Orlik apple tree is one of the most successful relatively new varieties of late ripening. Judging by the reviews of gardeners, Orlik successfully replaced the old varieties, since it has the best parameters both in the properties of the fruits and in the characteristics of the tree.
Description of Orlik variety
Work on the creation of Orlik varieties began at the Research Institute for Fruit Crop Breeding in the 1950s. The tests lasted a very long time, and only in 1986 Orlik was registered in the State Register. By the authors, E. N. Sedov and T. A. Trofimova, the variety was bred on the basis of the ancient apple trees Mekintosh and Bessemyanka Michurinskaya. Orlik is intended for the Central, Central Black Earth and Northwest regions.
The variety belongs to winter apples, but the fruits are not stored very long, until about the beginning of spring, which is now far from a record. The variety is early-growing, trees on the 4th year already give the first fruits. The yield is very high, but with a pronounced periodicity: the productive years alternate with the years when an insignificant amount of apples is present on the tree. In good years, up to 120 kg of apples are harvested from an adult apple tree. Fruiting occurs both on the spears and on the glove. The apples are harvested on September 15-30, they are immediately ready for use. If you are late for harvesting, the fruits are partially showered.
The tree is characterized as medium-sized. The bark is smooth, from yellow to light brown. The crown is compact, rounded in shape, average thickening. Skeletal branches are directed almost horizontally, their ends are directed upwards. The leaves are large, dense, bright green with pubescence. The compactness of the crown allows you to plant trees densely, which is especially important in small cottage gardens. The winter hardiness of a tree and the resistance of an apple tree to scab in the recommended regions are considered average. When the temperature drops below -25 aboutWith perhaps a slight freezing. The flowers are large, require pollinators. Many varieties can act in this capacity, for example, Spartak, Green May, Lobo, Martovskoye, Sinap Orlovsky, etc.
Orlik trees are so compact that they are planted so densely in industrial gardens that it resembles planting shrubs
The fruits are medium-sized, weigh no more than 120 g, roundish or slightly conical, smooth. The peduncle is above average thickness, short, oily skin, white wax coating is present. The main color is yellowish, integumentary - red, with fuzzy stripes, covers the entire surface of the apple. Pulp from white to cream, fine-grained. Juice content is high. The taste of apples is dessert, sour-sweet, is rated as very good: by 4.4-4.6 points. They are used both fresh and for the manufacture of juice, including for diet food.
Apples are beautiful, but they can not be called large
The variety is widespread due to its following advantages:
- early entry into bearing;
- high yields;
- good keeping quality of apples;
- dessert, very good taste;
- compact tree;
- unpretentiousness to conditions.
Among the shortcomings are the shedding of ripe apples and the pronounced frequency of fruiting.
Video: Orlik apple tree with harvest
Orlik apple tree planting
Since the compactness of the tree allows it to be planted in small areas, this is widely used: between apples of this variety you can leave only 2-2.5 meters. The variety feels best on the southern and southwestern gentle slopes, where groundwater lies no closer than 2 meters to the surface. To protect against winds, they try to plant an Orlik apple tree near a house or a fence. The ideal soil is light loam and sandy loam.
Video: Orlik apple tree at the fence
In the southern regions, this apple tree is planted mainly in the first half of autumn. In the middle lane, both autumn and spring (after thawing the soil) planting is used, in the north they are planted in spring: from an autumn planting, an apple tree can suffer in winter, because it does not have time to get accustomed. Usually one or two year old plants are planted, with smooth bark, developed roots and a distinguishable site of vaccination.
If funds are available and possible, you can purchase a seedling in a container: it is easier to plant it, and you can do this almost any time.
Landing is carried out in a traditional way. It is advisable to dig the site in advance, making a bucket of humus per square meter. Digging a hole for a seedling of this variety is not very large: 60-70 cm in all dimensions is enough. A small layer of drainage is required at the bottom, and then there is fertile soil removed from the pit, pre-mixed with 2 buckets of humus, a liter can of wood ash and 200 g of superphosphate. In preparing the pit, which is performed 2-3 weeks before planting, a strong landing stake is driven in.
A pit for landing is prepared in advance, too large dimensions are not required
When landing:
- The roots of a seedling with an open root system are soaked in water for a day, then dipped in a mixture of clay, mullein and water.
Clay talker helps seedlings to take root faster
- Having taken out the necessary amount of soil from the pit, place the seedling so that the root neck is 6-7 cm above the soil level.
To determine the height, you can use a horizontal rail: the seedling in the photo must be raised
- Gradually fall asleep roots with the removed soil, trampling it with a hand, and then with a foot. Tie the stem to the stake and pour 2-3 buckets of water under the seedling. The root neck will then drop and will be a couple of centimeters above the ground.
Tie up with any strong but soft rope
- Draw a roller along the edges of the landing pit, mulch the soil with a thin layer of humus or peat.
The roller is needed so that irrigation water does not flow in vain
- In spring planting, if available, lateral branches are shortened by one third (in autumn, pruning is carried over to spring).
If the soil is very dry, more water may be needed for irrigation.
Growing Features
The main work in caring for the Orlik apple tree does not differ from those in the case of other winter apple trees, but the characteristics of the variety leave a certain imprint on their intensity. So, the small dimensions of the crown and the fact that the branches depart from the trunk at almost a right angle greatly facilitate trimming and shaping. At the same time, plentiful harvests necessitate the mandatory installation of backwater under loaded branches as apples are poured. But not very high frost resistance of the tree is a concern in those regions where there are severe frosts with insufficient snow.
Orlik is relatively drought-resistant, so in normal weather, which happens in the middle lane, the apple tree is rarely watered. In the case of a prolonged absence of rain, watering is necessary, especially during the formation of ovaries and the intensive growth of apples. In many cases, the apple tree is kept under sod, sowing various herbs in the near-stem circle and mowing them in time “for fertilizer”. In this case, watering is carried out more often. Abundant pre-winter watering is also essential shortly before the onset of frost.
Many gardeners rid themselves of the need for annual digging of the trunk circle
If under the apple tree keep free soil, the so-called. "black steam", periodically it should be loosened, removing weeds. Two years after planting, they begin to feed the apple tree. In this regard, Orlik is no different from other varieties: in early spring, up to 200 g of urea is scattered under a tree, and after the soil dries up, 2-3 buckets of humus are introduced into small holes. Foliar top dressing immediately after flowering with dilute solutions of complex fertilizers is useful. After leaf fall in the near-stem circle, a hoe is closed up to 250 g of superphosphate.
It is important to correctly form a tree so that later, during the fruiting period, only sanitary cutting is done (remove dry, broken and incorrectly growing branches). Forming pruning is especially important for varieties with periodic fruiting, which includes Orlik. It will not be able to cause the apple tree to produce abundant annual crops, but to some extent will smooth out fluctuations in yield. It is customary to form an Orlik apple tree in a sparse-tiered type.
- If a two-year-old is planted, its branches are immediately cut to one third, in the case of a one-year-old, the twig is shortened to 0.6 m.
- When the first lateral branches grow, choose the best three, directed evenly in different directions, and align them in height, but so that the conductor is 15 cm higher than them.
- A year later, in a similar manner, the second tier is formed of 3-4 branches located 40-50 cm higher than the first. Concerning the third tier of 2-3 branches, options are possible: not all gardeners organize it in an apple tree of this variety.
The location of the branches at right angles to the trunk makes the joint quite strong, but scrapping is possible under the weight of the crop, so back-ups are mandatory.
Special backwaters are also available, but any staghorns will fit in the garden.
Those gardeners who try to force Orlik to bear fruit annually manually ration the crop, removing up to 30% of the ovaries. Whether there is a need for this, everyone decides for himself, but at the same time the apples become a little larger, and the frequency really decreases to some extent, but each year the features of the variety will not get an excellent harvest.
Old trees, as the fruiting decays, are rejuvenated by strong pruning
The tree must be prepared for winter. In addition to autumn irrigation, the trunk and the bases of skeletal branches are whitened, snow retention is carried out. Trunks of young trees are wrapped with coniferous spruce branches.
Diseases and pests, the fight against them
Orlik apple tree is medium resistant to scab, it is also possible the disease of powdery mildew. Other diseases are less common. Scab is especially dangerous in wet years, powdery mildew in dry years.
Table: the main diseases of apple trees and their treatment
| Disease | Symptoms | Prevention | Treatment |
| Scab | Lingering fogs and dampness are optimal conditions for the development of the fungus. Dark spots appear on foliage and fruits. The leaves dry and fall, the affected areas on the fruits harden and crack. | Do not thicken fruit plantings. Remove the fallen foliage. | Spray with 1% solution of Tsineba, Kuprozan before budding. |
| Powdery mildew | On leaves, shoots, inflorescences a whitish powdery coating forms. Foliage turns brown and falls, the shoots darken and die. The affected ovary crumbles. The disease develops intensively in dry periods. | Maintain optimal humidity in the plantings. Dispose of fallen leaves. | When buds appear and after their dropping, spray with solutions of Chorus (2 g / 10 l), Impact (50 ml / 10 l). |
| Brown spotting | The spores of the fungus spread quickly in damp warm weather. The leaves are covered with brown spots. With a strong development of the disease, the leaves dry out and fall prematurely. | Thin out the crown. Burn plant debris. | Spray before and after flowering with 0.5% Kaptan solution, 0.4% Tsineba solution. |
Of the pests, the Orlik variety is the same as the apple trees of other varieties: the bee-eater, the codling moth, the spider mite and the apple aphid.
Table: Apple Pest Control
| Pests | Manifestations | Prevention | Control measures |
| Apple moth | The caterpillar of the codling moth gnaws the fruit, gets to the seed chamber, eats seeds. Damaged apples fall prematurely. The pest can destroy up to 90% of the crop. | To clean off the lagged bark. Use pheromone traps. | Before flowering, after 2 weeks and after removing the fruit, spray with 0.05% Ditox solution, 1% Zolon solution. |
| Spider mite | The pest, hiding on the underside of the sheet, entangles it with a thin cobweb. The top of the leaf plate is stained. The foliage will fade. The appearance of the pest contributes to dry hot weather. | Loosen the soil. Humidify the planting. | Treat before budding with 4% solution of Oleuprit, Nitrafen (200 g / 10 L). Before flowering, spray with a Fitoverm solution (10 ml / 10 l), again - after 21 days. |
| Flower beetle | The pest hibernates in the bark of trees and fallen foliage. In the spring, when the air warms up to 60 ° C, it crawls onto the crown and lays eggs in the kidneys. Larvae eat out the inside of the bud, weakening the flowering. | To clear a trunk of dry bark. Use traps and glue belts. Shake off insects. Destroy fallen leaves. | Spray to swelling of the kidneys with a solution of lime (1.5 kg / 10 l). To process after snow melting and when the kidneys swell, a solution of Decis, Novaction (10 ml / 10 l). |
| Aphid | Aphid colonies, settling on leaves and shoots, suck out juices from them. Affected leaves curl, blacken and dry. | Destroy plant debris. Flush parasites with a jet of water. | Spray before budding with Nitrafen solution (300 g / 10 L). Before the appearance of the ovaries, treat with a solution of Actara (1 g / 10 l), Fitoverma (5 ml / 1 l). |
Grade Reviews
I really appreciate the excellent taste of Aphrodite and Orlik. Those with these varieties can grow on their own stem, we can say, very lucky.
Andy tucker
//forum.prihoz.ru/viewtopic.php?t=3955&start=1125
Why did it only beat with frost? Candy, Legend, Early Red - they are very healthy, but this apple tree, which Orlik, was sorry to look at her ...
Anna
//dacha.wcb.ru/index.php?showtopic=30878
The only truly sweet apple I can eat straight from the EAGLE tree.
Musya
//www.forumhouse.ru/threads/58649/page-71
If there is a desire and opportunity, try Orlik, this is a regionalized variety, we have perhaps the most delicious of the winter ones, of those that I tried, they are delicious already in the fall and are the first to be bought on the market, only small in size.
Andrew
//forum.vinograd.info/showthread.php?p=120243
This apple tree variety just ripens at the end of September, you can eat earlier, but there is no such sweetness in them yet. I liked and did not like it at the same time that very few apples fell by themselves. I had to pick it up with my hands, climb up and it was terrible to fall, since the tree was big enough, the apples remained hanging from above, they could not pick it up. In general, a good variety of apples - juicy, sweet-sour, red, do not spoil quickly, it’s good to eat for juice as well.
Alice
//otzovik.com/review_5408454.html
Apple tree Orlik is a good representative of winter varieties. If not for the periodicity of fruiting, it could be considered one of the best achievements of breeders of the last quarter of the last century.
