El manzano it is a tree with many varieties, in fact, new ones do not stop emerging from them. It is a plant that does not require too much care, however, knowing some characteristics and basic care will allow you to plant an apple tree or more to obtain a good harvest of this attractive and delicious fruit.
Manzano
The species that is generally known as "Apple tree" is called malus domestica, because it was domesticated for thousands of years in areas of central Asia located between China and Kazakhstan. Later it was distributed around the world starting in Europe and reaching several nations. This plant is of interest to many farmers for its fruit, which is used as food throughout the world.
Apple trees are also called apple trees, mazanu, pomera, mazairo, wild apple, manzairo, camuesa, wild apple and other names in the Spanish language. In addition to that, it has different meanings in various religions in relation to its fruit, for example: in the Bible it is mentioned as the forbidden fruit and in Greek mythology it was a symbol of wealth that was collected by the hero Heracles, only those apples were of gold.
Similarly, in Greek mythology an apple was used by Eris to create a discord that ended up involving Paris of Troy and Helen of Sparta, so there is a whole story about the provocation that ended in the Trojan War. This story refers to an apple destined "for the most beautiful", something similar is seen in the Disney film "Snow White" where the antagonist character tricks Snow White by giving her an apple for being the most beautiful in the kingdom.
In this sense, in Greek mythology the apple was not considered a forbidden symbol, but rather it was the symbolic representation of a declaration of love, by accepting that apple, love was accepted.
Varieties
Nowadays it is estimated that there are at least 1000 varieties in cultivars from all over the world, in a cultivar they are in charge of artificially choosing plants so that the crop has more diversity, that is, so that the apple plant or the fruit have certain characteristics that can be repeated in future plants. In other words, that number of varieties was obtained thanks to hybridizations with other plants, which is why today the apple has a very varied nutritional value.
These hybrids were mostly obtained by multiplication, something typical of sexual reproduction that is done through layers or roots, also by sexual reproduction, where the seeds are chosen from apples that are already industrialized, so there may be a whole line successive in that fruit. There are a variety of procedures to create these hybrids that vary depending on the gardener or farmer.
In total, it is estimated that there are 7.500 apple tree crops and even more, since more and more hybrids continue to be made, many of these varieties are commonly organized into five groups according to fruit characteristics:
- El grupo golden It includes those apples that are yellow in color, for example, the Golden delicious variety, the Smoothee, the Golden supreme, among others.
- El grupo american red It covers all the apples that have their red skin with any level of intensity, for example, the variety Starking delicious, the Oregon, the Red chief, among others.
- El grupo galas groups those that have fruits with two or more colors, for example, yellow and red, for example the Royal gala variety, the Galaxy, the Brookfield, among others.
- El grupo fuji It includes the varieties where the fruit has a certain reddish color, but its skin seems to have a brown hue, it seems that they are not of good quality, but it is quite the opposite. The varieties of this group do not have names like the other groups, but are called Manzano Fuji 1 or Manzano Fuji 2 and so on with other numbers.
- Finally, the group granny It includes those varieties where the apples grow green, unlike the rest of the fruits of the other groups, these apples are a little acidic.
Features
The characteristics will be divided into those that are related to the plant and then the apple characteristics:
- An apple tree reaches four to ten meters in height, so it is not a Apple tree really big, depending on the crop it will be allowed to grow to a certain height, usually they keep it at four meters.
- Its bark is cracked since it develops, it is not like other species that over the years its bark changes from a smooth texture to another with fissures.
- Its leaves are oval and rounded at the base, with a fairly intense green color and an aroma that can be very pleasant when rubbed against something else (such as hands or clothing).
- The flowers that it generally produces during the spring grow in groups of four to eight, where one of them grows more than the others (generally it is the one in the center) and from it the best apples are born, these flowers are hermaphrodites, it can have white, red or pink petals, so that their colors allow to differentiate the plant by the Types of flowers, in fact, apple trees with white flowers have the best pollination.
Several things can be said about the apple, starting with the vitamins it offers, which can be vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, it is also rich in calcium, iron, potassium and other proteins. As for the use of this fruit, there is a variety:
- This fruit can be of various colors, it can be intense red, light green or even yellow, inside they have between seven or eight seeds that measure just four millimeters.
- The apple has approximately 10.10 grams of sugars and to balance this value its skin has pectin, these heteropolysaccharides are what allow a person suffering from diabetes to a lesser degree to eat it. However, if you eat it without the skin, there may be some negative consequences.
- Not only are diabetic people recommended to eat apples with the skin on, in general all people should eat it without removing it because a large part of its properties are found in that skin or under it, so that many of those vitamins and minerals when removing that skin.
- Apples have also been used to whiten and clean teeth, not just by biting into it but by rubbing a piece on your teeth.
- If the apple is prepared as a drink, it can help fight insomnia, if instead a cider is prepared, this fruit will work to eliminate electrolytes and water from the body when the person urinates.
- The largest apple cultivated until now was one that weighed 1.849 kilos, cultivated in Japan, specifically and Hirosaki in the year 2005.
Reproduction
The reproduction of this plant in the wild is done thanks to pollinating agents, it needs agents such as domestic bees because the pollen produced in its flowers is too heavy for the wind to function as a pollinator and move it to another site. That is why many people who grow apple trees for sale, rent some bee hives when the bloom is about to occur.
Transplant
It is important to take into account the location that the apple tree will have, this should not be a place where frost can hit the plant. So it will be necessary for something to protect them from the wind. With this understood, the transplant should be done when winter is almost over. The ideal time is when the yolks seem to swell.
Care
Actually this is not a plant that needs too much care, however, certain attentions must be taken into account so that the harvest is good. First of all, the ideal location is where direct sunlight can reach for at least eight hours. It is not recommended to place them near walls because they tend to lean on them as they grow and if several apple trees are to be planted, they must be separated by at least three meters.
Soil and compost
The land that these plants need must have good drainage, which is why they usually mix a little sand and soil to prepare the ground. This land must be kept nourished so that it is a fertile soil and can grow properly. As for the fertilizer, it is only recommended when it is at least one year old, because its roots can burn. Other than that, organic fertilizers can be applied in the spring and summer.
Irrigation
They require a good amount of water, so they should be watered frequently at all times, except in winter when watering should be reduced a little. The rest should be watered when there is shade and not let the soil dry out for a long time.
Pruning
It is necessary to prune the apple tree from the moment it begins to grow, eliminating diseased, insect-ridden, dry or unhealthy branches. When it is already a mature plant, it should be pruned only once a year, this is only to guarantee that sunlight can fully receive it.
Plagues and diseases
However, the diseases that harm the apple tree cycle They can be diverse, depending on the type of soil, the care and the variety that is being harvested. Some types of pests and apple tree diseases can be:
- the aphids
- Carpocaspa or apple tree moth
- The apple laginero aphid
- mildew
- Bacterial fire illness
Harvest
The reason why cultivar plants do not bear very large fruits should be taken into account is self-sterility, which may be greater or lesser in a specimen depending on several things, firstly, that there is no compatibility in the gametophytes, secondly, Second, that some varieties of apple trees have cells with double or triple chromosomes, this harms the pollen they produce and therefore the fruit they will bear.
Thirdly, during the reproduction of an apple tree, it may happen that its gametophytes have certain abnormalities, this will produce the aforementioned self-sterility, as well as cases in which the flowers of this plant have different morphological characteristics, which they have some problems with pollination.
In this sense, there are several things to consider to plant an apple tree and see a good harvest, for example, the type of apple tree that is being grown, if it will be a pollinating variety or if it will be a variety of apple tree in which the flowers are different. , how it was reproduced or how it will be done, in addition to everything related to the care of this plant.
Having stressed this, another thing to consider is where the cultivar will be located. If you choose to reproduce an apple tree from the seeds of an apple that is sold locally, the compatibility with the climate will be optimal, in addition to that you will be able to know when the harvest time will be, for example: it can start from July to the month October in some types of apple trees found in the northern hemisphere, while in the southern hemisphere the harvest is done in different months.
