Apple tree Asterisk

The Zvezdochka table and dessert apple variety is very popular among gardeners and summer residents. This is a fairly common variety, which is loved for its simplicity in care and excellent taste of the fruit.

The Zvezdochka apple variety appeared when crossing the Pepin Litovskiy and Anis varieties. The authors of the plant are the V.N. I. V. Michurina and Professor S. F. Chernenko.

Apple trees are vigorous, the height of a young tree reaches 7 meters. The branches are drooping, thick, with skeletal branches, many thin branches depart from the main branch. The shoots of the tree are long, thin, red-brown in color, strongly pubescent. The foliage is small, matte in color, oval in shape, with crenate serration and a short petiole. The crown is wide-pyramidal, spreading. The flowers are large, white-pink in color. Flowering begins in late May or early June.

Zvezdochka has one big drawback - it is very unstable to low winter temperatures. And also the disadvantages include the shrinking of fruits in fairly mature trees and low early maturity.

The main advantages of the Asterisk include the following characteristics:

• good resistance to diseases and pest attacks;

• long shelf life and transportability;

• annual yield;

• excellent taste and high commercial qualities.

The trees are ripening in winter. Harvesting maturity begins at the end of September. The variety begins to yield only 4-5 years after planting.

The Zvezdochka apple variety is grown in many regions of the Russian Federation: North-West, Central, Volgo-Vyatsky, Srednevolzhsky.

The yield of Zvezdochka is average, up to 110 kg of apples can be harvested from one tree in one year.

The color of the apples is dark green, with the presence of a blurred dark cherry blush, which predominates in most of the fruit. Fruit size is medium, but apples are below average. Fruit weight from 60 to 100 g. The taste of apples is pleasant, sweet and sour. The consistency of the pulp is juicy, fine-grained, greenish. In intensely colored fruits, the skin is pink.

The composition of one fruit includes: sugars - 10.3%, titratable acidity - 0.64%, dry substances - 13.2% for raw matter, ascorbic acid - 15.0 mg / 100 g, P-active catechins - 134, 8 mg / 100 g. Fruits have a universal purpose. They are consumed not only fresh, but also processed into jams and compotes. The keeping quality of the fruit is quite good. Apples are stored until February or March (207 days).

The asterisk loves sunny places, well protected from the wind, fertile loamy and sandy loam soil. If the apple tree grows in the shade, it will greatly slow down its growth and affect the quality of the crop. Care must be taken that the acidity of the soil is not very high, otherwise it will negatively affect the tree.

An apple tree of this variety is planted in the spring, at the beginning of May, after the end of the frost. If planting is done in the fall, then the young seedling may die without enduring the winter temperature. The soil for planting must be prepared in the fall, feeding it with peat and wood ash. The crown of the tree is prone to overgrowth, so it should be planted at least 6 meters away from other crops.

It is recommended to choose a seedling of one or two years of age, with an even and intact bark. Before planting, the soil on the site is well dug up, all vegetation and the remnants of the roots of other plants are removed. The depth and width of the planting hole should be 100 cm; drainage in the form of stones or gravel must be poured onto the bottom. It is necessary to drive a peg into the hole, which rises about 1.5 meters above the ground, which will fix the seedling. After planting in the hole, the root system of the seedling must be straightened, then covered with earth and tamped a little. After this, it is necessary to carry out abundant watering of the soil.

The asterisk is a rather unpretentious variety, but in order for it to give a good harvest, proper care is necessary for it. In the early spring period, it is necessary to inspect the trees for cracks in the trunk, damage to the bark and branches. In spring and autumn, tree trunks are covered with lime.

A small trench is dug from the trunk to remove excess water from the roots, since they should not be in the water for a long time. Water the tree abundantly only in very hot and dry weather. Removal of weeds and excess vegetation, as well as loosening of the soil, should be done regularly.

Allocate time for trimming the tree as well. The crown grows strongly, so it needs to be formed annually. Pruning measures are carried out before the first leaves have blossomed. Places of cuts must be treated with a solution of lime or garden varnish. Preventive pruning is carried out as needed, damaged and dry branches are removed. Pruning in the fall should not be done.

For an apple tree of this variety, pollinators are required. It is necessary that there are other winter or autumn varieties next to Zvezdochka.

You need to fertilize the Asterisk annually. The first feeding is done in the autumn after the first year of growth, the tree is fed with fertilizers based on potassium and phosphorus. In the spring, in the second year of growth, the apple tree is fed with organic fertilizers in the form of manure or humus.

The Zvezdochka variety belongs to the average winter hardiness. The tree can overwinter at a temperature of -35 degrees. For the winter period, it is imperative to cover the tree. Preparation for winter begins about a month before the onset of the first frost. The trunk of the tree must be whitewashed and wrapped in dense material. The soil must be loosened, watered abundantly and mulched with a layer of peat.

The variety has a fairly strong immunity to diseases and pests, and the culture is also resistant to scab. For the prevention of diseases and attacks of insect pests, the tree is treated with special preparations before and after flowering. Sometimes fruits can be affected by gray mold, and leaves and shoots by powdery mildew. To do this, it is recommended to carry out prophylactic spraying of trees against common pests and infections.

The asterisk is in great demand among summer residents and gardeners. Reviews of the variety are only positive. Zvezdochka has no negative reviews.