Apples and pears

Apples and pears: tree shapes, races and storage

Apples and pears

When planting apples and pears, we think first of the delicious fruit. Then the selected races through the centuries. The shape, color, flavor and shelf life of fruits to determine their value. In apples is now a red blush appreciated. In time the trees blossom as beautiful as ornamentals.

Apple - tree form
Of apple (Malus domestica), various shapes of trees for sale, from the small remaining core to majestic trees burgeoning high. For small gardens are also suitable espaliered forms.
Fruit Varieties are always grafted onto a rootstock. Which determines the rate of growth of the variety of apple or pear. Sometimes even an intermediate strain used.
Growing weak rootstocks such as 'M 9' and 'M 27' ensure that the fruit tree bears small, and yet rich.
Tree Types:
The spindle is a weak growing root no more than 3 meters and is ideal for small gardens. First place a sturdy tree pole into the ground of about 2.5 m long;
An old-fashioned tall is often incredibly beautiful. But beautiful is not always practical. So it takes a lot of high pedigree space, up to 15 sqm. The first branches are also 2 m above the ground. For harvesting and pruning is therefore a ladder.

The shrub (stem of 50 cm height) and the half tribe (tribe of 1 to 1.20 m high) are intermediate forms. These tree types have quite a lot of space, but less than a tall.


Apple - breeds
When choosing the breed characteristics particular play a role, with the fruit have to do. Is it an eating apple puree or apple?
A second point to consider is the durability. Summer apples such as 'James Grieve' can only be stored for several weeks. In store apples such as 'Boskoop' is that a few months.
A typical apple summer (August), 'James Grieve'.
Keep Baar 'Alkmene, early September.
Good storage apples 'Elstar' and 'Cox Orange Pippin'.
'Jonagold' (harvest: October preservable to February).
If the old-fashioned apple purée bewaarras' Boskoop '(better known as "Goudreinette') are still appreciated.

Old-fashioned varieties
Apple varieties with names like "Silk Singlet ',' Sterappel" Double Bellefleur 'and' Groninger Kroon 'appeal to the imagination. They often thrive well without much care. The races are for the true enthusiast. The fruits are often a characteristic flavor.

Pollination
The flowers of fruit trees to be pollinated. Otherwise they have no fruit. At least two trees for pollination of the same kind of need, therefore, two apple trees. They may be different from race, as long as they bloom simultaneously. Why are ornamental apples for pollination of apple consumption. The best pollinators are Malus' Golden Hornet 'and' Professor. Sprenger. Apples are decorative enough in residential areas.

Tip! In the past, apples are preserved by drying them. Cut them into slices and place on a wire. Varieties that lend themselves include "Notary Apple" and "Keulemans".

Pears
Rootstock for pear (Pyrus communis) is mainly 'Kwee MA' and 'Quince MC. But even with a weak rootstock grow stronger pears than apples. Tall with a 'hybrid' as rootstock has a narrower crown than apples. Pears Keep away from heat and shelter.
An attractive variety is 'Conference' already in the third year after planting in late August / early September to give a modest harvest. The advantage of this pear is that the 'Conference' without pollination fruit. Pollinated fruits, however, have a larger and more beautiful shape.

As summer variety is 'Bonne Louise d'Avranches' ​​recommended. Four days after picking the fruit is ripe.
Good pears are "St. Remy 'and' Gieser Wildeman '.

Tip! A pear is ripe to eat the flesh in the stem shrinks a bit.