A variety with fruits of extraordinary taste - Silver Hoof

The Silver Hoof apple tree is a summer variety and is the most popular among gardeners.

In the early 90s of the twentieth century, this variety was zoned to the West Siberian regions.

Very often this apple tree is found in the northern regions of Kazakhstan and Udmurtia, in the Kirov, Chelyabinsk and Perm regions.

The Silver Hoof apple tree variety is quite winter-hardy, which is why it is valued in the northern regions.

For beginning gardeners, in order to avoid mistakes when growing, you should familiarize yourself with this variety in more detail.

What type does it belong to?

The Silver Hoof variety is a summer apple tree variety. The variety is considered productive, winter-hardy and drought-resistant. Resistance to various fungal diseases is average. When properly stored, fruits last from one to two months. Storage conditions for Silver Hoof apples:

• relative air humidity – 90-95%;
• preferably stored in wooden containers;
• temperature – 0°C;
• calibration of fruits by size;
• sorting apples by variety.

Harvest and storage

Harvesting must take place on time; Silver Hoof apples should not be on the branch for too long. Otherwise they become translucent. Some gardeners prefer overripe apples, but this is a matter of taste. Harvest times may vary by region.

The harvest is stored well - 1.5-2 months, and if the integrity of the fruit is preserved and suitable conditions are maintained - more than 2 months.

For long-term storage, the humidity level must be at least 90%. The temperature is quite low (less than 0 °C). Fruits must be packed in wooden boxes. Apples with external damage should be disposed of immediately.

Description of the Silver Hoof variety

The appearance of the apple tree is characterized by an average height of the tree, a dense crown of light green color and medium-sized thick cream fruits. See in the photo below what an apple tree of the Silver Hoof variety looks like, and also read further for a detailed description of the tree itself and its fruits.

Medium in height. The crown is quite sparse, but densely leafy, round and spreading.

Skeletal branches extend from the pillar, almost at an angle of 90 degrees, straight, compactly placed . The bark of the branches is light with a yellow tint.

Formation of fruits on ringlets and spears. The shoots are curved, dark green, medium in size, almost bare.

The leaf of the Silver Hoof tree is large, wide at the base, light green in color with raised edges. It has a wide oval shape. The flowers are white and quite large.

The fruits are not large. The average weight of one apple is 90 grams .

The same tree bears fruits of the same size. The shape of the apple is correct, the surface is smooth, the ribbing is almost invisible. The skin is dry, covered with a waxy coating, thin. Subcutaneous points are practically invisible.

The color of the fruit of the Silver Hoof variety is yellow-cream, turning into orange-red . The stalk is not long, medium in thickness. The seeds are large, round, black-brown in color.

The apple pulp has a fine-grained consistency, juicy and firm. The taste of the apple is rich, dessert, sweet and sour . The aroma is medium pronounced.

Advantages and disadvantages

The main advantages of the variety include:

• high and stable productivity;
• compact dimensions of the tree, which makes it easier to care for and eat fruit;
• good frost resistance and drought resistance;
• early ripening of fruits, their marketability and excellent taste, versatility of use.

The disadvantages include:

• frequent damage to fruit rot, scab and codling moth, so after planting the plant must be regularly sprayed with fungicides in early spring and late autumn;
• shredding of fruits due to non-compliance with the rules of agricultural technology.

Photo

Chemical composition:

• Sugar - 12.8%;
• Titrated compounds - 0.9%;
• Dry soluble ingredients - about 15%;
• Ascorbic acid - 12.5 mg per 100 grams;
• P-active ingredients - 112 mg per 100 grams.

Origin and zoning

The summer variety “Silver Hoof” was bred by specialists from the Sverdlovsk Experimental Horticulture Station by intervarietal hybridization by crossing the “Rainbow” and “Snezhinka” apple trees.

From the parent forms, the new variety has inherited qualities important for gardeners - frost resistance, good drought resistance, productivity and early ripening.

This variety was officially included in the State Register of Russia in 1988 as zoned and recommended for cultivation in private gardening in different regions with difficult climatic conditions. It has also proven itself well in the northern part of Kazakhstan.

Region of natural growth

The Silver Hoof apple tree variety is quite a popular variety in Russia, and therefore it is found in many areas:

• Sverdlovskaya;
• Chelyabinskaya;
• Kurganskaya;
• Kirovskaya.

The variety is often found in the Orenburg and Udmurtia region. Also widespread in Kazakhstan. However, the natural growth zone is the West Siberian region.

With proper planting and care, the variety gets along well in other regions. It is only necessary to take into account its weak resistance to various diseases .

Reviews

Altai region. Pozdnyaeva R.I.: “The state farm where we live collapsed back in the 90s. We had a rich fruit garden with various varieties of apples, pears, plums and other crops, the collection of which had to be paid during Soviet times. For many years now, this garden has been abandoned; many fruit crops have lost their fruiting and stand like ordinary trees.

My husband and I come to this garden every year to pick apples and sea buckthorn. I would like to highlight the Silver Hoof apple tree variety.

I am not a gardener and I don’t know how this apple tree should bear fruit, but we harvest from this tree year after year.

I won’t say that the apple tree has a lot of fruits, but they are very tasty both fresh and canned .

The storage of apples is quite long ; they begin to deteriorate only 1.5 months after picking. Apples are very good when dried; I add them to baked goods in winter and make a very tasty compote.”

Maksimov. D. Kiev: “Hello! I am a beginner gardener; I have been mastering this science for about 6 years. And this is what I can say from initial experience. Everyone praises the Silver Hoof apple tree variety, but I refute this opinion. I purchased a seedling not at some market, but at a breeding institute , after looking at the photo and description of the variety. And now I’ve been waiting for this apple tree to bear fruit for 6 years. The apple tree bloomed for the first time last year, there were no fruit buds. This year it bloomed again and again the fruits did not set, although pollinating varieties grow nearby.

Constantly exposed to diseases and pests. I carry out pruning according to technology. Tolerates winter well. If I don’t get fruit again next year, the apple tree will have to be cut down.”

Maksaev. M.I. Sterlitamak: “I love my country garden, where only apple trees grow. I have been growing this crop for more than 15 years. About 20 different varieties grow on my site, such as:

• Persian,
• Gornoaltaiskoe,
• Uralets,
• Silver hoof, etc.

I planted them in a checkerboard pattern, at a distance of 5 meters. From the beginning of spring to autumn, you have to spend a lot of time in your dacha, since some varieties of apple trees are demanding to care for.

Despite the fact that Silver Hoof is one of these varieties, I really fell in love with the apple tree from the moment I looked at the description and photo before purchasing the seedling.

There have never been any problems with flowering and fruit set. The growth of the apple tree is average. Fruiting is annual . I am satisfied with the quality of the fruit. It tolerates the winter period quite well. In spring, there are quite a few dead branches observed.”

Productivity

The Silver Hoof apple tree begins to bear fruit in the third or fourth year after planting .
But a harvest with high consumer qualities can be obtained only in the fifth year.

The variety is quite productive. Fruit ripening occurs in mid-August .

For apple trees grown in natural growth areas, the onset occurs a little earlier. The consumer period begins in early September and lasts until the end of October. Productivity is regular, annual.

Pests and diseases - control and prevention

The Silver Hoof apple tree has above average immunity to disease. But deviations from pruning rules, as well as wet weather, can play a negative role. Most often, the apple tree suffers from scab and fruit rot.

Scab

The main symptoms are the appearance of brown spots on the surface of both leaves and buds and ovaries. In addition to the above reasons, an excess of nitrogen-containing fertilizers affects the development of the disease.

Control methods and preventive measures:

• Correct and timely pruning;
• Liming the soil when it is acidified;
• Adding wood ash to the tree trunk circle after loosening;
• Spring treatment with Bordeaux mixture (early period before leaves bloom). Take the solution 3%;
• Autumn treatment with urea. Take a solution of 7%;
• If the leaves have already bloomed, treat with Skor. Take 1 ampoule per 10 liter bucket of water;
• After flowering, treatment with 1% copper sulfate.

More information about apple and pear scab can be found here.

Fruit rot

Symptoms of this disease are brown spots on the fruit. On fruit trees that have not been cured of the disease, you can see almost dried last year's fruits, completely dark brown in color; there are many of the same fruits in the litter.

Therefore, the main measure to combat the disease is the rapid destruction of apples and branches affected by spots. It is recommended to treat with a solution of copper sulfate and fungicidal preparations after harvesting. Moreover, it is necessary to process not only the crown itself, but also the circle around the trunk and all the ground under the branches.

Aphid

If your apple tree is occupied by aphids, the leaves will be curled, and there will be a coating of tiny insects on the underside of the leaves. Another symptom is that trees with aphids are loved by ants. Insecticides can be applied before flowering or after harvesting: Fitoverm, Karbofos. During periods when it is impossible to use chemicals, spray with a solution of laundry soap, and then powder thickly with wood ash.

Recommended reading:

How to deal with aphids in the garden

codling moth

Codling moth caterpillars are a disaster for apple trees and their owners. And if in the first generation you lose only 20% of the crop, in the absence of control, in the second year the losses will be up to 90%. It must be combated both in early spring, before the leaves appear, and after harvesting with the latest generation of pesticides. It is also important to destroy all fallen apples and treat all the ground under the crown with chemicals.

An excellent preventive measure against pests would be annual early spring and autumn treatments with fungicides and insecticides.

Planting and care

The yield and size of fruits of the Silver Hoof apple tree directly depend on care. When planting a tree, classic fertilizers are used. Although the variety is characterized by average resistance to various diseases, caring for the apple tree does not require much effort .

Apple trees of the Silver Hoof variety are planted in any of three seasons:

• autumn (late September - early October);
• spring (late April);
• summer (end of July).

However, for this variety, autumn is still recommended .

IMPORTANT: When planting, avoid places where groundwater is located close to the surface. Otherwise, the seedling will end up in water and the tree will rot.

Basic tips for planting an apple tree of the Silver Hoof variety:

• you need to select seedlings with a developed root system and purchase them in an area with the same climatic conditions;
• the area should be sunny;
• choose a young one, then it will quickly adapt to the soil in the area where it is grown;
• planting areas must be well drained;
• In order for the tree to grow strong and produce maximum yield, it is recommended to use loam soil;
• properly prepare the planting hole.

The landing algorithm is quite simple. The optimal pit parameters for planting an apple tree of this variety are: 0.6 x 0.6 x 0.5 m. The top layer of excavated soil is mixed with the bottom layer and the following fertilizers are introduced:

• 10 kg of horse manure;
• 250 g wood ash;
• 250 g superphosphate;
• 100 g of potassium sulfate.

Fill the planting hole 2/3 full with a mixture of soil and fertilizers. Fertile soil without fertilizers is poured on top. The pit is watered and a layer of fertile soil is added again.

Now you can carefully plant the apple tree, preferably with someone’s help. Afterwards, be sure to tie it to a wooden peg with a figure eight.

IMPORTANT: Apple trees of the Silver Hoof variety are planted very close to each other in a pattern of 5x3, 6x3 m.

The next year after planting, in the spring, it is important to shape the deciduous crown of the apple tree. You need to trim the ends of each branch.

During the first four to five years, do not allow the apple tree to form fruits. In the first year in April, it is MANDATORY to irrigate the trees with mixtures that protect against pests. This procedure should be carried out twice :

• when the buds began to swell on the branches;
• before the buds open.

Then the tree no longer needs to be fertilized during the year until next April. Every spring, the apple tree needs to be given special care:

Aftercare for the apple tree

One of the important points for getting a good harvest is proper pruning of the apple tree. This is done in March-April, when the frosts have subsided, but the buds have not swollen.

The first pruning is done the following spring after planting the tree:

1. Leave a standard 50 cm high and one conductor trunk 30 cm long.
2. Next year, branches will form on the conductor that will be skeletal.
3. Leave 3-4 branches, the first one at a height of 50 cm from the ground. Their ends are also trimmed.
4. In subsequent years, a certain type of crown is formed, chosen by the gardener.
5. Perform sanitary pruning of the tree. Removing diseased and broken branches, shoots that grow inward and thicken the crown.
6. The sections must be treated with garden varnish or other compounds.
7. Young trees are watered. In dry years this is done several times during the summer.
8. Begin to water the apple tree during flowering. Next, water in mid-summer while the apples are ripening.
9. It is important to do water-recharging irrigation in the fall after harvesting. Mature trees do not require watering.

If the apple tree is planted according to all the rules, fertilization will not be required for several years. Subsequently, liquid fertilizing is carried out along the perimeter of the crown:

1. To do this, make a groove into which the nutrient solution is poured.
2. A more reliable, but labor-intensive method is watering through tubes dug into the ground to a depth of 1 meter.

Only young apple tree seedlings will need shelter for the winter:

1. They are wrapped in matting, burlap, spruce branches, and soft cardboard. Such protection will protect the tree from hares, mice and others.
2. Before wintering, the trunks of adult apple trees are treated with whitewash with the addition of disinfectants.

Diseases and pests, methods of control and prevention

Pollination

This variety is a bright representative of self-sterile varieties; for this reason, it will need pollinating trees for a bountiful harvest. Experts, in the process of observing the variety, found that the best variety for it is “Anis Sverdlovsky”, but it is also good if “Belyi Naliv” and “Zhigulevskoe” trees are located within a radius of 1 km.

When planting seedlings, a dense planting pattern of 5x3, 6x3 m is used. And when planting a pollinator, you will need to take into account its specific characteristics so that in the future it does not interfere with the development of the main tree.

Characteristics of the variety

The characteristics of the variety include information about its cold resistance, productivity, and disease resistance. Its advantages and disadvantages, the possibility of long-term storage and scope of application.

Drought resistance, frost resistance

Tolerates extreme winters of the Urals and Western Siberia. Withstands frosts down to – 300C. Does not suffer from temperature changes, is not afraid of thaws. Not damaged by sunburn. Tolerates dry periods well.

Apple tree pollinators

To produce fruit, the Silver Hoof variety requires a pollinator. The best pollinator is the Anis Sverdlovsky variety. You can select other varieties that will bloom at the same time as Silver Hoof.

The photo shows a fruit-bearing Silver Hoof apple tree.

Productivity and fruiting

The variety is fertile, especially considering its relatively small size. An adult tree produces up to 160 kg of apples. Industrial cultivation of this variety of apples is possible. Fruiting begins 3 years after grafting. After 5 years, the apple tree reaches full yield.

Area of ​​application of fruits

This is a very healthy fruit. The apple can be stored for up to one and a half months and is well transported. The sweet and sour taste makes it possible to use fresh apples. They are made from:

• juices;
• jam;
• marmalade;
• dried fruits.

Resistance to diseases and pests

When describing the Silver Hoof apple variety, one should highlight its good immunity to disease. Cold summers can cause diseases such as scab and fruit rot. If these diseases appear on an apple tree, in the fall the trees are sprayed with Bordeaux mixture or other solutions containing copper.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

The advantages include the following characteristics:

• frost resistance;
• early fruiting;
• pleasant taste;
• visual attractiveness and uniform size of apples;
• transportability;
• long-term storage of fruits.

The following disadvantages are noted:

• self-sterility;
• average resistance to diseases;
• demanding care to obtain a decent harvest.

Features, pros and cons

The peculiarity of the summer variety is mixed fruiting, when apples are formed on last year's shoots, as well as on spears and ringlets. Advantages of the variety:

• good frost resistance;
• consistently high fruiting;
• ability for long-term storage.

Disadvantages: fruit shrinkage if agricultural practices are not followed and poor resistance to fungal diseases. However, these disadvantages can be called conditional, since they are easily leveled out if you put in effort and attention.

Growing in regions

Moscow region

The climate in the Moscow region has the following characteristics:

• The severity of winter,
• Dry summer
• Short vegetative period of plants.

Not every variety will take root in these conditions with annual, stable fruiting. Thanks to repeated selections, the Silver Hoof variety not only takes root in these weather conditions, but also produces a harvest with increased consumer qualities .

Important! During dry periods, regular watering is necessary.

Ural

A very popular variety for the Urals is the early Silver Hoof apple tree. A tree with a well-formed crown and medium growth vigor.

The advantages of this variety are:

• Winter hardiness,
• Early fruiting
• High fruit yield.

Apple tree Silver Hoof in the garden.

Volga region

For this region, apple tree varieties with the following characteristics are needed:

• drought resistance,
• Winter hardiness,
• High yield,
• Stable fruiting.

Considering the qualities of the variety, Silver Hoof fits these characteristics perfectly. However, it should be borne in mind that apple trees in this region are most often subject to powdery mildew and scab.

Apple scab.

North-West

The weather in the North-West is unpredictable, frosts are sharply replaced by warm temperatures. For this climate, gardeners are more careful in choosing apple tree varieties.

The variety should be early ripening and, at the same time, quite winter-hardy.

Silver hoof grows well in this area when grown by seed .

During growth and development the seedling requires careful care , otherwise frosts and sudden cold snaps can have a detrimental effect on the plant.

Siberia

The silver hoof was bred by crossing:

• Early fruiting variety Rainbow
• And the autumn variety Snowflake.

This crop combination is well suited to Siberia .

When growing apple trees in this region, frosts of up to 50 degrees should be taken into account .

In such severe weather, the upper branches may die. To avoid this, the tree is planted on a dwarf rootstock or a slate-shaped crown is formed.