Apple tree "Anis": description and varieties of the variety, recommendations on agricultural technology
"Anis" is a fairly well-known variety of autumn apples. It was first bred by breeders in the Volga region, but during cultivation, a lot of varieties were obtained that have both similar features and significant differences.
Variety Description
Anise apple trees are tall and very strong trees. The crown is cone-shaped, gradually rounds as it develops, the degree of thickening is medium.
The branches and trunk are covered with rough light brown bark, the main branches are of medium thickness, growing upwards. Shoots have a slight deciduous cover, sometimes they do not have foliage at all.
The fruits grow on spears, as well as annuli of branches, whose age is 3 or more years. The leaves are of a bright green hue, slightly glossy, the shape is round-ellipsoid, with a jagged edge along the edges.
"Anis" blooms with light pink flowers, however, in some cases, the bloom is white or, conversely, light red, the buds open quite widely. At the end of the flowering period, the formation of fruits begins, which, as they ripen, reach a weight of 100 g. Apples have a characteristic rounded shape, dense skin is rough, has a yellow-green hue with a slight red blush. On the cut, the pulp is milky with an almost imperceptible green overflow. The taste is very sweet with a slight sourness, the smell is rich apple.
Apple trees of this variety have a good yield. Fruiting begins only in the fifth year of the plant's life, and in a mature state, up to 300 kg of fruit can be obtained from each tree under favorable growing conditions.
"Anis" is a long-liver among apple trees. All other representatives of this crop are already considered old by the age of 25 and require replacement, and anise at 30 is at the peak of its yield.
There are cases when the age of fruit-bearing trees reached 100 years. However, as the apple tree ages, the fruit begins to shrink and become more sour in taste.
The advantages of the variety include the following characteristics:
- high ecological adaptability;
- long life span;
- exceptional taste of fruits;
- frost resistance of the plant;
- increased degree of productivity;
- transportability and good keeping quality;
- low fall before technical maturity.
However, anise also has disadvantages. The first and main thing is that the plant cannot self-pollinate; several crops must be planted on the site so that they can pollinate each other. In addition, the tree is prone to periodic fruiting, and also has poor resistance to powdery mildew and garden rot.
Most often, the variety is grown in the Volga-Vyatka and North-Western regions of our country, in addition, it can often be found in the Volga region.
Varieties
Botanists number at least 60 varieties of the Anise species. Let's designate the most popular of them.
"Anise scarlet"
This is a "parent" variety, one of the most common among domestic gardeners. This variety is characterized by its dark red fruits with white juicy flesh.The fruits are usually medium in size, have good keeping quality and can withstand long transportation. Harvest regular, quite plentiful.
"Scarlet anise" is a very undemanding crop that can grow and bear fruit even on poor soils, it can often be found in hilly as well as mountainous areas.
"Anis Sverdlovsky"
Apple tree, which has gained recognition due to its winter hardiness and unpretentiousness. The plant is medium-sized, the shape of the crown is ovoid.
The fruits are light in weight, the weight of each fruit is not more than 120 g, the shape of the apples is round, the skin color is pale yellow. On the sunny side, as a rule, there is a bright blush. The pulp is quite juicy, uniform, light milky in color.
The fruits are distinguished by an exceptional presentation, they can withstand long-term transportation and storage.
The only drawback of the variety is associated with the weak resistance of such an apple infection as scab.
"Anise striped"
The second name of this variety of apples is Anise Gray, the variety received such an interesting name due to its grayish-greenish tint. This plant tolerates frost well and easily withstands drought, therefore it can be cultivated in various regions of Russia. The apple tree has good immunity to fungal infections of the crop, the yield is very high.
However, unlike all other varieties of "Anis", these apples cannot be stored for more than one month, so they are not grown for commercial use.
"Anise purple"
This is another variety of culture, which is characterized by high productivity, resistance to external adverse conditions.A distinctive feature of this plant are its large fruits of a purple hue with a characteristic scarlet tint.
Landing
When purchasing seedlings, it is very important to pay special attention to some details.
- Age of planting material - it is optimal to purchase a one- or two-year-old plant.
- Ground part - an annual plant should have no more than 3 branches, even the absence of them at all is allowed; for a two-year-old, 4-5 strong, well-formed and upward branches are required. It is worth giving preference to seedlings with unopened buds or with barely appeared leaf cones - if the leaf plate is fully opened, the survival rate of the seedling will be very low.
- Roots - young plants intended for transplanting into open ground must have a powerful, well-developed root system, if they are open or partially dried up - the purchase of such material should be discarded. At a distance of about 8-10 cm from the root collar, the graft should be located.
- The size - Plants with a height of 1.2-1.5 meters take root best of all.
Planting is best done in the fall, about a month before the onset of cold weather, in the central strip of Russia this corresponds to the first half of October. In the south, landing is done a little later, and in Siberia, respectively, earlier. If you plant a seedling right before the onset of the first frost, it will not have time to take root, and in winter it is more likely to die from prolonged frosts.
"Anis" should be planted in an open, well-lit area without shading, because with a lack of lighting, the plant develops very poorly and produces few fruits.Due to the special unpretentiousness of Anis, many neglect such a stage as preparing a planting hole - they simply dig a hole immediately after buying a seedling and plant it. However, if you intend to get the highest possible yield, then it is better to devote some time to preparing the land. Do not doubt that in this case the plant will thank you with abundant fruiting and exceptional taste of its fruits.
It is better to prepare a hole a month and a half before the planned planting, for this a hole is dug, filled with black soil mixed with compost, plant residues, humus and mineral fertilizers containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
The pit is regularly watered, thus, the place where the apple tree will be planted becomes fertile and nutritious for the plant.
If you are planning a spring planting, then the hole should also be dug in the fall and filled with organic fertilizers, and in the spring, shortly before planting, saturate with mineral fertilizers.
Direct landing is carried out in accordance with a certain scheme.
- Immediately after acquiring a seedling, it is necessary to wrap its roots with a wet cloth and wrap with plastic wrap - this will prevent the root system from drying out. And a couple of hours before planting, the roots should be soaked in cool water, if desired, you can add a solution of a root formation stimulator to it.
- While the roots are getting wet, you should dig a hole 50 cm deep and 120-150 cm wide - you need to place the plant in it so that the root collar protrudes 8-10 cm above the soil surface.If for some reason you could not prepare the planting pit in advance, then after planting the plant, cover it with a mixture of black soil, peat, manure, ash, superphosphate and potassium chloride.
- So that the plant does not fall, it will be correct to fix the support in the planting hole and tie the young seedling to it.
- After planting, the plant should be abundantly moistened and sprinkled with mulch, which prevents the soil from drying out, and in winter will help to survive the lower temperatures. It is optimal to use hay, straw, moss, needles or sawdust.
Care
One of the main points for the proper cultivation of "anise" is its abundant watering, this is especially true in the first years of the plant's life, when the root system is at the formation stage. The first irrigation should be carried out during the flowering of the plant, and then repeated watering every week so that about 20-25 liters of water fall under each tree, this volume should be increased on dry days.
For successful growth and development of fruits, the plant needs periodic top dressing; for this, a solution of rotted manure is used. And also ready-made preparations containing all the minerals necessary for fruit crops have good efficiency. At the flowering stage, organics are used, at the time of formation of ovaries and active ripening of fruits, superphosphate and potassium salts should be preferred.
Like all other apple crops, "Anis" often encounters common diseases of apple trees.
- powdery mildew - manifests itself in the form of a white coating that affects the green parts of the plant, as well as buds. In the absence of treatment, the disease often leads to rapid drying of the foliage and falling of the ovaries.When the first signs of infection appear, the plant should be sprayed with Topaz and Skor compositions.
- Scab - a very common fungal infection that often occurs with excessive moisture, it affects the leaves and fruits of apple plants and appears as light brown spots on the surface. Spraying with copper-containing preparations - copper sulphate or copper oxychloride - is very effective for such problems, however, this must be done even before the buds appear.
Reviews
Russian gardeners and gardeners grow Anis everywhere - it is rare to find a garden in which there is not one of the representatives of this variety of culture. It is not surprising, because the fruits have a rather pleasant sweetish taste with slight sour notes, which is why both adults and kids like it.
Apples "Anis" are extremely useful because they contain a lot of ascorbic acid, which significantly strengthens the human immune system, and also increases its resistance to colds and viral diseases.
In addition, "Anis" is characterized by low calorie content, so apples of this type can be safely included in all kinds of diets, as well as recommended to people who are struggling with extra pounds.
Reviews of gardeners say that apples of this variety can be eaten raw, cut into fruit salads, used as a filling for sweet pastries. Juicy pulp allows you to extract very tasty and nutritious juice from Anis, as well as use it for making jams, jams and marshmallows.
Attracts gardeners and the unpretentiousness of the plant, its ability to withstand extreme temperatures, as well as too heavy rainfall or, conversely, their absence.
Description of the apple variety "Anis scarlet", see the following video.