, they need to be carefully examined again. This will allow to detect damaged fragments that could have formed even in a short storage time. It is necessary to get rid of such sites.

After that, the seedlings should be placed on a hill with fertilizers, straightening the roots, and water carefully. Next, the hole is filled with the top layer of the prepared soil and compacted. From the root of the neck to the ground should be at least 4 centimeters, it is very important for the proper development of the tree. The minimum distance between seedlings is 2 meters, and between rows - up to four.

In order for the apple tree to develop properly, it needs competent care.Consider what exactly the Champion variety needs.

This fruit tree must be protected from pests and various diseases. If agrotechnology is violated, it will create favorable conditions for the spread of germs and fungal diseases. In the case when the attack still struck the apple tree, the “Hom” remedy turns out to be a great helper. He will help treat scab, powdery mildew and cytosporosis. To do this, you need 40 grams of the drug per bucket of water.

And you can also use copper sulfate in the same dosage. The difference is that “Khom” should be used when the apple tree is in bloom, and the vitriol is at the time when buds are blossoming. But gardeners also recommend the use of such effective drugs as "Albite" and "Skor".

6 weeks before the planned harvest, the Champion apple must be sprayed with a solution of superphosphate, this will help supply the tree with potassium, which will prevent rotting of the harvested fruit. If the plant is struck by bitter pitting, you need to feed it with fertilizers containing calcium. Among the drugs used to combat various diseases, it can be noted also "Topsin", "Poliram", "Antrakol". In cases where the tree was attacked by malicious insects, you can use "Karbofos", "On the spot", "Fastak".

Watering the apple should be done in the evening, then at night the water will have time to be absorbed into the soil. Day watering is dangerous the appearance of sunburn. It should be borne in mind that the procedure should be stopped 2 weeks before the harvest.

The first watering is carried out before buds begin to bloom, the process is repeated weekly. If the tree is an adult, the procedure must be repeated after flowering. After watering, you need to loosen the soil and be sure to remove the weeds. With water retention, mulching will do well.

Feed should be started in the spring, for this purpose, well infusion of chicken manure. This will help stimulate the growth of greenery. You can also use a solution based on manure and ammonium nitrate. The feeding is repeated at the time when the ovaries begin to form, a little potassium chloride and superphosphate can be added to the solution.

At the very end of the summer, “Champion” can be fed with special autumn complex fertilizers. Superphosphate does not hurt.

Crown thickening is not characteristic of fruit trees of this variety, but once a year it is required to cut the shoots. The first step is to remove dried and affected areas. If the branches grow too much, they can be cut in the spring and additionally in the autumn. The first procedure is carried out in March. If the increments that have appeared in the current season do not have a generative kidney, they should also be eliminated.

In order for Champion apple trees to survive the winter without damage, they need a little help. This concerns mostly young plants. In this case, it is necessary to carry out mulching, and cover the upper part of the seedlings with insulating material.

See the following video for a detailed description of the champion apple variety.