Characteristics and description of the apple variety Zarya Alatau, regions of cultivation and taste of fruits
When choosing apple trees for their own garden, the owners pay attention, first of all, to the taste of their fruits. For lovers of sweet fruits that are perfectly stored until the end of spring, the Zarya Alatau apple variety is recommended. They tolerate frost well and can grow in most regions of central Russia, in Belarus and the Baltic states. With proper care, these trees produce a rich harvest every fall!
Description of the variety
The homeland of this variety is Kazakhstan, where many popular varieties of apples come from. Zarya Alatau appeared as a result of free pollination from the Ranet Orleansky variety.
The apple tree has an average winter hardiness and loves a long warm period, therefore it will not be suitable for growing in areas with cold springs and short summers, while it will easily survive frosts down to -30. Apple trees of the Zarya Alatau species are of medium height, compact, in need of pruning and crown formation. They begin to bear fruit in the 5-7th year after planting. The variety has good resistance to many woody diseases, but it often suffers from scab and rot.
To get healthy fruits that are sweet, even and above average in size, you need to take care of the tree, protect it from diseases, and control the number of ovaries. Quality is also important the soil where apple trees grow.
The fruits of the Zarya Alatau are small, medium or below medium in size. They have a fragrant, dense, fine-grained pulp. The taste of apples is very pleasant, sweet, with minimal acidity. As the tree grows, the size of the fruit becomes smaller, but their excellent taste remains the same.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
The advantages of Zarya Alatau include:
- frost resistance;
- taste and appearance of fruits;
- long shelf life;
- high productivity.
Disadvantages:
- requires a long period of heat;
- needs care and special crown formation;
- prone to scab and diseases in general.
Dimensions of an adult tree
The apple tree of this variety is low, with a crown of medium density and branching. The average tree height is 4.5 meters. The crown is symmetrical, oval or pyramid-shaped. Weights are hung on the branches of young seedlings so that they grow at the right angle relative to the trunk.
Productivity and taste of fruits
The main advantage of apples is their taste, aroma and chemical composition. The variety produces medium-sized (100-140 g), sweet and juicy fruits. They have a slightly flattened shape, greenish yellow in color with an orange blush on the sunny side. The pulp is light creamy, with a strong aroma, juicy and sweet.
There is little ascorbic acid in the composition, unlike most other varieties. They are great for baby food, making mashed potatoes. Growing Zarya Alatau is recommended for those who love dessert apples. They are best consumed fresh. This is facilitated by the fact that the fruits are stored for a long time - from December to May. It is important to monitor the humidity level in the room where they are located. If too high, the apples begin to wither.
The advantages of the variety include its high yield - subject to all growing conditions, correct crown formation and sufficient heat, up to 150 kg of fruit grows on one tree.
It starts with a lot of fruit and may need to be adjusted in order for ripe apples to have a good size and flavor. Fruiting begins 5-7 years after planting. Harvested in September - early October, depending on climatic conditions.
Winter hardiness of an apple tree
The Zarya Alatau variety is a winter-hardy variety. It normally tolerates frosts down to -30, requires shelter from rodents.
Disease resistance
The species is susceptible to scab, this is a significant minus of the apple tree. Less likely to suffer from cancer and fungal diseases. Powdery mildew resistant. The scab excludes the possibility of obtaining a high-quality harvest, while the tree itself will not suffer. Therefore, it is important to take timely measures that will protect the apple trees from this scourge.
Preventive treatment is carried out in early spring, when the buds have not yet blossomed. You can not process a flowering apple tree from scab! During fruiting, you can use natural remedies, herbal medicine and a solution of potassium permanganate. In preparation for winter, trees are re-treated with chemicals.
The timing of flowering and ripening of fruits
The tree begins to bloom in mid-May, the timing may vary depending on how warm the spring was. The fruits ripen at the end of September.
Zarya Alatau is partially capable of self-pollination; Welsey, Shreifling and Antonovka Obyknovnaya are suitable as additional pollinating varieties.
Growing regions
Zarya Alatau has shown itself well in regions with a temperate climate. The most important thing for good fruiting is the presence of warmth from April-May to September. It is not recommended to grow the variety in regions with very frosty (more than -35 degrees) winters.
For cold regions, in particular Siberia, it is possible to grow these sweet fruits on a dwarf rootstock. Such apple trees are more frost-resistant and begin to bear fruit earlier.
Planting and leaving
Young trees can be planted from April to October in loose, moist, but not too wet soil. Optimal places with a depth of groundwater of 2-2.5 m. In this case, a hole is dug for the seedling about 80-100 cm. A peg is driven into the middle, which will support the young apple tree. The pit is filled with earth dug out of it, mixed with peat and humus. If the soil is clay, you need to add sand to this mixture. If several seedlings are planted at the same time, there should be a distance of 4-5 meters or more between them.
At first, the tree is watered every two weeks, in spring, summer and autumn it is treated for diseases and harmful insects. The following spring, Zarya Alatau needs formative pruning; weights are suspended from the lower branches. Thinning of the crown of the tree is carried out every year.
The apple tree does not need to enrich the soil with nutrients, the main thing is to properly fertilize the seedling when planting and choose a suitable piece of land.
To protect against insects, bird feeders are hung in the crown of the tree. In addition to food offered by a person, they collect pests and branches from branches.In addition, preventive spraying is carried out twice a year - before flowering and at the time of the appearance of ovaries.
It is important to carefully approach the choice of chemicals for fruit crops, observe the proportions and application times indicated in the instructions. An improperly used drug can not only burn the ovaries, but also negatively affect the health of people who eat apples.
Zarya Alatau requires adherence to agricultural technology of fruit trees, so that the gardener has the opportunity to regularly get a good harvest. The variety can be confidently recommended to those who want to have fresh apples from their own garden on the table during winter and spring.
