Having decided to plant an apple tree (it does not matter whether it is one tree or a whole garden), you should carefully select the varieties to be planted.
In this case, you should choose the site wisely and become familiar with the growing conditions, rules for controlling pests and plant diseases of the selected varieties.
In this article we would like to introduce you to the Sun apple tree, its photo and description of the variety.
Description, photo
The Solnyshko apple tree is fruit ripening bred by Russian breeders at the end of the twentieth century and already in 1993 was included in the list of elite varieties of domestic selection.
The tree is low, below average height. The crown is not thickened, round in shape. The bark is red-brown in color with a slight shine, and is smooth.
The shoots are thick, curved, brown in color, geniculate in shape.
The leaves are medium-sized, green or light green in color, oval, with a pointed tip, twisting screw and jagged edges.
The flowers are light pink, medium in size, saucer-shaped.
The fruits are medium-sized, from 100.0 to 180.0 grams , oblong, slightly oblique in shape, ribbed and smooth-skinned. During the ripening period, the main color of apples is greenish-yellow, the top color is a bright crimson blush. By the time the fruits are ripe for consumption, the main color becomes light yellow.
The pulp of the fruit is white, may have a creamy tint, juicy, dense in structure, and has a fine grain. The taste of apples is sweet and sour with a pleasant aftertaste.
Fruits of the Sunshine apple tree.
Description of the variety, crop storage
The Solnyshko apple tree variety was obtained from apple seeds using the selection method in the early eighties, and we were lucky enough to try the first fruit only after almost ten years. The Solnyshko apple trees pleasantly surprised us with their excellent ability to produce a large harvest.
A young seedling needs to cover the trunk, at least for the first year of its stay on your site.
The sun is a small fruit tree, has the shape of a round, not very thick crown. The bark on the trunk and branches is smooth, reddish-brown in color. It has thick, small, hairy shoots. The buds are cone-shaped, large, tightly compressed with villi. The leaves are not large, have a smooth, glossy structure and oval shape.
A special difference of the variety is the thick and small petiole of the leaf, which has a sharp, slightly curled tip. Flowers are collected in inflorescences of four or six buds. The flowers have a light pink color and a pleasant aroma. With abundant flowering, the apple tree has a stunning elegant appearance.
The fruits of the Solnyshko variety are medium in size, elongated in shape with protruding ribs, and weigh no more than 150 grams. The apple has a refreshing juicy pulp and an excellent sweet and sour taste. The skin is smooth and oily.
When apples hang on the tree they are greenish-yellow in color, after harvest they change to light yellow with a crimson side. It looks appetizing and begs to be tried as soon as possible. Due to its external characteristics, the Solnyshko apple variety was included in the ranks of elite varieties.
Advantages of the Sun variety:
- has strong immunity to apple scab;
- characterized by high productivity;
- externally beautiful and tasty fruits;
- flowers and leaves are resistant to sudden frosts in early spring;
- tolerates winter well, can withstand temperatures down to – 40 C;
- fruits are preserved for a long time and tolerate transportation well;
- apples are excellent for selling and making cider, jam, jam, dried fruit, juice;
- At the time of fruiting, the apple tree is covered with clusters of healthy and tasty fruits.
Advice from experienced gardeners on how to preserve the presentation of fruits longer:
- The harvest is best stored in a cold room at a temperature from +1°C to +8°C; a cellar, barn or insulated balcony is perfect.
- Harvesting should be done in warm, dry weather conditions. Apples collected in wet weather or rain must be dried before storing them.
- The fruits should be removed from the tree carefully so as not to damage the peel. If possible, grab the apple with your entire palm and pick it off the stem.
- It is best to store in wooden boxes. Before stacking the apples, place paper on the bottom of a clean box.
- Apples should be stacked in a small layer of no more than two or three pieces on top of each other. If each fruit is wrapped in paper, a deeper container will be suitable for storage. It is also possible to buy special “partitions” so that each apple lies separately.
additional characteristics
Advantages and disadvantages
The positive properties of this variety include:
- Not affected by scab;
- High yields;
- Ability to withstand severe frosts in winter and frosts in spring;
- Externally beautiful appearance of fruits with wonderful taste;
- Long shelf life when fresh;
- The ability of fruits to withstand transportation;
- The versatility of fruits as a feedstock for processing.
There is currently no information available regarding any deficiencies. It is this, as well as the presence of the above advantages, that allowed the Solnyshko apple tree variety to be included in the list of elite ones for our country.
Tree height
The tree is not tall: the height, depending on the region and growing conditions, is 2.5 - 3.5 meters.
Crown of the apple tree Sun.
Crown width
The crown of the tree is not wide, round in shape, and can grow up to 4.0 meters in diameter.
Productivity
The variety is productive. From one tree per season you can get up to 200.0 kg of fruit , and with industrial cultivation - up to 120 centners per hectare.
Precociousness
The early fruiting rate is low; the apple tree begins to bear fruit in the sixth or seventh year of development.
Tasting assessment
Apples of this variety have a sweet and sour taste and are rated at 4.3 points on a five-point rating scale.
They contain:
- Titrated acid – up to 0.86%;
- Sugars – up to 7.9%;
- Ascorbic acid – up to 7.2 mg per 100 grams of fruit.
Winter hardiness
The Sunshine apple tree is a winter-hardy variety that can withstand severe frosts.
Disease resistance
ATTENTION! The variety is immune to scab, but is affected by codling moth, red mite, flower beetle, psyllid and copperhead.
Lifespan of a tree
The lifespan of a tree is 25–30 years , of which the active ones are from the 7th year of development until the 20th year of life.
Reviews
Solnyshko apple trees have not yet found wide distribution among gardeners, although they have been successfully zoned in the Central, Central Black Earth and Lower Volga regions of our country. However, there are already reviews about this variety, and here are some of them:
Yuri (Voronezh region): “Last year I picked the first apples of the Solnyshko variety. I bought it from a nursery on a semi-dwarf rootstock (3 years old). The apples are juicy, pleasant to taste, and the size of a fist. Picked at the end of September. I recommend it to everyone, I really liked the variety.”
Valentina (Belgorod): “I don’t know why, but all the apples from my Solnyshko apple tree fell in the first ten days of September. I don't know what the reason is. According to the description, this shouldn’t happen, maybe she did something wrong when growing, or maybe she was deceived when she bought it (I bought it at a “poultry market” from a private owner).
Vladimir (Rostov region): “My Solnyshko apple trees have been growing for more than 10 years. I am very pleased with this variety. Fruits regularly and abundantly. We have enough apples ourselves, and we also supply our relatives and neighbors with them. We make jam, marmalade, pastille, and compotes from them. If other apple trees in our garden produced the same harvest, we would have to take up this matter on a professional basis.”
Landing
Deadlines
The most favorable time for planting this variety of apple tree is in the spring before the buds open, and in the fall - before the onset of frost after the end of leaf fall.
Watch the video on how to plant apple trees in spring:
And a video about how to plant apple trees in the fall:
Technology
In order for the seedling to take root well and the tree to develop successfully in the future, it is necessary to choose a sunny area with any type of soil, with the exception of clay soils.
A few weeks before planting, you should dig a hole 0.7 - 0.8 meters deep and about 1.0 meters in diameter. Before planting, it is better to soak the seedling in water for several hours so that the root system is saturated with moisture.
Planting an apple tree.
At the bottom of the pit it is necessary to arrange a drainage layer, on top of which pour a small part of previously prepared soil. From the poured soil, make a mound in the center of the hole, on which to place the root system of the seedling and straighten it. Fill the hole with the remaining soil, compacting it. Install support and water thoroughly.
IMPORTANT! The condition for correct planting of a tree is the location of the root collar in relation to the ground. The root collar of the plant should be several centimeters above the ground surface.
Distance
When planting, maintain the following distance between trees :
- With the usual growing method - 4.0 - 6.0 meters;
- When grown on a dwarf rootstock - 2.0-3.0 meters.
Planting distance depends on the rootstock.
Features of wood care
The Solnyshko apple variety does not require much effort when caring for it, but it is still necessary to follow the agrotechnical rules for growing an apple tree.
Watering and fertilizers
Particular attention should be paid to watering. Here it is necessary to maintain water balance. The apple tree does not tolerate drought, but at the same time stagnation of moisture in the root system is contraindicated for it, so the tree must be watered frequently, but with a moderate amount of water.
In hot, dry summers, watering becomes more frequent, and in rainy summers, watering is carried out less frequently. In case of heavy rains, it is useful to make special grooves in the tree trunk circles to drain excess moisture. To create better wintering conditions, moisture-charging irrigation should be carried out 2 weeks before the onset of stable frosts.
Important! After each watering or rain, you should loosen the soil on the circle around the trunk to avoid the appearance of a crust on it, which prevents the penetration of air to the roots.
In the first 2 years of a seedling’s life, it needs enough fertilizer added to the soil during planting. And then the tree must be fed depending on the growing season in which it is located. In the spring, the apple tree, increasing its green mass, most of all needs nitrogen. They feed the plant with organic matter in the form of a solution of bird droppings or by adding ammonium nitrate and nitroammophosphate.
During the fruiting phase, the tree’s increased need for phosphorus and potassium is satisfied with superphosphate and potassium sulfate. For successful wintering, the tree should be fed in the fall with special autumn mineral fertilizers. These fertilizers are poured into wells 50 cm deep made with a crowbar in the tree trunk circles, after which they are filled with water.
Soil care
Apple trees are very demanding regarding the absence of weeds in the tree trunk and looseness of the soil. Young trees are especially sensitive to these factors, so weeds must be weeded regularly as they appear, combining weeding with loosening the soil, which helps supply the root system with oxygen. In addition, loose soil facilitates the penetration of moisture into it.
Growing
Apple trees of this variety require watering, but in moderation, because excess moisture has a detrimental effect on the quality of the crop.
In autumn, watering is not required; in summer, in hot years, it should be watered lightly, but often. The most favorable effect of watering is achieved when this operation is performed in the evening.
The sun needs to be watered moderately.
During rainy summers, it is recommended to create small grooves when loosening tree trunks to drain excess water.
Agricultural technology
Agrotechnical work on growing the Solnyshko apple tree is similar to work with other fruit trees , these are:
- Inspection after wintering to identify damaged and diseased branches;
- Treatment of identified disorders;
- Spring pruning and crown formation;
- Preventive measures to combat diseases and pests;
- Watering trees;
- Processing (loosening, weeding, mulching) of tree trunk circles;
- Tree feeding;
- Autumn pruning.
Pruning and crown formation
Crown trimming is a responsible undertaking . The first time you can prune the seedling after planting, so that the plant produces lateral branches that will begin to grow quickly. In this case, the seedling is cut to 1/3 of its total height.
Pruning young apple trees.
Next, crown pruning is carried out regularly, twice a year, in order to:
- In spring - to create favorable conditions for fruit ripening and prevent damage from pests and diseases.
- In autumn , the tree crown is cleaned of branches damaged during harvesting and fruits broken under the weight.
Watch a video tutorial on pruning apple trees:
ADVICE! Forming the correct crown is the key to a good harvest. When performing this work, several rules are followed, these are:
- The skeletal branches of the tree should be located far from each other;
- The central shoot is always higher than the skeletal branches;
- Higher order branches are shorter than lower order branches.
- You cannot delete a large number of branches at one time.
Pollinator varieties
Sunny is a self-sterile variety . The best pollinating varieties are:
- Antonovka,
- Imrus,
- In memory of the Warrior,
- Orlik.
Antonovka.
Imrus.
In memory of the Warrior.
Orlik.
Features of ripening and fruiting
Beginning of fruiting
One of the indirect disadvantages of this variety is its early ripening. The Solnyshko apple tree variety begins to bear fruit at the 6th – 7th year of development.
Kidney formation
The buds of the Sun apple tree are in the form of a cone, large, fleecy, pressed to the branches and drooping.
Flowering period
The apple tree blooms in May, in the 2nd – 3rd decade of the month.
Apple tree blossom Sunny.
Regularity of fruiting
IMPORTANT! Typically, apple trees of this variety bear fruit annually, but due to the fact that the variety appeared relatively recently and has not become widespread, it is therefore not yet possible to talk about the cyclical fruiting of this variety, since there is simply no such data.
Deadlines
Fruit ripening
The fruits ripen in September, in the 2nd – 3rd decade of the month.
Fruit storage
After harvesting and consumer readiness, which occurs in the first half of October, apples are stored until the end of December and the beginning of January , i.e. The shelf life is 2 – 3 months.
Sunshine apples can be stored for 2-3 months.
Watch the video for some tips on storing apples:
All about the harvest
The fruits grow in size 160-210 grams. The skin is colored green, with a blurred blush on the sides. The purpose of the fruit is universal.
Pollinator varieties
The Antey apple tree is self-sterile. Therefore, pollinating trees need to be planted next to it. For this, the following varieties of apple trees are selected: Saffron Pepin, Anise, Autumn Striped, Welsey.
Beginning of fruiting
The culture is characterized by precociousness. The first harvest can be harvested already 2-3 years after planting the tree. During this period, the crop grows 5-10 kilograms of delicious fruit.
Timing of flowering and ripening of apples
The apple tree blooms from mid-May. Petals are white and pink. The fruits ripen in mid-September. Consumer ripeness of the late winter variety occurs in December.
Collection and storage
The harvest begins at the end of September. The fruits have good keeping quality. Store apples in a cool, dry place. Properly preserved, the gardener will be able to consume the fruit until April or May.
Tasting assessment of the fruit
The fruit tastes sweet and sour. They contain a large amount of vitamins and microelements. The pulp is juicy, crispy, with a candy aroma. Tasting score – 4.7 points out of 5 possible.
Apple tree Sun
Dwarf and semi-dwarf
Solnyshko apple trees are grown on dwarf and semi-dwarf rootstocks. When grown in dwarf form, rootstocks 134 and 3-17-38 . With this method of cultivation, the variety can be used to create intensive industrial gardens. The apple tree begins to bear fruit in the 3rd - 4th year of development. The height of the tree is 1.5 – 2.0 meters.
Columnar
There is no variety of columnar apple tree called Solnyshko. Let's talk in general about columnar apple trees.
Specialized nurseries for growing seedlings of fruit crops have long begun to produce apple trees in columnar form. In this case, the branches of the tree grow upward and the crown is not large. The advantage of this form of cultivation is its small crown, which makes it possible to compact tree plantings.
Orlovskoe
Apple tree varieties that are genetically resistant to scab, obtained through breeding work by specialists from the All-Russian Research Institute for Breeding Fruit Crops (FGBNU VNIISPK), are called “Orlovskie”. Therefore, when talking about the Orlovskoye Solnyshko variety, they mean the Solnyshko variety, since this is the same plant.
Features of growing the variety in the regions
Solnyshko apple trees have been zoned in a number of regions of our country - these are the Central and Volga Federal Districts.
ATTENTION! There are no special features when growing the Sun apple tree in other regions, but small nuances, without which it is impossible to get a good harvest, do occur.
In outskirts of Moscow
When growing in the Moscow region, you can follow the general rules for planting and caring for this variety of apple tree. This is due to the fact that the variety is zoned in the Central Federal District.
The Sunshine apple tree is successfully grown in the Moscow region.
In the Leningrad region
The Leningrad region was not included in the number of places where this apple tree was zoned, and since the climate in this region is more humid and the amount of precipitation is much greater than in the central regions of our country, the main feature when growing apple trees of this variety will be to ensure the removal of excess moisture from tree roots.
In the Urals
A large variety of fruit crops, including apple trees, are grown in the Urals. The Solnyshko variety has not yet been released in this region , but due to the fact that apple trees of this variety are frost-resistant and genetically resistant to scab, no special conditions are required when growing this variety in this region.
Specifics of care
The Sunshine apple tree is unpretentious in care, but requires regularity in standard procedures.
See also
When and how to prune an apple tree correctly, is it possible to form a crown in summer?
Read
Watering and fertilizing
The variety does not require abundant watering: moderate but frequent moistening is preferable. Excess moisture can damage the tree, so during periods of heavy rain it is recommended to make drainage grooves.
Every year, before the formation and growth of fruits, it is necessary to add mineral fertilizers: magnesium, potassium, phosphorus. Organic fertilizer is applied under the trunk in the spring while loosening the soil.
Loosening and mulching the soil
Loosen the soil to improve access of oxygen and nutrients to the roots. Mulching helps prevent weeds, which are especially harmful to young seedlings.
Trimming
Trees of this variety are pruned in the spring, removing all damaged, dry, diseased branches growing inward and vertically.
Prevention from insects and diseases
Diseases and insect pests must be dealt with regularly. It is important to monitor the condition of the plants and take action immediately before the infection spreads to neighboring trees.
Sheltering a tree for the winter
This variety, when grown in the recommended regions, does not require shelter for the winter, as it is frost-resistant.
