Description of the variety and yield of the apple tree Katerina, characteristics and regions of cultivation
Each season pleases with its own characteristics. With the onset of autumn, the owners of the Katerina apple tree are waiting for the harvest. These fruits, so sweet and juicy, are excellent representatives of their "parents": Golden Delicious and Mekintosh Vazhek varieties. The cultivar belongs to the late ones, so you will be able to transfer a piece of autumn to cold and cold weather without losing qualities. Let's take a closer look at the characteristics.
Description of the variety
The variety was bred by Ukrainian breeding in 1978. Apples of this variety have a flattened cone shape, with a slightly ribbed surface at the top. The weight of one fruit fluctuates around 200 grams, more often it is slightly less, from 160 to 190 grams. The flesh is delicate, creamy, with green veins, very juicy, dense and crispy.
Outside, Katerina's apples are ruddy, yellow-green, red, with an orange tint on the sunny side. The skin is of medium thickness, dry and dense. The taste is sweet, with a pleasant sourness, and slightly spicy notes. The shape of the apple tree is pyramidal, the branches are spreading, the shoots are strong.
The tree is distinguished by strong vigor of growth, the crown is large and spreading.
The foliage is of a standard green color, with medium density. When describing a cultivar, it should be mentioned that there are many fruits on the tree, they seem to grow in bunches. The fruits are most often consumed fresh, but they are also used in the preparation of juices.
Specifications
For you, below is a detailed description of the apple variety Katerina.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
First of all, let's talk about the advantages:
- Early maturity. Variety Katerina is a donor of early maturity in breeding.
- High productivity. This fact will delight both the owner of a modest garden of several trees and a large planter. A large number of fruits grow and ripen on one tree. It should be noted that there are no special requirements for plant care. Therefore, with the same labor and time investments, you will get a much larger harvest than from other apple varieties.
- Excellent transportability. Thanks to this indicator, apples of the Katerina variety are often exported to other countries, where they are also very popular.
- Excellent taste. On a five-point scale, Katerina scored from 4.5 to 4.9. These are amazing numbers.
- The seedlings are well anchored in the ground, so they do not need to be additionally strengthened. It will also please the fact that the tree does not form root growth.
- The period of operation of the garden is quite long - from 28 to 35 years.
On the downside, the average drought tolerance should be mentioned. The southern regions of Ukraine are characterized by excessive summer heat and little rainfall. With this temperature regime, the fruits do not receive enough moisture from the soil. The consequence of this is the lack of juiciness of the fruit.
Due to the fact that there are a lot of fruits on one tree, this creates a threat of breaking off not enough thick and strong branches (which happens if the season is rich in rains). Therefore, rationing of flowers and ovaries is required.
Yield
An adult tree, which has reached the age of eight years, yields 35-40 kilograms of apples. This is an excellent indicator that not all cultivars can boast of.
The frequency of fruiting
The seedling begins to bear fruit, as a rule, in the second, third (maximum - fourth) year after planting. From that moment on, the harvest ripens every year.
Frost resistance
The indicator is high. From December to June of the next year, the apples of the Katerina cultivar can be eaten fresh. It should only be remembered that the nine-month period must be supported by the correct storage conditions: provide high-quality ventilation in the room, with a cool temperature.
Disease resistance
The variety has the strongest immunity to diseases, is rarely susceptible to them. The breeders noted a good defense against scab and powdery mildew.
The timing of flowering and ripening of fruits
Apple cultivar Katerina blooms in medium terms. The whole tree is dotted with flowers. The fruits are ready to be harvested by early October. However, keep in mind that by this time the fruits that are already ripe will fall off. Therefore, if the gardener has set a goal to keep apples as long as possible, start harvesting by the end of September. The fruits ripen in the basement or refrigerator.
Favorable growing regions
This cultivar was introduced by Ukrainian breeding, and is most widely used in Ukraine. In 2001, the species was included in the Register of Plant Varieties of Ukraine for Polesie and Forest-Steppe. Outside the territory of Ukraine, for successful fruiting, a seedling requires a temperate climate, fertile soil (black soil), a sufficient amount of solar energy and heat.
