Classification and description of red varieties of apples
The birthplace of apples is rightfully considered Central Asia. The fruits of this fruit tree can be different in color, size and taste. In gardens, you can often find yellow, green, red, as well as multi-colored fruits, which can reach a weight of 70 to 350 grams each. The most useful and delicious are red apples, which are rich in vitamins and macronutrients.
Distinctive features
The apple tree is one of the most common fruit trees in Russia. A red apple can be called a decoration of the garden. The foliage of this tree has an oblong shape and a green color. The tree blooms with beautiful white flowers. Apples of these varieties can be colored in different shades of red and have white, cream and red flesh, depending on the variety.
This fruit is unusually rich in vitamins B, C, A, E, K. In addition, the composition is characterized by a high content of iron, unlike green and yellow apples, as well as magnesium, potassium and phosphorus, organic acids and protein. The use of red apples is an opportunity not only to add strength to the body and strengthen the immune system, but also to improve vision, the functioning of the stomach, intestines, heart, and liver. Red apples are rich in easily digestible iron, which is useful for saturating the blood.
The appearance of these healthy fruits is quite attractive, so red apples are often grown for trade. By following the simple rules for caring for a tree, every summer resident or gardener will be able to grow a plant that will provide him with an unusually useful product.
apple classification
Like any other crop grown in our country, red apples can differ from each other in terms of ripening, color, size, taste, shape, resistance to diseases and low temperatures, so you should carefully study all the characteristics of the plant before planting.
By maturity
Early
Early varieties of this fruit are also called summer. Often they are used for fresh consumption.
Fruits are not recommended to be stored for storage, as they are characterized by low keeping quality.
. But for processing, canning and sales, the early red apple is used quite often. The most popular of these varieties can be called the following.
- Vista Bella. The tree of this variety is quite tall, characterized by a dense crown. The fruits are round, slightly flattened, weighing from 150 to 200 grams. The peel has a significant density, it is colored red and covered with yellow-green spots. White flesh is pleasant to the taste, sweet with a sour taste. The tree is characterized by low resistance to low temperatures.
- "Red Early" gives fragrant crops already in late July - early August. The tree of this variety has a small size and crown. The fruits are not large, very tasty and attractive in appearance. The plant is self-pollinating and begins to bear fruit by the fourth year of life. "Red early" refers to drought-resistant varieties. Of the minuses of the variety, one can single out the shedding of ripe fruits, a decrease in the size of the fruit over time
Mid-season
Red apples with mid-season fruiting can be stored for one to three months. The harvest time is at the end of summer - the beginning of the first autumn month.These fruits are great for seaming and freezing, but adults and children prefer to eat them fresh. The following mid-ripening varieties of red apple are interesting.
- "Mac". The variety is the most popular in Canada and the USA. The fruit has a weight of 140 to 160 grams, its skin is colored red and covered with yellow-green spots. The pulp is characterized by juiciness, white color and sweet and sour taste. The fruit is perfect for long-term transportation. The tree is classified as frost-resistant, but it is often affected by infections and parasites.
- "Delicia" considered an autumn variety. The fruits are almost completely red, but in some places they have a yellow and green background. The fruit is medium in size and weighs from 150 grams. The crispy pulp is characterized by sweet and sour taste and firmness. This variety is known as one of the most winter-hardy and gives good yields, which can be 55 kilograms from one apple tree.
Late
Late varieties of red apple are also commonly called winter. They are usually grown for sale. Fruits are characterized by excellent commercial qualities and transportability. Popular winter varieties.
- "Gloucester York" considered a dessert variety of apples, its homeland is Germany. Fruit ripening occurs by the end of September. Fruits have a red skin, they are large, they can weigh about 200 grams. The fruit with a conical shape pleases the consumer with a sweet taste, in which a subtle sourness appears. The plant begins to bear fruit in the fifth year of life, yielding a crop of about 70 kilograms. The disadvantages of the variety include its low resistance to diseases and the need for the presence of a pollinator. Gloucester York is a hardy variety.
- "Jonathan" characterized by small fruits, which in weight reach 130 grams. The fruits have a conical shape, rounded at the top. The main color is red, but sometimes you can see the presence of orange stripes. The pulp is crispy, with a pleasant bright aroma. The tree is small, but its crown is thick and wide. The fruits keep well until May. Depending on climatic conditions and care, the yield of the variety ranges from 18 to 85 kilograms per tree.
- "Liberty". This variety of red apples was the result of the work of American breeders. The fruit is medium in size and can reach 150 grams in weight. The shape of the apples is round, they have a thin dark cherry skin. Juicy and dense pulp is pleasant in taste, characterized by sweetness with a slight sourness.
By yield
When choosing a red apple variety for planting, each owner wants to end up with abundant harvests of fragrant fruits. But not only the characteristics of the plant play a role in the volume of the crop, watering, feeding and pruning the tree are also important. Of the highest yielding varieties, the following can be distinguished.
- "Melba". Apples of the variety are small in size, round in shape, tender flesh with a juicy texture and wine sweet taste. The first harvest of fruit can be carried out in the third year of the life of the apple tree in July or early August. "Melba" bears fruit regularly, the yield is about 150 kilograms of apples from one tree.
- "Stark-Erlist" - It is an early summer variety of red apple. The fruits are rounded, orange-red with stripes. The pulp is characterized by roughness, medium juiciness. The plucked fruit is stored very little. "Stark-Erlist" gives regular abundant harvests of apples, which are about 140 kilograms per plant.
- "Saffron summer" - A high yielding fruit variety. The fruits of the apple tree are characterized by a flat-round shape and excellent taste. Fruits do not last long. This variety is resistant to drought, scab.
To size
The main indicators of an apple variety are the weight and size of its fruits. Taking into account these characteristics, the following varieties of red apples are distinguished depending on the size of the fruit.
- Small-fruited. The fruits of these varieties weigh from 10 to 50 grams. These include the following types: “Long”, “Chinese Saninskaya”, “Purple Ranetka”.
- Medium sized varieties characterized by fruits from 50 to 100 grams in weight. These include Loiko, Melba, Macintosh.
- large fruit trees give fruits weighing over 100 grams - this is the variety "Persian", "Idared", "Antey".
By winter hardiness
Each region has its own climatic features, which should be considered when choosing a red apple variety for planting. In a harsh and cold climate, frost-resistant varieties should be preferred.
- "Altai Crimson". This is an autumn apple variety, the fruits of which are stored for about two months. The yield of the plant is from 20 to 40 kilograms per season. The fruit has a sweet and sour taste and weighs about 30 grams.
- "Bayan", which ripens by the beginning of September. Fruits are characterized by keeping quality up to four months. The first harvest can be harvested for 3-4 years of tree life. The variety is high-yielding, but this indicator is periodic. Apples have a dense structure, good juiciness, pleasant aroma, while they weigh from 80 to 140 grams.
- "Treasured". This variety belongs to winter and fast-growing. The fruits of the apple tree are small, but can be stored for about five months. The fruit is juicy, sweet and sour in taste, has strawberry notes.
- "Spartan". The plant produces a crop by September, which can be stored until spring. Fruiting is characterized by generosity, but unevenness. The pulp has great juiciness, it is crispy with a pronounced wine aroma.
For resistance to pests
In order to receive good annual yields, the apple variety must be resistant to diseases and pests. Otherwise, in the absence of preventive measures and care, the tree may die from the attack of parasites or give a meager harvest of fruits with poor taste. Resistant to scab and pests are such varieties of red apple.
- "In memory of Tikhomirov". The variety is resistant to infections, as well as low temperatures. At the end of summer, it gives its owners a bountiful harvest of sweet, juicy fruits with creamy flesh.
- "Lungwort" - high-yielding variety of red apple. The fruits are tasty and have a characteristic honey smell. The immunity of this variety to pests, as well as scab and rot, is quite high.
By zoning region
For the Moscow region and central Russia, where the climate is unstable, there is not enough light and a short summer period, These types of apples are best suited.
- "Brown New". The variety gives a harvest only by the sixth year of growth. Fruiting is characterized by regularity; over the years, an increase in the volume of the crop is noticed. The fruit of the culture is small, but juicy and fragrant.
- "Star". The variety has an average winter hardiness, it perfectly resists scab and parasites. The apples are ruddy and striped and can be stored for about six months.
For the Urals and Siberia, it is worth choosing those varieties of apples that have good frost resistance, drought resistance, are rarely attacked by pests and diseases, and have early fruit ripening.It is recommended to plant "Aksenu", "Vem-souvenir", "Anis Sverdlovsky" in this territory.
You will learn more about frost-resistant varieties of apples that can be grown in Siberia in the following video.
Selection Tips
The apple tree is considered an ancient fruit tree with a wide variety of varieties, which is why it is often difficult for a gardener to make a choice in favor of one plant or another. It's no secret that everyone would like to get abundant regular apple harvests without spending a lot of effort.
First of all, it is worth deciding on the use of fruits. If they will be consumed only fresh or processed immediately after harvest, then the choice should be stopped on early varieties. If apples are grown for sale and there is a desire to store them all winter, then a late plant variety is the best fit for this.
It is also worth taking into account the climatic features of the territory, temperature changes, the severity of winters and the dryness of summers. If the climate of the territory does not suit the culture, then all the efforts of the gardener will be in vain, as a result, you may not get a crop at all.
If you decide to supplement your garden with an apple tree that produces red fruits, then study the characteristics of the variety in detail. Only the right choice will allow you to get a healthy and tasty harvest every year.