Large-fruited European varieties Apple trees can only be grown in a creeping, or slate, form. In this case, the entire roof of the trees is located near the surface of the ground, which makes it possible to cover them for the winter with insulating material - reed mats or potato tops. Covered above the shelter with snow, they survive the winter without damage.
Trees in the slate form enter the fruiting season earlier than those grown in the free form and bear fruit more abundantly, since any deviation of the branches from a vertical to a horizontal position helps to accelerate and increase fruiting. Slate trees are much more durable than semi-cultivated and ranetka trees.
The Stlantsy also have their own negative sides: they require additional labor to create and maintain shape. The branches must be pinned to the ground every year so that they do not stretch upward, but grow horizontally at the surface of the earth. Stlantsy suffer more from spring frosts. In winter, sheltered trees are often damaged by mice. Therefore, we have to fight hard against both frost and mice. But additional cost labor always pays off with an abundant harvest of beautiful fruits.
There are several slate forms. Most widespread the Arctic form of Krutoveki and the melon form of Kizyurina were obtained. A. A. Gudzenko proposed an improved two-arm cordon, which he called the steppe stlanets. To breed stale forms, fruit trees are planted in the spring with annual seedlings.
In the arctic form, the annual plant is planted straight, as usual, after which the central shoot is cut off at a height of 10-15 cm from the ground. The branches that appear below the cut grow freely during the first half of summer, and in July they are bent to the ground to a height of 10-20 cm and secured with wooden or metal hooks. The branches are distributed radially, evenly in all directions.
Branches of the second and third order, as they grow, are also bent to the ground and secured with hooks. If branches of the second and third order are not bent, they will grow vertically and in harsh winters will freeze out. This phenomenon occurs when the tree is no longer truly cared for.
In the melon form, the annual plant is planted obliquely, at an angle of 45° to the south. But it is better to plant it directly, since with an inclined planting the root system develops one-sidedly, the trees suffer more from drought and are less durable. After planting, the seedling is cut to 1/3 of its length, and when it takes root, it is bent and pinned to the ground. The bend is made along the row, through the tenon. The trunk of the planted tree should be 5-6 cm from the ground. An arched bend of the trunk at its base should not be allowed. With such a bend, the tree grows worse, and the bend often freezes. The side shoots grow freely until July, but in mid-July they are bent to the ground and pinned, distributing them evenly in all directions. The shoots that grow at the base of the stem are bent in the direction opposite to it. When bending, the shoots must be twisted a little, this avoids their breakage and slows down growth.
The shoots are left pinned until next spring. In the spring they are released from the hooks and until the end of July they grow freely, and in July they are bent down again to form a crown. Branches of the second and subsequent orders are directed to where there is free space. in spring next year raking the earth away from the trunk and freeing the plants from pins. In the first half of summer, apple trees grow freely, and in August, during sap flow, when the tissues of the branches are elastic and bend well, they bend them down to form the skeleton of the crown. When forming the crown of the tree, the branches of the tree must be constantly held near the soil surface. The skeletal branches of the first and subsequent orders are directed to different sides- where there is free space. The shoots growing at the base of the trunk are bent in the direction opposite to the direction of the tree trunk and pinned. When forming, remove broken, damaged and shading shoots. Thickening shoots are removed in early spring and in the first half of summer. A creeping tree is formed near the ground, so each skeletal shoot must be given the right direction, and all branches and overgrown twigs must be well lit. The crown should be lightened regularly: in this case, fruit buds form better. Growing shoots that are not needed for crown formation are pinched above the fourth or fifth leaf and turned into fruit shoots. As the shoots grow, the pinching is repeated.
Before wintering, an adult apple tree in a creeping form should be located with all branches 25-30 cm above the soil surface. The branches located higher freeze out in winters with little snow.
The branches should not be allowed to form several tiers. This tree does not bear fruit well. Skeletal branches must be arranged in one tier, so that the crown does not thicken, it is thinned out annually, removing broken, frozen, shading shoots. Thinning is done in early spring, after buds open, and in the first half of summer. Young shoots that are not used to form the crown are turned into fruit shoots. To do this, they are pinched above the third or fourth leaf. The regrown shoots are pinched (pinched) again, repeating this operation three to four times over the summer.
Slate varieties:
White filling(Alabaster) . An ancient Russian variety of folk selection. Very close to Papirovka. It differs from it in being more winter hardy and demanding on the soil, less resistant to scab, and slightly inferior in taste to the fruit. The crown is medium in size and dense, the shoots are strong and stretch upward. The variety is not good enough for growing in stale form. The bark of the branches is light yellow. The shoots are brown, the pubescence is weak. The leaves are large, light green. Ripens in the first half of August. Harvest from 40 to 120 kg per tree. The fruits weigh from 50 to 75 g, round-conical, slightly ribbed with a slight narrowing towards the calyx. The skin is thin, smooth, green with a whitish coating. Easily damaged when collected. The pulp is greenish-white, loose, medium-term, sweet and sour, of good taste.
Padding(White Baltic filling). The tree is vigorous and forms a wide, densely leafy crown with branches extending at an angle of 45°. The leaves are medium-sized, gray-green, semi-matte, heavily pubescent on the underside, ovate or elliptical, with a long tip. The first fruits are produced in the 4th-5th year. The yield of young trees is 15-20 kg, over 10 years old - from 70 to 110. The fruits are medium, from 80 to 120 g, slightly conical or round shape, almost always with a sharp seam and 3-4 wide ribs of unequal width. The skin is smooth, dry, with a white coating, shiny, thin, light straw or white in color. The pulp is snow-white, juicy, coarse-grained, tender, with a good wine-sweet taste. The best pollinators are Borovinka and Scarlet Anise. It is affected by scab to a weak degree.
Melba. The crown is of medium density, forms many erect long shoots, making it difficult to form into a stale tree. Trees begin to bear fruit from 3-5 years. At the age of 12-15 years they produce a harvest of 40-60 kg. The fruits are large, from 120 to 200 g, round or broadly conical in shape, slightly tapering towards the apex, greenish-white, and when fully ripe, yellow with a bright, delicate pink-red blush. The skin is matte, dry, without shine, fragrant. The pulp is snow-white, sometimes pink under the skin and with light reddish veins, very tender, juicy, fine-grained, excellent taste with spice. The fruits ripen at the end of August and are stored until October. A good pollinator is Borovinka. In wet years it is affected by scab.
There is an opinion that creeping apple trees require a lot of space, so gardeners often give priority to upright growing trees, but creeping varieties tolerate cold better.
Planting a slate apple tree
Autumn planting of apple trees should be done after the leaves have fallen; there should be another 15–20 days before the soil freezes, so that the roots of the plant have time to take root. The quality of the seedling also matters. Give preference to annual seedlings that have fibrous root system, and the thickness of the stem is 0.8 - 1 cm.
Planting creeping apple trees has its own characteristics. We'll talk about them today.
The first thing you need to decide on is the location for the slate tree. Choose an elevated site, protected from gusty winds; in winter, a lot of snow should accumulate in this place. Such trees prefer turf soil, well-seasoned with fertilizers.
There is nothing special about planting elfin. The seedling is placed in a hole at an angle of 40 - 45 degrees with the top facing south. It is important that the graft faces down, otherwise the tree may break during shaping. The seedling is covered with earth mixed with humus and ash; you can also add sand, but this is not necessary. I don’t make huge holes, a shovel 1.5 bayonets deep and 1.5 bayonets wide is enough, since the roots of the shrub are mainly located in top layer, - Olga Petrovna Stoyan, a gardener and nursery owner, shares her experience, specializing in growing pears, apple trees and plums selected for Siberian conditions.
When planting, the root collar of the seedling should be deepened by 3 - 5 cm. If this is not done, you will have to wage an annual fight against the emerging shoots. Drowning the seedling too deep is also harmful, as it can lead to overheating of the bark.
Place the seedling in the planting hole, spread the roots well in all directions and cover them with soil. After planting, watering is required - 2 - 3 buckets per tree.
Shaping the crown of an apple tree
The main task in caring for slate plants is crown formation. You need to start forming creeping apple trees immediately after planting. To do this, bend the seedling to the soil and pin it with wooden hooks. This procedure will also help protect the young plant from frost.
With the onset of spring, remove the hooks and let the tree grow freely until July. But in July, bend the tree again and pin it. When bending a tree, it is important to hold it near the grafting site so as not to accidentally break it.
The tree needs to be bent low, the distance from the ground to the stem should be 5 - 6 cm. Make sure that the stem does not bend in an arc, otherwise the plant will grow poorly, suffer from sunburn in spring and summer, and from frost in winter. All side branches also need to be bent and pinned to the ground. Pin the side shoots in different directions, like a fan.
Gardeners often buy seedlings with lateral branches. In this case, the formation will be slightly different. After planting, inspect all the branches, identify those that extend from the trunk at right angles, pin them, like the main stem. Cut all the branches located on top into a ring (at the base, along the top of the ring bead). Don't forget to cover the wounds with garden varnish.
In the summer of next year, at the beginning of June, pinch all vertically growing shoots above the fourth leaf, leave them to overwinter, and remove them into a ring in the spring. These branches cannot be left, they are called tops, they are distinguished by strong and rapid growth, they draw all the nutritional elements onto themselves, drowning out the growth of lateral branches. And you can’t expect fruiting from the tops.
The main feature of the slate crown formation of an apple tree is that all branches are always located near the soil surface. Direct the main skeletal branches in different directions to free space. Bend the shoots that grow along the base of the trunk in the opposite direction.
Monitor the condition of the crown, promptly remove broken branches, as well as shoots that darken and thicken the crown. This sanitary pruning is recommended in early spring or in the first half of summer.
In spring, young shoots must be trimmed, leaving 5 - 6 buds. In August you need to bend down everything that has grown. For pinning, use only wooden hooks; metal ones are poor conductors and can damage the plant, advises Olga Stoyan.
Forming the skeleton of an odorous tree is a long process, it takes approximately 5 - 6 years. This activity is simple, but it should be done every year. To acquire a slate apple tree, it is not necessary to purchase creeping species. It will take 5 to 6 years to form the skeleton of the crown. This work is not difficult, but must be carried out annually.
It is not necessary to plant creeping species of apple trees in the form of stanza; any species are suitable for this, and in addition, any crops - pears, plums, as Olga Petrovna Stoyan believes.
Creeping apple tree care
Creeping apple trees need to be fed in the same way as all the others. In spring or autumn, when the soil is well moistened, you can add humus (compost) 2 - 3 kg, superphosphate 10 - 15 g, potassium chloride 6 - 8 g, ammonium nitrate 12 - 15 g once a year.
Before fruiting begins, I do not feed the shale rocks with anything, I only water them, since they have enough of that reserve nutrients, which were laid down during landing. There is no need to cover the stanza for the winter; the snow will do everything for you. Shelter is required in extremely rare cases, when there is very little snow, says Olga Petrovna.
To prevent a creeping apple tree or other tree from freezing, its trunk and skeletal branches should be above the ground at a height of 25 - 30 cm. If some branches are located higher, then with a small amount of snow they will freeze.
When properly formed, the skeletal branches of an adult tree do not rise from the soil. For the winter, only young shoots need to be pinned.
Every gardener has the opportunity to set up a slate garden, even on six acres, especially if the trees are planted on a dwarf rootstock.
Prepared by Natalya Berlizova.
The pear is a more heat-loving and demanding tree than the apple tree, so it is difficult to move north.
For the Baltic regions, with their short summers but mild winters, early large-fruited varieties have already been developed. But the harsh Siberian winters leave them no chance of survival. However, gardeners are not giving up.
With some effort, you can also enjoy local, rather than imported, pears in these regions.
Forming a pear in a slate mold
The climate of Siberia is continental. First of all, this means a huge range of summer and winter temperatures. The summer heat makes it quite possible to grow many heat-loving plants with a short life cycle.
But the harsh winters that come in its place with frosts of 40 degrees kill all plants except local ones, selected over thousands of years of evolution.
However, in addition to frost, local winters also bring heavy snow.
Under a meter-long snow coat, the temperature is already more tolerable.
Therefore, many gardeners form fruit trees not in the traditional standard form, but in the slate form. Using special pruning and a bracing system, the branches of the seedling are transferred to a horizontal state at a height of about half a meter from the ground. The tree becomes like a sprawled octopus. In winter, the plants are completely covered with snow and therefore do not freeze out.
Both many varieties of apple and pear trees lend themselves to this forming. The main thing is to choose varieties with late flowering or resistant to spring frosts so as not to be left without a harvest. In stlanets they bear fruit well and produce ripened delicious fruits varieties Favorite Michurinskaya, Bessemyanka, Tonkovetka.
Grafting a pear onto a shadberry to form a stem
Forming stanza requires certain skills.
Therefore, some gardeners choose a different path: pear cuttings are grafted onto a flexible rootstock, most often onto shadberry. Irga is a shrub with winter-hardy roots and a flexible trunk, which can be carefully bent to the ground for the winter along with a grafted pear branch.
Such a combined plant quickly begins to bear fruit and lives successfully for 5-8 years. Then the incompatibility of the scion and rootstock affects, and the tree needs to be replaced. Gardeners usually have several pears on their plot of different ages, every year preparing replacements for those that fail.
The best varieties for grafting: Forest beauty. Myth, Svarog, Lada, Povislaya.
“Local” varieties of pears for Siberia
Breeders continue to work on developing varieties that could be grown in the traditional standard form.
In the low mountains of Altai and in the south of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, varieties of Altai selection grow and bear fruit well ( Lel, Perun, Kupava). However, to the north they freeze out, and the fragile, inflexible branches do not allow the formation of stylates from them. Therefore, hybrids with wild Ussuri pear come to the rescue here.
Of course, the taste of their small fruits is much inferior to the southern, Ukrainian ones. But they are quite suitable for processing into jam, fork, compotes, and this is already a lot.
In the Tomsk and Novosibirsk regions, small-fruited varieties of pears of the Krasnoyarsk selection winter well: Small, Veselinka, Krasnoyarsk large, Lel, Sibiryachka, as well as Chelyabinsk Myth, Uralochka, Krasulya.
The Uralochka variety is distinguished by exceptional winter hardiness. Standard trees do not freeze at temperatures below -45° and bear fruit after severe frosts during flowering. At the same time, they have tasty fruits weighing up to 60 g.
Pears of the Myth variety are even larger - up to 90 g, that is, the usual size for this crop. They ripen by the end of September and are stored for up to three months.
Almost all Siberian varieties are highly resistant to scab and bacterial blight, and are practically not affected by the gall mite. This makes them interesting for gardens in the north of the European part of Russia.
Below are other entries on the topic “Do-it-yourself cottage and garden”
Slate shape of trees
The slate form of trees is a well-known, but little used way to enhance the heating of fruit trees. This technique was vaguely explained to gardeners, creating a “Chukchi” reputation for it.
They wrote about slant apple trees that with their help you can get apples where ordinary trees they freeze out in winter. So gardeners realized that the main advantage of stlanes is that they can be buried in the snow.
“So, why would I bother if apple trees in our area winter well anyway?!” Moreover, the pictures of elfin trees depicted in textbooks immediately inspired the idea that it would be very difficult to fight weeds... In fact, the advantages of the elfin crown are much more serious. Such a tree develops better due to the heat coming from the soil: in summer, the air in the ground layer is warmer than at the height of the usual crown of an apple tree. Heat accumulates during the day and persists at night.
This is where the effect of “moving 300-500 km south” comes into play. Therefore, stlanets improves fruit growing not only “in Siberia,” but also in any region of the middle zone. For example, grapes in the stlant form are grown by many in the Moscow region and produce a reliable harvest.
In a word, the stlanec is for those who like to tinker with fruit tree crowns. This is a “tame” tree in all respects: it is created by painstaking pruning, but it bears fruit obediently.
To successfully work with slate, you need to understand its “spring principle.” As you grow young seedling it is gradually tilted towards the north. Why exactly to the north? Look at the picture: with such an inclination, the sun more fully illuminates both the branches themselves and the soil in tree trunk circle. The seedling cannot be tilted immediately, as it will stop growing and produce new shoots at its base. For the winter, the tree is pressed almost completely to the ground, and in the spring it is raised again to a semi-inclined position to continue growth. And so until the crown is fully formed, the trunk takes a lower and lower position in the summer. Finally, the trunk should take a strongly inclined, but not horizontal position; the main inclination to the ground will be due to the branches.
The “spring principle” implies that an adult stelium will continue to have two positions: winter and summer. In winter, the branches are pressed to the ground with logs, etc., covered with a little earth and even hay (in case there is no snow in the winter). In the summer, the shelter is dismantled and the tree is raised (short horn supports can be placed under the branches). The branches are raised so that the total crown height reaches 1.5 m. Why do you need to lift them at all? Firstly, so that the entire crown maintains sufficiently strong growth, and does not switch to emitting tops from the trunk. Secondly, it is important that there is some space under the branches for the passage of a hoe or scythe.
A stlanets is a sheep that needs to be sheared all the time. The very ends of the branches should not be touched, but the rest of the crown will have to be constantly cleaned with pruning shears.
Of course, it is better not to allow grass under the shrub: there will be no solar battery. The ground must be bare to heat up. Or a black film, it will give real heat in the near-earth layer, where all the fruit-bearing branches are located. What are the features of caring for stans? A stlanets is a sheep that needs to be sheared all the time. The very ends of the branches should not be touched, but the rest of the crown will have to be constantly cleaned with pruning shears. Pinching, or pinching - summer shortening of green shoots above 7-10 leaves - is the main technique for caring for stale plants. Pinching is carried out several times over the summer as the shoots grow to the required length; it ensures simultaneous good growth all parts of the crown, stops shoot growth in time, accelerates its lignification and switches from growth to fruiting.
Most medium-sized shoots are pinched. But break out the strongly growing shoots that will appear on the trunk and skeletal branches completely. In general, the crown should remain sparse, well-lit, and at the same time slowly grow to the sides.
In general, this flat fan is excellent tutorial to learn how to truly care for a fruit tree. Whoever tinkers with it will learn to pay attention to each branch and better understand the life of the crown. In a word, the stlanec is for those who like to tinker with fruit tree crowns. This is a “tame” tree in all respects: it is created by painstaking pruning, but it bears fruit obediently.
Creating slate trees is, although a labor-intensive task, but it is an opportunity to have regularly fruiting pears, cherries, and apricots in middle lane. As for wintering under the snow, this remains the “signature” advantage of slate. According to the testimony of gardeners from different parts of Russia, it was the creeping and semi-cresting trees that made it possible to obtain a harvest of fruits after the frosty January of 2006: only flower buds were preserved on branches covered with snow. We don’t have to hide all the branches from frost: it is enough that at least some of them are insured in case of severe frosts.
In the conditions of the Urals, Siberia and Northern Kazakhstan, large-fruited apple trees can be successfully grown when they form a stylized crown that overwinters under the snow.
Annual seedlings whose trunk has not yet lost its elasticity and bends easily are planted in the garden. Some manuals recommend planting them obliquely, however many years of experience Siberian gardeners showed that it is better to plant annual seedlings vertically, as usual, to the level of the root collar. Sloping planting is justified only if the seedlings (two-year-old) are overgrown and their trunk cannot be bent without breaking.
2-3 weeks after planting, the trunk of the apple tree annual seedling carefully bend it into a horizontal position through the “thorn”, otherwise the scion may break off from the apple tree rootstock. The bent trunk is secured in this position with a hook made of brushwood or wire. The bending point of the trunk should be at a height of no more than 15-20 cm from the soil surface, so that in the future the horizontal base of the tree crown can be easily covered with snow. Bend the trunk in summer time Not recommended. The top of the trunk is cut 15-20 cm above the bud located in its lower part. At autumn planting trunk pruning should be postponed until spring.
New shoots that appear on the trunk in the first half of summer should grow freely, that is, vertically upward. In the second half (July - early August), new shoots are also secured with hooks in a horizontal position. At the same time, they try to arrange them so that in the future they do not interfere with each other’s growth and do not intertwine with each other. It is recommended to bend the shoot that has grown near the bend in the direction opposite to the direction of growth of the main trunk. You cannot be late with the deadline for bending down the shoots, assign this work to autumn period, since in this case the lignified shoots are not fixed in a horizontal position and rise again after removing the hooks. Shoots bent in a timely manner finish growing faster, ripen well and are firmly fixed in a horizontal position.
For the winter, the crown of the seedling is covered with pine needles, tops or other materials. To avoid the colonization of mice under the crown, it is not recommended to use materials for shelter that attract these garden pests - straw, weeds. In addition, before hiding under the crowns of the elfin trees, you need to place poisoned baits.
In subsequent years, the formation of stale crowns continues until the trees begin to bear fruit. The principle of formation is the same - every year in the first half of summer, new shoots are allowed to grow freely, and in the second half they are bent with hooks into a horizontal position. At the same time, make sure that the base of the crown is formed in one tier, that is, they do not allow the branches to intertwine, overlap each other, or become excessively thick. All unnecessary branches are cut out. When bending shoots, it is not recommended to secure several at once with one hook, since this will create broom-like crowns in which the shoots will interfere with each other’s normal growth and fruiting. For more convenient cultivation of the soil under the crown, it is not recommended to lay branches on the ground. Only in areas with little snow cover can an exception be made and laid directly on the soil surface and even covered with earth for the winter. On heavy, heavily moistened soils, the bark may become subdued and the covered branches may even die completely, especially if you are late in freeing them from the ground in the spring-summer period.
After the trees begin to bear fruit, the bending of skeletal branches is stopped. As a rule, fruit-bearing branches themselves fall to the ground under the weight of the fruit. By pruning the peripheral part of the crown at this time, broken or diseased branches are removed; if they become very thick, they are thinned out.
During June and July, all vertically growing shoots of the middle part of the crown, when they reach a height of 12-18 cm, are pinched, that is, they are pinched top part, leaving a stump with 3-4 leaves. If you leave them without pinching, they grow strongly and delay the end of tree growth, which reduces its winter hardiness and productivity.
Summer pinching can be replaced by bending the shoots into a horizontal position or twisting their tops in the form of a loop. Shoots that are pinched or twisted in summer must be pruned annually in the spring throughout the life of the tree. Mostly very thick (fatifying) vertical shoots are cut out, leaving weaker ones that have an inclined or horizontal position. All uncut shoots with a length of more than 20-25 cm are cut into stumps with 3-4 buds. If a vertical shoot branched last summer, then it is cut back to the lower branch, which in turn is also cut into 2-3 buds.
T. Ya. Mochalova
