History of the variety's creation
The Grushovka Moskovskaya variety has been known for about two hundred years. It is believed that it was bred through natural selection - in other words, it was formed during migration through the Black Earth Region, the Urals and Siberia.
The name of the variety was invented by biologist A. Bolotov, to whom the crown of a young tree resembled a pear. The Moscow apple tree was named in order to distinguish it from the already Grushovka Nemetskaya.
In the 19th century, the plant gained popularity in North America. In 1947 it was included in the State Register of Northern Regions. At the moment, the tree is grown throughout Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan.
Growing apple trees in the Moscow region
The Moscow region is one of the regions suitable for growing fruit trees, primarily, of course, apple trees. When choosing a variety, you can rely on many indicators. Often amateur gardeners try to focus on taste. And among the varieties offered for the Moscow region, there is plenty to choose from. Some people like sweet apples, others prefer sweet and sour ones. Well, there are also lovers of fruits with a predominance of sourness in taste
When choosing an apple tree suitable for the garden, first of all you need to pay attention to the characteristics of the variety, its frost resistance and plasticity
You can and should grow apple trees in the Moscow region
As a rule, all varieties are divided into groups that correspond to a particular period of fruit ripening. Based on this, we can distinguish 3 main groups:
- summer;
- autumn;
- winter.
Main characteristics
Grushovka Moskovskaya is an apple tree reaching a height of about 7 meters. The crown is branched and usually has a diameter of 8 meters, becoming more spreading as it matures, with drooping branches. If the plant is more than 10 years old, the crown becomes spherical.
The leaves are on long petioles, have the shape of an ellipse, are elongated, with small denticles along the edges. They are usually colored green, less often yellow-green. There may be keeled leaves. Young foliage is pubescent; mature foliage is either absent or insignificant.
The petals in buds are colored pink, changing the shade to light pink, almost white, as they bloom. Diameter – 2.5 centimeters. The bark of the apple tree is brown with an orange or yellow tint. The seedlings are more intensely colored. The branches are smooth, without thorns.
A tree lives on average 60 years, producing fruits 4 years after planting.
Variety description: apple from an apple tree…
Grushovka trees are large in size and have a dense, voluminous crown of a pyramidal or round shape. The average height of the tree is 6–7 m, the diameter of the crown is on average 8 m. The apple tree has dense foliage.
The Grushovka tree has a dense, voluminous crown of a pyramidal or round shape.
Apple trees of this variety usually live 50–60 years, and begin to bear fruit early - most often in the fourth year after planting. The harvest volumes may also surprise you: in the first few years, you can get up to 10 kg of apples from one tree, and if it is more than 15 years old, then 80–100 kg .
From one tree aged 15 or more years you can get up to 100 kg of apples
The fruits of Grushovka are small, often even considered small (maximum fruit weight is 100–120 g, average fruit weight is 60–80 g). They have a round, slightly flattened shape, and are greenish-yellow in color with pink or red stripes. The skin is thin, smooth, covered with a layer of natural wax.
Their flesh is soft, juicy, with a bright and pleasant aroma. When fully ripened, apples taste sweet, with a barely perceptible pleasant sourness. The calorie content of the fruit is quite low and amounts to 47 kcal for every 100 g.
The pulp of Grushovka is soft, juicy, with a pleasant aroma
Comparative characteristics of Grushovka species: Moscow, early and winter
Often, when reading information about Grushovka, you can come across new names - Grushovka Moscow, Grushovka early, winter. And not everyone knows what each of them means. Apple tree Grushovka and Grushovka Moscow are the same plant, the founder of this genus.
The average weight of a Grushovka apple is 60-80 g
But the Grushovka early and Grushovka winter apple trees are the result of crossing with another variety. Early apple trees appeared as a result of pollination of the Grushovka tree by the Moscow Papirovka. Experts consider early pear to be the most successful variety. The fruits of this variety are twice as large as those of the ancestor. Productivity reaches up to 200 kg per tree. The variety is resistant to scab and has good winter hardiness, but the fruits do not ripen at the same time, and most often do not bear fruit regularly, but every other year. Therefore, early Grushovka is used only in amateur gardening and is widespread in most regions of the European part of Russia.
Early Grushovka is the result of pollination of the Grushovka tree by the Moscow variety Papirovka
The winter version of the variety is the result of crossing Moscow Grushovka with the Kronselskoye Transparent variety. Grushovka Zimnyaya differs from Moscow in having larger fruits. The variety is very productive - at least 100 kg of fruits are collected from the tree. And yet, this variety has not become widespread, since its winter hardiness is quite low, and the disease resistance of apple trees is also low. You can meet them in central Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus.
Winter Grushovka is the result of crossing Moscow Grushovka with the Kronselskoe transparent variety
Description of fruits
Grushovka apples are either small or medium. The maximum weight is 120 grams, the average is about 80. They are spherical in shape, slightly flattened, but can also be onion-shaped. The skin is quite thin and has a pleasant smell. Because the fruit has a layer of natural wax, it may appear greasy.
The pulp is juicy and friable, the color is white, but can be cream or pink. The taste is subtle, delicate, kilo-sweet or noticeably sour (if it contains a lot of vitamin C). An overripe crop has dry and mealy pulp. The calorie content of apples is 47 kilocalories per 100 grams.
It is not advisable to use the fruits for commercial purposes, since they are poorly stored and do not like transportation.
Varieties
Semi-dwarf
This “Grushovka” is obtained as a result of grafting. It is of interest only to sellers, since it bursts in the 15th year. Not recommended by farmers for planting gardens.
Dwarf
An even more complex plant, especially when it is obtained from a vegetative rootstock. Multiple fruits, poor fusion and lack of quality support lead to the fact that the tree simply bursts, all or partially. So planting large plantations is associated with risk.
Columnar
There is a lot of information on the Internet that this is a new especially frost-resistant variety with small lemon-colored apples without a pinkish tint, with a sour taste.
Late
Another publicity stunt. In the Leningrad region, where the summer is short, “Grushovka” is indeed a late-ripening variety, but it is not a new variety.
Summer
This is the second name of “Moscow pear”, under which it is sold in the south. Its properties are poorly adapted to hot climates, so sellers use various tricks to sell it.
Pollinator trees
To pollinate the Grushovka Moskovskaya apple tree, pollination with pollen from other varieties is necessary. The following varieties of apples act as excellent pollinators:
- Antonovka;
- Padding;
- Anise Striped;
- Cinnamon;
- Bellefleur is Chinese.
Antonovka
Anise Striped;
Padding
Cross pollination requires the presence of 3-4 varieties. In orchards, pollination can occur with the help of bees, so it is advisable to place trees at a distance of a maximum of 60 meters from each other.
Diseases and pests
In general, the culture has average immunity to diseases. Most often it suffers from scab, powdery mildew, and fruit rot. For prevention, trees should be treated with fungicides: early in the spring, during bud break, and then after flowering.
A solution of Bordeaux mixture, copper oxychloride, Horus or Skor preparations helps well against powdery mildew and scab. Fundazol saves you from fruit rot.
You can protect your tree from diseases using simple preventive procedures:
- constantly rid the apple tree of old, dry and damaged branches;
- before placing the tree in a permanent place, you need to keep the land fallow for at least 2 years;
- if necessary, spray the apple tree with disinfectants and medicinal agents;
- in the autumn, it is imperative to collect and burn fallen leaves, since fungal spores can move from the foliage to the ground, where they calmly survive the winter.
If we talk about pests, then most often the apple tree is attacked by aphids, apple moths, codling moths, apple flower beetles and some others. It is aphids and moths that pose the greatest danger. The first one is generally capable of quickly spreading throughout the tree and sucking out all its juices, and this provokes the falling of leaves. Moth caterpillars also feed on the juices of leaves and shoots, chewing them.
To get rid of parasites, you can use Bordeaux mixture, copper sulfate, and soda solution. If the problem was discovered late, insecticides will help.
It is worth noting the harmful effects of rodents on wood. They usually become active in winter. These include hares, mice and other rodents. To prevent them from harming the apple tree, whitewashing should be done in late autumn.
Some gardeners advise protecting the tree with covering materials (for example, roofing felt).
Caring for the variety in spring, summer and autumn
To water a tree, dig a ditch around its perimeter and pour settled, room-temperature water into it. In the summer, when it is hot and there has been no rain for a long time, watering can be done classically, and then using the sprinkling method. It is required that the leaves dry completely and watering, for example, can be repeated in the evening.
Tree feeding is applied 3 or 4 times per season. For example, 1 feeding is done after April 20. They make a mixture of fertilizers: per bucket of humus water requires 5 or 6 buckets + 0.5 kg of urea.
2 fertilizing is applied before the plant blooms. For 10 liters of liquid you will need the following composition: 40 g of potassium sulfate, 50 g of superphosphate. To water 1 tree, you need 40 liters of mixture. When the apples ripen, add 50 g of nitrophoska with sodium glutate at the root. In the autumn, the last feeding is done: 300 g of potassium salt + 300 g of superphosphate. The mixture should be scattered around the tree trunk.
Pruning and whitewashing, how does a tree winter?
The tree is pruned for the first time 1 year after planting. This is done to ensure that the trunk grows evenly. The owner cuts off the branches located on top by 1/3. This is approximately 30 to 40 cm. If pruning is needed in the future in the fall or spring, the owner will cut off the extra branches that thicken the crown.
In autumn the tree is whitewashed. This helps destroy larvae and pests hiding under the bark. In addition, lime destroys disease spores that end up on the bark.
"Important! Before whitewashing, you need to carefully inspect the trunk and cover all wounds with cracks with garden varnish.”
A solution suitable for high-quality whitewashing is as follows:
- quicklime - 2 kg;
- water - 6 l;
- fatty clay - 1 l.
The mixture is stirred, milk with a low fat content is poured into it. Now the mixture will stick perfectly to the bark. Trees need to be whitewashed in November, when the rains typical for this time of year have ended. To whitewash, start from the roots, process the trunk, forks and 10-15 centimeters at the beginning of large branches.
Grushovka is frost-resistant; it is not specially covered for the winter. The bark of a young tree is readily gnawed by hares, so the trunk must be protected. Most often he is wrapped in old nylon tights and black polyethylene.
They cut off the top and bottom, make cuts on one side of the plastic bottles, turn away the edges and cover the barrel with plastic. If they don’t want to cover it with bottles, they tie spruce branches around the tree with the needles down.
Hares are cowardly, if you tie black bags by the handles to the branches of a young tree, then the animals will see them in the snow from afar, and the fact that they rustle will scare away the big-eared ones. In March, when the snow cover melts, the trees need to be freed from protection. The main thing is not to forget, otherwise the trunk will overheat and the tree will prematurely release buds, which will quickly freeze, and this will have a bad effect on the harvest.
Advantages and disadvantages
Before planting an apple tree of the Grushovka Moskovskaya variety, you should carefully study its strengths and weaknesses. Gardeners highlight the following advantages of the plant:
- the apple tree survives the winter excellently, coping with frosts down to -50 degrees;
- Trees bear fruit 4-5 years after planting;
- Apples ripen at the end of July-beginning of August;
- fruits contain B vitamins, vitamin C, sugar, pectin and organic acids;
- the yield is quite high, especially if the tree is mature.
The disadvantages of the variety are as follows:
- the ripening time of apples on the same tree may differ;
- if the summer is dry, then the tree tends to shed its harvest;
- the plant suffers from scab, especially if the weather is rainy;
- storing or transporting crops is problematic;
- It is impossible to make jam or preserves from apples; they are also not suitable for fermentation;
- the consumer period is quite short;
- Fruiting is irregular and uneven.
How to plant an apple tree
The Grushovka Moskovskaya variety is not capricious; planting an apple tree differs little from planting other varieties of apple trees, so the description of this action will not be a revelation for experienced gardeners.
A beginner needs to plant an apple tree together with a friend
The main requirement when planting a fruit tree is to choose a site. A strong wind can easily break a thin young seedling; an apple tree tends to crumble, and the wind intensifies this phenomenon. This way you can lose, if not the entire harvest, then a significant part of it. For this reason, it is recommended to choose a place for planting that is protected from gusts of wind and at the same time sufficiently sunny. Elevations are well suited, while in lowlands and basins the tree runs the risk of freezing. In order for the apple tree to grow as beautiful and productive as in the photo, it is advisable to select an area with fertile soil for planting it. The soils best suited for this variety are sandy loam and loam. The apple tree reacts nervously to the proximity of groundwater, but if such a position of groundwater has developed on the site, then you will have to spend a little more effort on the planting event and, in addition to planting, dig drainage channels not far from the apple trees. An apple tree of this variety, like other varieties of fruit trees, is planted either in spring or autumn. It is preferable to carry out spring planting activities starting from mid-April, and autumn planting activities until mid-October. It is not advisable to plant trees after October due to frost.
Before planting, excavation work is carried out, it is advisable to complete it a week before the main events. First, a hole is dug under each seedling, the size of which depends on the size of the tree’s root system - it must fit freely into the hole. The average dimensions of a planting hole are a depth of 60-70 centimeters and a diameter of up to 100 cm. Four days before planting the plant, the soil at the bottom of the hole is loosened and humus is laid - 25 g for each hole
After this, a layer of mineral and organic fertilizers is added to the future place of residence of the seedling; let’s say, wood ash and superphosphate are best suited for this. A seedling is planted on an earthen bed, straightening the root system and carefully covering it with earth. Having sprinkled the roots, carefully compact the soil, trying not to damage the roots.
It is recommended that before planting a seedling, place a stake in the hole and tie the young tree to this support. The purpose of the stake is to add stability to the seedling while it is still small. After planting, the plant is watered abundantly, for which at least five buckets of water are used. Then the tree trunk soil is mulched with peat. The next week the seedling is watered again.
Landing
Most of all, the apple tree of this variety loves loamy, sandy loam or turf soils. In general, the tree is unpretentious, so the planting rules are the same as for many fruit crops. You cannot plant an apple tree in a damp area with stagnant liquid or in the shade.
Young plants are planted around the end of April or beginning of May, or in September-October. The pits should have steep slopes, a width of 100 centimeters and a depth of 60 centimeters. 4 days before planting, fertilizers are applied (25 kilograms of humus). In the formed hole you need to make a recess for the root system.
It is best to plant with garter stakes. Thanks to this, the seedlings will be more stable. A stake is driven in immediately before placing the plant, placing it on the north side of the trunk to protect the apple tree from frost and heat.
The planting must be deep; it is necessary to make rollers along the boundaries of the pit. Immediately after planting, pour in 30 liters of water, and then mulch with humus or compost.
Be sure to water during dry periods
Stage 1. Process the tree trunk circle. Loosen the surface to a depth of about 10 cm. Remove all weeds and grass. Mulch with peat or humus. But you can use sawdust, grass clippings or straw, as in the example in the photo
Stage 2. Water during dry periods Carry out work if there is no rain for more than 10 days. Depending on the size, 4 to 12 buckets of water are poured onto the tree. Use warm, settled water. The best time to water is evening
Stage 3. Feed three times per season. Apply fertilizer in early spring, during the formation of ovaries and after the leaves fall. Use organics or mineral complexes. Ideally, alternate between different formulation options.
Stage 4. Form the crown correctly In the first years, the shape of the future tree is set, so it needs to be trimmed according to the diagram
It is important to make the tree tiered, with shoots growing evenly around the entire circumference. In the future, carry out sanitary pruning every spring. Also remove branches that thicken the crown and grow incorrectly
Stage 5
Harvest on time Collect ripening apples 1-2 times a week. It is better to remove from a tree. Fallen fruits are poorly stored
Care
In order for a tree to enjoy a bountiful harvest, it must be provided with proper care. For intensive development of the apple tree after the first flowering, gardeners recommend removing up to 85% of the flowers. 50% of apples need to be picked while still green. Due to this, harvest volumes are normalized.
The plant is afraid of drought, therefore, it is necessary to properly organize the watering regime: activities are carried out about 2-3 times a week. They stop watering it only at the end of August so that it is properly prepared for winter.
The tree trunk needs to be regularly loosened and weeds growing nearby must be pulled out. In the fall, to make the apple tree cope with the cold more easily, they mulch with horse humus.
In late autumn, in order to protect the apple tree from lichens and mosses, as well as to destroy parasites and fungi, it is recommended to whiten the trunk. All damage is first covered with a garden varnish.
The following composition is suitable for whitewashing: 6 liters of water + 2 kilograms of quicklime + kilogram of fatty clay. After thorough mixing, add skim milk. Not only the trunk is treated, but also the bases of large branches.
You don’t have to cover the tree for the winter, although you should take care to protect it from rodents. To do this, you can use simple nylon tights, plastic bottles, black plastic bags or spruce branches.
As soon as the snow has completely melted, the protective piles must be removed. Otherwise, the trunk will overheat and the buds will open before the required moment.
How to prepare fruit trees for winter?
For the successful overwintering of apple and pear trees, not only the degree of frost resistance inherent in the variety is important, but also the correct preparation of the trees. If the first does not depend on us, then the second is our direct responsibility! Timely and complete harvesting of fruits, watering, fertilizing, pest and disease control ensure not only a high yield, but also a safe overwintering of the trees.
To mitigate the effects of winter cold, you can use frost-resistant stamp formers or hill up tree trunks with forked skeletal branches with snow. A good effect is achieved by growing apple and pear trees in a “creeping” form, which allows you to easily protect them from frost with some kind of covering material.
Please note that young pears are more likely to freeze. Therefore, in winter we insulate them more thoroughly with snow and cover the trunks.
In order for our fruit trees to winter well, the garden needs to be disinfected in late autumn. Typically, solutions of preparations containing copper and iron are used for this. But these elements accumulate in the bark and soil, and in high concentrations they become toxic. In my garden I use a soap-ash solution for disinfection. For 10 liters of water I take 5 cups of wood ash. I put it in an old nylon stocking so that later I don’t have to strain the solution. I fill it with water and let it sit for 2 days, periodically stirring the stocking with ash. I add 40 g of laundry soap to the prepared solution - for better adhesion to the bark. In dry, clear weather, I treat all branches and trunks of fruit trees with this solution.
Don’t forget about autumn watering and fertilizing of apple and pear trees. The immunity of trees to low temperatures depends on this.
In autumn, when active growth ends and the need for nitrogen decreases to a minimum, trees need phosphorus and potassium. It is these elements that are washed out of the soil especially actively in winter.
We free the tree trunk of the plant from mulch and apply fertilizer. We rake it into the soil. Then water and mulch with a thick layer of dry grass. Now our garden is ready for winter!
Feeding
The Grushovka Moskovskaya apple tree is fed from the second year of its life. At the beginning of spring, rotted horse manure or humus is added to the soil in a ratio of 10 kilograms per square meter. 500 grams of urea are used as mineral fertilizers.
In autumn, the plant can be supported with the help of complex fertilizers that do not contain nitrogen (or those that contain no more than 5%). As an example, we can take the product “Kemira Autumn”, which is applied at the rate of 40 grams per square meter. The granules are simply scattered dry around the apple trees, and then the soil is dug up.
Moscow Grushovka apple tree: planting varieties
Moscow Grushovka apple tree: photo of variety
- Priming
A planting hole for planting the Moscow Grushovka apple tree is made measuring about one hundred centimeters by one hundred centimeters. Soils that are more suitable for this tree are loamy and sandy loam with neutral reactions, not poor in organic matter and microelements.
- Disembarkation process
- Planting is not done alone.
- It is necessary to use a stake as a support.
- The landing site is sheltered from drafts and wind.
- The depth of groundwater is no more than one hundred and fifty centimeters.
- Trimming process
Initially formative pruning is done, and then after the harvest process, regulating pruning is done. In adulthood, sanitary pruning is performed.
Note! If you do not have the proper knowledge of garden pruning tools, you should not purchase the Grushovka Moskovskaya apple tree variety.
Trimming
The tree is first pruned the next year after planting to promote adequate trunk formation. The upper branches are cut off by about a third, and the main part of the trunk is shortened by 40 centimeters. In the future, such manipulations are carried out as necessary.
What makes a fruit tree special?
Trunk and crown dimensions
The Moscow Grushovka apple tree grows up to 7 m. The shape of the crown, under the influence of constantly large harvests, changes with age from pyramidal to spherical up to 8 m in diameter. The branches are long, strong, spreading, well leafy. The smooth bark of young apple tree seedlings is red-brown in color. And the bark of Grushovka Moscow adult, like all summer varieties, is light yellow.
Branching of the root system
The root system of the apple tree is represented by vertical roots and horizontal ones. The first ones hold the trunk in the soil and extract food from deep soil layers. In addition to nutrients, horizontal ones supply the tree with air.
Roots are also divided into skeletal and overgrowing. The first ones are thick ones. And the latter are fibrous, thin and small.
There are a lot of them. And they are designed to absorb water with mineral salts dissolved in it and release decay products outside. This type of roots is located at a depth of up to half a meter directly under the crown. Therefore, it is in this layer that the applied fertilizers will be useful.
Fruiting variety
Beginning of period
The beginning of the fruiting period depends on the rootstock: on a dwarf rootstock - three years after planting, and on a tall apple tree - after 6. The harvest will gradually increase and in 9-10 years it will be possible to get up to 100 kg.
Flowering and pollination
The Moscow Grushovka apple tree blooms well with optimal air and soil humidity, in windless, calm weather. A dry spring or, on the contrary, a sharp cooling, rainy and windy weather will negatively affect both flowering and pollination. This apple tree is self-fertile, that is, it requires pollination by other varieties to set fruit.
When choosing a pollinator apple tree, you have to consider:
- varietal qualities of pollinators;
- coincidence in flowering time.
Papirovka and Antonovka are the best suited for Moscow Grushovka, Anis Striped and Cinnamon are good, Belfleur-Chinese is very effective.
For effective cross-pollination, experts attract honey bees to apple trees. In the mornings during the flowering period, they spray the apple trees with honey water.
Ripening of fruits and their further sale
The fruits ripen towards the end of summer. They usually make it to Apple Spas. But climatic features are also important: on Valaam, for example, they begin to please by mid-September. It is preferable to use our Grushovka fresh. Firstly, its fruits are one of the first apples of the season and are full of vitamins and essential microelements.
Secondly, they are not stored for a long time: maximum 3 weeks. Therefore, they are not suitable for transportation and subsequent processing. Must be used locally. Or they are used directly for food, which is very useful for families of gardeners, or for home processing: wines, juices, applesauce and dried fruits.
Winter hardiness
One of the remarkable properties of Moscow Grushovka is its phenomenal resistance to frost. A striking example of frost resistance is the successful fruiting of the Moscow Grushovka apple tree on the island of Valaam at -50˚C. Yellow apples with a blurred blush ripen in the northern latitude. Isn't this a miracle?
This Grushovka variety grows comfortably in places where many fruit trees simply cannot survive.
Immunity to diseases and pests
This variety does not have a pronounced immunity to common apple diseases. But its most vulnerable point is its susceptibility to scab. Especially in wet weather. Of the pests, the codling moth is the most annoying.
Reviews
Marina, Moscow region : I’m just a fan of Grushovka! I think these are the most delicious apples I have ever tried. The tree does not require special care, and for me this is ideal, since sometimes due to work I cannot come to the dacha. The harvest is simply incredible, about 100 kilograms. I am very pleased.
Nikolay, Ufa : About 20 years ago, my parents planted several apple trees of the Grushovka variety. All of them consistently bring us harvest, and in large volumes. The only sad thing is that sometimes we don’t have time to eat it, even if we distribute it to our neighbors: they are not easy to grow, these apples. A couple of times our trees were sick, but we noticed them in time and treated them. These apple trees endured even harsh winters with dignity. Suitable for our area.
