Apple trees are the most common plantations around the world: gardeners liked them for their unpretentiousness in growing and the versatility of fruits. One of these plants is the Arkadik variety, which is well known among domestic gardeners due to the sweet taste of apples. About the characteristic features, pluses and minuses, as well as about the technology of planting the variety, read below.

Variety breeding history

The culture was bred at the All-Russian selection and technological station of gardening and nursery in Moscow. The variety was obtained by hybridizing Antonovka and Arcade yellow. The main differences in the hybrid are the improved shape of the fruit and its large mass.

Did you know? Apple wood products do not crack or undergo mechanical stress.

The author of the variety Arkadik is Victor Kichina - Doctor of Biological Sciences, engaged in plant breeding with increased resistance to pests and frost. The resulting apple tree variety is well established in the regions of Central Russia and in the Moscow region, cultivation is also possible in the northern regions of the country.

Description and characteristics of wood

The Arkadik tree is tall, reaching a height of up to 4 m. The top of the plant is rounded, medium-thickened. Shoots thickened, smooth, brown. The leaf plates are large, oval in shape, with a tip at the end. The color of the leaves is dark green, the surface is matte. Ripened fruits on average have a mass of 150 to 220 g: there have been recorded cases when the weight of apples reached 340 g.Fruits have a rounded-oblong shape. The skin is thin, smooth, has a light green hue with a pink blush, which surrounds almost the entire apple as it ripens. The soft part is white, has a fine-grained oily structure. Arkadik apples have a sugary sweet aroma. The taste is sweet, with light notes of sour.

Pollination, fruiting, ripening period

By the time of bearing fruit, the plant abruptly stops its growth. Variety Arkadik is precocious: the first crop can be harvested already for 3 years of growth, the fruits ripen by mid-August. Apple tree Arkadik refers to a variety of self-fertile trees, therefore does not need additional pollination. However, to increase productivity, different varieties of apple trees can act as pollinators, which are characterized by early ripening or have an average ripening period, among them:

• Melba;
• Robin.

Did you know? An apple tree growing in the wild can have a trunk up to 40 cm in diameter, and its age — reach 200 years.

Productivity

The variety is famous for its high yields. - From one adult tree up to 200 kg of fruit can be collected annually. From 1 hectare of plantings can be removed up to 400 centners of production.

Pros and cons of Arkadik

• Advantages of the Arcadik variety:
• the crop begins to bear fruit for 3 years of growth;
• high winter hardiness - up to –35 ° С;
• has immunity to scab;
• good vitality, the ability to grow in regions with a harsh climate;
• unpretentiousness in leaving.

• Disadvantages of culture:
• short shelf life of fruits - only 4-6 weeks;
• fruits ripen from the tree when ripening, so it is necessary to strictly observe the time of harvesting;
• the plant is susceptible to diseases such as cytosporosis, fruit rot.

Winter hardiness

The culture is characterized by high rates of frost resistance. The tree is able to tolerate temperatures of –35 ° C, which makes it attractive for gardeners in the northern regions.

Features of planting apple tree Arkadik

To grow a strong tree, it is necessary to create optimal conditions for its growth. It is required to choose the right site for planting, on which the plant can take root well. The place should be well-lit, without drafts. The soil on which apple trees are grown can be any, because the plant is unpretentious. The occurrence of groundwater should be at least 1.5 m, so that there is no risk of flooding of the rhizome.

We recommend that you familiarize yourself with the summer varieties of apple trees:

Favorable conditions for growing

It’s better to plant an apple tree in the spring, especially if the procedure is performed in the northern regions. During spring planting, the seedling will have time to grow stronger and take root in winter frosts. Spring planting is carried out from mid-April to early May. If seedlings are planted in autumn, then the best period is mid or end of September. For planting, choose two-year-old seedlings, which reached 1 m in height - their root processes should be at least 35 cm in length. When choosing a plant, it is necessary to carefully examine it for diaper rash, rotten roots, so that in the future there will be no problems with diseases.

Landing stages

Planting a seedling begins with the preparation of a pit, which is dug 3-4 weeks before planting. The hole should be 70 cm deep and 60 cm wide. When digging the upper fertile layer of soil is placed separately, because it must be mixed with fertilizer. The substrate is made as follows - you need to take 15 kg of soil, mix with 15 kg of manure, add 300 g of superphosphate and 300 g of wood ash. The resulting mixture is poured into the hole until the middle and left in this form until the appointed time of planting.1) the upper fertile soil layer; 2) the upper fertile soil layer with the addition of humus and mineral fertilizers; 3) soil layer without fertilizers; 4) the root neck (the place of transition of the root system into the trunk)

Landing:

1. Immediately before planting a seedling, the soil in the hole is loosened and formed in the form of a hill.
2. A peg is driven into the middle of the pit, which should rise 1 m above the ground.
3. The sapling is planted, carefully spreading the roots on the embankment from the ground.
4. Pits are poured to the top of the ground, while shaking the seedling a little so that there are no voids in the root system.
5. In conclusion, the earth is densely tamped, and the seedling is tied to a peg.
6. Watering in the amount of 20 liters.

Video: instructions for planting an apple tree

Features of apple care

Caring for an apple tree is not a troublesome job that every gardener can do. To ensure the active growth of the culture, it is necessary to provide it with timely watering, pruning and fertilizer.

Watering

In the first year of growth, the seedling requires frequent watering - 2 times a month. Starting from the second year of a tree’s life, watering is carried out every 3-4 weeks. The introduced volume of water should be 30 liters, it is preliminarily defended for 2 days. Watering is carried out in a specially made trench with a depth of 15 cm. After the procedure, the trunk circle is mulched with peat, which will help to maintain the necessary moisture concentration in the roots.

Important! Watering should not be done during fruit ripening, otherwise they will crack and spoil.

Usually, an apple tree is watered according to the scheme:

• during swelling of the kidneys;
• 3 weeks after flowering;
• 3 weeks before harvest.

Pruning

The first pruning of branches can be carried out a year after planting a tree. If the plant has not yet gained strength, then the procedure is better to postpone for another year, so as not to weaken it even more. The pruning process is carried out in early spring, before the sap flow begins. The first to remove shoots that are intertwined, grow too close to each other.

Important! Before carrying out the pruning procedure, it is necessary to sharpen garden tools that are blunted during the winter period, and also to thoroughly disinfect them.

Next, they begin to trim the large shoots forming the crown, on which thin branches are removed. Skeletal branches must be shortened by 20 cm. In the autumn, dried, damaged by diseases, broken shoots are cut. The procedure is carried out 2 weeks before frosts.

Fertilizer application

Fertilizers begin to make for 2 years of tree growth. It is necessary to use organic and mineral top dressing. The first fertilizer must be mineral - it is introduced in early spring, from March 10 to April 15. Fertilize the soil in the near-stem circle by digging: the soil is loosened with urea in the amount of 600 g per adult tree.The second top dressing is organic, carried out after flowering: it is applied in liquid form. Preparing a solution of 2 kg of chicken droppings and 10 liters of water. Fertilizer is used in an amount of 30 liters per tree. Third fertilizer It is made from 60 g of superphosphate, 30 g of potassium and 10 l of water. One adult tree needs 30 liters of fertilizing.

Video: feeding apple trees

Diseases of the tree and the fight against them

The apple variety Arkadik is most susceptible to diseases such as cytosporosis and fruit rot. Cytosporosis is a type of fungal infection that affects the trunk and branches of a tree. You can notice the disease by red growths on the bark of the plant, which progress every day. Sections of the affected bark die off along with the branch that is closest to it.

Measures against cytosporosis:

1. Removal of damaged branches and their further burning.
2. Cleaning the bark, which is done with a knife, and after the wound is smeared with garden var.
3. The trunk must be whitened in spring and autumn.
4. The top of the tree is irrigated with a 1% solution of copper sulfate before flowering and after flowering. The solution is prepared from 100 g of copper sulfate and 10 l of water.

Fruit rot is also a fungal infection, its cause is the use of poorly crafted tools when caring for a tree. Also, spores of the fungus are carried by pests or downwind. The leaf plates of the infected tree are covered with brown spots, after which they dry out and fall off. Fruits rot and fall, transferring the spores of the fungus to the soil.Measures to combat fruit rot:

1. Digging a tree trunk in order to destroy an infection that has spread to the soil.
2. Harvesting damaged fruits and leaves, burning them.
3. Removal of weed grass in the area to prevent the invasion of insects and the spread of fungus along with them.
4. Irrigation before flowering and after flowering - the solution is prepared from 300 g of 3% Bordeaux liquid and 10 l of water.

Harvesting, storage and transportability of the crop

The apples in question have a very thin skin, so they can be damaged during long transportation. The fruits ripen very quickly - they must be harvested within a week, otherwise they will crumble and deteriorate. Fruits are collected in wooden boxes in 2-3 layers. Arkadik apples can be stored for 3-4 weeks in the basement at temperatures up to + 10 ° С.Thanks to its excellent winter hardiness, the Arkadik apple variety is suitable for cultivation in regions with severe climatic conditions. A gardener who wants to acquire such a plant in his area will not have to work long to get a crop, because the apple tree is unpretentious in maintenance and is hasty, which makes the variety even more attractive.