Categories: Garden and town

Apple Legend: description and main characteristics of the variety

Apple Legend - the newest variety, bred at the turn of the century by domestic breeders by hybridizing the well-known Japanese variety Fuji and domestic dwarf variety Cranberry. The resulting hybrid took from its parents all the best qualities: amazing winter hardiness, beautiful external description and unsurpassed taste of the fruit, which made it one of the most promising varieties for growing in the middle lane.

Variety description

Due to its productive and external qualities, the Legend apple variety has proved itself well in industrial horticulture., and in private households. Trees are compact and low (close 3 m), which allows them to grow in small plots. Thick crown, round shape, looks very neat, even decorative. Shoots are average, with short internodes, the bark is gray, smooth.

The fruits have exceptional marketable qualities. They have a very bright external description: almost the same size, smooth truncated-conical shape and shiny skin of dark red color - these are the fruits that look best on the shelves of markets and supermarkets. Apples are big (150-200 G), one-dimensional, the main color is green, but under the red blush it is almost invisible. Grainy pulp, very juicy, fragrant, wonderful dessert taste, resembles caramel.

Main characteristics

Unlike his father Fuji, who could not settle in the suburbs, and throughout the middle lane, variety Legend was very hardy and virtually undamaged diseases. It is equally easy to tolerate frosty winters, wet cool summer, or heat under periodic watering. This variety is late ripening - harvest occurs in early October. The fruits are well preserved (5-6 months), have excellent product characteristics, are suitable for any preparations, but it is best to eat them fresh.

Another positive side of the variety - not just high, and phenomenal yields. An adult tree can bear in season 100-120 kg of apples, and that, given its small size, a lot. Legends are fast-growing trees - they are able to bloom and bear fruit from the second year of life, but fully reveal their yields with age 5-7 years.

Landing

First, what you should pay attention to when planting - is the quality of seedlings. Planting material should show all the signs of a healthy plant: well-branched elastic roots, smooth smooth shoots without leaves, bark without damage and scratches. The place for planting apple trees is not essential, however, you should know, that in the sunny area the yield and quality of fruit will be higher.

Planting holes are prepared in advance, for 2-3 weeks. One third of the pit is filled with fertilizer: leaf humus or compost (2 buckets), superphosphate 300-400 G, a handful of ashes. The size of the hole should match the size of the roots of the seedling. When determining the depth should focus on the location of the root collar - after planting it should rise above the surface on 5-7 div.

Care

Legend apple trees are undemanding to conditions and are capable to bring a crop even at the minimum care.. But the tree will respond to the increased attention from the gardener with a double harvest. Increased attention means a number of standard care measures:

the content of the stem circle in purity (regular weeding and loosening the soil);
feeding: nitrogen in the spring, in autumn - potassium-phosphorus mixture and mulching of the trunk area with humus;
preventive treatment of branches and leaves with fungicides (Bordeaux mixture);
pruning unproductive shoots;
watering and sprinkling the crown - apple trees are very sensitive to these procedures.

Because trees of this variety are prone to crop overload, then some of the flowers are recommended to be removed by hand. The same applies to young 1-2-year-old seedlings - they need to remove all the flowers, so that the plant can strengthen and unleash its full potential.

Diseases and pests

Legend apple trees themselves are quite resistant to damage by diseases or pests, but if they grow in the garden next to other apple trees, then they may well be infected by them. After all, fungal spores are easily carried by wind, and insects will not miss the bright, bulk, Besides, very tasty fruits.

These fruits are especially loved by fruit eaters - in the absence of preventive measures, they are able to "eat" the entire crop. Spraying with Fitoverm drugs will help prevent pest infestation, Chord, Alfacin during the growing season. Get rid of fruit eaters helps complex drug "Lepidotsid", how trees should be treated during periods of mass birth of caterpillars. In the rainy summer, apple trees can get scabies.

That apple-trees kept the healthy look, attention should be paid to care and prevention:

harvest in time and destroy plant debris;
to form a crown, remove diseased branches;
process slices, cracks and other damage.

Pros and cons

Considering the pros and cons of the variety, the latter could hardly be found, after all, when creating a hybrid, all the shortcomings of the parent varieties were taken into account. But the advantages of apple trees are many:

excellent winter hardiness;
resistance to diseases characteristic of apple trees;
beautiful marketable fruit;
great taste;
unpretentious care;
high adaptability to climate.

Legend today is considered one of the best varieties, bred in recent decades, as evidenced by the reviews of modern gardeners. Compact apple trees are ideal for any garden: private, industrial, intensive type, and above all, they can become a real decoration of the site.