Apple tree variety Welsey: description, photos, reviews from gardeners

The Wellsie apple tree is an ancient variety of American origin, still one of the most beloved throughout our country. Welsey is planted in the Leningrad region and Volgograd region, in Siberia and Altai; more than 30 new varieties have been obtained based on Welsey. This is a disease-resistant apple tree that produces annual abundant harvests of excellent apples that have good shelf life. Many summer residents try to plant Wellsie on their plots.

• 2 Planting a Welsey apple tree: step-by-step instructions
• 3 Features of cultivation and subtleties of care
• 4 Diseases and pests: main types and solutions to the problem
• 5 Reviews about the variety

Welsey apple tree: description

The Welsey variety is late-autumn or even early-winter. The harvest is harvested in late September or early October. Apple trees are widespread in the central, northwestern and southern regions of the Russian Federation. High frost resistance allows you to grow apple trees of this variety in many regions: from northern to southern. Withstands frosts down to -20 degrees.

Welsey is self-fertile, but to increase the number of fruits, it would be better to have a pollinator nearby. Pollinators are the varieties McIntosh, Antonovka, Delicious and Borovinka.

The tree grows of medium height with a round, wide and spreading crown. The apple tree provides great shade. The crown is not thickened by leaves. The flowers have a pinkish tint.

Apples grow to medium size - 140 g, round in shape. The peel is thin, yellow-green in color with a crimson blush throughout the fruit. The pulp is white with a slight greenish tint. The fruits are juicy, tasty, aromatic, sweet with a refreshing sourness. The flesh is crispy.

When a large number of apples ripen, they become smaller, but do not change in appearance.

The crop begins to bear fruit after 3-4 years of cultivation. Every year you can harvest a rich harvest - up to 200 kg of apples per tree. After ripening, the fruits do not hang for long and quickly fall off.

Plus, the variety has high resistance to many diseases and pests. Welsey is especially not susceptible to scab .

Consumer qualities of fruits

The fruits are medium-sized: weighing about 100 g, maximum up to 150 g. The shape is flat-round, turnip-shaped. The skin is smooth, thin, but dense; unevenly colored: light yellow with a cherry-red blurred striped blush. Subcutaneous dots are light and clearly visible. The pulp is whitish, the skin is pink or with red streaks; the texture is dense, crispy, fine-grained and very juicy; tastes sweet and sour and aromatic. Professional tasting assessments of taste – 4.6 points (out of 5). In reviews, many summer residents call the taste sweet and sour with a subtle pineapple aroma.

The fruits ripen at different times, usually at the end of September; if harvested untimely, they fall off and quickly fade

The consumer qualities of the fruits and their presentation are perfectly preserved when transported over long distances and stored for the winter ( shelf life from October to January ). Therefore, “Welsie” is excellent for both cultivation in summer cottages and for industrial plantings.

Dessert fruits (universal) – intended for fresh consumption and various types of processing, recommended for baby and dietary nutrition

Apple tree planting

Since the variety is resistant to frost and disease, planting is not difficult. The main thing is to choose the right place and time.

Selection of apple tree seedlings for planting

Buy planting material only from specialized nurseries or gardening stores. Purchasing seedlings at the market or other dubious places is dangerous because they may sell the wrong plant, for example, a pear or rowan, or a plant infected with fungal and viral diseases.

Buy seedlings with buds that are not loose or swollen. The root system should also not be too large. The shoots should be free of plaque, growths and other signs of disease.

Apple tree planting dates

Planting is carried out in autumn or spring. It all depends on the growing region. In the southern regions, you can plant in the fall, as the root system has time to take root.

In the central and northern regions, it is better to plant in the spring so that the plant has time to adapt and develop the root system.

Choosing a place to plant an apple tree on the site

The Welsey apple tree loves places well lit by the sun, but not in the very hot sun. Plant it close to the house or other larger trees so that Welsey is protected by partial shade during the midday heat. Also avoid drafts. The planting site should be located 4-5 m above groundwater. The variety does not like waterlogging.

On what soils does the Wellsie apple tree grow?

The soil should be loose loamy or loamy-sandy. Be sure to provide good aeration and water permeability.

The apple tree feels good in soil with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction.

Planting pit for apple tree

Before planting, prepare the site, soil and hole. The planting mixture consists of:

• Buckets of rotted compost;
• Half a liter of wood ash;
• A tablespoon of nitrophoska;
• Buckets of peat.

Dig a hole measuring 80x80 cm. Prepare it a couple of weeks before planting. Place drainage from pebbles, broken bricks, and large expanded clay at the bottom. Pour half of the prepared soil mixture into the hole, and leave the other part for backfilling the planted tree.

Algorithm for planting apple tree seedlings

Plant a Welsey apple tree in the following order:

• Sprinkle wood ash over the roots;
• Spread them over the ground in the planting hole;
• Place a stake to secure the young plant;
• Fill the soil, leaving the root collar 5-8 centimeters above the surface;
• Compact the soil around the seedling, make a hole near the trunk;
• Water the plant, depending on the weather, but not less than 3 buckets.

Botanical portrait

The tree is classified as medium-sized. The crown of young apple trees is conical; over time it becomes round and dense. A characteristic feature of this variety is that the skeletal branches are located at an acute angle to the trunk. The shoots are colored brownish-brown. The leaves are small, shiny, with wavy edges. The buds are medium in size, the petals are bright pink, making Welsie look very elegant during the flowering period.

The Wellsie apple tree blooms with beautiful bright pink flowers.

Welsey fruits are relatively small, the average weight of the fruit is 100–130 g. They have a round, slightly flattened shape and yellowish-green thin skin, which, when the apple ripens, is almost completely covered with a bright crimson blush. The fruits are sweet, with a slight pleasant sourness, crispy, and very juicy.

In Russia, the variety acquired other names. According to the State Register, in nurseries it can be found under the names:

• Productive;
• Tarutskoe rose;
• Tartus rose;
• Abundant;
• Fertile.

The creeping form of the Welsey apple tree variety is also found in Russian gardens. This is a winter-precocious subspecies that is resistant to common crop diseases, in particular scab. From one tree you can collect about 12 kg of selected apples, which have a conical shape and are almost completely covered with a red blush, with creamy pulp and a sweet and sour taste.

The Welsey variety is partially self-fertile, so it is advisable to plant several pollinating apple trees in the garden, such as:

• Mekintosh;
• Delicious;
• Borovinka;
• Antonovka.

Photo gallery: pollinating varieties for Welsey

Mekintosh is an excellent pollinator for the Welsey apple tree, and its fruits have a great taste.

Borovinka - a productive apple tree variety

Antonovka is an old, proven Russian variety that can serve as a pollinator for many apple trees.

Delicious is not only an excellent pollinator, the apple tree has very beautiful fruits

Features of care

The Welsey apple tree is unpretentious in care. If you water correctly and apply fertilizers on time, the harvest will be abundant and of high quality.

How to water apple trees

Pay attention to watering during flowering and ovary. Irrigate plants up to 7 years old regularly, regardless of the weather. Pour at least 3 buckets of warm and settled water under each tree. Water mature apple trees in large volumes, but less often. For each plant, up to 5 buckets a couple of times a month. Also pay attention to the weather. If the weather is hot, water more often and more. To keep the soil moist longer, mulch the ground around the trunk: non-woven material, straw, peat, spruce needles. If it rains, less so that the soil does not become waterlogged.

Trimming

Pruning can be formative or sanitary. Carry out the second type of pruning every spring and autumn . Remove dry, damaged or diseased branches. Also, crown thinning is a prevention of fungal diseases. Start sanitary pruning from the second year of growth. Treat all cuts with garden varnish. You can pre-wash with a solution of potassium permanganate.

Perform formative pruning immediately after planting. In order for the roots to develop better and the plant to take root more easily, ⅓ of the shoots are cut off.

To form a crown, cut off the central shoot by 3 buds from the top. Shorten the branches of the first and second order by 10-15 cm, cut from bottom to top. Give the crown the desired shape every year.

Top dressing

The Welsey apple tree responds well to feeding. Apply fertilizers annually from the beginning of fruiting. Feed throughout the growing season:

1. in the spring before bud formation - nitroammophoska: a tablespoon per 1 sq. m;
2. during flowering - superphosphates, potassium fertilizers: a tablespoon per 1 sq. m;
3. in the fall before wintering - 500 g of wood ash.

You can fertilize with manure, compost or bird droppings diluted in water. When loosening, make small grooves into which the fertilizer will be poured. After fertilizing, be sure to loosen the soil again.

Positive and negative sides

The popularity of the variety is ensured by its undoubted advantages:

• excellent marketability and excellent taste of fruits;
• resistance to scab (at the genetic level) and powdery mildew;
• high yield (according to VNIISPK - up to 275 kilograms of apples from one mature tree ) and early fruiting;
• the ability to store fruit for a long time and transport it over long distances.

The tree's frost resistance is quite good (it can withstand temperature drops down to −25 ℃ and their sudden changes). But in order to preserve the apple tree, you need to properly prepare the tree for wintering and carry out spring sanitary pruning in a timely manner.

The productive life of a tree is not too long - 20-25 years

Against the background of the complex of valuable qualities, “Welsey” also has certain disadvantages :

• average winter hardiness, manifested in the conditions of the central regions of the European part of Russia;
• partial self-fertility - as pollinators it is necessary to select varieties with similar flowering periods;
• the taste and aroma of fruits largely depend on weather and climatic factors;
• spontaneous shedding of apples during ripening;
• prone to attack by codling moth and hawthorn.

Pests and diseases

The Wellsey apple tree is practically not susceptible to scab disease. Therefore, even in a rainy summer there will be a good harvest. But the plant often suffers from cytosporosis, powdery mildew and other diseases and pests. The best fight against them is prevention. And if a disease is detected, timely measures will help preserve the harvest.

Aphid

Aphids cause enormous damage to the apple tree. This insect sucks all the vital juices out of the tree, causing it to slowly wither. The number of pests increases in dry and hot weather, especially in spring, when young shoots rich in nutrients grow intensively. Aphids cause the greatest damage in June during bud formation.

Signs of aphid infestation:

• reduction in the rate of plant development;
• the appearance of plaque and cobwebs on the shoots;
• leaf curling.

You can fight with folk and chemical means. Since aphids appear along with ants, to get rid of them you need to remove the ants. There are many ways to do this. Boiling water, ash, tobacco ash, vinegar, kerosene, etc. are poured into anthills. Other ways to fight ants can be found in the article How to remove ants from the garden.

You can fight the aphids directly as follows:

• Spray the trees with aqueous solutions of soap, ammonia, and a decoction of garlic. Apply treatments as often as possible during the summer to prevent the spread of pests.
• In case of severe aphid infestation, spray the plants with chemicals Aktara, Karbofos, Fitoverm. To consolidate the result, repeat the procedure after a couple of weeks.

As a preventive measure, spraying with insecticides in April and October. Growing marigolds, parsley, dill and mustard, cilantro, garlic or basil around Welsey also helps. We recommend an article about fighting aphids in the garden.

leaf roller

The leaf roller feeds on buds, leaves, flowers, and then fruits. A large number of insects can deprive the crop and lead to the death of the plant. In addition, the leaf roller spreads a fungal disease - fruit rot.

For spraying, choose a dry and cool day, when the temperature is no higher than +10-15 degrees. Apply insecticides to kill the pest.

codling moth

The insect feeds on the pulp of the fruit. Damaged apples soon fall off. The pest actually destroys the entire crop. You will have to fight the codling moth with insecticides:

• Karate;
• Aktellik;
• Aktara;
• Pirimiphos-methyl;
• Confidor;
• Mospilan;
• Bankol;
• fipronil.

As a preventative measure, be sure to rake fallen leaves in autumn and spring. Larvae and adult insects overwinter in them, which then move to the tree.

Scab

Welsey is very resistant to this disease. But if the plant’s immunity is weakened, scab can seriously damage development. The disease is fungal in nature. It develops in cold and rainy weather. Signs of damage are:

• The leaves turn yellow, become spotted and dry out, then fall off.
• Brown spots appear on the fruits;
• Apples change shape and become asymmetrical.

Begin treatment by destroying damaged fruits and shoots. Rake fallen leaves in spring and fall. Plus, be sure to dig up the top layer of soil around the tree.

Spray the plant with solutions:

• Bordeaux mixture;
• garlic, horsetail, wormwood, tobacco.

The procedure is carried out in the spring, while the plant is still dormant and the growing season has not begun.

Apple tree disease - black cancer

The disease spreads throughout the tree, but especially affects the trunks. It is extremely dangerous as it causes the death of the plant. Due to cracks and damage in the sun and frost, the fungus penetrates to the core of the tree.

The disease manifests itself as red-brown spots on the bark, which become darker in color. Then swellings appear on the surface, blisters appear, sag and fall off. The trunk is covered with ulcers without black bark. The disease is also noticeable on apples. They develop dents, the fruits rot right on the branches and fall off.

Favorable conditions for the development of the disease are hot and dry weather.

The fight against the disease occurs as follows:

• Cut off affected shoots and destroy infected apples.
• Clean the cancerous ulcers, taking 2-3 cm from the healthy area.
• Cover all cracks, hollows and damage on the trunk and branches.
• Disinfect wounds and cuts with copper sulfate and cover them with garden varnish.
• Check every two weeks.

Black cancer usually affects old trees over 15 years old. Therefore, it is not worth grafting cuttings from it. Even if the tree seems to have fully recovered, the disease may appear later.

Fruit rot

The infection manifests itself as dark spots on the apples, which begin to rot and become covered with pads. These are fungal spores. Fruit rot is also called moniliosis. Spores penetrate the peel through microcracks. If the affected fruit remains on the branch, the spores are transmitted to neighboring ones.

As a preventive measure, thin the crown and timely fertilize. In the spring, spray the plants with Bordeaux mixture and Horus.

If signs of the disease have already appeared, then the disease must be combated with fungicides. First spray Welsey with Bordeaux mixture, then with colloidal sulfur. After a couple of weeks, repeat the procedure. In the fall, after harvesting, treat the branches with a solution of copper sulfate.

History of selection and zoning of the variety

There is no clear opinion about the origin of the variety. It is known that it was imported to Russia at the end of the 19th century. According to the originator, “Welsie” was obtained as a seedling from free pollination of an unknown variety in 1860 in Minnesota (USA) on the garden plot of M. Gideon.

Experts consider the American version of growing a plant from the seeds of the small-fruited crab apple tree “Peter” to be unlikely.

Crabs are hybrids obtained from crossing the Siberian apple tree and its derivatives with cultivated varieties and Chinese

However, information confirming the development of this variety from the seeds of the Siberian cherry apple tree was published on the website of the All-Russian Research Institute for Breeding Fruit Crops. According to Doctor of Agricultural Sciences F.D. Likhonos, “Welsie” is a seedling from free pollination of the ancient variety of folk selection “Borovinka”.

Since the late 40s of the last century, the variety has been under state testing, studied at the Oryol fruit and berry point, the Shushensky state variety site of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, in the Voronezh pomological nursery and other stations. In 1947, it was officially included in the State Register of the Russian Federation as zoned and recommended for commercial and amateur gardening in six regions. Also, this apple tree is well adapted to the conditions of Ukraine, Belarus, the Baltic states and other neighboring countries.

The variety has several names: Welthy, “Abundant”, “Urozhaynoe”, “Fertile”, “Tartu Rose”, “Tartu Rose”, under which various nurseries offer it.

Reproduction methods

It is necessary to propagate a variety of apple trees growing in the garden to rejuvenate plantings, increase the number of varietal trees, or to preserve a dying plant. You can do this in several ways:

• Vaccination-budding. Apple trees are propagated in the spring, when sap flow begins. The scion has a lot of chances to take root. A one-year-old branch with a bud is transplanted to a new tree, where a rootstock cut in the shape of the letter T is made in the bark. The grafting site is wrapped with tape.
• On a stump under the bark. The old branch is cut down, cuts are made on the resulting stump, the bark is pushed back and cuttings are inserted. The rootstock is wrapped until it heals.
• For the bark. The cutting is simply inserted under a cut in the bark and wrapped.
• Air layering. An incision is made on the fruiting branch, then it is immersed in a moist substrate. For this purpose, mineral wool for hydroponics is used. Special sterile material is constantly moistened. After some time, roots will form in this place. This is how a ready-made seedling with a root system is obtained. It is separated and transplanted.

Apple trees are grafted not only onto new apple trees, but also onto pears, rowan trees, hawthorns, and also onto game trees. There is a lot of information on grafting an apple tree in the article: When can you graft an apple tree.

Advantages and disadvantages

The fact that the variety is still used by breeders in their work speaks of its valuable qualities, despite minor shortcomings: ripe fruits can crumble, the taste of apples depends on the region of growth, and the fruits can become smaller in fruitful years.

The advantages of the Welsey variety cover these minor flaws. The advantages can be safely included:

1. Taste and appearance of apples.
2. The ability to store apples until January while maintaining their taste and presentation.
3. Average winter hardiness (- 25° C).
4. Transportability.
5. Immunity to scab.

How to transplant an apple tree to another place

When transplanting an apple tree to a new location, the hole is prepared in the same way as when planting seedlings. It is much more important to comply with deadlines:

• It is best to carry out the procedure in the spring, so that there is time for the root system to adapt.
• Transplantation is carried out before the start of sap flow - in March.
• In the southern regions, you can plant in the fall in November, when the sap flow stops, after removing all the leaves.
• The transplant is carried out with a clod of earth. Its dimensions should be about 1 m in diameter.
• First, separate the boundaries with a shovel, then pour water around the trunk circle to loosen the soil. Use the lever to pull out the tree.
• After planting, the seedling is watered generously.
• The roots and crown of a transplanted tree are trimmed so that more effort is spent on the formation of a new root system.

Transplantation can be done for 3.5 and 10 year old plants. Wellsies over 20 years old cannot be transplanted. The apple tree is too big, it will not be able to adapt to the new place.

Variety varieties

The Wellsie apple tree can be erect or creeping . The creeping apple tree has a small, squat trunk. The branches are elastic and directed to the side. The advantage of this type of apple tree is that it is easy to harvest. Creeping Welsie begins to bear fruit only in the 6th year. The fruits ripen unevenly and fall off quickly. It should also be noted that the Welsey variety is the mother variety for such species as: Prima and Aelita.

What to do if the apple tree does not bloom or bear fruit?

A healthy-looking crop may not form flowers or bear fruit for the following reasons:

• The plant is still too young.
• Improper pruning, during which fruit buds are removed.
• The seedling was planted incorrectly: in the shade, close to groundwater, in a draft, so it is not comfortable.
• There is no pollination, you forgot to plant experimental plants.
• The plant is attacked by a flower beetle.
• Iron deficiency in the soil.

Analyze the growing conditions: what conditions are needed for full development, and what conditions you provided. Avoid nitrogen-containing fertilizers for plants older than 2 years, namely, do not feed the trees with compost, manure, or even mulch with grass and tops. It is better to replace it with phosphorus and potassium fertilizers.

Next, you should stop pruning for a couple of years to allow shoots with fruit buds to form. Carefully inspect the plant for pests. Hang the catch belts. Finally, spray with copper sulfate in the spring to compensate for the lack of iron in the soil.

Pollination

It is partially fertile, self-fertile, that is, it does not necessarily require cross-pollination ; accordingly, it is possible not to plant pollinators nearby - suitable other apple trees.
This is a significant advantage: there is no dependence on the weather affecting insects. But still, due to the indicated feature (partial self-fertility), the presence of pollinating apple trees in the neighborhood will not hurt, and may even be desirable.

The following are planted as such:

• Delicious,
• Antonovka,
• Mac,
• Borowinka.

Cross-pollination offers the chance of improved crop characteristics, but is not essential for Welsey.

Bloom

Flowering period - May . The kidneys awaken energetically and intensely. The buds are abundant, medium-sized, with a distinct purple tint. The opening flowers are white and pink, the petals are closed.

Reviews

Stanislava, 49 years old and Tver

Several varieties of apple trees are planted on my site. One day I saw Welsey and decided to try it. Now this is the most productive and delicious variety. Most often, juice is made for the winter.

Vladimir, 37 years old from Bryansk

Apples of this variety look beautiful. The tree brings a lot of harvest. I planted it 8 years ago, I have been harvesting it for 3 years now. The apples look ideal for sale: large, moderately sweet, beautiful.

Alexandra, 52 years old from Ekaterinburg

I saw fruit from a friend of mine. I tried it and immediately wanted to plant it myself. This variety is easy to care for and produces a rich harvest.

Harvest and storage

The harvest is harvested as the apples ripen. The fruits are removed from the branches at the stage of technical maturity and stored for ripening. They reach final ripeness in 2-3 weeks.

Under favorable storage conditions, apples remain fresh for 3-4 months (from October to January).

Warning! The fruits of the Welsey variety are prone to shedding, so it is advisable not to delay harvesting.

It is recommended to store apples in wooden or paper boxes

Subspecies and options

Many famous apple trees have been bred based on this variety. Among them: Aelita, Prima, Bezhin Meadow, etc. (all more than thirty). Possible cultivation options: on seed rootstock, semi-dwarf, dwarf, columnar.

The variety is not suitable for growing in the north

The creeping Welsey form is especially popular. It is obtained as a result of special shaping, bending the branches to the ground and securing them. Slanets is characterized by increased winter hardiness, which is why it is often grown in southern Siberia.