In 1960, the Canadian gardener Vazhek, while observing apple trees, discovered a branch on one McIntosh variety that differed in structure from others due to its unusual structure.
The gardener made a rootstock using buds taken from this branch for another variety of apple tree, and this is how the first columnar apple tree was obtained. Next, breeders, taking this subspecies , began to develop new varieties of columnar crops. This is how the Moscow Necklace variety turned out.
To find out the uniqueness of the plant and its distribution , you should familiarize yourself with the apple tree in more detail.
Description of the variety
The columnar apple tree Moscow Necklace is a winter variety of apple tree that was bred by Russian breeders and agronomists. The author of the variety is considered to be M. V. Kachalkin.
The fruit crop was zoned into different regions of Russia, but gained great popularity in the middle zone and in the Siberian regions.
Important! The variety is considered quite frost-resistant, with good immunity to various diseases.
Columnar apple tree “Moscow Necklace”.
The apple tree is considered a semi-dwarf or dwarf fruit crop. Thanks to the compact size of the crown, it saves enough space on the site.
The tree has the shape of a column on which round and medium -sized fruits are located. In the early stages of ripening, apples are green with a red blush.
The root system of the plant is quite strong, which allows the tree to be transplanted .
Advice! Due to the color of the fruit, gardeners often confuse the Moscow Necklace variety with the Vasyugan apple tree. To avoid this, each variety should be marked .
To find out the advantages and disadvantages of an apple tree, you should find out its additional characteristics.
Diseases and pests of the variety
Subject to the rules of agricultural technology, the variety is resistant to major crop diseases. Most often, the columnar apple tree Moscow Necklace is susceptible to the following diseases:
Brown spot
The leaves are covered with brown spots with yellow edging. Gradually they spread to the entire leaf and it dries out. The disease is caused by a fungus that is found in fallen leaves.
Fruit rot
Brown spots cover the fruit. In less than a week, the fruit turns brown and softens. The cause of the disease is a fungus. To combat, chemicals such as “Horus” are used, according to the instructions. Affected leaves and fruits should be removed from the garden.
Main crop pests
- aphid;
- mites;
- leaf rollers.
To control pests, you can use garlic infusion. Peel two large heads of garlic and grate them on a fine grater. Fill with 10 liters of water. Let it brew for 24 hours.
Strain, to enhance the effect, you can add liquid soap and spray for several days. After a week, repeat the procedure. It is advisable to use the product against ants, as they feed on aphids.
Useful article:
How to recognize an apple tree pest and how to deal with it
additional characteristics
Peculiarities
The fruit tree is highly valued among gardeners for its many advantages .
The best indicators of the variety are the following:
- High frost resistance ;
- Scab resistance;
- Good yield ;
- Fruit quality;
- Decorative type of tree.
When purchasing a seedling, you should pay special attention to its shortcomings .
The disadvantages of the variety include:
- High price of seedlings;
- Short lifespan of an apple tree.
Tree height
The fruit crop, like all columnar apple trees, has a short stature. The height of the tree ranges from 2 to 3 meters.
Crown width
On a small but fairly strong trunk there is a neatly shaped, oversized crown.
Crown of a columnar apple tree.
Self-fertility
The Moscow Necklace apple tree cannot be called a self-fertile variety. varieties are required for fruit set .
Productivity
The apple tree bears fruit regularly, without periodicity. The apples are large , spherical in shape, weighing 170 - 250 g. Up to 10 kg of fruits are collected from one tree per year.
Tasting assessment
The taste of the fruit is excellent dessert type. The apple pulp is fine-grained, dense, white and so juicy that the fruit splits when dropped.
Winter hardiness
The frost resistance of the apple tree is quite high . The variety can withstand sub-zero temperatures of 45 degrees, which is very important for the northern regions.
Disease resistance
Placing columnar apple trees on the site in rows.
"Moscow Necklace". The Moscow Necklace variety of columnar apple tree is very rarely affected by diseases, so the tree does not need to be treated with chemicals.
Important! Without chemical treatment, apples remain safe and environmentally friendly.
Lifespan
The lifespan of a tree is short . The maximum tree can live up to 25 years as an ornamental plant. Fruiting ends much earlier - 15 years after planting.
Advantages and disadvantages of the Moscow necklace
Advantages of the variety:
- compactness of culture;
- sweet juicy fruits;
- fruits are stored for 4 months;
- withstands frosts of -40°;
- transports well;
- bears fruit consistently;
- universal in use;
- resistant to diseases.
Few disadvantages:
- The crop bears fruit for 15 years, after 10 years it needs to be renewed;
- is affected by the main insects - pests of apple trees;
- seedlings are expensive.
Reviews
How attractive is the columnar apple tree Moscow Necklace: consider its description, photos and reviews from gardeners:
Vyacheslav. Khabarovsk Territory: “When choosing fruit crops at the market, I really liked an unusual-looking apple tree seedling. Let’s just say that I’m quite an experienced gardener, I’ve heard about the columnar variety, but this is the first time I’ve seen it. Noticing my interest, the seller began to praise this apple tree in every possible way. As a result, I bought it and did not regret it. The tree is quite compact and occupies a small space on the site.
I received my first apples literally the next year . Now it is a mature tree with regular fruiting. Despite the ease of care, the plant produces a high yield of tasty and large fruits.”
The columnar apple tree serves as a wonderful decoration for the garden.
Tatiana. Cheboksary: “My mother is an agronomist by profession and loves to grow various ornamental plants. The columnar apple tree Moscow Necklace appeared with us 7 or 8 years ago. Not only my mother, but the whole family were satisfied . Of course, the taste of apples is important to us. They are very juicy, aromatic, sweet and beautiful. Besides its fruits, my mother loved the apple tree because it was easy to care for.”
Natalia. Lesosibirsk - “I’ve heard about columnar apple tree crops for a long time, but because of the climate I still didn’t dare to purchase them. On the advice of a friend, and she is a professional gardener, I nevertheless planted the Moscow Necklace variety. Over time , I fell in love with because:
- Firstly , you don’t have to wait long for the first fruiting; it occurs 2 years after planting.
- Secondly , with proper care, the variety does not freeze in the winter, which is so typical for our region.
- And thirdly, the fruits are tasty not only fresh for 3 months, but also when cooked in all kinds of preserves.”
How to plant and care
Deadlines
The fruit crop blooms in the first year of life, which is undesirable according to the advice of gardeners. To do this, it is recommended to plant an apple tree in the autumn .
The best timing is late September - early October.
Technology
The columnar apple tree “Moscow Necklace” is perfectly located near the fence.
To plant an apple tree, choose a well- lit area with loamy or sandy loam soil. Dig a hole so that the roots of the seedling are deep and free. Compost are added to the dug soil , mixed and the resulting mixture is poured over the installed tree.
Important! grafting level is not buried; it should be above the ground.
Distance between apple trees
Moscow necklace is a compact plant that allows you to plant a large number of fruit crops in one area. How to plant a Moscow Necklace apple tree in large quantities? When planting several seedlings at the same time, maintain a distance of 40–50 cm between them.
Scheme
Planting scheme for columnar apple trees.
Features of cultivation
To ensure that the seedling takes root well, it is watered warm water for a month after planting. To avoid freezing of the fruit crop in winter, in the fall the tree trunk circle is mulched with mineral fertilizers.
Agricultural technology
For high fruiting, the apple tree should be fed throughout the entire period. For different seasons, certain components are added:
- In the spring, when loosening the tree trunk circle, urea ;
- In summer, they fertilize with wood ash, scattering it near the trunk;
- dolomite is added to the soil .
Mulching around the trunk is mandatory.
Pruning and crown formation
The first pruning is carried out after planting the apple tree. To avoid freezing in winter, cut off the top of the seedling to the first strong shoot.
Further pruning is carried out extremely rarely, removing the growth of fruiting branches and weak shoots.
Pollinator varieties
pollination varieties are columnar apple trees. Vasyugan and President are considered the best varieties.
Planting a seedling
To plant on your site, seedlings of the Moscow Necklace variety must be 1 or 2 years old. Signs of a healthy tree are smooth bark, free of cracks, damage and stains, as well as a well-developed root system.
For apple trees, choose a sunny, open area, but protected from strong winds. You can place them not far from buildings and fences, that is, in slight partial shade. The soils they prefer are fertilized loams or sandy loams, light and loose, with a neutral reaction.
Planting is carried out in the spring, before the buds bloom on the seedlings, or in the fall, after the leaves have fallen, but before the onset of stable cold. Apple trees are planted in pre-prepared planting holes, which are placed on the plot at a distance of 1 m in a row and 1.5-2 m between rows. Their diameter must be at least 0.7 m, depth - at least 0.5 m, so that the roots of the seedling can be freely spread.
Planting a tree of the Moscow Necklace variety follows the same algorithm as seedlings of other varieties:
- Before planting, the roots of the plant are soaked for a day in a fungicide solution.
- Drainage made of small stones, broken bricks or slate is placed at the bottom of the hole.
- A little soil mixture is poured on top mixed with organic matter - humus or compost, ash.
- A seedling is placed in the center of the hole and its roots are straightened. The root collar should remain at ground level.
- All voids are covered with earth and compacted a little.
- Water and after the water seeps deep, cover the surface with mulch.
A support about 1 m high is placed next to the tree and the trunk is tied to it so that it grows evenly.
Features of ripening and fruiting
Beginning of fruiting
Although spring planting is undesirable for apple trees, some gardeners still do it. If planting is carried out in the spring, the first harvest is harvested in the same year.
After autumn planting, the first apples appear the next year. Every year the number of fruits increases, in the 7th year the yield reaches its peak.
Attention! The first harvest is no more than 6 apples from one tree.
Flowering period
Columnar apple tree photo during flowering.
The Moscow Necklace apple tree blooms in the first year of life. the first flowers appear is at the beginning of May.
Deadlines
Fruit ripening
Moscow necklace is a winter variety. Apples ripen quite late, at the end of September - beginning of October.
Fruit storage
The shelf life of apples depends on the temperature and humidity of the room. With the help of a refrigerator, the fruits retain their consumer qualities until spring. Apples can be stored in the cellar for no more than 3 months.
The Moscow Necklace apple tree has few subspecies and varieties. New varieties are Moscow Necklace (X – 2) and bush Krokha.
Trimming
This procedure is carried out with the arrival of spring or mid-autumn. The top of the apple tree should be pinched immediately. If the top freezes in winter, new shoots will grow. When they reach 15 centimeters, you should choose the strongest shoot, which will become the new top, the rest should be cut off. If long side shoots begin to grow on the Moscow Necklace apple tree, they need to be cut back to the second bud. In autumn, 2 new branches will appear on the pruned branches, which should also be pruned in the spring. In the third year, fruits form on the horizontal branch, and 2 new shoots on the vertically pruned branch. The fruiting branch should be removed in the fall. Young apple trees are wrapped for the winter in order to prevent them from freezing and protect them from various types of rodents.
Subspecies and options
Moscow necklace (X - 2)
Mid-autumn ripening period.
Tree 3 m in height with a compact crown and dense foliage.
The variety is quite winter-hardy, tolerates sub-zero temperatures of -40 degrees.
The fruit crop begins to bear fruit in the 2nd year of life. A distinctive characteristic is very high yield.
In the 6th year from the beginning of fruiting, the fruits are harvested up to 18 kg. The fruits are large, weighing 250 - 300 g. with very high taste qualities.
Due to the abundance of fruits, the tree is prone to overload. To avoid injury to the apple tree, fruit branches are pruned and the ovaries are thinned out. The variety will take root well in central Russia.
Non-columnar variety
A new variety of apple tree, bush, is classified as a non-colonic type .
This is a fairly small tree, up to 65 cm high. The branches rise from the ground and form a bush. The foliage is leathery, gray-green in color.
Apple trees begin to bear fruit 3 to 4 years after planting. The variety is quite high-yielding ; 18 kg of apples are harvested from one bush.
The fruits are regularly round in shape, weighing 100 g. with white juicy pulp of sweet and sour taste. Apples ripen in early September and are stored for up to 3 weeks.
The variety is valued for its frost resistance , abundance of yield and resistance to scab.
Important! Apple trees grow in different regions of Russia, but each region has its own characteristics of growing fruit crops.
Features of cultivation in the regions
In outskirts of Moscow
Thanks to its high winter hardiness and ease of care, the Moscow Necklace has gained great popularity in the Moscow region.
The only peculiarity of growing the variety in this region is the following:
- In summer, during drought, regular watering 2 - 3 times a week;
- When controlling pests, the apple tree is treated with acaricides ;
- To attract pollinating insects during flowering, the fruit crop is irrigated with sugar syrup;
- In the autumn, they are fed with mineral fertilizers.
In central Russia
The Moscow Necklace apple tree can not only develop well in the middle zone, but also in fairly northern regions.
The variety tolerates low temperatures in winter down to -45 degrees. If slight frosting does occur, the tree tends to recover .
For higher yields in these areas, pay attention to the following:
- When planting, the first pruning ;
- Although the variety is quite winter-hardy, the apple tree is still protected. In the fall, is mulched and the tree is covered with special material.
additional main growing features
Variety Moscow Necklace.
