Apple tree of Nedzvetsky

Apple tree of Nedzvetsky: description of the variety

The apple tree is a fruit crop, without which, perhaps, it is impossible to imagine any modern garden plot. There are many types and varieties of apple trees, but in this article we will dwell in more detail on the Nedzwiecki apple variety. When growing crops in park areas, the Nedzwiecki apple tree (malus niedzwetzkyana) can reach a height of eight meters, which is quite large when compared with other varieties.

All parts of the plant are stained with anthocyanin, a component that gives the tree, and then its fruit, a purple color. The bark, leaves and buds are the same color. Even wood, if you take a closer look at it, will be relatively pinkish, which is of great interest to modern gardeners.

Apple tree of Nedzvetsky: photo of the variety malus niedzwetzkyana

Depending on where the tree grows, flowering can usually occur either at the end of May or at the beginning of June. This option, as practice shows, is quite standard. The flowering itself can last for two weeks, but if we take into account that the flowering of this variety is gradual, and the buds open in turn, then the process can take almost a month.

The ornamental apple tree of Nedzvetskiy is quite decorative; as a rule, it is grown either by a bush or by a tree. During flowering, the tree attracts not only the views of everyone who sees it, but also insects - for example, bees. In winter, the plant is quite attractive to birds, and this does not always have a positive effect, so that in caring for the gardener, serious attention should be paid to this fact.

In addition to the main characteristics, the apple tree of the Nedzvetskiy variety also has some additional characteristics. We will devote the next part of this article to their description.

Apple tree of Nedzvetsky: photo of the variety

additional characteristics

In general, apple trees of the Nedzvetskiy apple variety belong to the category of medium-sized trees, their usual height varies from three to five meters, in some cases, as we noted earlier, the height can reach eight meters. The crown is almost even, spherical in shape, from which the plant acquires a bright decorative appearance. Also, the characteristics of the appearance include the following:

• The trunk is bright purple, covered with bark. The bark, by the way, is rather prone to cracking, so the gardener needs to pay attention to this when leaving;
• The beginning of flowering occurs in late May-early June, the duration of flowering is no more than two weeks. The first flowering occurs at the time when the plant is already five years old, but the fruits can be expected even longer - only by ten years of age;
• Small apples ripen closer to August, their skin has a dark, red tint, and the flesh inside is juicy, pale pink;
• The variety is self-fertile, but this disadvantage is covered by some advantages. For example, the fact that almost any apple tree is able to pollinate this tree.

As we have already noted earlier, the tree has bright pronounced decorative features. Each season can have its own color scheme of the plant, and at each season it has features of its appearance that only attract the gardener and his guests.

In spring you can see a tree with huge green and purple foliage - the deciduous part is ideally combined with magnificent flowers, which makes the plant especially beautiful and attractive. In summer, the foliage begins to darken gradually, dark red apples appear, the foliage becomes almost purple. In the fall, the leaves begin to take on a crimson or yellow hue, the apples that still cover the plant turn purple. In winter, dark purple branches can be seen, which will be densely strewn with fruits. Thus, the plant at any time of the year remains so attractive that it is only because of this that you madly want to start it on your own plot.

Height and shape of malus niedzwetzkyana

In park culture, we will rarely be able to find trees that will exceed 608 meters in height, but sometimes they are found, and mostly these are very mature trees that turned out to be in an ideal habitat for themselves, which is why they have grown so much. Perhaps formative pruning also affects the speed and degree of plant growth; in the wild, you can find real giants - trees up to 12 meters in height, this is a real record for this variety.

At the very beginning of life, the crown develops in a pyramidal direction, but gradually, as fruits appear on it, the crown begins to expand, droop, and therefore it most of all resembles a ball, not a pyramid. At the same time, if you carry out pruning, the plant will look very neat and decorative. In general, the most overall dimensions of the tree are six meters. This size is found most often, it is easier to perform caring manipulations with it.

The apple tree of Nedzwiecki belongs to plants that have medium vigor. Usually, already in the 13th year of life, the apple tree of this variety reaches about three meters in height. Shoots grow by about half a meter per year, and it is also necessary to prune both sanitary and decoration.

Apple tree of Nedzvetsky: photo of the variety

Fruiting

The fruits of the Nedzwiecki apple tree are quite small - they are only slightly larger than a cherry berry. The diameter does not exceed three to four centimeters. And then, four centimeters is the size of the fruit, if the gardener takes all the caring measures for the plant. Of course, these apples can be eaten, and their taste is almost no different from the taste of the usually wild apple tree itself. It is tart, slightly astringent, with sourness, but not for everybody. After frost, oddly enough, but the fruits of the decorative apple tree of Nedzvetskiy become much tastier, and this is their peculiarity. The secret is simple: frosts decompose all the bitterness, so the apple tastes like a regular apple culture, and this is worth remembering when choosing a location and zone for planting.

The leaf looks quite normal, elliptical in shape, the edges are jagged. In the spring and summer seasons, the leaves are leathery, pubescent, have a brown color, which is quite unusual to observe in the framework of such a garden culture. Then, over time and with the change of season, the apple leaves begin to gradually darken and acquire a purple hue. Apple trees can easily withstand severe frosts and are resistant to sudden temperature changes. Like any wild berry, this ornamental tree practically does not perceive any attacks of pests or diseases, which are quite common among apple crops. In addition, the apple tree is completely undemanding to the composition of the soil, feeding, the culture is very popular with whole colonies of aphids, but it does not damage this resistant plant in any way. Nevertheless, in order to maintain decorativeness, it is recommended to periodically treat the plant with various chemicals, but only if there is any need for this.

As for the lifespan, some trees can grow and develop up to 60 years of age. Cultivation in favorable conditions can increase the life span by several more decades. At the same time, certain efforts will still be required from the gardener to preserve the decorative appearance from the gardener, but, again, the tree is unpretentious in this regard, because it originally grew in the wild, therefore it has completely retained its capabilities for stress resistance and endurance.

Apple tree of Nedzvetsky - how to plant?

Of course, one cannot fail to mention the peculiarities of planting and reproduction of this variety of apple trees. Usually, the tree can be planted immediately in its permanent place of growth. As a rule, this is the early spring period with the appearance of the very first buds, or in the autumn period, when the tree gradually enters a state of dormancy, and it can be planted in an open space.

If planting is carried out in a cold climatic zone, then it is best to do it in autumn, so the tree quickly adapts to new conditions, to the soil, which has already warmed up after the winter period. If, before the calendar winter began, the soil has not yet completely frozen over, then the seedling can take root and adapt, put out small roots. This will indicate that the tree will survive the winter and will continue to grow in the established territory. In early spring, as soon as the plant wakes up, it will immediately go into active growth, and this will be noticeable already during the first few months.

Seat selection

For planting, it is best to choose sunny areas where there is no stagnant groundwater, as they can significantly adversely affect the root system of the tree. It should also be borne in mind that the crown of an adult tree can reach as much as six meters in diameter, so it will be impossible to transplant the tree after a few years. Therefore, the site must belong to the apple tree once and for all, with the prospect that such large trees with a lush crown will not grow nearby, otherwise it may get confused and damage the tree.

The pit should be large - at least 70x70x80 centimeters, so that the seedling is comfortable and cozy. The pit is also prepared about 10-14 days before planting the seedling, filled with compost, garden soil and river sand, since this mixture forms the most comfortable material for the seedling. You can also add about half a liter of wood ash. A reference peg is driven into the center of the pit, a seedling is tied to it, and the root collar should remain at soil level. After that, the roots are carefully straightened so as not to damage them, they are sprinkled with earth. The seedling should be immediately moistened with three liters of water, and more earth should be poured on top. A near-trunk circle is formed, this part of the soil is mulched.

As a rule, it is best to plant a decorative Nedzwiecki apple tree alone, as it looks in a garden or in a park arrangement. But you can also plant in groups, only in this regard, remember about the sense of proportion and that the plants still grow very powerful. The plant takes root best of all during autumn planting, and this is due to the fact that the roots do not have just that dormant period - they continue to actively grow even in the most frosty periods. Only this growth is not as intense as usual, but it never stops. Before real frosts come, the plant has a chance to take root remarkably, and all the forces will go exactly to the growth of the root system, since the leafy-stem part falls asleep for the winter.

Apple tree of Nedzvetsky: photo of a decorative variety

Reproduction

There are several ways to propagate an apple tree:

• Seeds;
• Cuttings.

The main method to this day is vegetative, that is, thanks to grafting on forest and berry varieties of apple trees.This is due to the fact that the process is quite long and, for the most part, it cannot be predicted. You can only make assumptions about how the seedling will take root, how it will grow, what color its inflorescences will be in spring. If we talk about seeds, then they are not planted very deeply - about three centimeters. Perhaps, in the future, in terms of its qualities, it will become much more powerful than its mother plant, but this depends solely on the gardener himself and on his desire to achieve similar results.

Ornamental varieties (and this variety refers specifically to them) can be propagated using root shoots. This means that the separated seedlings grow faster, begin to bloom earlier than their counterparts, which were grafted or, moreover, grown by seed.

Apple tree of Nedzvetsky: photo of the variety

Apple tree of Nedzvetsky: features of ripening and fruiting

Agrotechnical characteristics of ornamental plants practically do not differ from other cultivated forms of plants and, as in our case, trees. There is only one difference, which boils down to the fact that decorative varieties are usually not intended for harvesting. This means that you can save a lot of your time and material resources on top dressing: usually, top dressing is not done at all, it is limited only by foliar, foliar method.

In general, like all other forms, the Nedzvetsky apple tree feels great in an open space, which, among other things, is also well ventilated, which is an undoubted plus. When planting, it is imperative to add organic components to the planting hole - rotted manure or compost, which will perfectly saturate the soil with organic substances, and a peat-sand mixture is ideal, which will improve the acid balance of the soil, making it more favorable for planting a long-growing tree. If the tree does not have enough nitrogen, then this can affect the decorative qualities. First of all, there will be no that unusual color of the crown and bark, and growth will be significantly slowed down. Stunted trees with red leaves will not make the proper impression at all, so at first the gardener should be more careful about feeding.

Pruning and grafting

Pruning is necessary for a tree in order to maintain its decorative appearance, to make it neater and more compact, even at such a significant size. Annual pruning can be done according to the following algorithm:

• first, the grower removes any broken or dead branches that do not carry any fertile functions
• all incorrectly growing curved and transformed branches should also be immediately removed
• the tips of the branches should be cut by about a third of the entire length to improve the growth function.

When the Nedzvetsky apple tree reaches its ten years of age, a planned rejuvenating pruning should be performed, during which about 50% of the entire crown can be removed. At the same time, this type of pruning will allow new branches to restore their active growth, which will even better affect the condition and appearance of the tree, so there is no point in fearing for it.

If we talk about grafting, then it is best to graft related plants, or forest varieties of apple trees, and this must be done in the crown. Thus, the gardener will achieve an even more original design of the crown, from which branches of different flowers and with different fruits will depart, and this really looks very exotic and cool (note to gardeners with experience).

Features of fruiting

There are also some peculiarities in the processes of ripening and fruiting, and we cannot ignore them in any way within the framework of this article. Apple trees bloom immediately after the leaves bloom, and usually this process occurs at the end of May.Flowering lasts up to two weeks, it depends on which variety the decorative apple tree belongs to, as well as its age. Also, the flowering period can sometimes shift, because a lot depends on the climatic zone in which the plant grows, on the characteristics of the soil, the location of the tree.

Sometimes it can happen that the tree does not bloom at all, and this is rather sad, but there are reasons for this. First, this happens quite often if the tree is less than five years old; secondly, if the soil is too fertile, only false shoots grow from the tree in this way, and it refuses to bloom. Thirdly, a possible reason may be that frosts have returned to the region, or the planting site was not chosen very well, and the tree feels as uncomfortable as possible, so you should think about replanting it. Also, sometimes the tree can be susceptible to disease, especially if it has been damaged by pests or rodents.

The fruits of apple trees of the Nedzvetsky variety are decorative, they can be used for drying, since only in this case all the trace elements, vitamins and minerals that are so useful for human health are preserved in the dried fruits. The small fruits of the Nedzvetsy apple tree are also ideal for making jam, preserves, jams, as well as for preparing a drink such as cider. In addition, the wild-growing forms of apple trees are in great demand in folk medicine, and are actively used in medical practice, which also cannot but rejoice.

The fruits can be eaten as they are generally quite edible. The taste becomes much better after the first frost (we said earlier that frost kills bitterness).

Apple tree of Nedzvetsky: photo of the fruit

Apple tree of Nedzvetsky: subspecies

I would also like to list several subspecies and variants of this type of tree, since it is quite interesting:

• royalty - this variety looks just fine during its flowering, resembles sakura
• red-leaved apple tree of Nedvetsy - the tree grows up to ten meters, very tall, shrub type with beautiful bright red decorative leaves
• weeping - the tree is tall, about 12 meters, quite frost-resistant, retaining its decorative effect even in harsh conditions
• wild growing - from the name it is clear that it grows in the wild, great for gardeners who do not have the opportunity to devote much time to caring for the tree.

Thus, we have covered an incredibly interesting tree variety in this article. The Nedzvetsky apple tree can grow in various regions of our country, since it originated from a fairly stable tree, which is quite adapted to harsh conditions. It is worth noting that today this variety is still interesting in that it is fond of breeding unusual ornamental varieties, so you can safely purchase seedlings or seeds if you are ready to wait and get a magnificent ornamental plant with interesting small fruits as a result. The apple tree of Nedzwiecki is perfect for both the southern regions and the more severe ones - the northern ones.