Content
Apple tree Pepin Saffron is a winter variety with aromatic, mouth-watering fruits. For a long time, it was he who was the most cultivated both by amateur gardeners in their summer cottages, and on an industrial scale in state horticultural farms. Juicy crispy apples were used fresh as a dessert and for making juices, jams, and preserves. In recent years, interest in the variety has been undeservedly declining and lovers of these particular apples are increasingly engaged in the cultivation of Pepin saffron.
Breeding history
The apple variety Pepin Saffron, the famous Russian scientist, breeder - geneticist IV Michurin bred in 1907 in the Tambov province, Michurinsk. The new variety has inherited the best qualities of the parental pair - Renet d'Orléans and hybrid variety. Received from Pepin Lithuanian and Chinese apple trees. The breeder received the first fruiting in 1915.
Subsequently, on its basis, breeders have bred about 20 varieties of aromatic apples, which are widespread throughout the country.
Description of the variety and characteristics
The apple trees of this variety reach medium size with a round, rather dense crown and drooping branches. Young shoots of Pepin Saffron light olive color with a grayish bloom. The leaves are small, oblong, with a sharp tip, matte. Shoots and leaves of the saffron Pepin apple tree have strong pubescence.
Adult tree height
Within 5-7 years of growth, the Pepin Saffron apple tree reaches an average height. Mature trees can also be characterized as medium-sized. Young shoots are long, hanging down to the ground. The fruits are tied on fruit twigs and spears.
Crown width
The crown of young apple trees is spherical, and of adults it acquires a wide, rounded shape with many shoots that reach the ground.
Fertility, pollinators
Apple trees of the Pepin Saffron variety are self-pollinated, have high self-fertility, but good pollinators contribute to an increase in yield. The varieties Calvil snow, Slavyanka, Antonovka, Welsey have proven themselves best as pollinators. Apple tree rootstocks begin to harvest 4-5 years after grafting.
Fruit
The fruits of Pepin Saffron apple trees are medium in size, often small than large. The weight of apples reaches 130-140 g, but the average weight usually does not exceed 80 g. Fruits have an oval-conical slightly ribbed shape. The surface of the apples is smooth, the skin is rather dense and shiny.
The characteristic color of Pepin Saffronny is green-yellow, with a pronounced dark red blush, through which darker lines, strokes and dots clearly appear. During storage, ripening, they take on an orange-yellow color with a blush. The stalk of apples is long, 1-2 mm thick, emerging from a deep funnel-shaped fossa with rusted edges. The fruits are held very firmly on the tree.
The apple pulp is juicy, dense, fine-grained, firm and crunchy, of a creamy shade. The chemical composition of the pulp is quite rich:
- sugar - 12%;
- vitamin C;
- organic acids - up to 0.6%;
- vitamin C - 14.5 mg / 100g;
- PP vitamins - 167mg / 100g;
- dry matter - about 14%.
Tasting assessment
Pepin Saffron apples have a wonderful wine-sweet dessert taste and a delicate spicy aroma. Lovers of the variety appreciate the balanced, pleasant taste. Fruit of universal purpose - suitable both for fresh consumption and for processing. Juicy aromatic apples will decorate any table, and thick purees and jams have a unique, distinctive aroma.
The fruits have excellent transportability, long shelf life - up to 220-230 days. In the process of maturation, they improve taste, retain their presentation. The harvest is usually harvested in mid - late September, and by the end of October the apples of the Pepin Saffron variety acquire an even richer taste.
Yield
The first fruits from young Pepin Saffron apple trees can be obtained 4-5 years after planting or rootstock. Fully begins to bear fruit from the 7th year of life. With proper care and sufficient moisture, from 220 kg to 280 kg of fragrant juicy apples are harvested from each tree every year.
The frequency of fruiting
The Pepin Saffron variety does not have a fruiting frequency - you can get stable high yields every year. But, according to some reports, in an arid climate, without sufficient soil moisture, trees bear fruit at a pronounced frequency.
Winter hardiness
Apple trees of the Pepin Saffron variety have an average winter hardiness, therefore they are not suitable for the northern regions, but in the regions of central Russia they are cultivated quite successfully. In the southern regions, in Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, the countries of the Caucasus, they are winter-hardy, easily tolerate winter and quickly regenerate (recover) after damage to branches from frost and spring pruning.
Disease resistance
Apple trees of the Pepin Saffron variety are more susceptible to scab and fungal diseases (especially powdery mildew) than other varieties. The resistance to the moth is average - the pest damages the seed capsule the most. Treating with fungicides and other means is imperative to avoid damage to trees and crops.
Landing
Since the apple variety has an average resistance to low temperatures, one- and two-year-old seedlings are planted only in early spring. Saplings planted in open ground in autumn may die in winter. Soil preparation and planting are carried out in two stages.
Site selection, pit preparation
Taking into account the average winter hardiness, the place for the seedlings should be chosen sunny, well protected from the north side (by the wall of the house, by the fence). Low-lying areas should also be avoided as cold air collects there.
Groundwater at the landing site should be no closer than 2 m from the ground surface. In the near-trunk circle, melt or rainwater should not accumulate in order to avoid damage to the root system.
In autumn
The soil for planting seedlings is prepared in advance, in late autumn. Organic fertilizers (rotted manure) are distributed on the surface of the soil at the rate of 4-5 kg per 1 sq. m, ash for alkalization of the soil - 200-300 g per 1 sq. m and 1 table. a spoonful of potassium phosphate fertilizers. When digging, fertilizers are embedded in the ground and left until spring.
In the spring
In early spring, the earth is dug up again to enhance aeration and planting pits with a diameter of 1 m and a depth of 0.75-0.80 m are prepared. Drainage is laid out at the bottom of each hole - 2-3 cm of expanded clay or pieces of brick. Sand, humus, peat and 20 g of nitroammofoska are mixed in equal amounts, the composition is laid on top of the drainage. The pit is covered and left for 10-15 days.
Saplings of apple trees Pepin Saffron must be planted in prepared planting pits before bud break. To do this, the planting material is lowered into a hole, poured with a bucket of water over the roots so that the roots, along with moisture, naturally sink into the soil. Sprinkle the roots with earth from above and compact the top layer well. Then the apple tree must be watered with at least 30 liters of water and mulched.
When planting, you need to try to place the root collar at the level of the soil. Young seedlings are watered until complete rooting every week with 10 liters of water.
Care
Apple trees of the Pepin Saffron variety are demanding for feeding. To obtain stable, abundant yields, it is necessary to introduce additional nutrition in a timely manner.
Watering and feeding
Young and adult trees are watered as needed, once every 10 days, keeping the soil normally moist (the earth, compressed in handfuls, should not decay). Fertilize Pepin saffron apple trees as follows:
- every 2-3 years in the fall after harvesting, potash-phosphorus fertilizers are applied to the trunk circle;
- every year after flowering, they are watered with infused bird droppings in a ratio of 1:15;
- in the fall, organic fertilizers (humus or compost) are introduced into the trunk circle, adding 1 glass of ash;
- in order to avoid shedding of the ovaries, the tree is watered with an infusion of slurry diluted with water 1: 3.
Pruning
Trees are very demanding for pruning. In the first few years after planting, crown formation is carried out, and then annual pruning in the spring before bud break, shortening the shoots and freeing the trunk and skeletal branches from unnecessary branches. It is recommended to prune up to 25% of the apple tree annually.
Prevention and protection against diseases and pests
Scab and other fungal diseases, which are most susceptible to the apple variety Pepin Saffron, often occur in thickened, poorly ventilated crowns, so pruning serves as a good prevention of infection. Potassium-phosphorus fertilizers improve the health of the apple tree crown and prevent the spread of diseases.
In the fall, after leaf fall, all dry leaves are removed, the soil around the tree is loosened, fertilized and watered well - this will help the roots to endure wintering. The trunk and skeletal branches must be whitewashed in autumn with slaked lime with the addition of copper sulfate.
Eradicating spraying with a 3 or 5% solution of copper sulfate will help to completely clear the crown of an apple tree from pests and diseases, and in early spring - with a 3% solution of a Bordeaux mixture.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
Choosing seedlings of this variety for planting, gardeners are guided by the positive and negative qualities of Pepin Saffron apple trees. The main advantages of the variety:
- good self-fertility;
- stable high yields;
- excellent presentation;
- good transportability and shelf life;
- fast regeneration.
The disadvantages of the variety include:
- low frost resistance;
- the need for annual pruning to avoid crushing the fruit;
- relatively low resistance to scab and other diseases;
- the older the tree becomes, the weaker the aroma and taste of apples.
This apple variety has good taste and quality indicators. With constant care, it pleases with generous harvests, which are perfectly preserved until spring. It is these qualities that Pepin Saffronny has attracted gardeners for more than a hundred years.
