Ranetki apples: characteristics and subtleties of growing
The apple tree is an unpretentious plant in the summer cottage, but its fruits are popular regardless of the season. A cloud of fragrant flowers is typical for ranetki, which are represented by several types of trees.
Description
Trees with medium-sized fruits, which were obtained as a result of crossing different species, including the Siberian Berry, are called ranetki. The main parent transferred its best characteristics to the new apple trees bred by the agrotechnical method. All types of ranetki apples perfectly withstand the cold, have time to ripen in a short summer and bear fruit abundantly, regardless of the landing area.
In the first year, apples grow no more than 15 grams - this is a characteristic feature of this type of tree. Their taste is slightly tart with sourness, the fruits fully ripen at the end of September. They are ideal not only for eating fresh, but for processing. Excellent jellies, jams and compotes are obtained.
Compared with some varieties that have larger apples, ranetki outnumber them all in terms of the amount of biologically active substances. Natural sugar in the composition of fruits contains 12%, and pectins - 1.5%. Nutritionists and doctors recommend eating this variety for the following purposes:
- reduce the inflammatory processes that occur in the body;
- remove heavy metals;
- boost the immune system to fight harmful microorganisms.
Columnar apple trees will wound completely unpretentious plants that feel great and bear fruit in the northern regions of the country. Fruits can be stored for a long time, processed in various ways. All the apples on the tree ripen almost simultaneously, which saves time.
A distinctive feature of the northern varieties is that they have a sour taste that not everyone likes. In addition, the crown is formed quite wide, so there is enough space on the site for the apple tree to grow normally.
This species cannot boast of an excellent immune system, since it is not able to fight diseases and pests. Care plays an important role if the gardener wants to get a good harvest.
Among ranetki there are many varieties that differ in terms of ripening. This tree grows mainly in European regions, where they love large, sweet apples. In general, this apple tree can bear fruit and develop normally everywhere except the Far North. Some gardeners recommend planting this tree for those who cannot spend much time tending the garden.
The fact is that the plant perfectly adapts to the conditions, it can feel normal on any soil, including even where there is little sun.
True, such a tree takes up a lot of space, so not everyone has the opportunity to place it on their personal plot. It is about five meters high and wide. The yield largely depends on the type of variety. As a rule, fruit picking takes place in late August or early autumn. From one tree, despite its dimensions, you can collect 50-100 kg.
Even if there were frosts, this phenomenon will not affect the quality and quantity of fruits in any way.Almost all subspecies have a characteristic tart taste. If the apples are a little frosty, it will only benefit them, because then they become sweeter. It is the Siberian roots that help the tree react so calmly to sudden changes in temperature and withstand minus in the yard.
Any frosts are unimportant to this type of apples, wild animals are even able to feel normal when the temperature drops to -47ºС. The only thing a gardener needs is to cover the trunk from rodents for the winter with polyethylene.
The immune system is poorly developed, so it is necessary to carry out preventive pest control measures in the spring. Before the juice begins to move, it is advised to spray the plant with a solution of urea, which allows you to kill pests that have climbed under the tree bark for the winter. In the summer, Bordeaux liquid helps, but the cracks that appear must be coated with copper sulphate. During the fruiting period, processing is not required. A year after planting the seedling, the tree begins to produce the first apples. For decades, the plant will delight with delicious fruits.
Varietal diversity
Few people know, but there are about a hundred varieties of ranetok, among which the following are the most requested:
- "Chinese";
- "Red";
- "Purple";
- "Dwarf";
- "Long";
- "Dobrynya".
All of them differ from each other in taste and individual characteristics. For the manufacture of juices on an industrial scale, Dobrynya is grown. An excellent baby puree is obtained from the "Red" ranetki.
Landing
Any apple trees are best planted in early spring, before sap flow begins. Sometimes you can plant them in the fall, after leaf fall. Pit preparation always begins a week before planting the seedling in the ground.This recess should be 70 cm wide and deep. To make the young tree feel great, fertilizers are placed at the bottom. Humus can act as a good top dressing. A young seedling can be tied to a post, which will allow it to grow even.
After the pit is dug in, the plant is watered, but first the soil is well compacted so that it does not sag. Experienced gardeners note that the root neck should always be five centimeters above the ground.
The distance between single-growing trees is determined by the type of variety chosen. For a medium-sized tree, four meters is enough for the normal development of the root system. The crowns of neighboring apple trees will not interfere with each other, and the fruits will receive enough light. Between vigorous varieties, the indent is five meters, dwarf ones require only three meters, and semi-dwarf ones - 4 meters.
No matter how surprising it may sound, ranetki propagate by seeds. This is one of the clearest examples of how a plant can be tenacious.
Already on the finished seedling, you can graft the desired variety, and you will get an escape with good frost resistance. Such an agrotechnical technique allows you to save space on the site, but the quality of the crop obtained by the gardener does not suffer.
Care
Most gardeners do not know how to properly care for this variety of apple trees. Particular attention should be paid to the root circle, where the soil needs to be mulched in order to maintain the necessary moisture during droughts. Hay, sawdust or freshly cut grass are suitable as fixed assets. Lay them immediately after watering to enhance the effect. Young seedlings must be tied up, and in the spring the trunk of each tree, regardless of its age, is covered with a solution of lime.It helps protect the plant from pests. Ranetki can grow on any soil, but it is better if it is loamy soil.
As for the crown, it should be cut off one year after planting the seedling. When the foliage has fallen or in early spring, extra branches, broken and damaged, are removed with pruners. If this tree is old, then the diseased shoots, dried up and young green ones located at an acute angle, are eliminated. Pruning helps the tree create a strong frame that holds numerous apples.
If the branches are not removed, the plant runs wild and begins to produce a smaller crop, which already does not differ in large sizes, but here it is completely smaller.
To say that it is required to plant other pollinating varieties next to the apple tree is not. At the same time, with the appearance of flowers on the wounds, other trees begin to bloom, so there is no need to pay too much attention to this issue. Nearby there is always some apple tree and it is already quite enough. The variety blooms in late spring or early summer, but much depends not only on the species, but also on climatic conditions. The process lasts an average of ten days, then ovaries form on the branches.
The same applies to maturation, in different regions the period may differ. Most apples can already be harvested in late summer or early autumn. Later varieties are ready for use only at the end of October. All fruits of ranetki have an amazing ability to maintain their presentation for a long time. After harvest, it will be an attractive addition to the New Year's table. Store fruits in a cool and dry place in wooden boxes. There are even varieties that can be frozen.
Reviews of gardeners
As gardeners have noticed, most varieties of runets take root perfectly even in shady places. They do not care about winter, and after two years wonderful fruits with amazing taste appear on the table. Of course, the first fruiting will not give many apples, but two kilograms per family is already nice. The more the crown grows, the more impressive the yield, so it’s worth helping the plant and taking the time to feed. Gardeners fell in love with this variety for its unpretentiousness.
As practice shows, the main thing is to cut unnecessary shoots in time and spray them from pests. For a little work, the tree must be rewarded with good apples.
On the territory of the Altai Territory, ranetki have become very widespread. Real apple orchards are created from them, as they cope well with frost and are generally unpretentious. For the most part, even the quality of the soil does not play any role.
Some varieties do not crumble after ripening, which is important, because while the apple hangs on a tree, it retains its presentation. Trees of different varieties get along well with each other, the main thing is to provide a sufficient amount of space between them. When the gardener does everything right, then in the future he has less worries about the harvest.
You can always easily expand the capabilities of existing plants if you use grafting. New shoots give a harvest no worse, and sometimes it is even possible to get apples of a completely different type with excellent taste. For grafting, you can take seedlings from other trees in the garden or buy. The advice of professional gardeners will help to carry out the procedure correctly; in principle, there is nothing complicated in this agrotechnical method. What will be the harvest and how many fruits the gardener will be able to collect depends on him.Ranetki is a great option if you do not want to work hard.
For an overview of the Ranetki apple tree, see the following video.