An apple tree with such an affectionate name should have earned it. Indeed, the apple variety Sun, during the period of lush flowering of a short tree, and during the ripening of numerous fruits of bright colors, creates a festive, sunny mood. Read more about the apple variety Sun, read further in the article.

Selection history

This apple variety was bred in 1984 by breeders from the All-Union Research Institute for Fruit Crop Breeding based on apple seeds obtained as a result of free pollination. After 6 years, the apple trees of the new variety produced the first crop, which was noticeably more generous than other apple trees that were used during the selection work.

Did you know? Today, the cultivated apple tree has 10 thousand varieties.

In addition, apples of a new variety showed excellent taste and high commercial quality. Thanks to this, the Sun variety was quickly included in the elite class of apple varieties.

Grade description

The apple variety Sun is a variety of late autumn fruit ripening.

Tree

The apple tree of the described variety rises above the ground by a maximum of 3.5 m, has a slightly thickened round crown reaching a diameter of 4 m. The smooth bark on the stem is colored red-brown, and the shoots have a radical brown color.

Small oval leaves of a light green color are distinguished by a sharp twisting tip and notches located at the edges of the leaf surface. Medium-sized flowers are painted in pale pink. The tree lives up to a maximum of 30 years, actively bearing fruit from 7 to 20 years.

Fruit

The oblong fruits of the Sun are of medium size, weighing from 100 to 180 g. They are covered with smooth skin, which acquires a light yellow color with a raspberry blush when the fruits reach consumer maturity.

The white pulp of the fruit can often take on a creamy tint. It is characterized by fine-grained, great juiciness and sweet and sour taste. Tasters rate it at 4.3 points out of 5 possible.

100 g of apples The sun contains:

• 7.2 g of ascorbic acid;
• 7.9% sugars;
• 0.86% titratable acid.

Grade characteristics

This apple variety is distinguished by good productivity: 200 kg of apples can be harvested from one tree. However, it does not differ in early maturity, since it only enters the 6–7th year of life during the fruiting period.

Did you know? Scientists say that the apple tree became the first tree that people began to cultivate 8500 years ago, for which there is archaeological evidence.

Winter hardiness and drought tolerance

A distinctive quality of the described apple variety is its good frost resistance. Its tree is able to withstand cold to -40 ° C. But the variety does not differ in drought tolerance, preferring moist soil, which, however, does not mean that the Sun feels good in the presence of excess moisture in the root system.

Disease resistance

The apple tree of the Sun variety at the genetic level has the ability to withstand the scourge of fruit trees - scab.

However, it is able to be affected by pests in the form of:

• red tick;
• copper flocks;
• leaf flakes;
• codling moths.

Pollination and ripening dates of apples

Being a self-infertile variety, the Sun needs third-party pollinators, the most effective of which are the apple trees of the variety:

Read more

Features of planting and caring for Sinap apple trees

• Imrus
• Antonovka;
• In memory of the Warrior;
• Orlik;
• Northern synap;
• Synap Oryol;
• White filling;
• Gloucester
• Dream.

The apple tree under discussion blossoms in the middle or at the end of May, and the fruits ripen in the 2nd half of September.

Growing conditions

Like most apple trees, the Sun prefers good sunshine, but differs from other apple varieties in its ability to not be afraid of drafts and winds, which greatly facilitates the search for a suitable place to grow it.

In addition, this apple tree is able to grow fruitfully on any soil other than clay. However, in the place where the tree grows, groundwater should not approach a surface closer than 2 m.

Rules for planting the variety Sun

The apple tree is planted either in the spring before the start of sap flow, or in the fall after leaf fall. A month before planting a seedling, it is necessary to prepare a hole and soil for it, because in the first 2-3 years after planting, the root system of the seedling will develop within the excavated hole. It is dug up to a depth of 80 cm and a diameter of 100 cm.

If several trees are supposed to be planted, the pits are located no closer than 5 m from each other. During the excavation of the pit, the upper most fertile layer of soil is preserved. A pair of humus buckets and 100 g each of superphosphate and potassium sulfate are added to it.

Important! It is not recommended to use potassium chloride as a potash fertilizer, since apple trees do not tolerate the excessive presence of chlorine in the soil.

Immediately before planting in the soil, the roots of the seedling are soaked for several hours in water, which allows the root system to be well saturated with moisture.

The landing process itself proceeds as follows:

1. A third of the pit is filled with prepared soil mixture.
2. In the mound formed, a 1.5-meter support in the form of a stake is fixed.
3. Roots in a straightened down state are placed on a knoll.
4. The pit is filled with prepared soil.
5. During instillation, the seedling must be slightly shaken several times to prevent the formation of voids, and tamp the soil.
6. As a result, the seedling should be planted in such a way that its root neck rises above the ground surface by at least 3 cm.
7. A planted seedling is tied to a support.
8. Around the formed near-stem circle, an earthen roller is poured, after which the tree is abundantly watered.
9. To prevent the rapid evaporation of moisture, the trunk circle is mulched using sawdust, chopped peat or dry humus.

We recommend reading more about the features of planting apple trees.

Features of tree care

The apple variety Sun does not require much effort when caring for it, however, it is still necessary to comply with the agrotechnical rules for growing apple trees.

Watering and fertilizer

Particular attention should be paid to watering. It is necessary to maintain water balance. The apple tree does not tolerate drought, but at the same time it is also contraindicated for stagnation of moisture in the root system, so the tree must be watered often, but with a moderate amount of water.

In hot, dry summers, watering is more frequent, and in rainy, respectively, less frequently. In case of heavy rains, it is useful to make special grooves in the trunk circles to remove excess moisture. To create better wintering conditions, 2 weeks before the onset of stable frosts, water-loading irrigation should be carried out.

Important! After each watering or rain, you should loosen the soil on a circle around the trunk in order to avoid the appearance of a crust on it, which prevents the penetration of air to the roots.

In the first 2 years of the seedling's life, he needs enough fertilizing introduced into the soil during planting. And then the tree needs to be fed depending on the growing season in which it resides. In spring, the apple tree, increasing its green mass, needs nitrogen most of all. They feed the plant with the help of organics in the form of a solution of bird droppings or through the introduction of ammonium nitrate and nitroammophos.

In the fruiting phase, the increased demand of the tree for phosphorus and potassium is satisfied through superphosphate and potassium sulfate. For a successful wintering, the tree should be fed in the autumn with special autumn mineral fertilizers. Fertilize these fertilizers in the scrap done in the trunk circles of the well with a depth of 50 cm, after which they are filled with water.

Soil care

Apple trees are very demanding on the absence of weeds in the near-stem circle and on the loose soil. Young trees are especially sensitive to these factors, therefore weeds must be weeded regularly as they appear, combining weeding with soil loosening, which helps to supply the root system with oxygen. In addition, loose soil contributes to the penetration of moisture into it.

Read also what to plant apple trees under a tree for beauty and maximum benefit.

Cropping and crown forming features

Proper pruning and optimal crown shape directly contribute to the productivity of the apple tree. Usually, the seedling is pruned after planting to stimulate the growth of the lateral branches. For this, the tree is shortened by a third of its height. Then pruning is done twice a year.

In the spring, optimal conditions are created for the formation and growth of fruits. This removes the branches growing deep into the crown, as well as preventing the access of light to other branches.

In the fall, the crown is freed from fruit broken from the weight or damaged during harvesting. You should not totally thin out a thickened crown, cutting simultaneously over a quarter of the volume of the crown.

Take a closer look

How to form a crown in an apple tree

It is better to stretch this process into several stages. Trimming is carried out with a sharpened and sanitized tool.

Places of cuts immediately cover up:

• garden cook;
• paraffin;
• drying oil;
• oil paint based on drying oil.

Winter preparations

Apple variety Sun, as already mentioned, is able to withstand frosts down to -40 ° C. With proper winter-winter irrigation and top dressing, the tree will winter without any problems. However, young apple trees, whose age is less than 5 years, still does not prevent to hedge.

To do this, it is useful to create a 10-centimeter mulch layer in the near-stem circle from:

• sawdust;
• straw;
• dry humus;
• chopped peat.

The cold resistance of a tree can also be increased by foliar top dressing by means of superphosphate, 30 g of which is diluted in 1 liter of water.

Harvesting and storage of crops

Applied at the end of September, apples of the Sun variety are then able to improve their taste and market conditions within a few days, acquiring a brighter blush on the surface of the fruit and juiciness in the pulp. Remove apples from the branches carefully so as not to cause the fall of neighboring fruits, leading to damage.

Important! Do not store apples in the same room with potatoes, since the mutual influence of these fruits and vegetables worsens each other's condition.

Apples of this variety are able to be stored without losing their qualities for up to 3 months. To do this, they must be placed in low wooden boxes equipped with ventilation holes. Each fruit should be isolated from the others with dry sawdust or paper wrap. Ambient temperature during storage should not exceed + 4 ° С.

The mood created by the affectionate name Sun is even better when in direct contact with the delicious and beautiful fruits of this apple tree. This is not yet very widespread apple variety in recent years has been actively expanding its circle of fans.