Botanical description and agricultural technology for growing apple trees of the Ligol variety

The Ligol apple tree variety is popular among gardeners in Poland, Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. It is valued for early fruiting, abundant harvests, excellent taste, long shelf life and transportability.

At the same time, it has a number of features that affect the frequency of fruiting, productivity and durability.

These
features must be taken into account when cultivating a garden:

• Climatic conditions;
• Soil characteristics;
• Susceptibility to diseases;
• Factors that reduce the number of apples and worsen their properties.

Description

Ligol was created by Polish breeders in the 70s of the twentieth century. The recognized varieties Golden Delicious and Linda became donors.

It is more widespread in regions with similar natural conditions. Classified as commercial due to:

• Excellent keeping quality;
• Large fruit;
• Attractive appearance and high fertility.

This is interesting! Polish marketers conducted a study of preferences and found that most connoisseurs of these dense, juicy apples live in central and northern Europe, but in southern countries they prefer other varieties of the fruit.
Refers to winter varieties: consumer maturity occurs in mid-winter, a few months after picking. These are one of the largest apples: the average weight is 250 g, 400-gram fruits are not uncommon, record-breaking specimens reach 0.5 kg.

The fruits are very beautiful . Thick, glossy skin of a light yellow-greenish hue , the top color is carmine-red. The shape is round-conical, leveled, ribbed at the base. Pulp with a barely noticeable cream or yellowish tint. Hard, with a fine-grained structure, prone to chipping.

Apple Ligol.

The tree is strong, medium-sized, with a wide cone-shaped crown. The branches form an obtuse angle with the trunk and are located at a noticeable distance from each other. Grown on different rootstocks.

Variety Ligol and its description

Quite a long time ago, back in 1972, in the Polish city of Skierniewice, scientists from the Institute of Horticulture and Floriculture developed the Ligol apple tree variety.

Attention! It was obtained from crossing the fairly well-known and interesting varieties of apple trees Golden Delicious and Linda and absorbed their best qualities.

Trees of the Ligol variety are characterized by average growth for apple trees, and at the age of ten the apple tree can reach only 3.5 meters in height. The most intensive growth can be observed in apple trees of this variety in the first years of life. With the onset of fruiting, the growth rate slows down somewhat.

The density of the crown, whose shape resembles a wide pyramid, is average, and the branches themselves grow at a fairly large angle to the trunk - 65-85 degrees. As a result of this fact, a sufficient amount of air penetrates into the spaces between the branches, which means the apple tree reduces the risk of being affected by various fungal diseases. The tree skeleton itself is quite powerful.

The leaves of Ligol apple trees are slightly elongated, have a pointed tip, are dark green in color, and the underside is pubescent. There are curled leaves with jagged edges. The bulk of the green mass grows from May to July. And the Ligol apple tree finally sheds its leaves by the end of October - November.

The flowering period is short, within 10 days, large white flowers bloom quite late, at the end of May.

Since this apple variety was originally created for commercial use, it is self-sterile. That is, for good fruiting, it needs apple trees of other varieties growing nearby. Moreover, there are varieties of apple trees that are best suited for Ligol as pollinators. These include, first of all:

• Champion;
• Mac;
• Idared;
• Golden Delicious;
• Gloucester;
• Spartan;
• Red Delicious;
• Fuji;
• Gold Rush;
• Cortland.

I must say that all these varieties are interesting for their qualities, and you are unlikely to regret planting one of them on your site.

Important! The Ligol apple tree itself is also capable of perfectly pollinating many other varieties, but there are exceptions. Idared and Jonagold will not be able to fully cross-pollinate with its help.

A description of the Ligol apple tree variety will be incomplete without mentioning the fact that young trees begin to bear fruit very early. Already in the third year you can collect up to 4-5 kg ​​of apples from one tree. And every year the number of apples collected will rapidly increase until it reaches 50 kg or more from one tree.

Such a significant yield is explained by the high ability of Ligol apple trees to form shoots. But thanks to this same property, the tree is prone to periodic fruiting if it is not helped by annual formative pruning. Indeed, due to the large number of branches with fruits, the load becomes unbearable and the tree itself is unable to cope with it. It is recommended to trim Ligol apple trees in the shape of a spindle. And pruning can be done not only in autumn or spring, but also in summer. In apple trees of this variety, there is sometimes a transfer of harvest from one side of the crown to the other.

The undoubted advantages of Ligol apple trees are their frost resistance and drought resistance. In general, Ligol apple trees adapt quite easily to local climatic conditions, so they are easily cultivated both in the middle zone and in the southern regions. An important characteristic of the variety is its resistance to the main diseases of the apple orchard: scab and powdery mildew. But at the same time, it is not very resistant to bacterial burns. However, this problem can be dealt with if preventive measures are carried out in time.

additional characteristics

Along with outstanding taste properties and product characteristics, you should know and take into account its individual characteristics.

Advantages and disadvantages

The strengths of the apple tree include:

• Unpretentiousness, ease of care;
• Resistance to powdery mildew and scab;
• Abundant fruiting;
• Beautiful, tasty, shelf-stable fruits, suitable for long-term storage and transportation.

Inferior to other varieties with the following properties:

• Frequency of harvest;
• Strong growth of shoots, tendency to thicken;
• Climate restrictions;
• Low resistance to bacterial burns and wood damage.

Tree height

The apple tree is medium-sized , grows up to 3.5 - 4.5 meters . After the first 10 years of life, growth slows down.

Crown width

The medium-thick crown of an adult tree without pruning can reach 3 meters in diameter.

Apple tree Ligol.

Annual growth

Ligol has a high ability to force out shoots . Young shoots easily grow up to 1 meter or more; they must be removed in a timely manner.

Productivity

From season to season, the number of fruits increases: from 5-6 kg for a five-year-old apple tree to 40-45 for an adult. In other words, in a mature garden they get up to 155 - 160 centners per hectare.

The periodicity of fruiting is characteristic . The tree's yield varies from year to year. This feature is more clearly expressed in specimens with vigorous rootstocks.

In order to consistently obtain a large number of apples, you should avoid thickening the crown and thin out the ovaries.

Tasting assessment

The apples are fragrant and extremely juicy . Sweet, with slight sourness. The flesh is crispy and firm. During the tasting examination, the variety received 4.6 on a five-point scale.

Ligol apples have a high tasting score.

Winter hardiness

Ligol is considered a winter-hardy variety . Specimens on vigorous rootstocks tolerate frosts of 30 degrees. On low-growing rhizomes, the cold resistance of rhizomes is significantly lower - 15-17 below zero. To preserve the tree, it must be earthed up before the onset of frost.

Resistance to scab and other diseases

The variety shows good immunity to powdery mildew and scab.

Resistance to bacterial burns is below average . The disease is transmitted by precipitation, birds, wind, and through tools during processing . Dangerous for mature and young trees . Damage is indicated by darkening, curling and drying of leaves, death of wilted flowers and ovaries, and wet sores on the bark.

Ligol can be affected by bacterial burn.

Affected branches are cut out, severely damaged trees are uprooted to avoid the spread of the disease to other fruit crops. For prevention, it is recommended to treat the plantings with a solution of boric acid 3-5 times during spring flowering.

Attention! The apple tree is susceptible to some tree bark diseases.

During long or improper storage, fruits are affected by tanning of the skin and bitter pitting (bitter subcutaneous fleshiness).

Favorable areas for cultivation

Outside Poland, Ukrainian gardeners get the best results.

Here the climate is similar in characteristics to Poland, so Ligol is grown more often than in other regions.

The variety is widespread in Belarus, western and southern regions of Russia.

Lifespan of a tree

As a rule, cultivated apple trees bear fruit for 20–40 years, dwarf and semi-dwarf species – 20–25. This tree can live for a century. The Ligol variety was developed only about forty years ago. There is no reason yet to believe that the lifespan of these apple trees will differ from standard ones.

Branches of the Ligol apple tree with fruits.

You can see a description of the Ligol apple tree in the video below:

Features of care

Caring for the Ligol variety is simple. The features relate only to trimming. Otherwise, the same procedures are required as for other varieties: watering, fertilizing, loosening, mulching, weeding, and measures to prepare for winter.

Watering and fertilizing

Apple trees need to be watered at least 3-4 times per season. It is recommended to use about 30–40 liters for each plant. If in spring and summer there is little rainfall and hot weather, then more watering needs to be done - 5-6. The volume of water used for each tree must be increased to 40–50 liters.

Plants must be watered during the following phases of development:

• during the flowering period;
• before the formation of ovaries;
• 14–20 days before the fruits are fully ripened.

The last watering of the season is done at the end of summer. In the future, you should stop moisturizing to prevent cracking of the apple skin.

Fertilizers are applied to trees that have sprouted in the soil for 2 years. Until this moment, they will have enough nutrients that were added to the planting hole. In the spring, before the buds appear, nitrogen-containing fertilizers are needed to help the trees grow green mass. Before flowers bloom, potassium and phosphorus-containing fertilizers are required. They have a positive effect on the formation of ovaries.

Important! Fertilizers must be applied after precipitation or watering. Fertilizers applied to dry soil cause root burns.

To increase the number of fruits during the formation of ovaries, complex mineral mixtures are added. After picking apples, in preparation for winter, phosphorus-potassium complexes are needed. Nitrogen is strictly prohibited at this time.

Soil care

After watering, as well as precipitation, be sure to loosen the soil in the tree trunk area. This is necessary so that a dense crust does not appear on its surface, which prevents normal access to the roots of moisture and oxygen. Loosening is done shallow.

Another procedure that follows after watering is mulching. It is necessary to restrain the growth of weeds and retain moisture. To prevent the development of diseases and the spread of harmful insects, the soil in the tree trunk zone must be promptly cleared of weeds.

Trimming

Pruning is done for two purposes: sanitary and formative. Sanitation allows you to protect the tree from the development of diseases, improve its fruiting, and get rid of unnecessary branches. It is produced in early spring, before sap flow begins. Cut out all dry, diseased, damaged branches growing inside the crown.

Important! To prevent the development of diseases, pruning is done only with a disinfected tool, and the cut areas are treated with garden varnish or RunNet.

Formative pruning is carried out on trees up to 5 years old in order to form their correct crown shape, which would be easy to care for. This procedure also prevents the development of diseases, allows fruits to ripen evenly, and helps to increase their number.

The Ligol variety apple tree forms a spindle-shaped crown. Trees also require thinning of ovaries and pinching of shoots in the summer.

Preparing for winter

From October, apple trees begin to prepare for the winter period. At this time, they are pruned, whitewashed, insulated, abundantly watered and mulched in the tree trunk area. During pruning, all branches that no longer bear fruit, are deformed, dry, or damaged are cut off.

Plants are whitened to protect the bark of the trunk from the bright spring rays of the sun and to prevent the appearance of cracks and frost holes on it. Whitewashing is carried out with a special mixture, which is purchased in a specialized store or prepared independently by mixing chalk or lime with clay. Whitewash height is 1.5–1.7 m.

Water-recharging irrigation is needed only in rainy autumn. For each plant you need to pour about 100 liters of water. Mandatory insulation is necessary for trees under 5 years of age. Both the trunk and the root system need to be insulated. The tree bark is covered with spruce branches, spunbond, roofing felt, roofing felt or other materials suitable for this purpose.

This procedure allows not only to protect the bark from the cold, but also to prevent it from being damaged by rodents. To insulate the roots, the tree trunk area is covered with a layer of mulch made from humus or peat. Do not add straw or hay before winter, as these materials attract rodents.

Reviews

Fruit growers and fruit lovers from different countries appreciated the benefits of this relatively young variety.

Tatiana. Belgorod. As for the Ligol apple, it’s wonderful! The taste is unsurpassed! Grows easily in the Belgorod region and further south.

Igor Petrovich. Stavropol. A very productive variety! Well preserved over the winter. Apples are almost 300 grams. Colorful, even, not a speck (it’s already March!). Sweet, incredibly juicy! More fragrant than other winter apples!

Stanislav. Novosibirsk We treated Ligol to apples. First impressions are wonderful. Firm, dense and very juicy. Pleasant taste, sweet and sour. The aroma is strongest. It's hard to put down! I looked at the description and photo of the apple tree and was upset - it would be difficult to grow in our northern garden.

Allah. Krasnodar. The Ligol tree is only 4 years old; we harvested our second crop in the fall and are very pleased. There have been no problems so far, it winters at “5”. It's great to please yourself with a juicy sweet apple in the middle of winter! Crispy, aromatic, sweet and sour. Very delicious!

Typical diseases and pests

Powdery mildew and scab are not scary for apple trees. However, the immunity of the Ligol variety does not extend to diseases such as bacterial burn. The pathogen is carried by birds, wind, and garden tools without proper disinfection. It is dangerous for trees of any age. When symptoms appear, treatment with antibiotics (ampicillin, tetracycline, streptomycin) is used.

Also, the variety often suffers from bark damage . In order not to miss the beginning of the problem, you need to regularly inspect the tree. Each detected crack should be cleaned down to healthy wood, treated with a solution of copper sulfate (1%) and covered with garden pitch.

Additional preventive measures include cleaning carrion and fallen leaves, timely cutting out damaged parts of the tree, and spraying with Bordeaux mixture.

Among the pests, the most annoying are codling moths, apple flower beetles, and gall aphids. Nitrafen or DNOC work well in the garden. They are used to prevent the spread of diseases and pests. DNOC is allowed to be used no more than once every 3 years.

Features of ripening and fruiting

Apples of this variety are valued for their abundance and ability to be stored for a long time.

Beginning of fruiting

The young tree produces its first apples in the third year of life . This is a very good indicator; the variety is classified as early-bearing. High-quality seedlings on dwarf rootstocks produce the first fruits in the second and even in the first season.

Ligol begins to bear fruit in the third year.

Deadlines

Fruit ripening

Fruits are harvested in September–October . Consumer qualities reach their maximum in January.

Fruit storage

Store until April in the dark at an optimal temperature of 1-6 degrees. Thus, the shelf life is up to six months.

Ligol apples can be stored for up to six months.

Harvest and storage

Whether apples are already ripe can be determined in several ways. First, taste it. They should be sweet and juicy. Secondly, pay attention to the carrion. If you can already see large and red fruits on the ground, it means the crop is ready for harvest.

Did you know? Apples are included in the mandatory diet of astronauts, since in space they remain whole and are not torn into small pieces, like lemons or oranges.

Thirdly, ripeness can be determined by pressing a finger on the skin of the fruit. A dent that sag and quickly levels out indicates maturity. But if the skin bursts when touched, this is a clear sign that the apple is overripe.

1. Fruit harvesting is planned on a day when there is no precipitation. The best time is after lunch, when the dew has completely dried, since the moisture in the skin reduces the shelf life of the fruit.
2. The fruits are carefully removed from the tree along with the stalks. The presence of a stalk extends their shelf life.
3. Long-term storage is carried out in a cellar, basement or refrigerator. Only fruits that have intact skins and no wormholes are suitable for it. In the basement they are stored in wooden boxes covered with paper. In the refrigerator - in a special fruit tray.
4. Ligol apples tolerate transportation well and can be stored for a long time - up to six months. They are grown for fresh consumption and for processing.

So, Ligol apple trees are distinguished by a number of positive characteristics. They are demanding to care for, but with little effort they can produce abundant harvests of large and tasty apples.

Apple tree Ligol

On M9 rootstock

On the dwarf rootstock M9, the first harvest is harvested in 2-3 years , sometimes the fruits are set in the first summer. Other benefits:

• Increased productivity;
• Compaction of plantings without loss of fruit quality;
• Height is up to 2-2.5 meters, which allows you to carefully process all parts of the crown.

Rootstock M9.

Flaws:

• Reduced frost resistance, high-lying rhizomes can withstand cold temperatures only down to -16, which sharply limits the distribution of such apple trees in Russia, central and northern Europe;
• Greater attention is needed to watering and maintaining the moisture of the upper layers of soil where the roots are located.

Dwarf

Dwarf apple tree varieties are grown on weak-growing rootstocks:

• In Russia and Belarus this is often M9;
• The R-60 is popular in Poland .

Semi-dwarf

Ligol is often grafted onto semi-dwarf rootstock 62 396 or others.

Columnar

The variety is characterized by a crown shape in the form of a wide cone. In intensive gardens it is formed as a slender, thin spindle, but it is still not a columnar tree.

Planting a seedling

The further development of the seedling directly depends on the quality of planting activities. The Ligol apple tree has its own preferences for growing conditions:

1. The soil . The variety grows best on black soil and sandy loam. Good drainage is required, acidity pH 5.0-6.5 (acidic soil is not suitable). The occurrence of groundwater is no higher than 2-3 meters. The roots of the Ligol variety are very sensitive to waterlogging.
2. Place . It should be open, with good lighting and ventilation. But, no drafts! The tree needs protection from the north and northeast side with the help of plantings or buildings.
3. Boarding time . Autumn is considered optimal, although seedlings also take root well in spring. But for any time it is better to buy planting material in the fall. Nurseries have a large selection, and preserving seedlings until spring will not be difficult. It can be placed in the basement or buried on the site.

Before storing, the roots must be dipped in a clay mash.

Step-by-step instruction:

• soak the roots of the seedling for 3-4 hours in a root formation stimulator solution;
• dig a planting hole measuring 80 cm x 80 cm;
• lay a drainage layer 15 cm thick (expanded clay, crushed stone, broken brick);
• fill 1/3 of the volume of the hole with a fertile mixture of humus, chernozem, peat and sand (2:2:1:1);
• install a peg for the garter;
• lower the seedling into the hole, place it on a mound of earth, straighten the roots;
• cover with soil;
• form a roller to retain water;
• water the tree and mulch the tree trunk.

Finally, cut the central conductor to a height of 0.9-1.0 m, shorten the remaining shoots by 2 times. Seedlings must be placed at a distance of at least 2.5 m from each other, subject to proper pruning.

Growing in regions

IMPORTANT! Agrotechnical techniques have been developed for growing Ligol apple trees in Poland and nearby regions.

In the Moscow region the climate is more severe . When cultivating apple trees, the cold resistance of the variety should be taken into account. Apple trees on vigorous rootstocks can withstand frosts of 30 degrees. Weak-growing ones require serious insulation.

Ligol on weak-growing rootstocks must be insulated for the winter.

Experienced gardeners recommend grafting Ligol onto local zoned varieties (for example, Antonovka) to enhance its winter hardiness in the Moscow region and in more northern regions.

In Belarus, where natural conditions are similar to those in Poland, the variety is very popular; seedlings are sold in every nursery and specialized company. Here it is grown on dwarf and semi-dwarf rootstocks.

Pollination and pollinators

The apple tree is self-sterile. To form ovaries, it needs neighboring pollinators to grow nearby. They should have the same flowering period as the Ligol apple tree.

The variety can be called very successful, as it interacts well with a large list of pollinators:

• 
  Champion Arno;

• Gold Rush;
• Mac;
• Lobo;
• Idared;
• Champion;
• Vitos;
• Fuji;
• Elstar;
• Spartan;
• Golden Delicious.

The Ligol variety is also a good pollinator for many varieties. The exceptions are Jonagold and Idared, for which proximity to Ligol does not increase their yield.

Advantages and disadvantages

Experienced gardeners and farmers the following strengths the Ligol apple tree:

Among the disadvantages it is worth mentioning:

Let us summarize the signs of bacterial burn of fruit trees in the table:

Average prices for apples and seedlings

The price of a seedling of the Ligol variety varies depending on the age of the apple tree, the type of root system, the brand of the nursery, the growing region, and the type of rootstock.

Average prices for seedlings:

1. Age 2 years – from 250 rubles.
2. Age 3 years – from 600 rubles.
3. Age 4 years – from 900 rubles.
4. Age 5 years – from 2000 rubles.
5. Age 7 years – from 6000 rubles.
6. Age 8 years – from 8000 rubles.

The cost for 1 kg of apples is from 35 rubles wholesale) and 55 rubles (retail). Prices depend on the region and type of retail chain.