Apple tree Snowdrop: description, photo, complete information about cultivation

The article presents the Snowdrop apple tree: description, photos, varieties, detailed instructions for growing, reviews of gardeners.

Apple tree Snowdrop: variety description

Apple tree Snowdrop: photo

We are confident that absolutely every gardener strives to grow in his garden the largest number of a wide variety of crops. Someone likes pears or apricots, but some cherries. One way or another, we all have our favorites.

However, perhaps it is the apple that most often becomes this favorite, because the number of advantages that it possesses is practically innumerable. After all, it's not in vain that it is such a popular fruit compared to all others. It is she who is the queen of any garden.

Apple tree Snowdrop: the benefits of fruits

Apple tree Snowdrop: photo of the variety

The value of these fruits for some people, perhaps, comes almost in the first place, because they simply cannot imagine their daily diet without these wonderful fruits. No wonder they say that one apple a day can save you from all diseases.

However, it is not only consumed raw. A huge number of a wide variety of products are made from this unique fruit: juices, compotes, mashed potatoes, jams, preserves and so on.

Also, one cannot fail to mention that over the long years of selection, professional scientists have achieved that the apple tree can now be grown almost all over the world (except for Antarctica, of course).

And after all, not only their ability to adapt to any climate affects their availability: apple trees are also a very cheap crop, which absolutely anyone can afford to grow.

The variety of varieties presented is also striking. Breeders work day and night to present us with the very best specimens that stand out for their exceptional characteristics. Well, it's almost impossible to find a frankly bad variety lately.

Dwarf apple Snowdrop: features of the variety

Snowdrop apple tree: photo of the variety

Low-growing apple trees are especially convenient in terms of growing in the garden. They have become so common that it is no longer surprising that a similar specimen grows in your garden. But until recently they were a rarity, if not even a luxury.

In addition, you can notice much more surprise on the face of any professional gardener if he finds out that you do not have apple trees on a dwarf rootstock, because today they are almost the basis of any garden.

Their use allows you to make the most of the workspace given to you, as well as optimize many plant care procedures that are much easier to carry out on a small tree.

Even in comparison with the more familiar to us tall apple trees, trees on a dwarf rootstock win in many points.

They, as you might guess, grow incredibly quickly, and therefore, with proper luck, you can get the first harvest even two years after planting instead of the usual four or five.

In addition, if you carry out accurate mathematical calculations, it turns out that, although dwarf apple trees bear fewer fruits than large ones, there is still more benefit from them with a dense planting. In addition, there is less chance of crop loss, which also plays an important role.

It also proceeds from the previous point that dwarf apple trees bring not only more fruits, but also more benefits, which is especially important for gardeners who make a living by selling the fruits of their trees.

Also, such trees have undeniable aesthetic advantages over large apple trees. In the end, hardly anyone will argue that small and neat trees planted in a row look no better than a couple or three giants, whose crown has long stretched out in all possible directions, since it is simply impossible to form it normally.

In addition, the dwarf apple tree can even be placed in a small greenhouse, which is a huge advantage for those who live in northern latitudes and have no way of growing efficient large trees.

Also, the protection of such plants from pests, parasites and diseases is significantly increased, because it is much easier to process small trees. It is quite possible to completely spray the crown, as well as to process the trunk from head to toe.

Of course, the small size also means less drug costs. Although, it would seem, there should also be more trees, and, therefore, the same amount of the drug will be needed. Only here one should remember the school and take into account the fact that the area of ​​the crown increases in the square with respect to the increase in the height of the tree, and therefore it turns out that the cost of medications is significantly reduced.

We must not forget about top dressing, since the bark system in such dwarf apple trees is smaller, and therefore it reacts more intensively to fertilization. In addition, it is much closer to the surface of the soil, and therefore even the procedure itself is greatly simplified.

Also, when growing dwarfs, the problem of growing apple trees in gardens located on large deposits of groundwater completely disappears. Everything is extremely simple here: unlike large trees, small apple trees simply will not reach them.

Well, and, of course, we must not forget that dwarf varieties have absolutely no risks of meeting the winter unprepared, since they are fully prepared for it already at the beginning of autumn, because all their life processes are faster.

Of course, there are also a huge number of skeptics who find it rather difficult to accept new trends, and therefore they with all their might repeat what terrible flaws dwarf trees have.

For example, this is not the first time we already hear a statement that they bear fruit for an extremely short time: after fifteen years the tree needs to be changed. However, in our opinion, it is better to change apple trees more often, but get their undeniable benefits.

You can often hear that their frost resistance is, by definition, lower, because the roots are very close to the surface. Objections here, of course, will not work, because this is the truth, however, this is not at all a reason to abandon such a promising direction as dwarf varieties. In the end, no one forbids you to insulate trees.

Also, quite often there are statements that such small trees are simply not able to withstand such a large number of apples, and therefore their branches will constantly break off. Here we will give the same answer as for the previous two arguments: believe me, installing supports under each branch is worth the benefits that you will receive for such care in relation to the tree.

However, we, of course, by no means want to say that apple trees on dwarf rootstocks are ideal, and everyone should immediately start growing only them. They really have objective disadvantages that are worth announcing:

First of all, this is a weak immunity, which does not protect the tree from such ailments as scab. Also, the above-mentioned weak frost resistance, which, however, is easily corrected, given the size of the trees.

Also, the disadvantage is not quite regular fruiting, which is very dependent on external factors. Nevertheless, it is definitely impossible to say that trees bear fruit in a year.

Varieties for Siberia and the Urals

There are quite a large number of such varieties, since, of course, even those who live in such harsh frosty conditions want to do their own farming, and therefore the Research Institute of Fruit, Vegetable and Potato Growing is constantly engaged in the creation of more and more perfect cold-resistant hybrids that fully reveal their potential precisely in the conditions of these regions.

However, the most popular at the moment is a small group of varieties, which was developed under the guidance of M.A. Mizunin, Doctor of Science in Agriculture. People liked these varieties so much that in a matter of years they became incredibly popular.

The parent variety for each apple tree in this group was the Vydubetskaya apple tree. It was pollinated with pollen of different varieties, in an attempt to obtain ideal trees that could survive the terribly harsh winters without any obstacles. As you can see, the experiments were successful and the varieties were released into circulation.

The group of these varieties includes apple trees called Sokolovskoe, Carpet, Bratchud, as well as the Snowdrop that interests us today, which we will analyze in all the details.

Apple tree Snowdrop: variety description

The Snowdrop apple variety is late, however, if we take a closer look at the timing of its ripening, we will find out that it would be more correct to classify it as early winter.

His crown is quite spreading, but it grows in a very unusual way: due to the fact that the branches grow either at right angles or towards the ground. Thus, the trunk is almost invisible, and the tree looks like solid foliage.

The bark of the branches is very similar in color to the bark of the rest of the tree and is colored in a light brown hue. But the small shoots are colored greenish brown.

The leaves are ovoid or, more simply, oval. They are also slightly pointed at the ends and have a slight serration at the edges.

The fruits are also fairly even geometric shapes. However, their sphere is slightly flattened at the bottom. At the same time, their ribs are quite pronounced, and there are also small subcutaneous dots.

The average weight of an apple reaches one hundred and fifty or one hundred and seventy grams. However, if you try very hard and fertilize the tree in the best possible way, then, according to some gardeners, you can easily get fruits and three hundred grams. However, we would not recommend such increased care to beginners, since if done incorrectly, it can greatly harm the tree.

The fruits themselves are colored yellowish or light green. However, as they are under the sun's rays, a bright red blush appears on them, which makes apples only prettier and more attractive.

The skin itself is very smooth and almost glossy: no waxy coating is observed with it. The flesh is colored in a snow-white shade, and its taste can be described as the perfect mixture of sour and sweet.

Also, the fruits, both during flowering and after that, have a very rich and bright aroma that fills any room.

The fruit stem is, by the way, very strong, and therefore they never fall from the tree ahead of time, which, of course, is a significant advantage.

Apple tree Snowdrop: other characteristics

First of all, I would like to talk about the main advantages of this variety, since they are the most attractive.

First of all, of course, we will mention what we talked about at the beginning of the article: the tree is dwarf, which automatically adds a couple of points to it.

The tree yield is exceptional, and not only for the northern regions. In addition, given that the tree is small, we can say that there are really a lot of fruits.

The tree has a special winter hardiness, which allows it to survive Siberian winters practically without any protection.

We must not forget that the tree has decorative qualities that allow it to be used not only as a plant that bears fruit, but also as an addition to any landscape.

Finally, it is worth noting that the variety is not at all picky about the soil in which you grow it, and therefore you can plant it anywhere, and it will feel great.

Dimensions in numbers

This is, of course, about the size of mature trees, and they usually reach about two meters, like most dwarf apple trees.

And if you also graft a tree on a dwarf stock, then you will get a small bush, the size of which will not exceed one and a half meters.

About fruiting

Frequency of fruiting

Fortunately, in the early years, you don't have to worry about periodicity at all, since the tree bears a crop in absolutely every season.

However, as it grows older, this can be a problem, and therefore the tree will begin to produce less consistent yields.

However, most often apples do not disappear completely, but only decrease in size, and therefore we do not advise you to worry too much about this.

Self-fertility

Unfortunately, this tree does not have this quality. However, for cultivation in Siberia, in principle, it is rather difficult to find an absolutely self-fertile variety, if, of course, it is not impossible.

However, it should be said that growing trees in pairs is far from the worst idea, since you will receive much more fruits, both from one and the other. In addition, given that both of them will be dwarf, even problems with free space will not hurt you.

As pollinators, only those apple trees are suitable that have exactly the same ripening times as the varieties under discussion, and therefore you will have to find the early winter specimen that suits you best.

What is the yield of the Apple tree Snowdrop

Speaking about what numbers are given by experts, we should get about ten buckets of apples from one tree, which is equal to eighty kilograms.

However, as you understand, this number can vary greatly depending on the quality of plant care, as well as on more unforeseen factors.

Although, even if we take into account the eighty kilograms that experts predict, this is a pretty good number for a bonsai - even a very good one.

Tasting assessment

Of course, a variety suitable for growing in Siberia cannot have the highest tasting rating: this is quite obvious. And therefore the snowdrop has only four and three tenths of points.

However, in our opinion, such a result can even be called commendable, because not many varieties adapted for such cold weather have a higher score.

In addition, given the size of these fruits, as well as the fact that they contain almost ten percent of the sugar of the total weight of the apple, you can even say that they are one of the best of their kind.

What winter hardiness does the Apple tree Snowdrop have?

As you can already understand, this parameter in the discussed cultivar is developed surprisingly well. Under any conditions, it can easily withstand temperatures up to forty degrees below zero.

In addition, not only does the variety survive the winters very well, it also recovers incredibly quickly from them, and therefore you should not have any problems with the cold.

However, his amazing winter hardiness does not mean that preparation for the cold is completely unnecessary for him, and therefore the corresponding procedures will still have to be carried out.

Disease resistance

All professional gardeners know which disease is the most dangerous for absolutely all fruit plants, and this is scab. Many apple trees must be protected from this ailment, however, the discussed variety, possessing tremendous immunity, is not at all afraid of it.

However, to some extent this is due to the fact that in cold Siberia the disease is not as strong as, for example, in the central or southern regions, but this does not negate the fact that you will not have problems with it.

Well, if you want to protect yourself from all possible diseases, then we can advise you on regular fungicide treatments, thanks to which you will ward off most of the infections.

Apple tree Snowdrop: reviews of gardeners

Evgeny

“I live in Omsk, and therefore, choosing an apple tree for myself five years ago, I really wanted to pick up some dwarf variety. The neighbors told me a lot about the fact that in our conditions it is they who grow best.

In mind, I had a lot of options, but I decided to stay with the snowdrop and was right. This apple tree has amazing qualities, and therefore I am even thinking about planting a whole garden.

Although, I must admit, some of my neighbors, to whom I recommended this variety, were unhappy: they claim that they do not set the fruits at all and the tree turned out to be useless.

I do not know what this may be related to, but I must note that with good care and proper planting, all trees grow correctly and without any problems. "

Anna

“In fact, I've heard a lot of negative reviews about this variety and, frankly, I don't quite understand where they come from. And how much I have heard that the variety simply does not bear fruit - I cannot count it.

Although, as it seems to me, it's all about insufficient care. For dwarf apples, he should be more careful than for large specimens, since they are miniature and fragile. Perhaps it was poor-quality feeding and watering that influenced the crop failure.

But, as I said, everything is absolutely good for me: the apples are tied normally and turn out to be very tasty. The only complaint I can make is that all the sellers claim that the fruits are very mature and lie for almost six months.

This, of course, is not at all true, since after January the fruit begins to fall in quality, and therefore it is better not to reach such dates. "

Anatoly

“Personally, I really like these apple trees, but there is one big but: when buying them, you need to look very carefully at what region they were produced for. The fact is that, for example, a snowdrop can grow remarkably in one area, but will not bear any fruit at all in another.

And everything would be good if the companies selling the trees notify the gardeners about this, but they, of course, do not do this, and therefore there is such a huge number of negative reviews, which simply would not exist if people knew where and what is grown. ...

Therefore, I can only advise you to be very careful and never fall for the flattering words of sellers. Always check the firms on the Internet and find out for which places this or that variety has been created.

As for the apple tree itself, as I said, I like them: small, compact and very prolific. The main thing is just not to plant them anywhere, and then everything will definitely be fine. And, in fact, it is a pity that so many scandals have unfolded around the snowdrop. "

Apple tree Snowdrop: planting and care features

In order for you to grow a healthy and efficient tree, you need to ensure that it is well planted and that it is properly cared for after planting. Otherwise, you may not get an apple tree, I'm just a bush that will never bear fruit.

Landing

Planting should not start with choosing a place for planting and not even buying a seedling, but with determining its timing.

Landing dates

Here we would advise you to stick to the majority opinion, and most plant apple trees in the spring, which is indeed the best choice.

However, spring is a very loose concept, and therefore the timing needs to be specified. First of all, you must wait until all frosts have passed, including return ones, as they can destroy the young plant.

After the onset of relatively warm weather, however, it is also impossible to immediately plant the plant, since the earth by that time will not yet be sufficiently warmed up.

You also need to ensure that no leaves appear on the seedling before planting, as this will mean that its growing season has begun and the ideal moment for planting has passed.

Summing up all of the above factors, we can choose the most suitable time, which falls at the end of April or the beginning of May (in the case of very long winters).

However, one cannot fail to mention that the early one can also be considered as an option for a suitable time for planting a seedling of this tree.

However, in this case, you will not only have to watch out for frosts, but also immediately take care of good insulation for a small tree, since the cold is just around the corner, and it is simply unacceptable to meet them unprepared.

Planting process

In order to start digging a planting hole, of course, you will need to first make sure that the soil has enough nutrients.

Of course, you remember that the composition of the soil for growth is not so important for dwarf trees, but nobody canceled the fact that it should be fertile.

As for the size of the pit, it must correspond to the seedling. The apple tree should fit freely into the recess allocated to it, and the depth should be such that about three or two centimeters of the root collar rise above the ground.

After you dig the hole, you will need to fertilize it with mineral and organic fertilizers. Now this soil is ready and you can start planting directly.

To do this, you need to take a third of the earth that you dug and fill them into the hole in such a way that a small slide forms. After that, ordinary soil is added - no more than a third of the remaining volume of the pit, and a tree is already planted on this two-layer slide.

After that, next to it you need to stick a small peg, without damaging the root system. And so that the peg does not rot, it is advisable to choose not a wooden one.

It remains only to cover all the remaining free space with soil. This should be done very gradually, while tamping the filled soil so that air bubbles do not form in it, which can lead to decay.

Growing and care

Of course, when it comes to caring for a plant, everyone immediately thinks about watering. And, of course, dwarf apple trees need it. Of course, it will be quite dependent on the weather conditions, but if you always start from the rule that the soil must be wet, you will always maintain regular and correct watering.

Loosening and mulching are no less important than moistening. As you remember, the roots of dwarf varieties are very close to the surface, and therefore all sorts of weeds and various insects harm them very much.

In order to prevent this from happening, weeding is carried out, well, and mulching fixes the effect, not allowing misfortunes to return.

Tying the branches is very important for dwarf trees, since they very often do not withstand the load that is assigned to them.

Top dressing is no less important, which will allow the tree to develop correctly and without delay. Organic is best, but sometimes it should be alternated with minerals, which are also very beneficial.

We must not forget about preventive spraying, thanks to which it will be possible to forget about plant diseases forever.

Apple tree Snowdrop: pruning and crown formation

In fact, cropping could be included in the previous paragraph, but there are so many nuances and small details in it that we decided to single out a whole separate paragraph for it.

The most important part of pruning is the formation of the correct crown, since under natural conditions the tree constantly strives to grow in some way wrong.

Therefore, gardeners invented such a wonderful crown shape as stanza, which does not allow the tree to grow as it wants, by constantly adjusting the length of the branches in the first years of its life.

However, this is far from the only option for how you can prune your tree to form the correct crown. This is just one of the most frequently used examples.

As for the timing of pruning, it is always carried out exclusively at the beginning of spring, since otherwise you can harm the plant too much. However, this does not apply to sanitary pruning, which is carried out at the end of the growing season.

It differs somewhat from formative pruning, since it obviously has completely different goals. It was created in order to remove all damaged or diseased branches that will never be useful to the plant or may even harm it.

Important!

Pruning is a very demanding procedure, as it involves direct damage to the plant. Therefore, you must definitely minimize this very damage, for which you will need only the sharpest and highest quality tools, as well as a little garden varnish as a "healing ointment".

Features of fruiting

Speaking about the fruiting of this variety, it should be noted that it is not entirely ordinary, and therefore its features should be told in more detail so that you have a clear idea of ​​when and what to expect.

However, to begin with, we will give a little background information that you may have already forgotten: the fruiting of this tree begins in four years if you provide the tree with normal care. In the event that the care is significantly above average, and the apple tree will begin to bear fruit earlier: already three years after planting.

In addition, by this time the apples will be absolutely complete and very tasty.

As for the promised features, they consist, first of all, in the fact that absolutely all shoots bear fruit near the tree, and therefore, when pruning, it is very important not to remove excess, as you can accidentally reduce your harvest.

It should also be remembered that in mature trees, apple size can change periodically, which will also lead to fluctuations in the amount of harvest.

Speaking about the timing of flowering, it should be noted that it is very short-lived: bright and rather large flowers can be observed only during the crescent in May. Of course, we are talking about Siberia and the Urals: in other places, these values ​​differ.

As for the timing of ripening, they can be partially predicted by when the flowering ended. However, most often it occurs in any case at the beginning of September.

Also, surprisingly, the apples can be picked at the same time and they will be fully ripe, which means that they do not have to lay in storage for a while to reveal their true taste.

By the way, we would like to give you some tips on how to properly harvest this tree.First of all, you need to ensure that there is no rain during assembly, as it can spoil the fruit.

You also don't have to pull the apples too hard. Their stalks are strong, and therefore the recoil will be strong: the whole branch will stagger and, perhaps, you will damage the tree or several other fruits. Therefore, if the apple does not come off, it is better to scroll it: this way the stalk will surrender faster.

As for storage, in no case should you send fruits with physical damage to it: an infection can sit in them, which will later spread to all other apples.

By the way, the fruits, as you understood from one of the reviews presented above, should not be stored for too long: no more than four months, as otherwise they begin to rapidly lose their taste.

But products made from these apples, such as compotes, juices or mashed potatoes, can be stored much longer, which, of course, pleases.

Varieties of apple trees Snowdrop

There is only one point left, which we have not yet told you: although this apple tree is presented as a single variety, it still has several independent clones that differ in some characteristics, and therefore we invite you to consider them, because they may also turn out to be interesting to you.

Snowdrop: natural elfin

This variety differs for the most part in its shape. Not even for the most part, but in essence, because otherwise it is the same snowdrop.

The only difference is that its branches spread along the ground, and therefore it is called so much more often: creeping snowdrop.

Snowdrop: dwarf winter

It would seem much less, because the Snowdrop is already a bonsai. However, this variety distinguished itself by the fact that it turned out to be half a meter lower than its parent variety. However, like the previous representative of the snowdrop varieties, he cannot boast of any other differences.

Growing in regions

As you may have noticed after reading one of the reviews, the biggest problem with this particular variety is that it is very strongly tied to certain climatic conditions, and therefore it turns out to be incredibly difficult for it to grow in any others.

It is because of this that so many negative reviews of the variety appear: gardeners, through their own fault or through the fault of the sellers, plant the variety where it simply does not belong and, of course, no fruiting occurs.

Therefore, we decided to put an end to this issue and list the places where the snowdrop can grow without problems.

First of all, this is Western Siberia, since it was for these lands that the variety was bred. But outside of them, the tree begins to feel worse.

However, it can still bring quite good results, for example, in the Urals, and therefore it can be planted there without any problems.

It's funny, but there are also enthusiasts who are trying to grow this variety just everywhere: from the south to Moscow, while being fully aware of its regional characteristics. Moreover, sometimes they even succeed, but we do not advise you to repeat these experiments: the chance of failure is too great.

Conclusion

The apple variety called Snowdrop definitely has its downsides. He has a very strict reference to the region, and sometimes not quite constant flowering, however, you cannot but agree that the variety performs its main task simply with a bang.

Snowdrop was created in order to be able not only to survive in the harsh Siberia, but also to give decent harvests there, and you will be lying if you say that it does not cope with this task. The main thing is to remember the rules that must be followed in order for the variety to take root, and then everything will be fine.

Well, in the end, I would like to wish you good luck in growing this tree. We hope that even in such cold places as Siberia, the Snowdrop apple tree will be able to warm your heart with its fruits.And, of course, do not forget to look at the region where the tree is grown: what if it turns out to be not yours?

Apple tree Snowdrop: comparison with another variety