Winter Wellsey apple - champion in yield and keeping quality
When choosing seedlings, gardeners prefer those varieties that tolerate regional climatic conditions well and are able to give a bountiful harvest. The taste of the fruit is also important. One of the most popular varieties can rightfully be considered the Welsey apple tree - a novelty of American selection, in many ways superior to domestic species. We bring to your attention a detailed description of the Welsey apple tree with a photo.
It is noteworthy that the variety in our area is relatively new (it was widely used at the end of the 19th century), but not entirely "foreign": during its selection, the seed material of the Siberian cherry apple was used.
Botanical characteristic
The Wellsey apple tree grows medium in size, young trees have shoots with a reddish tint and light down, the crown is pyramid-shaped, with age it becomes more round, the ends of the branches slightly sink to the ground. Rarely leafy, the leaves are small, but very beautiful, painted in a dark green color with a glossy sheen. During flowering, small white inflorescences with a pink tint bloom on the branches. Abundant fruiting, lateral growth.
The Welsey variety needs to be pruned regularly or the tree will be overloaded with fruit. Old trees should be rejuvenated in order to avoid decay of fruiting and shrinking of fruits.
Taste qualities
Welsey is early maturing, large-fruited, winter variety, the first harvest can be obtained already in the fourth year after planting. The fruits ripen at the end of September and need to be removed as soon as possible, since they are not firmly attached and, if they "stop," they can crumble.
The apples are quite large, up to 150 g each, flat-chested. At the initial stage of maturity, they are colored yellow; as they ripen, clear cherry stripes appear on the fruits, densely located next to each other. The pulp is very juicy and dense, sweet and sour, with a thin but dense skin, emits a delicate sweet aroma.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
The Welsey apple tree is a worthy competitor to domestic varieties due to the following advantages:
- the ability to produce crops from 4 years of age;
- abundant fruiting (up to 200 kg can be harvested from one adult tree);
- excellent keeping quality of fruits (apples do not lose their taste or presentation during storage until spring);
- high resistance to some diseases of fruit trees;
- complete immunity to scab;
- good enough winter hardiness for the southern and middle cultivation zone (an apple tree can survive frost of 25 degrees, but a lower temperature leads to freezing).
Among the shortcomings, it is worth noting the structure of the crown: branches branching off at an acute angle can break off under their own weight, especially with abundant fruiting. In addition, apples quickly crumble if you skip picking time, and can change the taste depending on weather conditions (become more acidic).However, despite the small nuances, the Wellsey apple tree is still one of the best winter varieties that will delight gardeners with a good harvest that can be stored until the New Year's holidays, or even more.