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Before Nika appeared in Russia, only a few varieties of pears were patented, which have complex resistance and can withstand low temperatures. It's no surprise that Nick's pear quickly became popular, as this variety has several important benefits. From its “parents” (Talgar Beauty and Daughter of Dawn), the variety took over large-fruited and yield, frost resistance and excellent taste of ripe pears. Nika is a winter variety, its fruits are perfectly stored, have a high nutritional value, and tolerate transportation well.
Description pear varieties Nick, photos and reviews about her can be found in this article. Here we will talk about the advantages and disadvantages of Nika, about the rules for growing a tree and the qualities of its fruits.
Characteristic
Soviet scientists bred the Nika variety, this pear is included in the State Register and zoned for the Central Region with black earth soils. Nika's dwarf pear is primarily distinguished by its compact size - the tree grows in height only up to three to four meters. The appearance of the plant is also unusual - a spherical crown formed by skeletal branches extending from the trunk almost at right angles.
Full characteristics of Nick's pear:
- shoots of medium thickness, the trunk is covered with brown bark, the leaves are in the form of a slightly pointed oval, slightly curved;
- the surface of the sheet is smooth, without glossy sheen;
- Nika blooms with white large inflorescences;
- with age, the crown of a pear tree is thinned - this is a characteristic feature of the variety;
- the shape of the fruit is correct, pear-shaped;
- the mass of the Nika variety is large - on average, 180 grams;
- in an immature form, pears are painted in a green tint, reddish spots clearly appear on the peel, ripe fruits are yellow;
- the peel on the fruits is thin, smooth, there is a small layer of wax;
- the pulp of the fruit is creamy, with a delicate texture, very juicy;
- the taste of Nick's pear is high: inside it is sweet and sour, without grain, with light notes of nutmeg;
- Nika needs to harvest in mid-to-late September;
- consumer maturity of fruits occurs only by October - pears need to lie down to ripen;
- even when ripe, the fruit poured with juice does not crumble from the branches, therefore, if the weather permits, you can postpone the harvest until October;
- you can store the crop for three to four months;
- storage conditions - dry and dark room or storage with a constant temperature at 0 degrees;
- the yield of the Nika variety is high;
- the fruiting phase of the variety begins early - 4-5 years after planting the tree;
- the frost resistance of the tree is high - Nika is able to withstand a cold snap down to -38 degrees;
- Nika is resistant to fungal infections such as scab and entomosporia;
- a pear of this variety is not demanding on the composition of the soil, but does not like strong waterlogging;
- the variety is partially self-fertile, that is, for good and stable yields, Nike needs pear pollinators that will bloom at the same time;
- the purpose of fruits is universal: fragrant jams, confitures are obtained from fruits, they can be used as a filling, make wine or juice from pears, make marmalade.
Advantages and disadvantages
The gardeners' reviews about Nick's pear are mostly positive. The owners of orchards note the hassle-free and unpretentiousness of this variety: it is very easy to grow Nika, she practically does not need care, the tree rarely gets sick.
Nick's pear has several advantages:
- good frost resistance, which makes it possible not to cover trees in the central part of the country (including in the Moscow region);
- the ability to regenerate - frostbitten branches quickly recover and begin to bear fruit;
- fruits are stored for a long time and retain their excellent presentation until spring;
- the tree has a strong immunity to fungal diseases;
- fruits receive high tasting marks (not less than 4.5 points out of five).
Like all horticultural crops, Nika has her own small drawbacks. Gardeners include:
- the need for regular pruning of the crown;
- Nicky's need for pollinators.
Of course, against the background of extreme unpretentiousness and the listed advantages of Nick's pear, all its disadvantages seem insignificant. Due to this, the variety is often grown both in private farms and in large gardens.
Growing rules
Nick's pear variety belongs to those that are often preferred by summer residents and novice gardeners. And planting and caring for this pear does not require special knowledge and special skills.
Planting a tree
First you need to choose good seedlings: trees, no more than one or two years old, with several strong and elastic roots directed in different directions, without signs of disease.
In order for pear seedlings to take root in a new place, holes are prepared for them in advance. If the tree is planned to be planted in the spring, then you need to prepare the planting site in the fall. First of all, they dig a hole, the depth and diameter of which is about a meter. Then the top layer from this pit is mixed with organic matter (humus, rotted manure or bird droppings, compost), wood ash and superphosphate are added. This mixture must be left in the pit until the pear is planted so that all the nutrients have time to dissolve.
If there are no other pears in the garden, together with Nika, you will have to plant another pear that has the same flowering time. If this is not done, Nika's flowers will be weakly pollinated, which will affect the fruit setting and the overall yield of the tree.
In the spring, the seedlings are soaked in water for a couple of hours and start planting. They put the tree in the center of the pit and carefully straighten its roots. Then gradually sprinkle the roots with dry earth, periodically shaking the pear to compact the soil.
After planting, Nick's pear must be watered using several buckets of water. After that, it is recommended to mulch the land with sawdust or other material in order to prevent the soil and roots from drying out, to protect the seedling from heat and frost.
Care
Nick's pear is unpretentious, but the tree still needs minimal care:
- Organic mulch from sawdust or humus protects the roots and the lower part of the stem from freezing in winter and from overheating in summer. The optimum thickness of the mulch layer is 5 cm.
- There is no need to fertilize a pear in the first few years after planting, as long as there is enough nutrition from the planting pit. Subsequently, in addition to humus mulch, it is recommended to scatter mineral complex fertilizers near the tree. You shouldn't be zealous with nitrogen.
- Pear trees are watered as needed, but watering three times must be done. The first time Nika is watered before blooming flower buds, the procedure is repeated after 10-14 days. The last time a tree is watered after harvest is an important stage in the pre-winter preparation of the plant.
- Pruning for the Nika variety is extremely important - it is performed annually, in the spring. In the process of pruning, it is necessary to cut out old and dry shoots and shorten all other branches by 10-15 cm. If you do not rejuvenate the crown in this way, Nika will begin to thin out and “go bald”, and her fruits will become smaller.
- Before flowering, the tree must be treated for preventive purposes, for this you can use any complex preparation.
- In especially cold regions, winter-hardy Nika needs to be slightly insulated. For this, the lower branches and the bole are wrapped in a non-woven material or protected in another way.
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Conclusion
The Nika pear is perfect for growing in private gardens and large farms. A bonsai does not need a lot of space, it is easy to harvest from a low pear, pruning and processing a compact crown. Nika has a lot of advantages, but, above all, this variety is appreciated for its unpretentiousness and tasty fruits with a long shelf life.
Those who have chosen Nick for their own garden should be prepared for annual pruning. In addition, the tree will need pollinators - without them, the harvest can not wait.
