Table of contents
- Location
- Neighbors
- Floor
- planting
- support
- Fertilize
- Pour
- Cut
- propagation
- harvest and storage
- diseases and pests
An apple tree not only serves as a source of shade in the home garden, but also provides the hobby gardener with numerous fruits when cared for professionally. Anyone who prefers sour apples is well advised to grow a Boskoop! Because this winter apple has a particularly high acid content, which is why it is particularly suitable for applesauce or baked apples.
Location
The Boskoop is a very fast-growing apple tree, which grows both in height and in width. Because the hardy tree can reach a height of up to 4.5 meters and forms a particularly spreading crown over the years. Accordingly, when choosing a location, it is essential to ensure that there is sufficient space, whereby a planting distance of at least two meters must be observed. Likewise, it should not be too close to walls or buildings, especially since the shallow root system could lift the stones of cobblestone paths. The Boskoop also grows best when the location meets the following requirements:
- Climate not too harsh
- a humid place is ideal
- full sun to half shade
- too much shade will affect flowering
Tip:
In particularly cold regions, it is advisable to grow the Boskoop in a wind-protected place. Because its flowers are extremely sensitive and could be destroyed by frost.
Neighbors
Unfortunately, the cultivation and professional care of an apple tree does not promise a high-yield harvest. Because all apple trees are considered self-sterile and therefore need a pollinator. In order for the pollinator tree to function as a pollen donor, it must be within a radius of around 20 to 30 meters and must flower at the same time as the Boskoop. The following apple varieties are therefore very suitable as pollinators for the Boskoop:
- Berlepsch
- Cox Orange
- Idared
- James Grieve
- Jonathan
- clear apple
Floor
The Boskoop tolerates neither drought nor waterlogging, which is why the optimal substrate is crucial for the growth of the tree. Accordingly, sandy soils are less suitable, whereas deep humus loamy soils are considered optimal. Therefore, in order to encourage abundant growth of the winter apple, it is advisable to plant it in a soil with the following characteristics:
- heavy and chalky
- moist
- moderately nutritious
- slightly acidic are neutral
planting
As a rule, fruit trees are purchased in containers, which means that they can be used all year round. However, it is advisable to plant the Boskoop either in spring or in autumn. However, if the tree is planted in the ground in summer, it must be watered daily in order to be able to grow at all. In order to make planting as stress-free as possible for the tree, the root ball should stand in water for a few hours. The Boskoop can then be planted as follows:
- Dig a planting hole
- about twice the size of the root ball
- Loosen the soil in the planting hole well
- cut off damaged roots
- Insert the tree upright and in the middle
- Grafting site about 10 cm above the soil surface
- Fill up the hole in the ground with soil
- Ideally, mix in some compost
- shake the tree carefully in between
- so that the soil is good
- Tread the earth carefully
- wash in thoroughly
support
For freshly planted apple trees there is a risk of snapping over in strong gusts of wind. It is therefore advisable to provide the young trees with a support so that they cannot tip over in strong winds. Various methods are available for this, whereby supporting with a simple stake is particularly suitable for the Boskoop. This is best applied before planting as follows:
- at the edge of the planting hole
- about 15 cm deep
- Distance to the tree trunk at least 20 cm
- Tie the tree to the stake
- preferably with a coconut rope
- Knot the rope ends tightly
Fertilize
Freshly planted apple trees usually do not require any additional fertilizer payments in the first few years. Ideally, the soil was enriched with compost when planting, which would provide the trees with sufficient nutrients for the coming months or years. In the following years, however, the apple tree can be fertilized, with preference being given to using organic fertilizers. However, it should be noted that over-fertilization should always be avoided. Because this promotes growth, but at the expense of fruit formation. The following should therefore be observed when fertilizing:
- organic slow-release fertilizers are best
- e.g. E.g. manure or compost
- Fertilize in spring and in May or June
- do not fertilize after June
- Otherwise shoots cannot mature
Tip:
Falling leaves are ideal as a natural fertilizer because they release valuable nutrients to the tree as they rot.
Pour
The Boskoop likes to be watered regularly because it is sensitive to both drought and waterlogging. An insufficient water supply is shown, among other things, by bursting or shedding of the fruit. On the other hand, a substrate that is too wet can significantly damage the health of the tree. Accordingly, a certain amount of sensitivity is required when watering, whereby the following tips are useful:
- water about every week
- The top layer of soil should never dry out completely
- Water the soil well to a depth of 20 cm
- preferably with rainwater
- Stale tap water is also suitable
Tip:
An extensive layer of mulch not only supplies the tree with nutrients, but also reduces water evaporation.
Cut
Apple trees are usually pruned once a year, excluding young trees. Pruning can be done in both spring and fall, as long as temperatures are above 5 degrees. A regular cut not only keeps the shape of the tree crown in shape, but also promotes the health of the plant. If the tree is also regularly thinned out, the risk of "alternance" is reduced. This is a fluctuation in fruit yield, so that the tree only bears large fruit every two years. It is therefore advisable to cut off the following shoots every year:
- dead and diseased branches
- shoots growing downwards and inwards
- interfering branches
- Competitors to the leading branches
- Competitors to Center Last
- Water shoots (shoots growing upwards)
When cutting, it is important to ensure that three to four main branches are retained, otherwise numerous water shoots will form again. The fruit wood should also not be cut off, as this is where the flowers and subsequently the fruits form. However, these can be shortened in exceptional cases if the shoots grow particularly strongly downwards. It is important to ensure that you cut just above a bud that is pointing outwards.
propagation
Although the Boskoop can be propagated by sowing, this method is not necessarily recommended. As a rule, the plants are comparatively weak and hardly bear any fruit. On the other hand, propagation through grafting is more common and also more promising, whereby budding is particularly recommended for the Boskoop. Although this method requires a bit of finesse, it is particularly popular among hobby gardeners. In order to multiply the Boskoop by means of oculation, you first need a scion and a rootstock:
scion
- is obtained from the mother tree
- mature, pencil-thick shoot
- cut off leaves
- only stubs should remain
document
- comes from the same botanical family
- preferably a slow-growing apple tree
- remove all ancillaries
Instruction oculation
After both the scion and the rootstock have been prepared for budding, the actual processing can continue. To do this, a T-shaped cut is first made in the bark of the substrate and then the bark is detached and unfolded. The eye is then removed from the scion as follows and placed in the base:
- Cut a bud from the middle part of the scion
- preferably a well trained eye
- cut from below in the direction of the shoot tip
- only cut through the bark, no deeper
- Slide Edelauge into the T-cut of the pad from above
- Cut off the excess of the eye flush
- preferably with a horizontal T-cut
- Wrap grafting point
- Bast or an oculation tape is suitable for this
- Seal the cut with tree wax or precious resin
A notice:
If budding was successful, a freshly expelled eye will show up the following spring.
harvest and storage
The Boskoop is usually harvested from mid-October to November, but the fruits are not yet ready to eat. Because the Boskoop is one of the winter apples that need a so-called ripeness after harvest in order to develop their full aroma. The ripeness for consumption lasts from about December to April, whereby it only begins during storage. In order for the Boskoop to develop its strong aroma, the following factors must be taken into account during harvest and storage:
- Harvest fruits rather late
- this extends the shelf life
- Storage at about 3-4 degrees
- Apples can be kept until April
Tip:
If the apples start to shrivell during storage, don't worry. Although the fruit has lost water, the taste becomes particularly intense as a result.
diseases and pests
The Boskoop is particularly susceptible to core rot, which can only be seen when the fruit is cut open. A characteristic of rot is a reddish-brown core casing, whereby the discoloration can spread to the entire fruit. In order to prevent core rot, an annual cut and the removal of fruit mummies are recommended. It is also advisable not to harvest the apples too late and to ensure that the fertilizers have a low nitrogen content. In addition to core rot, the following diseases and pests also pose a threat to Boskoop:
- flesh tan
- collar rot
- codling moth
- aphids
A notice:
The Boskoop is considered to be less susceptible to scab and mildew.
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