Apple tree Golden Delicious: description, photos, varieties, cultivation

The article presents the Golden Delicious apple tree: description, photo, characteristics of varieties, growing rules.

One of the most common fruit crops in Russian orchards is the apple tree. Due to the unpretentious nature, apple plantings are present throughout the country, including regions with a harsh climate and frosty winters. Despite the undemanding nature of apple trees, their cultivation still requires certain knowledge and skills, since some varieties, without proper care and pollination, bring a meager harvest of unpresentable fruits. At the same time, it is enough to perform simple agrotechnical procedures in order to correct the situation, and every year to get a rich harvest of delicious apples. Also, knowledge of agricultural technology will allow you to avoid common problems associated with the cultivation of apple trees - the spread of fungal infections, the invasion of insect pests, slow growth and development of the tree due to inappropriate soil composition or improper placement on the site. Each variety of apple trees has its own specific preferences that must be taken into account in order to get the best result.
Apple trees "Golden" are recognized leaders not only in Russia, but all over the world. This article will tell you about the main varieties of "Golden" and how to plant and grow them correctly.

Apple tree Golden Delicious: description, photo, basic information

Apple tree Golden Delicious: description, photo

Golden apples come from America, or rather from the state of South Virginia, from where they penetrated into Eurasia. There is no exact information about the origin of this variety of apple trees - scientists assume that the reason for their appearance was accidental natural pollination, or a mutation of the source material.

Golden has a number of advantages that have become the reason for its worldwide popularity. These include:
- excellent taste of apples;
- impressive harvest volumes;
- attractive appearance of the fruit;
- long shelf life without losing the taste characteristics of apples;
- the ability to withstand transportation without damage.

However, there are also disadvantages of Golden apple trees, which also cannot be ignored:
- lack of immunity of trees to powdery mildew disease;
- as the apple trees mature, they switch to periodic fruiting;
- to obtain large fruits, it is necessary to follow agrotechnical recommendations;
- low degree of resistance to frost.

Apple tree Golden Delicious: description, photo, main characteristics

Apple tree Golden Delicious: description, photo

Apple trees "Golden" are of medium height, but among them there are dwarf varieties, as well as tall varieties, for example, "Golden Delicious". Young trees are characterized by a conical crown shape, but in the process of fruit ripening, the branches begin to lean towards the ground. During several productive seasons, they acquire a stable drooping shape, so that the crown becomes spherical. The stem of apple trees and their skeletal branches are covered with dense and smooth bark, painted gray with a bluish tinge.

Apple trees "Golden" are self-fertile, so in order to get a harvest from them, you should take care of placing pollinating trees nearby.Melrose and Jonathan apple varieties bred in the USA are suitable for this purpose.
The low degree of winter hardiness of Golden apple trees is a significant problem in regions with frosty winters and short summers. Even in cases where the trees survived the winter without damage, the cold and cloudy summer can cause the ripening of small and tasteless fruits. For this reason, Golden shows its best qualities in regions with long warm summers and not too harsh winters.

The taste of Golden apples is one of their main advantages. The chemical composition of their sweet and juicy pulp includes a large percentage of sugars - 20%. Also apples "Golden" are distinguished by a delicate texture and pleasant aroma.

The first fruiting of Golden apple trees occurs at the age of 2 years, and in the case of careful and competent care - already in the second season after budding has been made. If the seedlings were purchased after grafting, then there is a chance to get the first flowering in that season. However, professionals recommend removing the flowers so that young apple trees devote all their strength to adaptation after planting in open ground. The ripening process of Golden fruits takes from 3 to 4 months. Trees remain productive for 15-20 years, and this period can be lengthened with due observance of agrotechnical recommendations.

One of the weak points of Golden apple trees is their vulnerability to harmful insects and diseases. There are frequent cases of attacks on plantings of leaf rollers, aphids, ticks. To combat leafworms, a complex action drug "Nitrofen" is used in a concentration of 3%, and against ticks and aphids - "Malathion" ("Karbofos").

During the damp summer months, Golden apple trees are often attacked by fungal infections, which include scab and powdery mildew. To prevent the spread of the disease, as well as as a preventive measure, plantings are treated with preparations based on copper chloride oxide and cumulus (colloidal sulfur).

Apple tree Golden Delicious: description, photo of varieties

Apple tree Golden Delicious: description, photo

The popularity of Golden apple trees has led to the appearance of their clones, as well as the development of new varieties based on the original variety. Below will be considered the most famous varieties of "Golden".

Golden Delicious

Golden Delicious is the original, original Golden variety. It is characterized by an average ripening period of fruits, which can be harvested from September 15th. Golden Delicious is characterized by impressive harvest volumes: from 1 hectare harvested from 25 to 30 tons of apples. Apple trees of this variety begin to bear fruit at the age of 2 years: apples ripen on last year's wood and on young shoots. The shoots of Golden Delicious apple trees of medium thickness have a weakly genital shape and a barely noticeable bend. They are covered with bright green oval leaves with a glossy surface separated by veins. During the flowering period, white with pink tones flowers of a rounded-concave shape bloom on them.

Due to its self-fertility, Golden Delicious needs additional pollination, for which the trees of the already mentioned American varieties Jonathan and Melrose, as well as the American variety Idared, also derived from Jonathan, are used.

Golden Delicious apples are medium in size and slightly elongated and regular in shape. The average weight of the fruits of this variety is 220 g. The color of the apples of this variety varies from pale green to yellow with a golden hue, depending on the stage of their ripening. The side of the fruit that has been in the sun for the longest is covered with a pinkish tan. The surface of the fruit is covered with numerous dark spots. The apple pulp "Golden Delicious" is saturated with juice and has a sweet taste and a pronounced aroma. The harvested fruits acquire even higher taste during storage.They can be stored for quite a long time - until mid-spring, but if the storage room does not meet the necessary requirements, apples quickly lose their commercial qualities, while retaining their taste.

Golden Rangers

One of the promising clones of Golden Delicious is the Golden Rangers variety. Apple trees grow taller than the trees of the original variety and have a conical crown at a young age. Over time, like in the case of Golden Delicious, it becomes rounded. Apples of this variety have a winter ripening period and have external characteristics similar to the original variety: a slightly elongated shape and a greenish-yellow color. On the surface of Golden Rangers apples there are also small dots, but without rusting, which gives the fruit a good presentation. Taste qualities of this apple are classified as very high: their sweet pulp is saturated with juice and has a strong aroma. Golden Rangers bears fruit annually and can be harvested from late September until October 15th. Apples of this variety tolerate transportation well and can be stored for a long time: in a cool room they can retain their taste until mid-spring, in a warm room until the end of winter. Golden Rangers are highly resistant to both severe frost and drought.

Golden Vladimirsky

The history of breeding the domestic variety "Golden Delicious" began in 1984, when Antonovka ordinary pollination was carried out in the Vladimir region with an American variety. Thus, "Golden Vladimirskiy" can be rather conditionally considered a relative of "Golden Delicious", although the apples of these two varieties are extremely similar. Both are characterized by a yellow-green color and the presence of a pink tan on the sunny side of the fruit. Apples of the "Golden Vladimirskiy" variety have a sweet taste of juicy pulp and are suitable for consumption immediately after harvest. They are also characterized by a pronounced pleasant aroma. The firm flesh often cracks when cut. The average weight of apples of the “Golden Vladimirskiy” variety is 220 g. The apples of this variety bring a bountiful harvest every year, in addition, they are distinguished by high winter hardiness, which allows them to be grown in the northern regions. However, "Golden Vladimirsky", despite its positive qualities, is quite rare in the gardens of Russia.

Other varieties

On the basis of Golden apple trees, columnar apple trees were bred, for example, the Golden Sentinel variety, which has an autumn ripening period.

The average weight of green fruits of this variety is 200 g, they are characterized by a sweet taste and a pronounced pleasant aroma.

There are also dwarf apple trees "Golden", which reach a height of no more than 3 m.

However, this quality does not in any way affect the taste of the fruits and their mass.

The winter variety “Golden Smoot” surpasses “Golden” in terms of yield, as well as the degree of resistance to diseases.

Its apples are of exceptional taste, transportability and long-term storage.

The variety "Golden Red" is characterized by an unusual color of fruits, which otherwise have the same excellent marketability and taste as "Golden".

The peel of this apple variety is colored deep red.

Planting instructions

The best time to plant Golden seedlings is spring - before the leaf buds open. The favorable period for planting ends after the buds acquire the shape of a cone - from this moment, the seedlings lose their ability to quickly adapt to a new place. However, this does not apply to seedlings with a closed root system - they can be planted later.

The site for planting seedlings "Golden" should be well lit by the sun, in addition, the groundwater level should be no higher than 2 m. "Golden" prefers loam and sandy loam.

Before planting, planting pits should be prepared.It is recommended to leave the interval between them at least 4 m, since the crown of mature trees acquires a spreading shape. The average size of the planting pits is 80 cm * 100 cm, a drainage layer must be placed on the bottom of each pit, and a substrate should be placed on top of it. To prepare it, you should mix leafy soil, compost and top dressing. Planting pits are plentifully spilled with warm water at the rate of 1-2 buckets per pit. The contents of the planting pits must be thoroughly mixed.

Seedlings with a closed root system can be placed in pits without pretreatment, while apple trees with open roots are recommended to be kept in a container with a solution that stimulates root growth for at least an hour. Then the seedlings are placed in the substrate at the bottom of the pit, and the remaining free space is filled with earth, which must be carefully compacted. Then the plantings are again watered with water, and the root radii of young trees are covered with a layer of mulch. Since Golden apple trees love moist soil, they will require regular and frequent watering in the first year of life.

Care instructions

Caring for Golden apple trees comes down to fairly simple but necessary procedures. Immediately after planting in open ground, young trees need a large amount of water, as well as regular loosening of the soil in the trunk circle, if it has not been mulched.

How is pruning done

Pruning plays an important role in caring for Golden apple trees, so it is recommended to carry it out in the first year of growing trees on the site. The central shoot, called the guide, must be shortened by 2-3 buds. In the next season, the formation of the crown is carried out, during which all shoots growing inside the crown are removed. New central shoots will appear every year - they need to be cut. Apple trees "Golden" are characterized by a fairly rapid growth - from 30 to 50 cm per year, depending on the variety. For this reason, the planting of these varieties of trees requires regular sanitary and rejuvenating pruning in order to prevent excessive thickening, which can lead to the development of epidemics.

After the Golden apple trees begin to bear fruit, it is recommended to remove some of the fruit ovaries in order to avoid overloading the branches with the harvest. This will not only protect the branches from damage, but also get larger fruits.

Necessary agrotechnical recommendations

Fertilization will allow you to get a guaranteed rich harvest every year. For this purpose, organic fertilizers are applied, for example, wood or leaf ash at the rate of 200 g of fertilizer per 1 sq. M. area. At the end of flowering and at the beginning of the fruit formation phase, it is recommended to fertilize the plantings with liquid fertilizing, for example, slurry in a ratio of 1/3, or bird droppings in a concentration of 1/12. You can also add mineral complexes containing sodium (20 g), potassium (15 g), phosphorus (30 g), dissolved in 10 liters of water.

It must be borne in mind that all procedures for fertilizing the soil must be carried out after precipitation or watering, otherwise there is a high probability of burning the root system of apple trees.

Vaccination rules

The grafting makes it possible to increase the degree of winter hardiness of the apple tree: the graft of the Golden variety is grafted onto the frost-resistant stock. This procedure is carried out in the spring, before the buds open, and can be carried out in various ways. The most popular inoculation is "in the butt", for which cuttings of the same size as the stock are suitable. Each of them must have at least 2 kidneys. Both the scion and the stock are cut with a sharp knife, the length of the cut is 2 cm, then the wounds are aligned and rewound with elastic material. The top of the scion is cut off and covered with a layer of garden varnish, and the entire part below the grafting is covered with a layer of plastic wrap. This is done in order to protect the buds from drying out, and young leaves from freezing at night.It is also better to cover the vaccination site so that it does not suffer from recurrent spring frosts.

Climatic preferences of the variety

Despite a rather high degree of frost resistance, Golden apple trees take root better in regions with warm summers and short mild winters. These include the Volga region, the North Caucasus, Ukraine and Belarus. However, in the Moscow region, "Golden" is widespread everywhere. The Golden Rangers variety successfully takes root in more severe climates, however, in this case, it is recommended to take care of the apple trees' insulation during severe frosts. For this purpose, tree trunks and trunks of young apple trees should be covered with coniferous branches to prevent frostbite of the root system. Adult apple trees do not need shelter. For the southern regions, dry periods are a big problem, which can destroy young apple trees. For this reason, in the south of Russia, special attention is paid to soil moistening in apple orchards.

Apple tree Golden Delicious