A columnar apple is a natural clone of an apple tree that originates from Canada. For the first time, a columnar apple was bred in 1964, and since then, many varieties have appeared that grow both in North America and in Europe or the CIS countries. We will tell you about the benefits of columnar apple trees, help you understand their distinctive features and tell you about the intricacies of planting and caring for a fruit tree.
Features of the Apple Crusts
To highlight for themselves the distinctive features of the columnar apple, you need to read their description and highlight the main points.
Most varieties of columnar apple trees begin to bear fruit in the second year. After the appearance of the first fruits, the tree will increase the number of apples every 5-6 years. When the first period ends, the second comes, which lasts 7-8 years. The second period is characterized by the fact that the amount of the crop becomes stable, it does not increase and does not decrease. However, the quality and quantity of the crop, regardless of the initial planting conditions, may be affected by the quality of care, weather conditions and wintering. Colon-shaped apple trees are distinguished by strong wood that can withstand weight up to 12 kg. The maximum height of the tree is 2.5 meters, and the width is from 30 to 50 cm. 
Important! The amount of the harvest may be reduced due to the death of the ruts, which, unlike ordinary apple trees, do not recover even after the rejuvenating pruning.
A negative feature of these apples is poor winter hardiness. Even in relatively warm winters, the top of the tree freezes. In such cases, the tree gives a lot of short lateral shoots.
Kolonovidnye apple live for about 15 years, after which the collar begin to dry out and the tree ceases to bear fruit. This problem is solved either by recycling the tree, or by using anti-aging pruning (not suitable for all varieties).
The main feature of the columnar apple is small branching, which makes the tree look like a tall "column".
Advantages and disadvantages of columnar apple trees
Now it is necessary to highlight the main pros and cons of all varieties of columnar apple trees. Let's start with the benefits:
- decorative;
- no need for complex pruning;
- precociousness;
- miniature, take up little space.
- strong dependence on dressings;
- poor winter hardiness;
- dependence on irrigation and soil moisture;
- short "life".
Did you know? In the seeds of one apple contains the daily rate of iodine, so necessary for the thyroid gland.
How to choose a seedling when buying
We proceed to one of the most important stages - the choice of a seedling of a columnar apple. The problem of choice is that sellers very often speak beautifully, but in practice they can sell a sick or half-dead tree. That is why you need to know the criteria for evaluating a good sapling.
The ideal place to buy a seedling is a nursery or garden center. There you can choose from several varieties, chat with a specialist and see the conditions of detention. The main advantage is that the desired seedling is dug out and packed with you. During this process, you can see the quality of the wood, the color of the leaves, the branching and the integrity of the roots.
The disadvantage of such a place is the high price of seedlings. However, it should be understood that you buy planting material in a safe place.
If there is no nursery nearby, then try to buy a seedling with a closed root system. That is, the roots should not be wrapped with a rag / cellophane or be in the water. Such a seedling will take longer to settle down and can dry out in the first year after planting. If there are no variants with closed roots, then follow the following instructions:
- Do not buy a seedling with leaves.
- You can not buy a sapling, if its roots are damaged or stained.
- The bark on the seedling should not be dried, otherwise you can buy a dry tree.
- Buying is worth one-year planting material.
Timing and choice of landing site
Apple trees, like many fruit trees, should be planted either in spring or in autumn. It should be understood that if you bought a sapling in late autumn, then you can not plant - in front of the cold.
Experienced gardeners recommend planting trees in the spring. So much more likely that the apple tree will take root and immediately go into growth. Planting is carried out in early spring, before bud break. Here it is worth highlighting the fact that in frost, strong wind or rainy weather it is impossible to plant, since the sapling is weak and can not tolerate such "charms" of weather.
If the landing can not be transferred to the spring, then it should be carried out at the end of September, in warm weather.
There is a little trick for those who bought a sapling in the fall. The tree should be prikopat in a quiet, more or less warm place, where water will not stagnate and the soil will not freeze. In addition, the tree can be planted for the winter in a large pot and left in the cellar. From time to time, the seedling is checked and monitored for the soil moisture in the pot.
The place for the seedling must be chosen good. It should be sunny, not blown cold wind. You should not choose lowlands, otherwise there will always be water under your tree (this will lead to rot of the roots). The best place for the house or any building.
Did you know? Colonic hybrids are grouped into five groups: superdwarfs, dwarfs, half-dwarfs, medium-sized and strong-growing.
Preparatory work before landing
Before planting a seedling, you need to perform several actions that will affect the future yield of the tree and its growth rate. Therefore, pay attention to the preparatory stage, so that your seedling caught on.
First, take care of the pit in which the seedling will be placed. If the landing will be held in the spring, then dig it in the fall. The hole should be spacious so that the roots of the plant are not bent. In the pit you need to close up phosphate-potash fertilizers in the fall and cover with foil.
Next, just before planting, inspect the bark and roots of the plant. If they have dried up, place the entire seedling in water for 8-10 hours (the water should not be ice cold!).
Roots need to be trimmed before planting. This action will help the apple tree to settle down faster and grow. During planting, make sure that the vaccination site is not buried in the ground, but above it.
Important! If planting is carried out in a very poor soil, then, in addition to phosphorus-potassium fertilizers, humus or peat are put in a hole.
How to plant young seedlings
Now let's talk about how to plant a columnar apple.
Planting varieties of this apple is different from planting ordinary, not kolonovidnoy Apple. It’s worth starting with the fact that these apple trees are very tiny, which means that you can place several trees in a small area.
Colon-shaped apple trees are not planted one by one. Planting is carried out thickened, leaving between trees no more than 40 cm in a row and 2.5 m between the rows. Thus, in a small area there will be several seedlings at once, and this leads to the fact that a large amount of fertilizer must be embedded in the ground to maintain soil fertility. 
Before planting under deep digging (per 1 sq. M), 15 kg of compost or humus, 70 g of nitrogenous fertilizers and, if the soil has a high acidity, are buried up to 200 g of dolomite flour.
Before planting, you need to remove the roof from the pit, remove the mixture of soil and fertilizer. The seedling is placed in the hole and straighten the roots. The diameter of the hole must match the diameter of the roots. If it is smaller, we make it wider than the pit, and do not prune the roots!
After placing the seedling in the pit, fill the hole with a mixture of soil and fertilizer. Bury it in such a way that the root collar is 5 cm higher than the ground level. After planting, each tree should be watered with a pair of buckets of water and, ideally, mulch the soil.
Important! In the northern regions, dwarf varieties are planted at an angle of 30°. A stake is driven in near the seedling and a tree is fastened to it.
If seasonal winds are raging in your region, seedlings can be tied to a support that will come in handy in the first two years when the root system has not yet become firmly established in the ground.
Seasonal Colonid Apple Trees Features
Kolonovidnye apple trees require not only proper planting, but also good care, so this section is no less important. Since apple-clones differ in the care of “ordinary” apple trees, even the owners who know a lot about gardening cannot apply their experience. Carefully read the section to achieve good crop yields.
Prevention and treatment of apples from pests and diseases
It is better to start pest control with prevention, as most gardeners will say, and they will be right. Therefore, we now consider the main pests and the most common diseases of the columnar apple, tell you how to deal with them and how to carry out effective prevention.
The main pests of the columnar apple do not differ from the usual ones; they are the aphid, moth and mite. The main diseases of the culture are scab, powdery mildew and leaf rust.
As a preventive measure, trees should be sprayed in the spring with insecticides and fungicides, since most of the pests are insects, and almost all diseases are caused by fungi.
The most popular fungicides include the following: "Horus", "Planriz", "Fitolavin". In this case, each fungicide is used to kill a particular type of fungus that causes diseases. The most effective tool that allows you to destroy several fungi at a time - Bordeaux mixture. Insecticides: "Admiral", "Aktara", "Aktellik", "Karbofos" and "Phosphamide". You can find out the possibility of using them for the preventive treatment of apples by reading the instructions.
Aphid. Insect, which is familiar to every gardener and gardener. A large colony can destroy even the strongest tree. In the spring, before bud break, the apple tree is treated with a 3% solution of Karbofos. If you are slow and the buds have dissolved - use a 2% solution of the same drug. In addition to the specified insecticide, you can apply analogues: "Fitoverm", "Phosphamide", "Aktara". Small moth.
Red tick. A parasite that feeds on young leaves of an apple tree, leaving behind a trail of barely noticeable cobwebs. If the treatment of parasites is carried out before the disclosure of the kidneys, then it is necessary to use the preparations "Nitrafen" or "Olikupurit". For processing during budding, Karbofos and Phosphamide are used. In extreme cases, it is possible to carry out a third treatment with an analogue.
Important! For the treatment of the apple from the tick, use various means so that the parasite does not develop immunity.It is worth remembering that it is forbidden to process trees in a strong wind - the apple tree will get burned.
Now let's remember the main diseases of the columnar apple and tell how to treat them.
Scab. A fungal disease that affects leaves, flowers, fruits and tree shoots. Favorable conditions for the development of fungus - high humidity. A sign of the appearance of scab - lettuce oily spots on the leaves, which are then covered with brownish bloom. After the leaves are covered with fruit. In order not to destroy the fungus or to prevent it, it is necessary to treat the tree and the adjacent soil with 4% Bordeaux liquid (200 g per 5 l of water) before bud break. If you do not have time to process at the right time, you need to spray the tree during the budding period with 1% Bordeaux liquid. Repeated spraying is carried out immediately after flowering with any fungicide of directional action. The third treatment is carried out three weeks after the second. We recommend using different fungicides each time to achieve the best effect.
Important! With severe scab damage, up to 6 treatments with fungicides per year are allowed.
Mealy dew. The disease affects the leaves, bark, shoots and buds of the apple tree. Mycelium may grow and infect the whole tree, leading to inhibition of growth and poor fruiting. The fight against the disease begins when the leaves bloom on the apple tree. The tree is sprayed with 1% Bordeaux liquid or Topaz (2 ml per bucket). the second treatment is carried out after flowering - the tree is sprayed with copper oxychloride (40 g per 5 l of water).
Leaf Rust The leaves form rusty spots, which gradually spread, covering the entire sheet plate. The leaves fall early, reducing the hardiness of the apple tree. You can get rid of the disease by using any available fungicides, in the description of which there is a rust treatment.
Watering the Apple Apple
Caring for columnar apple trees is not only about preventing pests and diseases. Important is the correct watering, which determines the growth rate of the tree and the quality of the fruit.
The best option is the constant drip irrigation of apple trees. In addition to irrigation, apple trees are satisfied 2-3 times a month to shower, washing the entire above-ground part. If it is impossible to provide drip irrigation (or too expensive), then each tree should be watered 2-3 times a week, using mulch to preserve moisture in the soil.
Thus, you will have to choose: either you use drip irrigation without mulching, or you mulch the soil and water it with buckets or a hose.
Important! Mulch from straw for the winter should be removed so that it does not attract rodents.
Fertilization
It is impossible to do without the feeding of columnar apple trees. In addition to the preplant fertilizer wells, trees need to be fertilized almost quarterly, especially at the time of violent growth, flowering and fruit formation.
Fertilizers begin to make in early spring, as soon as the soil thaws. Saltpeter, urea, or slurry are embedded in the soil. After the first feeding wait 10 days and re-apply nitrogen-containing fertilizers. Then, until the middle of July, another 3-4 supplements are given with organic matter paired with potash-phosphate fertilizers.
In the second half of the growing season, apple trees are fed only with phosphorus and potassium. Nitrogen fertilizers cannot be used during this period, as they will adversely affect the growth and development of fruits.
Did you know? The most productive varieties of the columnar apple are "Amber Necklace" and "Legend". More than 10 kg of apples can be harvested from each tree.
Why do I need a tin
At this point, even experienced gardeners are beginning to scratch their heads. The fact is that tinning is not used when growing ordinary (non-dwarf) apple trees, as they have strong taproot roots and an extensive root system. With columnar apple trees it's different.
Deposition - sowing around a circle of grass grasses that will help preserve moisture in the soil and protect the roots of apple trees from mechanical damage.
Above, we wrote that in order to preserve moisture in the soil (or in the absence of drip irrigation), the soil around the apple trees should be mulched. So, the tinning performs almost the same role as the mulch. Therefore, if you grind the soil around crops with sawdust, straw or other materials, then the need for zaluzheniye disappears.
Important! Cereals can be replaced with our usual garden herbs, such as dill, parsley, lemon balm.
How and when to prune the columnar apple trees
Pruning apple trees affects not only the formation of the crown and the appearance of the tree, but also the yield, so you need to properly trim the dwarf trees in order to grow the maximum amount of fruit on them.
Immediately it is necessary to dispel the myth that the columnar apple trees do not give side shoots. They are, and they can be very much. If the side shoots are not cut off, the tree will resemble a poplar in a few years.
The fact is that the side branches will not only spoil the "picture", but also absorb some of the nutrients. However, cutting or not is a matter of principle. 
Important! When pruning wood, you must not remove the center conductor of the column.
In the first years after planting, the apical shoots must be tied to a support. From other branches form fruit links.
One-year sapling must be properly cut to get the desired shape. Before the tree launches sap, branches are shortened by 2 buds. In the second year, only one young horizontal shoot is left. The second is shortened by 2 buds, as in the first year. In the third year, a fruiting branch is cut out, other shoots are shortened by 2 buds. In fact, pinching and pruning does not greatly affect the yield of trees, but takes a lot of time and effort. Therefore, if you have a large garden, and getting the maximum yield is not so important - you can refuse to trim.
Did you know? Средняя урожайность колоновидных яблонь равна 140 т с гектара, при стандартной схеме посадки 20 тыс. seedlings per 1 ha. Thus, the average yield of 1 tree is 7 kg.
Wintering Apple-Collars
Kolonovidnye apple can not tolerate frost, so a lot depends on a good wintering. Trees for the winter need to be protected from rodents and hypothermia. Take this as seriously as possible, as trees will not suffer severe frostbite.
Important! Most often frostbite is exposed apical part of the tree. If this happens, the further formation of an apple tree is possible only in two or three trunks.
To protect against rodents, the lower part of the tree should be covered with sawdust or spruce branches. You can use any natural materials that do not accumulate moisture (except straw). Each tree should be sprinkled from the bottom so that the pest is difficult to reach the trunk.
After solving the problem with rodents, it is necessary to warm the upper part of the tree. For this fit burlap or thick paper. When using paper, it should be laid in several layers so that it does not get wet. From above, all layers are wrapped with a rope.
After the snow falls, it is recommended to podgresti it under the tree, forming an additional protective layer.
By following our instructions, you will be able to create a beautiful garden that will produce a good harvest and please the eye. Although the columnar apple trees require more attention from the gardener, the yield of products corresponds to the forces spent.
