Thanks to modern gas-tight coolers, the fruit can be stored for a long time. In the case of apples, not infrequently for a year.We always wait longingly for the first fresh fruit that has not been stored for many months in the store, but has just been picked from the tree.
The fruits of summer apple varieties can be harvested from mid-July. One of the best known is 'Oliwka Żółta', popularly known as 'Papierówka'. Its fruit is very distinctive and it is difficult to confuse it with another variety. The skin is light green, and the flesh is delicate, crisp and very juicy.The fruit has a tendency to fall off, so you should not delay harvesting it.'Papierówka' is suitable for planting in home gardens.It is sensitive to diseases of the bark, so it is necessary to protect the wounds after cutting.
Another famous summer apple variety is 'James Grieve'.This is an old, 19th-century variety and, importantly, in home cultivation, it is not very sensitive to apple scab and mildew.The fruit ripens a bit later, in mid-August. They are distinguished by a nice red blush with streaks and tasty aromatic flesh. The trees bear fruit abundantly and regularly.
The summer apple varieties that have recently been grown in Polish orchards include 'Piros' and 'Delbarestivale'.They are still little known, but it is already known that they do well in our conditionsEspecially 'Piros' is frost-resistant, therefore it is recommended for cultivation all over the country.
In addition, it is distinguished by exceptionally tasty, though not very large fruits. In turn, the 'Delbarestivale' variety, also known as 'Delcorf', produces much larger, but equally tasty fruit.Unfortunately, it is less resistant to frost and requires protection for the winter. One of the newest apple varieties, which is still under research in Poland, but promises to be very interesting, is 'Galmac'.It bears fruit at the turn of July and August, and the collected fruits can be stored for a short time.
A little more famous is the Canadian variety of 'Sunrise'. It is easy to care for, because trees, even without shaping, create shapely and compact crowns. It bears fruit abundantly and annually. The only drawback of this variety is that it is susceptible to scab.
The common feature of summer apple varieties is reaching consumer maturity already on the tree. This makes them suitable for consumption immediately after picking. Unfortunately, most varieties overheat quickly. Often, after a few days after harvesting, the fruit becomes softer and begins to deteriorate.Therefore, they are not suitable for storage and need to be quickly utilized, e.g. for tasty and he althy preserves.
Summer treatments on older trees
Older apple varieties tend to fruit alternately. Thus, the tree produces very little fruit in one year, and in the following season the branches even bend under the weight of the fruit.A way to restore regular fruiting is early thinning of young seedlings.
Unfortunately, on old trees, often several dozen years old, with tall and spreading crowns it is almost impossible to do. Often, the only way to avoid branch breakage is to cut a part of the branch with still young fruit.
Such a reduction in the amount of fruit will additionally make the apples remaining on the tree bigger and tastier.It is also advisable to support the branches with excess fruit.
