Apple-tree Melba red

Nowadays, breeders have bred a large number of homemade apple varieties that have different tastes and are grown in any territory. However, the Melba variety, which has been known for over 100 years, has not been lost among them and is still popular. The apple tree filled the space between the apple varieties of summer and autumn ripening. Apple-tree Melba red is grown in many nurseries, flies once or twice. The long-lived variety has its own permanent advantages.

A brief excursion into history

In the distant nineteenth century, when no one had ever heard of such a science as genetics, breeders received varieties based on their intuition, and often simply sowed seeds and selected the most successful seedlings in order to propagate them. This is how the Melba variety was obtained in Canada (Ottawa). He became the best in comparison with the rest of the seedlings, which were bred by sowing seeds of the variety "Mac”, Pollination of its flowers was free. Perhaps the author of the culture strongly worshiped opera - the variety was named after the Australian singer Nellie Melba. This event took place in 1898. As time went on, they took the Melba variety as a basis and created new varieties, but their “mother” can be found in almost any garden plot.

Apple-tree Melba red - description

The growth of an apple tree and its lifespan depend on the rootstock on which the tree was grafted. On a seed stock, a tree grows up to four meters, on a semi-dwarf - up to three meters, on a dwarf stock - only up to two meters. The life span of an apple tree is forty-five, twenty and fifteen years, respectively. In 1 years of cultivation, the plant resembles more an apple-tree-column, over the years the culture branches, the growth of the crown, however, not upward, but in breadth, the crown takes on a rounded shape.

The bark is dark brown in color, can be colored orange. In young plants, the bark is cherry-colored and shines characteristically. The branches are quite flexible, under the load of fruits they can tilt to the very ground. Young shoots are pubescent.

If there are a lot of fruits, place supports under the branches to prevent them from breaking.

The leaf plates are light green in color, often bend in a boat-like manner, can be painted in a yellowish color, their edges are in the form of teeth. In young trees, the foliage is slightly drooping and dropping downward.

The flowering of the variety is early, the flowers are large, the petals close tightly, painted in a light pink color. The buds are white-pink in color with a pale purple tone.

The variety requires an assistant for pollination, otherwise the plant will only bloom beautifully, but will not give fruit. In this regard, other apple varieties should grow on the garden plot.

The Melba red apple tree is distinguished by its early maturity, its fruiting begins from the third or fifth year, everything here depends on the rootstock, before all, fruiting begins in dwarf trees. The increase in yield is gradual, productivity reaches a maximum of eighty kg.

Gardeners with experience who competently care for an apple tree harvest many times more fruits - up to two hundred grams.

Young apple trees show good yields annually, but over the years, fruiting becomes periodic. The older the apple tree, the more pronounced the frequency.

The Melba red apple tree can be affected by scab, especially during the rainy seasons.Frost resistance is at an average level, for this reason the variety is not recommended for cultivation in the northern and Ural regions. The apple tree is also not suitable for cultivation in the Far Eastern region.

Fruits are medium in size, above average in young trees. The apples are quite large - from one hundred and forty grams to two hundred grams and even more. They are conical in shape, the base is round in the area of ​​the fruit stem.

The fruit is almost not ribbed. The color of the peel changes when it ripens: at first it is light green, then yellowish, the peel begins to be covered with a waxy coating. The fruits look very decorative, as they have a deep red striped blush, usually on the sunny side, dilute the blush of the white dots under the skin. The fruit stem is thin, of medium length, well attached to the fruit, in rare cases it comes off during harvesting, which increases the preservation time of the fruit.

The inner content of the fruit is finely grained, crunches, filled with juice, has a snow-white color, slightly greenish at the rind itself. The taste is very rich, the balance of acidity and sugar content is maintained.

The fruit tasting score is 4.7 points out of 5 points.

The ripening period of the variety is late summer, however, weather conditions may delay harvesting until the last days of September. If you remove fully ripe apples, then storing them in the refrigerator will be about thirty days, and if you harvest seven to ten days before full ripeness, then the fruits will be able to survive until the January days. The peel of the fruit is plump, so the fruit can be transported far away without being damaged.

From the fruits, you can prepare wonderful winter twists - compotes and jam.

But still, it is advisable to eat them fresh, because apples are of great benefit.

Apple-tree Melba red: features of the variety

The fruits have excellent taste because they contain few acids (0.8%) and a lot of sugars (eleven percent). Vitamins are P-active compounds (three hundred mg per hundred grams of wet weight) and vitamin C (almost fourteen mg per hundred grams). Fruits contain a large amount of pectin - up to ten percent of the total weight.

The Melba variety was taken as the basis for breeding new varieties that are almost as good as it in taste and have no disadvantages. Varieties: "Early scarlet", "Cherished", "Early red"," Prima "- has immunity to scab at the gene level.

Clonal plants also emerged, which changed the genotype of the variety. As a rule, this can happen for some reason, you might not even guess about them. If you propagate these apple trees vegetatively, and the main characteristics are preserved, then they can be called varietal. Thus, the following varieties were obtained: "Melba's Daughter", "Krasnaya Melba" ("Melba Red").

Apple-tree Melba red - characteristic

The crown of the tree is vertical, in the form of an oval. Fruits of the same size, round, weigh up to two hundred grams. The peel is greenish-white in color, the entire surface of the apple is covered with a rich blush with highly visible dots of white color.

The inner content of the fruit is quite juicy, greenish in color, the taste is slightly sour in comparison with the Melba variety, however, this apple tree has a higher level of frost resistance, and it is also less affected by scab.

The apple tree needs to be planted correctly. The spacing between plants when planting depends on the rootstock: for apple trees on a dwarf rootstock it is three by three meters, on a semi-dwarf one - four and a half by four and a half meters, for trees on a seed stock - six by six meters. If you follow these intervals, then the apple trees will have enough area to receive nutrients, and they will also be well illuminated by the sun.

Apple-tree Melba red: landing

It is easy to buy planting material of the Melba variety, it is put up for sale in almost every nursery, and seedlings are easily ordered in online stores.

Time for planting.

Planting of this variety can be done in the spring and autumn seasons. It is important that the tree is at rest when planting. In the autumn season, the foliage on the apple tree should already be absent, and in the spring, the buds should not yet be burst. In the fall, plants are planted thirty days before the real frosty days come. Each area has its own planting time, as the winter season comes in different ways. Thirty days are necessary in order for a young plant to successfully root and prepare it for winter during this time.

If you purchase planting material late, do not risk it, because an unrooted seedling may freeze out. It is recommended to dig in the plant in a horizontal plane, under the snow cover the probability of its survival is several times higher. Remember that the apple tree needs to be protected from rodents.

In the spring season, planting is carried out before the juice begins to move, so that by the time the buds bloom and warm weather sets in, the root system has already begun its work, supplying food to the part of the seedling that is above the ground.

How to prepare a planting hole and seedlings.

There are seedlings with closed roots, they were grown in containers, as well as plants with an open root system. In both cases, there are advantages and disadvantages. With a closed root system, it is impossible to monitor its condition, however, with the initial cultivation of planting material in a container, the plant will take root guaranteed in any season except winter. If the roots are open, then it is easy to monitor their condition, however, if the seedling is stored incorrectly, then its death may occur, therefore, it does not adapt. Before planting, the root system is examined, all damaged and rotten roots are cut off, the wounds must be sprinkled with charcoal (it is required to crush it in advance).

If the roots are dry, then soak them for twenty-four hours in water with the addition of a drug to stimulate root formation.

In spring and autumn, trees are planted in different ways, and a planting hole is always dug out according to a scheme of eighty by eighty cm, at least thirty days before planting, for good soil subsidence. The area for the apple tree should be illuminated by the sun and protected from the wind.

This is especially important for an apple tree grafted onto a dwarf, because its root system is weak.

The low-lying area and the place where underground waters pass high are not suitable for planting varieties. In these areas, apple trees can be planted on dwarf rootstocks, but not in holes, but in embankments (hills). The plant will feel comfortable on light loamy soils that pass water well or on sandy loams containing humus and having neutral acidity.

Planting a tree

In the autumn season, the planting pit is filled with only humus, mixed with the surface soil layer, which is removed from the hole, in a one-to-one ratio. It is allowed to add a half-liter can of wood ash to the substrate. Top dressing is sprinkled over the soil after planting. In the spring season, together with melt water, it will flow to the root system; in the autumn season, fertilizers do not need to be applied, since they will provoke the shoots to grow out of time.

An earthen hill is poured at the bottom of the hole, a seedling is placed on it, the roots are well straightened, ten liters of water are poured out, the plant is covered with soil so that the root collar is level with the edge of the hole or slightly higher, do not deepen it. Leaving bare roots is prohibited.

If the apple tree is planted in spring, then superphosphate and potassium salt (one hundred and fifty grams each) are embedded in the surface soil layer. Finishing the landing, an earthen rim is built around the circumference of the trunk circle, the soil is compacted in advance and another ten liters of water is poured out. Mulching of the trunk circle is mandatory.

For an annual sapling, the main shoot is cut off by one third, for a two-year-old plant, the side branches are pinched.

A young plant needs to be protected from rodents in the winter season during autumn planting and watered in a timely manner once every seven days if the tree is planted in spring.

There are apple varieties that are constantly in demand. The Melba red apple tree is one of them, it should grow on every garden plot.

Apple-tree Melba red: reviews

Maria, 29 years old, Tula region: “I remember the taste of these apples from childhood. As if this apple tree was constantly growing in the parental garden area. Now I am taking care of the plot, and the Melba variety remains my favorite apple variety. I'm really looking forward to the last August days to make delicious jam. This will definitely not work out of other apple varieties. "

Alexander, 44 years old, Rostov region: “I liked the Melba variety - apples with a pleasant taste, however, in our climate the tree is not very comfortable. Due to the fact that it often rains, we tirelessly fight the scab, in frosts the apple tree freezes, but its recovery is quick. When it blooms, it is very beautiful! This apple tree will always grow with me! "