Description and characteristics of apple varieties White filling, when ripe and how to store
The White filling apples are harvested one of the first. As with all summer varieties, its fruits are not stored much. Despite this, gardeners to this day cultivate White filling in their gardens. Apples are eaten fresh or processed. Jams and preserves made from ripe fruits of the White filling have a wonderful taste.
Breeding history and benefits of the variety
Until now, disputes around the history of the White filling variety do not subside, some attribute it to folk art, others consider the success of apples to be the merit of breeders. Many gardeners mistakenly call apple trees White filling Papirovka.
Both varieties are very similar in many technical parameters and outwardly. The most widespread White filling in the Middle Volga region, it is considered the standard of taste there. Seedlings are grown from seeds, which are used as rootstocks; they are suitable for grafting columnar forms of apple trees.
As a parent material, White filling was used by breeders to obtain new, more promising varieties. There are about 20 of them today. The productive summer variety is beneficial as a stable supplier of early raw materials for summer harvesting.
Advantages of White filling:
- low requirements for the structure of the soil;
- the variety shows medium scab resistance;
- low dependence of yield on the quality of agricultural technology;
- winter hardiness of flower buds and wood;
- early maturity.
Features of the variety: frequency of fruiting, lack of integumentary color. The disadvantages include a friendly return of the crop, poor transportability, and a short storage period.
Growing region
Apple-trees of White filling grow well in the Moscow region and most other Russian regions. At one time, the variety was tested and entered into the State Register. It's easier to list the regions where it is not recommended to grow apple trees White filling. Their list is rather short, it includes areas:
- The Far East;
- Eastern Siberia;
- Middle and South Urals.
Main technical characteristics
The description of the main parameters of the fruit crop provides gardeners with information about the degree of suitability of the variety for a given climatic zone.The immune properties and characteristics of the winter hardiness of the White filling allow us to assess the possible risks, and the knowledge of the future dimensions of the tree to choose the most suitable place in the garden.
Tree height and crown width
The trees are of a size suitable for small gardens and are of medium size. The height of the trunk is up to 5 meters, the width and shape of the crown changes over the years. Experienced gardeners, using dwarf rootstocks, grow shorter trees, their height ranges from 2.5 to 3 meters.
Shoots are medium in thickness, in young apple trees they form a wide-pyramidal crown, which by the age of 7 becomes round.
When planting seedlings on a vigorous rootstock, you need to take into account the size of the crown of an adult apple tree, it is very large in diameter (5-7 meters).
Root system
The characteristics of the root system directly depend on the type of rootstock. When using seedlings on vigorous rootstocks, a powerful central core is formed at the rhizome. The highly branched form of the root system is typical for White filling trees grown from seedlings with rootstocks:
- dwarf;
- semi-dwarf;
- undersized.
Frost resistance
The concept of frost resistance of an apple tree is complex, an assessment is made when studying the resistance of a crop to cold temperatures in different periods of the winter season:
- beginning;
- middle;
- after thaws (sharp cold snap, gradual cold snap).
The zoned variety has no signs of freezing in all 4 cases. Frost resistance of White filling allows growing the variety in the regions of the southeast, southwest, northwest.
Disease immunity
A direct dependence of the immunity to scab on the growing region was noted. The overall assessment is average, but if we consider the resistance to scab from the point of view of geography, then in Ukraine, the Stavropol region and the North Caucasus it is weak. In the Central zone of the Russian Federation - average.
Features of ripening and fruiting
Flowering and fruiting occurs on the ringlets. The first apples begin to ripen in 10-15 July. The variety is characterized by a friendly return of the crop, which becomes a real problem for many gardeners.
In especially fruitful years, there is a problem with fruit processing. They are stored for no more than 14-20 days, after which the pulp becomes tasteless, soft. The fruits become unsuitable for processing.
Planting and growing
White filling should be planted in the garden. You need to have a productive summer apple tree in the garden. In order for the life of a tree to be long and yield high, you need:
- take seriously the purchase of a seedling;
- select the most suitable corner of the garden for the tree;
- not to be mistaken with the landing dates;
- prepare the landing pit according to all the rules.
In the south and in the snowy regions of the Central zone of the Russian Federation, White filling is planted in autumn; in areas with little snow, it is recommended to plant seedlings in early spring.
The beginning of fruiting
Trees begin to bear fruit early. Apple trees of the White filling at the age of 5-6 years give the first harvests. Trees bear fruit with proper care for at least 25 years. Crown care is essential throughout life. In its absence, the fruits become smaller.
Bloom
The apple tree, covered with large white-pink flowers, becomes a decoration of the garden. In the gardens of the Central Russia, flowers bloom with the arrival of May. In the south (Stavropol Territory) and in the gardens of Ukraine, White filling blooms in April.
Ripening dates of fruits
An impressive apple harvest is obtained from a mature apple tree. For a tree 7-12 years old, the norm is 150-200 kg of fruits per season. Apples ripen in the south at 15-20 days of July, in the orchards of the middle zone - from 10 to 20 August, in the southern regions of Siberia fruits ripen after 20 August.
The appearance and taste of the fruit
The apple tree was called White filling for a reason, its fruits are covered with a white skin, its light green tint is almost invisible.If the fruits ripen from the south side of the crown and are well illuminated by the sun, then a weakly pronounced blush of a pale pink color appears on them.
There is a slight sourness in the taste of the sweet pulp. Ripe apples give off a pleasant, delicate aroma. Young trees have larger fruit sizes than older trees. They weigh on average about 150 g, and over the years they become smaller, their mass by the age of 20 does not exceed 60 g. The shape of apples is correct, round-conical.
Useful properties are determined by the composition of the pulp:
- up to 9% sugars;
- up to 22 mg per 100 g of raw material ascorbic acid.
Only having an apple tree of this variety in your garden can you enjoy the wonderful taste of the fruit. You will not find them in the supermarket, they are stored very little and deteriorate during transportation.
Cyclic fruiting
The apple tree has sharply periodic fruiting. This short shelf life plus low transportability make the White filling unattractive for commercial gardens.
Summer apples should be picked and processed quickly. For large families, this variety of summer apples is beneficial to have. In winter, the cellar will always have a supply of jars with apple compotes, preserves and jams, and in summer the table will be bursting with an abundance of delicious apples and apple pies, desserts.
Basic rules for caring for an apple tree White filling
The apple tree is traditionally looked after. Several years after planting, they are closely engaged in crown formation. Fertilizers are an essential component of care. They are brought in throughout the long life of the apple tree. At any age, watering plays an important role for the fruiting and health of the fruit tree.
Pollination methods
In the absence of pollinating varieties, White filling does not produce fruits - the trees are self-fertile. There are no problems with the harvest if the trees of Antonovka, Grushovka Moskovskaya, Ottawa, Mantet grow in the garden or next to it. Any apple trees blooming at the same time as White filling apple trees are suitable as pollinators.
Treatment against pests and diseases
There are excellent preparations for the moth, aphids, apple blossom beetle and leafworm on sale. Good reviews deserve:
- "Calypso";
- "Binomial";
- "Zolon".
Trees suffer the most from insect infestations in the first years of life. Adult apple trees are more resistant, but they are more difficult to handle from pests due to their dense crown and high height.
High humidity (rain, fog) provokes the activity of the marsupial fungus, which causes a common disease of fruits and leaves - scab. For its prevention, every autumn, they carry out preventive treatment of the trunk and branches with "Zircon" or "Fitosporin".
In autumn, they cut out and destroy all damaged branches, rake out and burn the fallen leaves. The trunk is cleaned, whitewashed, adding a solution of copper sulfate to the whitewash. In the spring, prevention continues:
- until the buds swell, the crown is treated with copper sulfate (10 liters of water, 100 g of the product);
- when budding, all branches are sprayed with "Gamair";
- the fruiting tree is sprayed with colloidal sulfur.
Frequency and abundance of watering
A great need for watering remains during the period of mass fruit setting and their formation. The frequency and amount of watering depends on weather conditions and soil structure. On light soils, moisture goes away quickly, on heavy soils more slowly.
Water consumption for one irrigation for a 1-2-year-old tree is 2-3 buckets, for a fruiting apple tree, the consumption is calculated by the size of the crown - 50-100 l / m². The frequency of watering for fruit bearing and non-bearing trees is different.
The first ones are watered several times per season: in the spring - before the buds split open, during bud opening, at the beginning of the fruit pouring period. Apple trees under 5 years old are watered according to the weather every week if the summer is hot and dry. In the autumn just before the frosts watering apple trees any age. The last watering should be abundant, it helps to protect the roots from freezing.
Top dressing
For the first 2 years, the young tree receives nutrition from a fertile mixture of garden soil, organic matter and mineral fertilizers, which was used to fill the hole during the planting of the seedling. In the third year in the fall, the apple tree is fed for the first time.
Fertilizer consumption, which will be given in the table below, is given per 1 m². The area of projection of the crown on the ground is taken as a basis. As the apple tree grows, it will increase in size and, accordingly, the rate of application of mineral fertilizers will increase.
| Season | Name | amount |
| Spring | Urea | 10 g |
| Summer | Nitroammofoska | |
| Fall | Humus | 10 Kg |
| Potassium chloride | 15 g | |
| Superphosphate | 15 g |
From mid-July, fertilizing containing nitrogen is stopped, they reduce the frost resistance of shoots and buds, and worsen the immunity of the apple tree.
Crown formation technique
When planting a seedling in spring, the crown is formed before planting or immediately after it. If the seedling is planted in the fall, then the first formative pruning is started next spring:
- the crown of the central conductor is cut off at a height of 0.8 m from the root collar;
- damaged shoots are cut;
- the remaining branches - the basis of the future crown, are shortened by a third of the length.
Every year in the spring, before budding and in the fall, before the onset of frost, apple trees are thoroughly pruned. With its help, the crown is maintained in a healthy state.
All branches damaged by disease and bad weather, as well as shoots growing inside the crown or perpendicularly upwards, are subject to removal. A properly formed tree has 2-3 tiers of branches clearly visible. The lower shoots of the apple tree should be slightly longer than the upper ones.
Preparing for winter
The crop cannot be stored for a long time and left on the tree. It must be quickly removed from the apple tree and recycled. In the fall, an apple tree rested from fruiting is prepared for winter. The trunks of young trees are wrapped with tarpaulin or sacking, the trunk circle is covered with a layer of mulch (manure). In those regions where there is little snow in winter, old apple trees spud.
Growing problems
Often, an apple tree that has reached fruiting age does not bloom. Supposed reasons for the lack of fruit:
- a gross mistake when planting a seedling - the root collar is buried;
- the absence of another variety of apple trees in the garden;
- depleted soil, lack of fertilizing;
- disease;
- insects;
- the crown is not formed correctly.
On acidic soils, the yield of the White filling is low. The problem is solved with lime. It is brought in no more than once every 4 years. 200 g is spent for every square meter.
Apples fall
The fruits fall off for various reasons. Heavy load is one of them. In favorable weather years, too many ovaries are formed on the apple tree, some of them can be shed. First of all, fruits damaged by the moth fall from the trees. In dry summers, if watering is carried out rarely, the tree also drops apples.
Diseases and pests
Weakened due to poor care, apple trees often suffer from an invasion of pests and infections. Of insects, aphids and leafworms need to be wary. A fungal infection causes tangible damage to the crop. Fruit scab can significantly reduce the yield.
Since spring, experienced gardeners carry out preventive treatments for powdery mildew and scab:
- before blooming the buds are sprayed with "Skor" or a solution of copper sulfate;
- faded apple trees are carefully treated with copper oxychloride;
- at the end of autumn, all fruit trees are cleaned and once again treated with copper sulfate.
Signs of scab on the White filling: brown spots on the leaves, cracks and dark spots on the skin. In autumn, leaves from a diseased tree must be burned. Clean the area of the trunk circle and dig it up shallowly. Cover the trunk and large branches with a layer of lime.
Summer apples help in the treatment of many ailments.With their help, they normalize the work of the intestines and stomach, cleanse the body of toxins, normalize cholesterol levels. Eating the fruits of the White filling, they relieve the symptoms of gout and chronic rheumatism, strengthen the body's defenses. One White apple-tree is enough to satisfy the family's need for summer apples.
