The Summer Striped apple tree got its name due to the fact that the bright red integumentary color on the surface of the fruit is located in the form of stripes or streaks. Among gardeners, the Summer Striped apple tree is very popular due to its productivity, unpretentiousness and ability to adapt to different weather conditions, and of course due to its tasty and aromatic fruits.
Initially, the Summer Striped apple tree variety, bred by P.A. Zhavoronkov at the South Ural Research Institute, was zoned in the Ural region, but quickly gained popularity and spread not only throughout Russia, but also throughout Belarus and Ukraine. “Summer Striped” has been listed in the State Register since 1965.
Any, even the most unpretentious fruit tree must be looked after if you expect to eventually reap a rich harvest. In this article we will talk in more detail about the characteristics of the tree, the features of care, and also share with you the opinion of gardeners who have been growing the Summer Striped apple tree in their gardens for several years.
Origin story
Authorship belongs to P.A. Zhavoronkov. The variety was obtained by selecting open-pollinated seedlings of a large-fruited apple tree of an unknown species.
The variety was included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements of Russia in 1965, but was taken for state testing only in 1967.
The applicant and originator is the Ural Federal Agrarian Research Center of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The variety was zoned in the Ural region (Republic of Bashkortostan, Kurgan, Orenburg and Chelyabinsk regions).
In the tolerance region, it is still considered one of the best among the early ones. Also widespread in Belarus and Ukraine.
Description of the variety
Photo:
Summer variety, frost-resistant.
Tree
The tree is vigorous (4-5 meters), standard, the crown is sparse, wide-pyramidal or wide-rounded.
The trunk and skeletal branches are covered with brown bark. It bears fruit on all types of fruit wood; cases of fruiting on last year's growths are not uncommon.
The leaves are large, elongated, pointed, dark green in color, the surface is wrinkled, matte, slightly pubescent. The edge of the leaf is wavy, curved upward, and finely crenate.
Escapes
With light brown bark, not thick. The leaves are large, elongated, short-pointed, dark green. The surface of the leaves is wrinkled and matte. The leaf blade is flat, slightly pubescent.
The edge of the leaf is finely crenate, wavy, curved upward. The leaf petiole is short.
The flowers are quite large, cup-shaped, white-pink, with a medium-length, pubescent column of pistils, the stigmas of which are located at the same level as the anthers.
Fruit
Small - 60-80 g, round-conical in shape, slightly ribbed, one-dimensional, covered with a dryish skin with a coating.
At ripeness, the color is greenish-white with a red blush and frequent stripes throughout the apple. The peduncle is medium in thickness and length, oblique. The funnel is small, rusty, pointed. The saucer is average.
The pulp is juicy, loose, fine-grained, creamy, almost white. The taste is sweet and sour, with a pronounced pleasant apple aroma. The skin is thin and smooth. Apples are used fresh, for making jam, compotes and dried fruits.
The fruits have an excellent presentation (15-20% - the highest grade, 35-40% - the first), shelf life - 14-28 days (in a cool place), average transportability. The apple harvest begins from late July to mid-August.
The flowers are white-pink, large, cup-shaped. The pistils are of medium length, not pubescent, located at the same height as the anthers.
Productivity
The yield of the variety is high: average values – from 200 c/ha, from one tree – from 35 kg.
Tasting assessment
The skin of the fruit is light green, with bright red streaks. The pulp is medium density, very tasty and juicy. According to tasting, the taste of apples is rated at 4.5 points.
Productivity
The Summer Striped variety is quite productive. The first harvest from an apple tree can be harvested already 4 years after planting.
If the apple tree is provided with proper care, then about 35 kilograms of apples can be harvested from one tree.
As a rule, apple trees of this variety bear fruit once a year , but as the tree ages, the frequency of fruiting may decrease.
The weight of a mature fruit is 150 grams.
The picked fruits can be eaten immediately after collection.
They retain their characteristics for about 3 weeks . This variety is ideal for preservation.
Source
Advantages and disadvantages
According to gardeners, the advantages include:
- Productivity in all weather conditions;
- Marketability of fruits;
- Early ripening;
- Versatility of use;
- Drought resistance;
- Easy adaptation to any conditions.
Cons of the apple tree:
- Short shelf life of picked fruits (in the refrigerator for a maximum of a month);
- Selective shedding of unripe fruits.
Subspecies
In order to breed more frost-resistant summer crops, the Summer Striped variety is very often used in breeding.
Dwarf
The apple tree variety Dwarf Striped is a late-summer, high-yielding crop with high frost resistance. The tree is no more than 2 meters high, has a compact, rounded crown.
Fruiting begins in the third year after planting. The weight of apples is 120 - 150 g. This variety is valued for its good yield and stable fruiting, even with unfavorable climatic conditions.
Cinnamon
Apple tree Cinnamon striped is a vigorous crop. The tree has a wide pyramidal crown with hanging branches. Fruits weighing 110 g. elongated, rounded, dark red in color.
The pulp is medium density, sweet and sour taste, slightly aromatic. The tasting score of apples is 4.6 points.
Important! Due to its high frost resistance and unpretentiousness to the soil, the variety is highly valued in the Siberian regions of Russia.
Reviews
Breeder. Smirnov. V. D. Lipetsk. “The fruit crop is an unpretentious plant. Thanks to its high adaptation to humid climatic conditions and fairly high frost resistance, the tree has proven itself well in the central regions of Russia, Siberia and the Urals. Due to their taste, the fruit is used in industrial processing.”
Shvedov. M. A. Kemerovo region. “I’ve been gardening for quite a long time. Summer, autumn and winter varieties of apple trees grow on my site. Among the summer varieties, I would like to highlight the Summer Striped apple tree. This crop tolerates drought and rainy weather quite well and does not freeze in severe winters. The productivity is high, the fruits are tasty and aromatic. The only drawback of the variety is the short storage period of apples.”
Smirnova. N. Kaluga region. “The Summer Striped apple tree variety has proven itself quite well on my site compared to other apple trees. The variety is unpretentious in care, has regular fruiting of high quality fruits. Apples are tasty and aromatic. We use them both fresh and in the preparation of various preserves.”
Landing
Scheme for planting apple tree seedlings
The Summer Striped Apple tree is easy to care for, however, it is worth paying attention to some of the nuances of growing.
Deadlines
It is advisable to start planting apple trees immediately after the last snow melts, in the absence of the threat of return frosts. As a rule, planting is planned for the second ten days of March. In autumn, seedlings are placed in open ground in late September - early October.
Drop off location
Important! This apple variety grows well in both the southern and northern regions of the country. It tolerates close groundwater and high acidity.
The area for the apple tree should be freely illuminated by the sun, light shading is acceptable. The soil on it should be light, fertile, and well permeable. On heavy clay soils, the Summer Striped apple tree grows poorly.
How to plant?
It is recommended to plant an apple tree in spring (from late April to early May) and autumn (until the end of September). The planting pit is prepared in the fall. To do this, a hole is dug with a diameter of 1 m and a depth of 0.75 m.
Planting soil is prepared from fertile layer, rotted manure and sand. They fill the hole 2/3 full. Then 0.9 kg of superphosphate, 0.15 kg of potassium sulfate and 1 kg of wood ash are added. Mix thoroughly.
A mound is formed in the center of the hole and a planting stake, up to 1.5 meters high, is installed at a distance of 10-15 cm from it.
The seedling is installed on the north side of the stake, the root system is covered with earth and compacted (there should be no voids). The root neck of the tree rises 5-8 cm above the ground surface.
Note! Young apple trees should be planted no closer than 5 meters from each other.
Immediately after planting, the young tree is watered abundantly (35-40 liters). Mulch around the trunk with sawdust, peat chips or fresh grass.
Growing in regions
For good adaptation of a variety in a particular region, gardeners advise taking into account several features when growing.
Moscow region
The Summer Striped apple tree has proven itself very well in the Moscow region.
To ensure that the apple tree does not lose its high yield in this region, gardeners recommend following the following recommendations:
- Water the tree regularly during dry summers;
- Carry out spring treatments against harmful insects;
- To avoid ultraviolet burns in the spring and autumn, whiten the apple tree trunk with lime.
Timely inspection of the tree will help identify fungal diseases in the early stages.
Siberia
The Siberian regions are characterized by little snowy winters. To avoid freezing of the Summer Striped apple tree in this region, the entire tree must be covered with snow or covering material.
To simplify this work, gardeners advise forming the crown in a slate pattern.
Ural
For the regions of the Urals, as well as for Siberia, more frost-resistant varieties of apple trees are needed. With proper shelter, the Summer Striped apple tree variety will be able to withstand well the spring and autumn frosts characteristic of this region.
Timely treatment of wood with chemicals will prevent insect attacks. Agricultural technology will contribute to high yields.
The Urals have a fairly humid climate. To avoid fungal diseases of the tree, gardeners recommend planting apple trees on hills or diverting water from the tree trunk.
Timely cleaning of the garden from leaves and broken branches will prevent the tree from becoming infected with fruit rot.
Apple tree Summer striped
The Summer Striped apple tree variety is the work of the South Ural Research Institute, has been known for a long time, and was included in the state register in 1965. Popular not only in the regions of the Urals and Trans-Urals, for which it was bred, but also in the gardens of the European part of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. For many gardeners, it is on the list of favorite varieties of apple trees.
Description of the variety with photo
The apple tree of this variety is a strong, tall tree of standard type. The crown is quite sparse, round in shape, and large in diameter. The trunk and skeletal branches are covered with brown bark, thin shoots are lighter.
The leaf blade is covered with small wrinkles. The surface is not shiny, dark green. The shape of the leaves is elongated, pointed at the end, the edges are wavy, curved upward. It blooms with large cup-shaped flowers of delicate white color with a pink tint.
The fruits are not large, weighing up to 90 g, uniform in size. The shape is round-conical, slight ribbing is noticeable. The main color of apples is white-green, the sides are covered with a striped red blush.
The pulp, fine-grained in structure, has a low density and is white when cut. Apples have a sweet and sour taste and a pleasant aroma. When analyzing the chemical composition of the pulp, the following were identified:
- dry matter – 18%;
- sugars – 10%;
- titratable acids – 0.75%;
- ascorbic acid in 100 g of pulp – 16 mg.
The marketable appearance of 20% of the collected fruits corresponds to the highest grade, 40% of the harvest can be classified as first grade, the rest is substandard. These are good indicators. Once picked, apples have a short shelf life, usually two weeks, rarely three.
During transportation, a slight loss of commercial quality is possible. The fruits are universal in purpose; they are used in the production of compotes, jams, preserves, and juices. But most often, apples of this variety are eaten fresh.
Fruiting of Summer Striped is possible only if there are pollinators in the garden. Time-tested varieties of apple trees are recommended as pollinators:
After planting an apple tree, the first fruits should be expected no earlier than five years later. A harvest of full volume can be obtained only in the seventh year of the tree’s life. The apple tree bears fruit every year. Average fruit shedding is noted. The variety is productive.
When grown on an industrial scale, up to 200 centners of quality fruits are obtained from 1 hectare. On personal plots, 35 kg of apples are harvested from one tree per season. The tree tolerates winters well. Frosts down to -30°C are not scary for him. The variety suffers little from scab and is unpretentious in care.
Advantages and disadvantages
This variety of apple trees has a number of advantages that explain why gardeners have been planting it on their plots for so many years:
- the apple tree produces a harvest in any weather conditions;
- can grow in different climatic zones;
- the apple tree produces the optimal amount of fruit for home consumption in the summer;
- the fruits have a marketable appearance;
- apples of this variety are among the first to ripen;
- universal purpose of fruits;
- Apple trees of this variety are a good breeding material that is used in work on new winter-hardy varieties.
There are two disadvantages: the first is that the picked fruits are small, the taste and presentation are preserved for two weeks, the second is that some of the apples fall off before reaching marketable ripeness.
Planting and care
The main condition that must be met is the presence of pollinators in the apple trees. The planting hole for seedlings needs to be dug not far from them so that pollination is of better quality, but not closer than 4 meters.
For good seedling survival, it is important to correctly determine the planting time. It is recommended to plant in the fall from September 20 to October 15, and in the spring as early as possible, before the buds open.
A seedling needs a fairly large planting hole, especially on loamy soils: diameter 1 meter, depth 1 meter. When planting, it is necessary to apply fertilizers; they are needed for the normal formation of the root system of the apple tree and its full development. Add to the soil:
- humus – 35 kg;
- double superphosphate – 500 g, or superphosphate – 1 kg;
- potassium sulfate – 150 g or potassium chloride – 120 g;
- wood ash – 1 kg.
The fertilizers listed above must be mixed with fertile soil taken out of the hole and poured in the center in the form of a small mound. Drive a strong stake at least 1.2 m long into it at a distance of 10 cm from the top.
Carefully place the seedling on a mound. The place where the trunk connects with the root system (root collar) should be 8 cm above the ground level. Before placing the seedling in the hole, you need to inspect it, and, on the side where the skeletal branches are thicker and stronger, orient it to the north.
Carefully spread the roots over the mound and sprinkle with fertile soil without fertilizers, fill the rest of the hole to the top with fertilized soil and compact it. Tie the trunk to a peg in several places. Water the apple tree well at the root.
How to properly care for the Summer Striped apple tree?
Proper care means regular care. Every year in the spring it is necessary to inspect the tree, cut off damaged branches, and heal wounds.
In summer it is necessary:
- water the tree;
- clean the tree trunk from weeds;
- loosen the ground.
In summer, you need to monitor the tree especially carefully, since the apple tree can be attacked by pests and urgent treatment will be required:
- If an apple moth appears on an apple tree, then prepare a chlorophos solution to treat the tree.
- The leaf roller can be combated using a nitrophen solution.
- Spring treatment of the tree with a solution of karbofos helps against the flower beetle.
In the fall, the apple tree needs to be fed, the trunk whitened, the trunk circle sprinkled with mulch (straw, hay, sawdust, humus), and the last autumn watering before the onset of frost. There is not much work to do to care for an apple tree. If you follow them, you can grow a beautiful, healthy tree that produces a regular harvest of tasty fruits.
Summer apple varieties: video
Reviews from gardeners
The summer striped has a lot of carrion, which is not stored; its pulp is not tasty. Apples that are fresh from the tree taste good. To extract juice from apples, you need a centrifugal juicer or juicer. You can keep an apple tree of this variety in the garden for only one reason - it gives a very early harvest.
An apple tree of the Summer Striped variety has been growing at the dacha for a long time, it has never rested in its entire life, every year we collect bags of apples from it, the very first ones in the garden ripen. We prepare the juice; it turns out much tastier than juice from other varieties of apples. If we talk about the disadvantages, then, firstly, there is a large number of apples, and secondly, some of them fall off and have to be collected from the ground.
Care
Caring for the Summer Striped apple tree is quite simple and does not require any special knowledge or skills:
- Inspecting the tree for damage (required in the spring), eliminating broken, dry and frozen branches. Existing wounds are covered with garden varnish;
- Regular watering, at least once every 14 days, and much more often in dry summers;
- Loosening of near-root soil;
- Weeding;
- Feeding;
- Whitewashing the trunk;
- Trimming.
Attention! Young trees must be fed in both autumn and spring until they are 3 years old, then the procedure can be carried out once a year.
An apple tree with a lack of nutrients will begin to produce small fruits, and in advanced cases, it will stop bearing fruit altogether.
Pruning an apple tree is most important in the first years after planting, because it is at this time that the most suitable crown shape can be created, which will enable a comfortable harvest.
Removing excess branches from the apple tree allows the plant to save vitality; it no longer wastes it on unnecessary shoots, but forms a stronger trunk and a powerful root system.
The following are subject to removal:
- Branches crossing each other;
- Shoots directed deep into the crown;
- Growing at an angle to the trunk (30 degrees).
Every year, in early spring, all the growth from the previous year at the top of the crowns is cut off on the apple tree - by 2-4 buds, depending on the condition of the branch.
Regularization of ovaries
Agromanipulation is required for this variety of apples. Excess ovaries must be removed almost immediately after the end of the natural fall in June.
By powerfully shaking the branches, weak ovaries are removed. Sick, twisted and weak fruits are removed. These procedures help to significantly improve the quality of the remaining fruit.
Growing in regions
Summer striper adapts well to many regions, but it is important to consider growing habits.
In outskirts of Moscow
To obtain good harvests in the Moscow region, it is important to follow the recommendations. Here they are:
- additional watering in dry summers;
- pest control;
- mandatory whitewashing of the trunk in spring and autumn;
- regular inspection and treatment for fungal diseases.
Otherwise, there are no restrictions on growing the variety.
In Siberia
When planting the Summer Striped apple tree in this region, it is important to follow the following recommendations:
- mandatory mulching of tree trunk circles with humus to avoid freezing of the roots;
- It would be better to form the crown in a stale form;
- Young seedlings must be insulated.
But at the same time, cultivation is quite possible even in the harsh conditions of the Siberian region.
In the Urals
Often in this region, spring and autumn frosts negatively affect the condition of young shoots. Therefore, we need exactly the variety that can surprise with its frost resistance.
High humidity conditions promote the spread of scab and other fungal diseases. Therefore, preventive treatments against diseases and insects should be carried out regularly.
Growing apple trees in the Urals.
Diseases and pests
Powdery mildew on an apple tree
The Summer Striped apple variety has good immunity to the vast majority of apple pests and diseases.
However, it is possible:
- Powdery mildew (Topaz and Skor help with it);
- The occurrence of cytosporosis (Hom fights it);
- The appearance of a bacterial burn as a result of improper care (treating the affected areas with garden pitch);
- Infection with Apple moth (Chlorofos), Apple flower beetle (Karbofos), leaf roller (Nitrophen).
Summer striped is resistant to scab. The winter hardiness of the variety is good.
Note! The Summer Striped apple tree is not capable of setting fruit on its own; the tree needs auxiliary pollinators, the best of which are those growing in the neighborhood: the Prizovoe apple tree, the China cream apple tree, Anis Sverlovsky and Mayskoye.
The apple tree bears fruit 5-6 years after planting. 1-2 years later it begins to produce a commercial harvest. Fruiting is regular. Fruit shedding is average.
Characteristics
- Our hero's precociousness is average. Trees enter the fruiting period 5–6 years after planting. Apple trees begin to produce a commercial harvest within 1 - 2 years after the start of fruiting;
- According to the ripening period, the variety belongs to the summer variety. The fruits of Summer Striped ripen at the end of July (at the same time as Summer Arcade) and are immediately ready for consumption;
- Fruiting is stable, annual;
- For this variety, there is no mass shedding of ripened fruits, but, nevertheless, partial shedding of apples that have not reached maturity sometimes occurs;
- productivity is very high. According to VNIISPK, average long-term yields under normal conditions are more than 200 c/ha. Other sources specify that 70 - 80 kg can be removed from one mature tree;
- Despite his advanced age, our hero has excellent immunity. High resistance to scab is noted. Even in unfavorable epiphytic years, the level of damage did not exceed 2.0 points;
- VNIISPK notes the high winter hardiness of the apple tree. According to some reports, the tree can winter without damage at -41°C, but a further drop in temperature may result in the loss of part of the harvest. After a short thaw, the plant can withstand temperatures down to -35°C;
- transportability is not very high. Still, the insufficient density of apples has an effect. For this reason, harvesting should be carried out carefully;
- storage capacity, like all summer-ripening fruits, is practically absent. Apples can be stored for about 2 weeks, then their taste and consumer qualities decrease;
- The fruit marketability is high. The highest grade makes up about 15 - 20% of apples, the first grade includes 35 - 40%;
- method of consumption primarily in its natural form. But part of the harvest can be processed into baking filling, compote, and jam.
