Apple-tree Melba

The oldest and most delicious Melba is rightfully considered one of the most fruitful and successful varieties of apple trees. For almost 120 years, it has been cultivated by gardeners all over the world, new varieties of apple trees constantly appearing on the market cannot displace Melba from the gardens and hearts of gardeners.

The variety, which came from Canada, was bred at the end of the 19th century by specialists from the Central Experimental Station located in Ottawa. To create it, breeders used the seeds of the Mekintosh apple tree, obtained as a result of free pollination. It is interesting that the resulting variety was named after the famous opera diva Nelly Melba, who conquered the world with her art.

The Melba variety was first zoned in Canada, conquered Europe, and only in the 40s of the XX century was it tested in the Soviet Union. Until today, it is one of the favorite varieties of gardeners in Russia, where it is also known as Lazurnoe. On its basis, breeders have obtained many modern hybrids and varieties of apple trees.

The crown of the apple tree is medium-leafy, round, spreading, begins to form by the age of 3 years. Prior to this, young branches grow upward almost vertically. The leaves are light green in shape and resemble a slightly elongated oval, slightly curved. The color of the leaf can take on a yellowish tint. The bark of the branches is brown-orange, young shoots are of medium pubescence and thickness, their color is cherry. The buds are large, white-pink, when they open, the color fades.

Differs in early maturity and versatility of fruit use. The Melba tree is a long-liver; it is not uncommon for trees over 50 years of age. Dwarf and semi-dwarf rootstocks reduce the life span of an apple tree to 15–20 years, but bring the onset of fruit recoil closer.

The tree begins to bear fruit 3-4 years after planting. Melba is a partially self-fertile variety and needs pollinating varieties planted nearby to obtain a larger yield. These can be:

• Borovinka;
• Folding;
• Welsey;
• Quinty;
• Stark Erlist.

Among the virtues of Melba:

• high marketability and productivity;
• the tree grows short: up to 3.5, dwarfs - up to 2.5 m;
• great taste;
• transportability;
• flower buds are quite frost-resistant;
• the possibility of using the variety as a basis for creating summer varieties of apple trees with excellent characteristics.

Disadvantages:

• non-simultaneous ripening, ripe fruits fall off;
• scab damage during prolonged rains;
• the need to have pollinators on the site;
• periodic fruiting.

Growth and early maturity of Melba depend on the type of rootstock. Semi-dwarf rootstocks are allowed to obtain a tree no more than 3 m in height with a crown up to 2 m in diameter, entering the fruiting period for 3-4 years of growth.

Melba apples ripen at the end of summer, reaching removable maturity in the third decade of August. Harvesting dates may vary, in each region they are different. The variety is prone to periodic fruiting. Only young trees bear fruit regularly.

Peripheral fruiting is a characteristic of Melba.The main part of the crop is formed on young annual shoots, ringlets. Ripening is non-simultaneous, and fruits that are not harvested in time often fall off.

Average yields - 93 c / ha. Up to 80–90 kg of apples can be harvested from one adult plant.

The weight of a light green apple is 120–150 g. A clearly visible integumentary color in the form of a striped red blush covers about half of the fruit. The apple is rounded-conical, slightly flattened, the diameter increases at the base. The skin is soft, glossy with a waxy coating. The peduncle is medium, curved. White small subcutaneous dots appear only on the colored apple barrel.

The taste of juicy, white pulp is sweet, with a pronounced sourness, there is an intense candy aroma. The tasters rated the taste of Melba at 4.7–5 points.

To store apples, it is better to remove them slightly unripe. Ripening signs are fruit discoloration, juiciness and improved taste.

When harvesting, they try not to damage the fruits, not to erase the wax film. You can store it in a refrigerator or cellar for 2–2.5 months. Melba produces excellent juice, jam, dried fruits.

When planting Melba seedlings, it is necessary to take into account that the crown of the tree occupies a large area. The distance between seedlings or other fruit trees should be at least 5, and preferably 7 m. It is permissible to plant seedlings in autumn and spring, experienced gardeners prefer autumn planting: it is believed that in autumn the tree takes root better before the crown begins to grow. Numerous nurseries engaged in the cultivation and sale of Melba seedlings are also aimed at the autumn planting. It will not be difficult to acquire them.

Autumn planting occurs in September-October before the onset of a stable cold snap. In the spring, you need to have time to plant a seedling before bud break. Planting times vary depending on the climatic conditions of the area.

In autumn work, at least 2 weeks before planting young trees, pits are prepared with a depth of about 60–70 cm, the width should be 0.9–1 m. The bottom of the pits is dug to the depth of a shovel bayonet. In the fall, you can prepare pits for spring planting.

Melba's root system does not tolerate stagnant rain or groundwater. Therefore, for planting apple trees, they choose the highest place on the site or organize soil drainage to remove excess moisture. Soil quality plays an important role in growth and yield - loose loam is ideal. Having poor soils on the site, before planting the apple tree, you will have to take measures to improve them, adding to the planting holes in equal amounts:

• peat;
• sand;
• mature compost.

Important! Fresh manure should not be added as fertilizer.

In the presence of heavy, clayey soils, a drainage layer of crushed stone or expanded clay 10-15 cm thick will be required. If the soil is sandy, the water leaves too quickly, you can lay a layer of clay at least 10 cm on the bottom of the pit.

A year after planting, young Melba needs spring feeding. Ash, humus, complex mineral fertilizer are introduced into the trunks of the trunks and carefully dug up. In the summer, you can add urea, spill the soil around the apple tree with diluted chicken droppings. Mulching the trunk circle with mature compost or rotted manure in the fall will serve as nutrition and insulation, and will retain moisture.

Melba is not highly resistant to severe frosts and can be damaged in winter. This is especially true for young apple trees. In late autumn, with the onset of stable freezing temperatures, Melba stems should be insulated. For these purposes, thick cardboard, roofing felt, even old tights are suitable. In addition to insulation, they will protect the trunk from damage by mice or hares.

In rainy years, the leaves and fruits of Melba are often affected by scab. You can protect trees from illness by removing and destroying fallen leaves. Early spring fungicide treatments will solve the problem.