BREEDING FEATURES Climate Demand: Apple sapling is a temperate, especially cold temperate climate plant. It grows in places above 800 m in the Mediterranean Region. High light intensity provides very good color formation in apples. Although apple sapling is resistant to harsh winters with low temperatures, it does not like high summer heat. Because plant growth slows down or stops at high temperatures. Apple sapling is a type of fruit that needs winter rest, and its chilling requirement is longer than other fruits. Resistance to cold decreases towards the spring months and the plant becomes most sensitive to cold during the bud swelling phase. Just after the petal fall, the period when the fruits are very small is the period when the apple sapling is most sensitive to cold. When there is not enough cooling, some of the flowers die, and the rest of the flowers open later and are irregular. Thus, late blooming flowers are shed due to lack of fertilization, and leaf buds do not last and the tree remains bare. Soil Request: Soils suitable for apple growing; They are loamy, loamy sandy and sandy loam permeable, moist soils containing sufficient lime and humus. In very calcareous soils, yellowness is seen in the plant due to the inhibition of iron uptake. For apple saplings, soils with a soil depth of 2 m or more and with a slightly acid character (pH=6.0-6.5) are preferred. The subsoil structure of the area where the garden will be established should allow root development and the water of the layer where the roots will develop should also be removed. CARE OF APPLE GARDEN Tillage: Tillage is carried out to facilitate the cleaning of weeds, aeration of plant roots and the preparation of irrigation arcs. However, this process breaks down the root and fringe system of apple trees, especially those with superficial roots. For this reason, deep plowing should not be done in a way that will break the root system, deep processing should not be done with a plow, it is sufficient to work at a depth that will not break the root system with diskharrow. Irrigation: The amount of water to be given to the gardens varies according to the total annual precipitation, the distribution of this precipitation, the severity of water loss from the plant, the size of the tree and the type of soil. Since apple trees have a fringe root system, they require more water than other fruits and they like high humidity. The most important irrigation time for apple trees is summer irrigation. Because the earlier summer irrigation is started in dry times, the more fruit set increases, and it also helps to increase yield and quality. Summer irrigation starts in May, depending on the rainfall, and continues throughout the summer. The most important issue in irrigation is to determine the irrigation time well. The most practical method for this is to control the soil manually. The most suitable irrigation method is the sprinkler and drip irrigation system. In drip irrigation, a part of the area where the roots are located remains constantly moist. Fertilization: The most important point in apple cultivation is to fertilize correctly and in a balanced way, in addition to other cultivation practices, in order to obtain high yields and quality products. The amount of fertilizer to be given to apple orchards varies according to the soil cultivation method, the character of the soil, the growth power of the tree, its age, and the amount of product taken. The best way is to determine the amount of fertilizer to be given by soil and leaf analysis. Before planting seedlings in apple orchards, a basic fertilization should be done, and after planting, the garden should be fertilized every year according to the results of the analysis. Nitrogen fertilizers increase fruit quality, reduce fruit shedding, increase yield, and reduce periodicity (yes or no). The only point to note is that the nitrogen fertilizers given are used up before the apples mature. In the spring, before the buds burst, 100-250 g per tree. Ammonium sulphate or ammonium nitrate is added to a depth of 10 cm, 150-350 gr per tree, in autumn, when entering the winter. DAP applications are recommended.
