Apples varieties Spartan experts ranked as winter varieties. He was bred in Canada and is still very popular in his homeland. Spartan is among the top most exported varieties of Canadian apples.
One of the most significant advantages of this variety is an extremely high storage capacity, that is, a very good ability for long-term storage.
Let's take a closer look at the description of the variety of Spartan apple trees and their fruits.
With due attention, apples can lie until April without losing their marketable value. Keep fruit should be in wooden boxes, in a well-ventilated, cold and dark room (such as the cellar).
When introducing a variety of apples Spartan in the heat, they after some time become sweeter, and then begin to wilt, so it is necessary to get them from the storage place strictly as they are eaten.
Description varieties Spartan
In the photo you can see the apple and apples Spartan and read a detailed description of the characteristics of the tree below.
The tree of this variety has a high growth rate and a dense round crown, prone to neglect.
Shoots have a cranked structure, dark cherry color and characteristic strong pubescence.
The leaves of this variety are usually small, sometimes medium, with a base in the form of a heart and necessarily a twisted tip. The color of the leaves is often dark green, and the cross section is almost round. For the apple of this variety is characterized by abundant flowering.
Fruits of medium-sized Spartan, usually yellow, but with a large burgundy blush that occupies almost the entire surface (you can also see Spartan apples in the photo). Sometimes there are fruits covered with a bluish bloom, which gives them a dark blue or even purple hue.
Spartan Round Grade Applessometimes with elements of conical shape. For fruits, some ribbing is characteristic. The seeds of these apples look like an onion. The flesh of the fruit is white, crunchy, with barely noticeable red streaks, very juicy and fragrant. The taste is sweet, sometimes with sour and hints of melon or strawberry. The average weight of the fruit with proper watering is about 150 grams.
A photo
Breeding history
Apple variety Spartan was obtained by Canadian breeders in 1926., in the city of Summerland at the experimental station. It is believed that Meckintosh and Pepin Newtown Yellow varieties were used for crossinghowever, recent genetic studies have shown that the latter did not participate in the selection of Spartan.
Nevertheless, it is known for certain that Mekintosh is the ancestor of Spartan - they have a lot of similar morphological signs.
Distribution region
Although the grade is Spartan and considered to be winter, its frost resistance leaves much to be desired.
That is why in our country Spartan is grown mainly in the Central and Central Chernozem regions.
In the central regions of the Russian Central Strip, it is already too cold for this variety. The region of natural growth of this apple is Canada and partly the USA.. Also the grade was widely adopted in Switzerland and Poland. The American classification of apple trees for winter resistance has defined the Spartan zone 3-6. Based on this fact, it is easy to establish whether a Spartan apple tree will take root in a particular region.
Yield
Spartan attributed to high-yielding varieties. C one tree depending on climatic conditions, care and age of the tree can be collected from 15 to 100 kilograms of apples.
Spartan fructifies once a year - the fruits are ready for harvest in late September, but before the beginning of December they are saturated with their characteristic taste and reach final maturity. Unfortunately, this variety is characterized by a decrease in the size of apples with the age of the tree, therefore, the gardens should be periodically updated.
Upon reaching maturity, the fruits do not fall to the ground, but remain on the apple tree. However, Spartan belongs to the fast-growing and high-yielding varieties, so this variety is beneficial to use in commercial activities.
Planting and care
If you decide to grow Spartan apples, you need to be very responsible when choosing the seedlings - preference should be given to plants that have the most developed root system.
In addition, you need to immediately trim (up to 40-60 centimeters).
The crown of the apple tree grows quite widely, it should be taken into account when choosing a planting place - the plants nearby should also have enough sun. Usually planted biennial plants, and they begin to bear fruit for 3-4 year.
Most Spartan loves open, undisturbed terrain. Apple trees are planted in the spring, but it can be in the fall.
The soil for planting is critical - like any other apple tree, Spartan is very sensitive to the lack of air, so the soil should be at least loamy. The clay earth will be destructive for the tree. However, the seedling can be grown even in very clayey soil, if you first add river sand mixed with peat to it.
When with the landing site decided, you need to prepare a hole. Her depth must be at least 70 centimeters, and width - no more than a meter. At the bottom of the pit should put a layer of fertile soil, which must first be mixed with fertilizers (mineral or organic is best), then cover all with a layer of soil without fertilizers.
At the edge of the pit, you should drive a stake so that the young apple tree has support. You need to carefully handle the seedlings, try not to shake off the ground from them.
After planting, the soil around the tree must be tread as tightly as possible and a kind of cushion must be made around the pit.
After that, you need to start watering - you need to pour water until it does not soak up, after which the soil around the landing area is mulched with peat.
At the very end, you should take a tight rope or twine and carefully tie the apple tree to the stake..
Caring for a variety Spartan does not have any distinctive differences from the care of the other winter varieties of apple trees. To grow healthy trees, as well as regularly and generously bear fruit, they should be watered, pruned and fed. As for watering, in hot and dry time it should be carried out at least once a week.
The imitation of rain will be the most useful way for trees to irrigate, especially since this is an additional preventive measure against diseases and pests.
However, if you decide to use "rain watering", it should be remembered that if you spend it on a hot day, plants can get significant burns, so the procedure should be postponed to the evening or early morning. Periodically you need to loosen the soil, trying not to damage the roots of trees. In the fall and spring, apple Spartan varieties must be fed.
Top dressing is usually carried out in three stages - when flowers appear on the trees, after flowering is finished and once in spring, better in April. It is best to use organic fertilizers such as humus, slurry, bird droppings. Clearly tree of old branches, of course, necessary - otherwise the harvest will suffer. Do not be afraid to cut off the excess - the only thing to fear is the excessive thickening of the foliage.
Diseases and pests
Apple Spartan varieties are characterized by the same diseases as other varieties, however, through the efforts of Canadian breeders, Spartan managed to make it more resistant to scab and powdery mildew. Here we briefly consider the main diseases that affect the apple trees, as well as methods to combat them.
- Scab. This is the most common fungal disease among all apple varieties. It manifests itself as black dots on the fruit. If these points are small and rare, then the apples do not lose their taste and useful qualities.
- Mealy dew. Spartan is affected by this disease quite rarely. It manifests itself as a white bloom on various elements of the tree. At first, it is easily rubbed off, then coarsens and turns brown. The leaves dry, the fruits are covered with dots. After treatment with a special drug (for example, "Topaz"), this disease resolves.
- Fruit Rot. The name speaks for itself - the apples are rotting. Help "Skor", "Chorus" and "Fundazol", divorced in accordance with the instructions.
- Cytosporosis. Like everyone else, is a fungal disease. When this disease appears, the bark begins to blotch and dry up. The most effective use of drugs "Home" or "Fundazol."
- Before spraying the plant, you should carefully read the instructions to the drug in order to avoid negative side effects.
However, if this disease is not combated, these elements become deeper and more, thus covering most of the fruit, making it unfit for human consumption. It is better to fight ahead of the scab - correct and timely watering, feeding, pruning will help to avoid this disease. However, if the infection has already struck the trees, they are treated by wearing them with special preparations (for example, Chorus or Skor).
Summing up, we can safely say that the Spartan variety has excellent taste, is easy to cultivate and has great commercial potential. With proper care, every year you can shoot a high-quality and generous harvest of excellent apples.
