Old Residents Of My Garden

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

The history of the site goes back more than one hundred years. It was owned by several generations of my relatives. Some fruit plantations are much older than me. This fact made us think about the question of the reproductive age of plants. How long do fruit crops live and bear fruit?

Earlier it seemed that for an apple tree the age of 40-50 years is the limit of possibilities. How wrong I was in my judgments! Having rummaged in the scientific literature, I found interesting data. It turns out that the maximum age of a domestic apple tree in Central Russia is 100-120 years. In the south, it reaches 150. The pear lives even longer than 200-300 years.

The most interesting thing is that the age of wild specimens is 1, 5-2 times more than that of domestic ones. Scientists attribute this difference to several factors. In the forest, trees appear as a result of seed reproduction. They are more adapted to the conditions of the area. They begin to bear fruit at 6-7 years from germination.

In horticulture, seed stocks are grafted with cultivated grafts to accelerate the emergence of fruits. Thus, interfering with the natural process. The constant formation of the crown, pruning of branches leads to stress. In some cases, diseases develop on untreated sections. Garden plantings stand in an open place, are rarely planted from each other, therefore, without painting the trunks, sunburn occurs there in the spring. All these factors shorten the life of cultivated plants.

At the end of the garden, near the old bathhouse, an apple-tree of the Anis striped variety grows with a height of more than 7 meters. When dad was a child, she already had a decent height. This means that her age is over 70 years old. This season, for the first time, several branches have dried out on the top of the head. Each year, unlike other modern varieties, it produces a harvest of aromatic apples. Feels good. We do not form the crown specially. All these years the base of the tree was covered with cherry bushes. The natural coolness and special microclimate inside the garden contributed to the longevity of the seedlings.

A little closer to the arable land there was another specimen of the same variety. About 5 years ago, during a thunderstorm, the tree was broken by the wind. The trunk was not protected by bushes, so the bark cracked and small hollows formed. All this happened before we came to the site.

Near the barn there is an even older apple tree of an unknown variety, about 3 meters high. The close occurrence of groundwater does not allow the root system to develop well. Several times the crown dried out almost completely. The old-timer found strength again and grew it again, practically from scratch. This year, the whole tree is strewn with fruits.

White currants are surprisingly sweet with long clusters (more than 20 pieces on one branch) of amber color with berries every year pleases with high yields. More than 10 kilograms from one bush.

They hang very beautifully on the plant, resembling long earrings. The old-timer is over 50 years old. Dying branches are periodically pruned. The last time this procedure was carried out more than 7 years ago. Since then, no dry shoots have been seen.

Black currant is a huge bush with a diameter of more than 3 meters. The berries are small, old-fashioned. One gets the impression that it was originally taken from the wild. He is over 40 years old. Sweet, aromatic berries are practically not damaged by pests and diseases, unlike modern large-fruited varieties growing on the site. This is what time hardening and natural immunity mean!

According to scientists, the age of currants does not exceed 20-25 years. Our old-timers obviously exceeded this figure by more than 2 times.

Our old gooseberry with large maroon fruits has delighted us with a large harvest for over 50 years. But last year, for the first time, it dried up very much. I had to remove dry branches. There are a few live shoots left. One stem took root, formed a new bush. Next year we will transplant it to a new location. Hope to keep this delicious vintage. According to statistics, the life expectancy of gooseberries is 20-25 years.

Plums on the plot of 2 varieties on different sides of the garden: tall and low. Tall trees give large fruits with a slight acidity. They are over 30 years old. Undersized specimens are sweeter. According to research, plums and cherries live up to 30-35 years. Trees feel great, every year, increasing the volume of the crown, increasing the yield.

I believe that the reason for the longevity of fruit plantations in my garden is as follows:

1. Without urgent need I do not interfere with the life of plants (pruning only dried-up branches, destroying pests as they appear).

2. Wet microclimate (the site is located in the river floodplain).

3. Protection from the wind (covered from the side of the prevailing wind rose by hills, high buildings).

4. Bulk, imported fertile soil, consisting of dark-colored silty soil with a lumpy structure. The native horizon is located at a depth of 40-50 cm.

5. Large trees underneath are protected by a canopy of low-growing shrubs. A favorable symbiosis of several cultures has been created, occupying different levels.

Love your garden, protect it from the harmful effects of the surrounding world. He will answer you with a large annual harvest and will preserve his natural longevity for many years!