Apple Spartacus: variety description, planting and care

The Volga region is characterized by weather conditions that are unfavorable for the cultivation of fruit crops: there are often very high summer temperatures and contrasting cold winters.Taking into account the peculiarities of this climatic zone, breeders created a number of fruit crops especially for her. One of the best among them is recognized as an autumn variety of apples "Spartak".

For the breeding of this variety were used seedlings "Sharopaya". The positive characteristics of the variety "Spartak" include:

• high and regular yield: up to 100 kg of apples can be removed from an adult tree, while the fact that trees bear fruit annually is especially valuable;
• precociousness: the first crop is harvested 3-4 years after disembarkation;
• excellent product and consumer qualities: the size of apples reaches 200 g, they have a rounded conical shape with a slight ribbing at the top.

Consider the description of the variety. Light green apples are completely covered with a light blush, the fruits have dense sweet-sour white flesh. On a 5-point tasting scale, the taste qualities of apples of this variety are estimated at 4.5 points.

The variety is characterized by non-simultaneous ripening of apples. The first ripe fruits ripen by early September, and the rest - within 15-20 days. Harvest preserves the presentation for about 2 months.

Apple trees are classified as low-growth crops, the tree grows to a height of 5-6 m. At the same time, a variety of the dwarf apple tree Spartak (no more than 3 m) has been developed. The advantages of such trees add convenient care and decorative appearance. Dwarf apple trees have a root system located near the surface of the earth, which allows them to be planted in areas with nearby groundwater.

“Spartak” has an average frost resistance, it can freeze without additional care even at 25 degrees of frost. When the culture is self-pollinating, in order to attain the maximum number of ovaries, it is pollinated with a cross. Selfing leads to about 30% of the fruit, and cross-pollination provides the ovary with 90%. Pollination with varieties "Aydared", "Umansky", "Ruby Duki" is recommended.

With preferential positive characteristics, Spartak has one drawback: this cultivar is unstable to scab. The leaves and bark of trees are particularly affected by this disease during adverse rainy seasons. For preventive purposes, trees are sprayed with fungicides. Other typical diseases (fruit rot, cytosporosis), this culture gets very rare.

Just like other fruit crops, the variety “Spartak” is subject to attacks by harmful insects. In order to preserve the ecological purity and usefulness of the fruit in the fight against harmful insects should use folk remedies. Destroy aphids and herbivorous bugs can be henbane black. To this end, 1 kg of this dried grass is boiled in 3 liters of water for about an hour. After that, the broth is cooled, diluted to 10 liters and sprayed with wood.

When fighting ants, their places of accumulation are poured with boiling water. The leaf-eating caterpillars and insects will not like the decoction of the tomato tops. For its preparation, 1 kg of tomato greens is drawn in 10 liters of water for about 5 hours, then boiled over low heat for 3 hours, filtered and diluted with water, increasing the volume 3 times. Cool solution sprayed trees.

Pest control is much better if it starts with the primary manifestations of crop damage.

Planted seedlings in spring or autumn. When planning a landing, you should consider the size of the future adult crown. In order to provide sufficient light and nutrients, the seedlings are placed at a distance of 5 m from other trees.

In small garden areas, one can grow a columnar variety “Spartak”, its crown has a special structure of branches: they are shorter than usual and the apples are located along the entire trunk. Such a structure saves space on the plots.

In regions where frosts are characteristic in early autumn, planting of seedlings should be planned for the spring time before budding.

Caring for a fruit crop is:

• watering, at least 1 time per week;
• weeding and loosening of the stalk territory;
• early detection of diseases and harmful insects;
• soil mulching with the introduction of humus;
• insulation of the barrel with ruberoid or burlap to prevent frosting.

Survival of apple trees is promoted by whitewashing a tree trunk with lime mortar (2 times a year). To speed up the appearance of fruits in young trees of the variety “Spartak”, additional feeding is required: in the spring - with nitrogen fertilizers, in the fall - with mineral complexes.

An adult tree has a volumetric crown with branches extending at an acute angle. Quite often, the branches break because of this. To prevent such problems, it is recommended to correct the crown in a timely manner.

The first pruning should be carried out in the year of planting. In this case, only 4 main skeletal branches are left, cutting them down to 3 buds, all other shoots are removed. In the following years, curved, weakened branches and those that grow perpendicular to the stem should be cut. Immediately after cutting the cut-off area, it is necessary to process the garden pitch.

Depending on the place of cultivation, consumer reviews are somewhat different. For example, residents of the Republic of Mari El celebrate the taste of the variety, the presentation of the fruit, the rich harvest, the simplicity of care for the crop. And residents of the Vladimir region indicate the need for additional care for the plant, as it is prone to disease. But at the same time, they note that apple trees of this variety regularly bear fruit, which is quite rare in other fruit crops.

The Spartak variety has earned the majority of positive reviews from gardeners of the Volga region, the Ural and East Siberian regions. They consider it one of the best varieties of apples, juicy and fragrant. Housewives note its versatility in conservation, drying, cooking jam, use in baking.

Review of varieties of apples "Spartak", see below.