Growing Apple Pink Lady
Apples Pink Lady are famous for their unique and characteristic taste. This thermophilic and fruitful tree has successfully established itself in Western Europe, England and Australia, conquering the hearts of lovers with notes of vanilla and a pleasant aftertaste of wild berries.
Growing Apple Pink Lady
Description of the variety
The Pink Lady apple belongs to late ripening varieties and is distinguished by its love for warm and mild climate, it grows especially well in places with long and not cold autumn. The crown of the tree is wide, oval and not very dense.
It is of medium height and lends itself well to shaping. The high content of nutrients in apple fruits has a beneficial effect on the human cardiovascular system and is useful for diabetes and metabolic disorders.
Breeding characteristics:
- fruits of the same size;
- the pulp is medium juicy, crispy, light;
- long shelf life - up to 10 months in the refrigerator;
- tree of medium height.
Landing
Planting of this variety should be as thoughtful and consistent as possible. Seedlings, being demanding and somewhat capricious, need special preparations before being placed in the ground.
Seat selection
When choosing a planting site, you need to very clearly determine the type of soil. When growing a tree on dwarf rootstocks, you should definitely find out the location of groundwater in order to avoid flooding in the spring or drain the soil in advance if the waters approach the surface higher than 2 m.
Landing dates
When growing a Pink Lady apple tree, you need to take into account the early preparation of the pit. If a spring planting is planned, then the holes are prepared in the fall, and in the fall, you should definitely take care of the place in the summer.
Site preparation
Once the site has been identified and prepared, it must be allowed to sit for at least 3 weeks for the soil to settle. It will also help prevent premature settling of the roots of the tree or damage to young roots and breakage of the root collar, which can lead to the death of the apple tree.
It is better to acidify the earth by adding lime or ash to it in the amount of 1 kg for each tree.
Seedling preparation
The seedling must have strong roots
In order for the seedlings to settle comfortably in the soil, the hole should be wider than the root system and have a peg at its bottom to tie up the tree after planting. The tree must have well-spread roots to ensure adequate nutrition for its entire system.
Landing technology
The seedling ready for planting should stand on a mound in the hole, and you can safely start filling it with soil, successively adding a small amount of mineral fertilizers for the apple tree.
It is necessary to ensure that the root collar is raised by 5 cm during planting, this will provide the tree with rapid growth in the future, otherwise it will be painful and grow slowly. It is imperative to create a protective soil roller of the root zone to retain water after the first watering, which should be 4 buckets of water.
Care
The first year after planting, the tree needs to be properly cared for and needs regular watering. The amount and frequency of irrigation depend on the amount of precipitation and the degree of aridity of the soil. To reduce the frequency of watering, mulch should be used, it retains moisture and prevents weeds.
You can stop adding mulch only when the tree gives its first fruits.
Never sow lawn grass near the apple tree: it makes it difficult for air to reach the roots of the tree. By November, it is advisable to dig up the ground of the trunk circle, before pouring 2 buckets of humus into it and adding 1 liter of ash. This method greatly helps in pest control.
Watering
If the summer is not very hot, one watering a week is enough. Only in the second year it is possible to reduce their frequency and irrigate the soil in the absence of precipitation for a long time. It is especially important to monitor the moisture of the earth during the period of swelling of the buds and the immediate ripening of the fruits.
If autumn does not please with rains, care should be taken to maintain moisture in the soil, because the frost resistance of the tree directly depends on this. Watering should be in the amount of 10 buckets per 1 sq. m.
Top dressing
If fertilizers were laid during the first planting, they will last for 2 years. When the apple tree reaches three years of age, you need to feed it. This is easy to do - it is enough to form holes in the soil about 20 cm deep along the entire perimeter of the trunk circle and fill them with fertilizers.
When using this method, useful fertilizers reach the roots.
It is necessary to feed the apple tree from the age of three
When feeding, you can use the following fertilizers:
- organic (droppings, manure, compost materials);
- mineral (potassium, phosphorus);
- a combination of organic and mineral granules.
Pruning
The best time to prune the crown of a tree is spring. This must be done before the start of sap flow. The apple tree is pruned from the first year. If a two-year-old tree was planted, then it is imperative to cut the central conductor into 3 buds.
All lateral branches must be cut off 1-2 buds shorter than the central one, thereby forming a crown. The next year, you need to cut off all branches that will grow inward. When the tree reaches 2-3 m, all vertical branches must be removed.
Protection against diseases and pests
The most dangerous pests for Pink Lady apples are weevils, moths and, of course, green aphids. They can cause a lot of trouble for the gardener by infecting the tree.
Gardeners have long appreciated the protective method in the form of glue belts. They are light-proof material that is impregnated with resin or tar.
It should be fixed at a level of 40 cm from the ground - it will not allow insects to return to the tree, which descend to pupate and then return. The belt works on the Velcro principle, collecting pests on itself. Then the traps are burned.
When the buds take the form of a green cone, and this happens when the air temperature reaches about 15 ° C, treatment with special insecticides, which can be purchased at gardening stores, should be carried out.
For those who do not like to use chemicals, there is a great way in the form of populating trichograms. These beneficial insects destroy the eggs of pests, but, unfortunately, they cannot withstand frost, so they will have to be brought in every spring. Trichogram can be purchased in special laboratories.
Gardeners reviews
There is an opinion among gardeners that the Pink Lady apple tree is one of the best varieties. The culture is absolutely unpretentious in care and gives a rich harvest.
Many gardeners have successfully turned this apple variety into a commercial form, because absolutely everyone will like it, having an elegant and delicate taste and keeping its freshness for a long time.