Apple tree Delicious

In a row with the most common and favorite subspecies is this apple variety - the Delicious apple tree. Indeed, in order to understand whether it is worth growing a given subspecies on your site, you should initially know about all the features, pros and cons of this subspecies.

Apple Delicious: variety description and characteristics

Apple Delicious: photo of the variety

The Delicious apple variety has been quite popular for a very long time, it is a representative of the oldest subspecies of this fruit crop. In America, this apple tree began to be cultivated more than a hundred years ago, in our country and in European countries this variety is no less popular among gardeners. During the entire existence of this subspecies, breeders have carried out numerous works to improve this apple tree, as well as to develop new varieties based on this tree. It is believed that this culture is a mutation that arose in an arbitrary way from the classic subspecies of the Delicious apple tree. This variety is characterized by:

• The existence of numerous ringlets of different ages, on which the entire crop of this variety is formed and matured.
• The shoots of this plant are straight and slightly curved. They have a brown tint and little pubescence.
• The leaves are endowed with medium size, with a round base and an elongated upper part of the leaflet. The edges are shiny and serrated.

It is worth noting that an important feature of the Delicious apple variety, thanks to which a subspecies can always be distinguished from other subspecies, is a red petiole that rises up the veins to the center of the leaf.

Delicious apples have a conical shape when ripe, plus everything they have just perfect external characteristics and outwardly resemble more a wonderful dummy than a completely edible fruit. The surface of the fruit is endowed with an intense red color, rather rough and dense, which creates additional protection against shocks and other mechanical damage. The inside of this apple has a creamy shade, quite juicy and crunchy.

The Delicious apple tree can grow to a medium size, making it quite simple and easy to harvest. In plants at a young age, the crown has an oval or pyramidal shape, and by the time of the first fruiting, it changes to a wide round or round shape. The yield of this fruit tree depends entirely on the quality of the care carried out. Subject to all the standards for the care of each plant, it is possible to get a ripe and tasty harvest of up to 70 kilograms.

A fairly large number of breeder scientists claim that the fruits of this subspecies are endowed with a reference taste, due to which they are given a tasting score at the maximum score. These apples are advised to be consumed unprocessed, or used in the preparation of various snacks and salads.

It is worth saying that these fruits are endowed not only with excellent taste characteristics, but also with a large and useful chemical composition. These apples have a huge content of vitamin C and P-active substances.

The Delicious apple tree is endowed with a fairly high level of frost tolerance, so it is quite successfully grown in central Russia. Cultivating this variety in more severe climatic regions, the Urals and Siberia, it will be necessary to cover the plant for the winter. For this, coniferous branches, burlap and other suitable covering material are used.

It has been proven that the tree of this subspecies has a low resistance to: Powdery mildew, Scab, Vitreous pulp and rot of the seed chamber.

At the time of storage, these apples have a chance to become infected with bitter spot, due to which the entire crop will become completely unfit for human consumption.

Like any subspecies, this variety has its own advantages and disadvantages. The pluses of the variety include:

• Good transportability and excellent storage capacity.
• Excellent taste, large size and beautiful appearance.
• Average level of frost resistance.
• The crown of this tree is able to independently form the correct shape, and also does not require additional pruning.
• The tree in question does not require a special composition and quality of soil for growth.

The disadvantages of the Delicious apple variety include:

• Poor adaptation of the plant to new, unusual climatic conditions.
• The tree of this variety can be affected by a huge number of diseases of a different nature.

Apple tree Delicious: planting and care

Apple Delicious: photo of the variety

In order for the Delicious apple tree to be distinguished by health and a constant bountiful harvest, it must be first planted correctly, after which high-quality and proper care of this fruit tree must be carried out.

• Disembarkation

The timing of planting a Delicious apple tree seedling completely depends on where this site is located for growth. If you are going to cultivate this culture in a region with a predominance of a temperate and warm climate, then you should perform the planting procedure in the autumn period of the year, the approximate time period for this: the second half of September - the first two weeks of October. The most important thing is that the disembarkation is successfully completed approximately 30 days before the arrival of the first frost. If you are going to grow this tree in those regions where a more severe and colder climate prevails, then you should plant this plant in the spring.

Before correctly carrying out the procedure for planting a Delicious apple tree seedling, it is required to dig up and prepare a planting hole in advance, adding to it such fertilizing as: potassium, superphosphate, wood ash and humus, or rotted manure. This mixture will allow the soil to become the most fertile, as well as push the crop to grow faster. The planting hole should be approximately 55-70 centimeters in size. At the time of these actions, it is worth taking into account that the root collar of the plant should be 6 centimeters above the level of the soil surface. After planting, the soil should be well tamped and the tree should be watered abundantly.

• Growing conditions

For a good and full-fledged growth, as well as development, the plant needs competent and timely care. Taking into account the fact that this subspecies does not quite tolerate periods of drought, then watering for this tree must be done in such a way that the soil is constantly wet. It also follows that every year it introduces organic and mineral complex fertilizing.

• Temperature regime

Since this apple variety is a representative of subspecies with a late ripening period, the sum of active temperatures should be 2100 degrees. We conclude that for the successful cultivation of this culture, it needs at least 140 days with an air temperature of +10 degrees.

Experts have noticed that if there are frosts during the flowering period and the air temperature drops below -1 degrees, then all fruit ovaries may die, which means that you will not get a harvest this year.

• Pruning and shaping the crown

The apple variety Delicious is required in carrying out sanitary pruning every year, during which it is necessary to remove all dried, diseased, with signs of damage to the stems.The formation of the crown of this tree consists in cutting off shoots that grow vertically, or in the direction towards the trunk of this tree. All these procedures must be performed before the active sap flow begins, which means that in early spring, approximately at the beginning of March, or late in autumn, immediately after the end of the fall of the foliage.

• Pollinating varieties

The Delicious apple variety is required for additional pollination. For this, such subspecies of this culture as Jonathan or Idared are planted near him.

Fruiting and ripening

Apple Delicious: photo of the variety

The flowering period of the Delicious apple variety begins at a fairly late time, or more precisely, the last week of spring is the beginning of the summer season. Apples also ripen quite late, approximately in the last days of September and the first half of October. This tree produces the first harvest of ripe fruits in 2-3 years after planting the seedling. The harvested crop has a fairly good level of storage, so apples can lie in storage until April, while retaining all their taste and market characteristics. Also, thanks to its rather thick peel, these fruits withstand long-term transportation quite well. It is for these features that the apples of this variety have acquired the love of gardeners and the prevalence in cultivation for commercial purposes.

Subspecies analogs

In those moments when the cultivation of this culture is impossible, since there is a lack of space for its placement, then it is possible to plant columnar varieties of apple trees. These subspecies differ in their small size and interesting, not quite usual arrangement of apples right on the trunk of the plant. Among these varieties, apple trees such as Constellation and Moscow necklace.

The Russian analogue of the Delicious apple variety is considered to be the Zorka variety, which also enjoys great success and popularity among farmers. Apples in this subspecies are endowed with a conical shape and a fairly dense skin. And the inside is very crispy and juicy.

It is a pity, but the Delicious apple tree is not cultivated as a native-rooted tree. This means that it will be possible to propagate it in such a way that all varietal characteristics are preserved only by grafting the scion onto the stock.

Apple Delicious: growing in the regions

The Delicious apple tree loves to grow in a dry climate, and also to keep the air temperature warm during the daytime and cool at night. That is why this fruit tree will be an excellent option for growing in the Moscow region and in the middle zone of our country. Growing in such regions, the culture will feel excellent and produce a good and tasty harvest of ripe fruits. When cultivating this variety on the territory of Siberia, it is worth taking serious enough care to protect it from strong, gusty winds and frosts, for which it is made from the autumn period, for the winter period, additional shelter, and before the arrival of warm weather. This is due to the fact that for this tree spring frosts are very scary and destructive than stable cold weather.

Apple tree Delicious: reviews of gardeners

Apple Delicious: photo of the variety

The Delicious apple variety is rightfully considered one of the brightest and most beautiful representatives of this culture. The fruits of this apple tree have their main difference in excellent taste and external characteristics. Plus, the tree can produce a regular and bountiful harvest, subject to all agrotechnical rules.

Since this subspecies is quite popular and widespread, there are a lot of reviews about this apple tree. Let's take a look at some of them:

• I bought a plot in the suburbs and decided to immediately plant an apple tree. But I had to think for a long time what sort to plant.I opted for this subspecies, having previously studied all the pros and cons of the variety, its characteristics. Although this subspecies was brought to us from abroad, but here it has perfectly adapted and rooted. At the moment, my tree is five years old, until I met any problems with it. Here is just one drawback - this is the frequency of watering.

Semyon, 44 years old

• I have been growing apple trees on my plot for many years, but recently my grandchildren have suddenly started asking to buy apples in the store, and not to eat their own, from the garden. After that, I thought about it, looked through the photo and description of the Delicious apple tree and decided to plant it. When the first fruits appeared, they were immediately eaten. Now we don't need store products. The crop leaves very quickly, there is no storage left.

Svetlana, 51 years old

• I read on the Internet by chance about the apple variety Delicious, and wanted to plant it on my site, in Voronezh. It is a pity, but the first tree froze out after wintering, but the second one grows and does not cease to delight with its beautiful and very tasty apples. The only thing that I have to cover the Delicious apple tree for the winter, as I am afraid that it may also die. But this is not so important, since I get such a rich and delicious harvest that everything else is forgotten.

Tatiana, 47 years old