Harvesting is a seemingly simple matter, but some of the obvious points of the gardener can be puzzling. For example, is everyone able to answer the question of when to harvest apples of each variety. Alternatively, everyone is sure that the fruits should be plucked when they are fully ripe, and rightly so. And how to determine the day and month of harvesting a full-fledged harvest, what to focus on?

Varietal signs of maturity.

Before you start cleaning, you need to understand the process itself. For example, the time when to harvest apples of early varieties is almost unlimited, except for the understanding that overripe fruits in best case not so tasty, at worst - quickly rot. With middle and late will have to work.

Early varieties- take at least "Melba", the well-known "Papirovka" and "White pouring" plus the original "Anis", "Candy" and many other summer ones. The time of their harvesting is determined by the end of June - the beginning of August. At the same time, the entire harvested crop goes only for food or processing. About any deadlines when to harvest apples on long-term storage, in principle, there can be no conversation, they are not stored. Overdosing for a couple of weeks is possible, but again, only for use in the near future.

Autumn varieties- require a little more responsibility, since the question of when to put the apples in storage, to some extent, has to be decided. To some extent, because the fruits ripened with the advent of autumn are suitable for laying for the winter and for eating. If anyone knows the varieties "Glory to the winners", "Streifling", the same "Mac" and "Orlovskoye striped" - they are all just such "universal". True, in addition to versatility, autumn apples also have a drawback - a short shelf life. In the most correct storage, they do not deteriorate for 2, maximum 3 months.

Winter varieties- of the most famous are "Antonovka" and "Simirenko", the same "Jonathan" and "Aport", popular among gardeners "Winter lungwort" and "Antey". Suitable only for consumption after a certain time. They are not suitable for food at the moment, and therefore the timing of when to harvest apples is late varieties need to know for sure. They lie well, the fruits plucked do not rot or rot a little, if the autumn is warm - until October 15, if it is cold - until a significant cooling. Cleaning day should be dry and warm, as it can be in autumn. At the same time, "Idared", "Minskoye", as well as "Zaslavskoye" and "Boyken" are allowed to shoot, even when it gets very cold, but before frost.

External signs of maturity.

It would seem that if the time when to harvest apples is already known, why do you need to know what they will look like. Not rotten, not broken - so everything is fine. As for late varieties, this approach to determining the start of harvesting is quite suitable. In any case, the fruits should lie down, and therefore they all look the same - as if unripe. Another situation is with autumn, especially with early varieties. If you want to eat not only "officially" ripe apples, but also delicious, it is advisable not to forget for folk ways definition of ripeness. So, when it is already possible to harvest apples, and what to look for.

1. The first sign of the general maturation that has begun is the presence of unspoiled carrion.


2. Apples of autumn and early varieties should have their own varietal coloring. That is, since ripe fruits are ready to eat right now, they should all be yellow, red, white, yellow-red, but not green at all. The exception is apples of late varieties, they are harvested, focusing only on the month and weather.


3. Fully ripe fruits are easily removed, and are not cut off, so that the branches break.


4. The seeds turned brown.


5. One more check. If an apple is pressed down with a finger, a noticeable dent will remain on a mature one, a peel that has stopped pushing through, a green dimple, if it appears, is very small.

In addition to all this, without pressure and determination by color, the day when to pick apples can be found in the home "laboratory". You will need a solution:

• water -1 l;


• iodine - 1 g;


• potassium iodide -1 g.

Several cut fruits are thrown into the solution. If in a minute all the pulp turned blue, it’s too early to pick apples. If the blue appears only near the peel, it's time to harvest.

How much one or another method of determining the timing is the best, this can be verified in practice. In the garden, and almost everyone does this, the time when to pick apples is determined in a “human” way. That is, a couple of fruits were plucked, bitten, tried, further according to circumstances. It may not be entirely scientific, but as an option it is quite suitable.

The time of apple ripening is the most crucial time when you cannot miss a day. This is especially true for cleaning. early ripe varieties: the slightest delay threatens with serious losses.

Rejoicing in the abundant fruiting, prepare in advance for the moment of collection:

• check the safety of inventory (baskets and devices for separating apples from branches);
• repair and test the stability of the stepladder;
• treat against pathogens and thoroughly ventilate the storage area.

Having done all this, you can calmly wait for the necessary ripeness of vitamin fruits.

Some general cleaning principles

For long-term storage, apples should be harvested following a few basic rules.

• Always pick apples only in dry weather, after waiting for the morning dew to dry.
• When planning to transport the harvested crop, pre-cool it to a temperature of 8-10 ° C. So the fruits will endure transportation much easier.
• Harvest apples as soon as harvestable ripeness is reached. Unlike consumer ripeness, the fruit has already stopped growing at this time, but is still quite hard and contains more acids than sugar. It is during this period that the fruits are best processed, transported and cleaned for storage.
• The ripe fruit is fragrant and sweet, but if you pick it at this stage, the apple will become dry and crumbly very soon. The main difficulty in collecting early varieties is to be in time with harvesting before the onset of consumer ripeness, since it is achieved very quickly after harvesting, after about a week.
• Please note that the weather conditions of a particular season significantly affect the ripening time. The hotter and drier the weather is, the earlier the fruit ripens. But the cool summer pushes this event to a later time, so winter varieties may not ripen at all.
• Harvest is stored for storage immediately after harvesting. It is important that the temperature in the room is in the range from 0 to + 4 ° C and is sufficient high humidity (85–90 %).

All varieties of apples are divided into three large groups: summer, autumn and winter. Each of them has its own characteristics and terms of harvest.

When to harvest summer varieties

Summer apples very quickly in comparison with their later relatives, by the end of July - beginning of August, acquire removable ripeness. Harvested at this stage, they can be stored for about a month if placed in a refrigerator at a temperature of 0 to +3 ° C. After a couple of weeks, early varieties are only suitable for immediate consumption in fresh or for processing.

Time to pick autumn apples

Autumn varieties begin to ripen in early or mid-September. It is by this time that they become truly sweet, fragrant and beautiful. If you want to harvest for storage, then the fruits should be harvested without waiting for consumer ripeness - unripe, and then allow them to gain the necessary sweetness in storage. After 2-3 weeks, the crop will be quite usable. In addition, autumn apples picked at the stage of removable ripeness can be stored without problems for three months.

Winter apples - for patient gardeners

Winter varieties differ in that they almost never reach consumer maturity on a tree. In order for them to become tasty and juicy, the fruits must lie in storage for more than one month. The terms of their collection on average fall on the end of September, and real ripeness occurs only after 2-3 months.

However, such apples have one undoubted advantage - very long term storage. Subject to all the rules, they are able to delight with sweet and sour taste and bright aroma all winter.

How to pick apples

Their safety directly depends on how correctly you shoot, for example, melba or antonovka. This is especially important for winter apples, which will lie in storage for many months.

• If you want the harvested apples to keep well, do not water the apple tree during the fruit ripening period. For the same purposes, you should not get carried away with top dressing.
• Always choose only fine days for cleaning. Fruits harvested wet are much more likely to get sick.
• Start from the lower branches, gradually moving up. So you can harvest without injuring the fruit.
• Pick the apples on the south side of the tree first, as they always ripen earlier there. The northern branches will require your attention a couple of days later.
• Pluck the fruit very carefully, trying not to damage the delicate skin. Just carefully place them in the prepared container, in no case do not throw them away.
• Be sure to leave the stalk, as apples keep better with it.
• Never wipe apples, because this removes their protective wax coating.
• Do not store carefully picked and fallen fruits together for storage. carrion, even winter varieties, in general it is better not to store, but to process immediately.

What is needed to save the harvest

It is not difficult to enjoy the taste and aroma of summer for a long time, as well as regularly supply the body with vitamins, if you take the issue of storage responsibly and take into account a few useful rules.

• Use simple containers wooden boxes, pre-treated with a solution of potassium permanganate and carefully dried in the sun.
• It is better to lay thick paper at the bottom, but you can get by with ordinary newspapers. Sometimes dry, pre-washed sand is used for this purpose.
• Harvested fruit should not be stored outdoors even for a very short time. It is necessary to remove them in storage immediately after collection.
• With high humidity in the storage, place containers with fluffy lime in it. It will absorb all excess water from the air. In a room that is too dry, you can put buckets or boxes with wet sand. It must be periodically watered during the entire storage period as it dries.
• The temperature regime is very important for the correct microclimate. The air should not warm up above + 5 ° C, however, even small negative temperatures are also unacceptable.
• Late varieties can be laid out in boxes in several layers, but not too tightly, sprinkled with sawdust, onion peel, peat or other dry and bulk material. Summer and autumn apples are best placed in a low container in one layer, wrapping each fruit with a napkin or sheet of paper.
• It is necessary to regularly sort out the crop, removing diseased specimens that are a source of infection for their neighbors. The first time this should be done a couple of weeks after collection. It is during this period that all defects that you did not find during cleaning will appear. In the future, an audit can be carried out less frequently, approximately once every 3-4 weeks.
• It will be correct to store separately different varieties and specimens different sizes, as their keeping quality is always different.

On August 19, the Orthodox celebrate the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, which is popularly called Apple Savior. On this day, apples and other fruits of the new harvest are consecrated in temples.

According to popular belief, garden apples cannot be eaten until this day. In truth, this does not make sense, because in our area, around this time, early varieties of apples ripen.

Basket - on a tree

It is necessary to harvest apples on time. Harvesting too early threatens to significantly reduce the taste of the fruit, and delaying harvesting increases carrion, impairs the ability of apples to store and inhibits the formation of fruit buds of the future harvest.

Start with the preparation of containers and inventory. It is worth paying close attention to this, since apples are a delicate and perishable fruit, and even the most a short time, depends on the safety of the crop. For picking apples, baskets or buckets lined with burlap are best suited so that the fruits do not come into direct contact with a hard surface, are less upholstered and spoiled. It is also good to stock up on special wooden or metal hooks of medium diameter - they are needed to hang a basket or bucket on a thicker branch. Agree, it is more convenient and faster to harvest from a tree when the container is right under your arms and you don’t have to bend down to it - as it would be if it were standing on the ground.

You will also, of course, need a light and comfortable ladder and a fruit picker - to pick apples from the very top. In no case should you pick apples without ladders, climbing a tree. The bark of apple trees is very tender and easily vulnerable, and stepping on branches even without shoes can damage it, and the slightest damage to the bark threatens the tree with diseases.

Immediately prepare a container for storing apples - boxes with a capacity of about 18-25 kilograms. Before starting work, do not forget to thoroughly wash the container and inventory and dry it in the sun.

Get to work when you see that healthy, undamaged by pests and diseases, the fruits begin to fall off without the slightest breeze, or simply begin to easily separate from the twig. But at the same time, in no case do not shake the apples from the trees! This can be done only if you want to immediately eat the "ruddy and bulk" that you like. After all, it will no longer be possible to store it.

Underripe? Overripe?

So, white filling, early red, yellow arcade, early and Moscow pear, mantet, lungwort, papirovka - I, of course, have not listed all the early varieties - have already collected juice and are ready to be removed from the tree as soon as possible.

8 basic rules for picking apples

1 It should begin with the collection of carrion. It is not at all harmless, because in each of the fallen apples there may be a worm or a caterpillar that will spread through the garden and make it sick. To avoid this, the carrion should be dug up immediately.

2 Start picking apples from the lower branches, then from the middle of the crown and from the top. With this collection, fewer apples fall to the ground.

3 Apples are removed along with the stalk, which is carefully separated from the branch (without stalks, the fruit will not be stored well). The apple is clasped with fingers, pressing with the index finger on the stalk at the place of its attachment to the fruit branch, and, raising it a little, is separated from the fruit. In this case, you can not pull the apple down, unscrew it or cut it off the branch. So you break off the stalk and the fruit will not soon grow in this place.

4 Work in the morning in dry weather. This rule especially applies to autumn and winter varieties - the fruits collected in such conditions are much better stored.

5 summer varieties apples intended for processing, transportation or short-term storage are harvested at the beginning of removable maturity, that is, slightly underripe.

6 Early varieties overripe in 2-3 days, and therefore it is advisable to remove them selectively, depending on the degree of ripeness. As a rule, fruits ripen faster from the south side of the trees or from the top.

7 Put only healthy and undamaged apples in the basket. Fruits with a wormhole, deformed or already fallen are collected separately.

8 Late varieties are best harvested as late as possible, but before the fruits begin to shed. The later you shoot, the better the quality will be. However, you need to have time to harvest before the onset of autumn frosts, since apples beaten by frost will not be stored.

And in the morning - in the cellar

The removed fruits are carefully laid out from baskets and buckets in boxes prepared in advance and lined with paper. Especially carefully handle the fruits of early varieties. In addition, each variety must be packed in containers and stored separately, taking into account the size of the apple and its degree of maturity. Sprinkle winter varieties in compliance with the following rules: put one hand under the bottom of the basket or bucket, and support the apples with the other so that they do not spill out of the inverted container. The container turned upside down in this way is lowered to the level of the fruits already poured, the hand is removed and the apples are gently poured into the box. Do not lay them out one at a time - they are more damaged.

The fruits laid in boxes are left in the shade - to cool overnight. And early in the morning, when cool, put the apples in the cellar - until the daytime heat has penetrated there, this will help them to be stored longer. Place the boxes one on top of the other from 6 to 10 rows at a distance of 20 cm from the wall. Place slats 5-6 cm thick or bricks under the lowest one so that the fruits can be ventilated from below. And do not put apples in the cellar for the winter along with potatoes or beets - apples will lose their taste from being next to these vegetables.

Important

Apples and vegetables are well preserved if the boxes with them are placed in thick polyethylene bags. The free end of the bag with the box is then twisted and tied with twine. Polyethylene packaging well passes carbon dioxide, a little less - oxygen, and almost does not pass water vapor at all. A low oxygen, high carbon dioxide environment will help your apples retain their freshness and taste much the same as their counterparts stored in special atmosphere controlled rooms.

Experiments have shown that if apples are stored at home in plastic packaging for five months, they will practically not lose weight.

curious

labeled apples

If your garden has apple trees that produce red fruits, you can cook original gift. Choose an apple that grows on sunny side, - already large enough, but not yet reddened.

Cut out the initials of the person you are going to surprise from the foil and stick it to the apple. You can take not foil, but any paper that does not pass Sun rays, for example black, in which photographic materials are packed.

When it's time to harvest, you pick an apple from the branch, remove the foil - the initials will be clearly visible.

canned apples

Cut the apples into slices, add granulated sugar (per 1 kg - 200 g), mix and wait until the juice starts to stand out. Put in a stainless steel saucepan, be sure to close the lid, put on fire and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. After 3-5 minutes of gentle boiling, fill pre-prepared sterilized jars, immediately roll up and turn upside down. Other fruits can be added to apples - cranberries, plums, chokeberries ... But the mountain ash must first, before cooking, be scalded with boiling water to soften a little.

" Apples

Owners of private houses often have a small Orchard at the end of the garden. This makes it possible to consume organic fruits throughout the winter, especially apples.

But with the advent of autumn, questions are brewing: when to harvest? How to get ripe fruits from the tops of trees? Are there special devices?

You will find answers to these questions in our article.

Start picking apples autumn varieties can in September-October. The main thing is to be in time before the onset of frost, but not later than a month before the onset of stable frosts.

If it's too late to start harvesting, you can damage the tree. Namely:

• the frequency of fruiting increases;
• reduces the frost resistance of trees;
• the ability of vigorous growth in the spring is reduced.

At the time of harvest, apples should be sour and firm. This will extend their shelf life. Depending on the variety, apples will reach consumer maturity after 2-3 months.

Autumn varieties of apples should not be allowed to ripen. Such fruits are worse stored. The harvested crop will not reach the correct taste and color ahead of time, and will also begin to wrinkle.

Removable maturity of apples is determined on several indicators:

• fruit age - you need to know how much time has passed since the beginning of flowering, take into account the air temperature during this period;
• apple size;
• the main and integumentary color of fruits;
• seed color;
• fruit pulp density;
• starch content.

Only a specialist can determine the harvest time according to these criteria. An amateur gardener will have enough take into account such features:

• a larger number of fruits acquired a color characteristic of a particular variety;
• fruits are well separated from the stalks;
• seeds of apples of winter varieties have acquired a brown color;
• apples are sour and hard.

If in calm windless weather under a tree there will be no a large number of fruits without visible damage and disease - it is also a signal to start harvesting.

Timely harvesting of apples of winter varieties is the key to proper fruit ripening, in which the pulp becomes loose, the taste improves, the aroma intensifies and the color characteristic of the variety appears.

Terms of harvesting different varieties for storage

Antonovka ordinary

Grows in temperate and humid climates. It is resistant to severe frosts and scab damage. Tall trees with branched crown.

Antonovka will please with the first apples already for 5-8 years. Fruits profusely every year. Apples are oval-conical, weighing 100-200 grams. The pulp is white, juicy, the peel is yellow-green.

Removable fruit maturity - from late September to early October. Consumer maturity comes in a month. In the refrigerator, fruits are stored until the middle of winter, and in the basement, the shelf life is extended until early spring.

Anise

Known anise scarlet and anise gray or striped. winter-hardy fruit tree with a round crown. Tolerates drought well.

The apple tree begins to bear fruit at the age of five. Harvest variety, but the fruits are small, within 65-90 grams.

The skin of the fruit has a light green color with a pink blush, while anise has an orange-red blush. The pulp is sweet and sour, dense, white.

To collect the fruits of anise scarlet ready at the end of August - beginning of September. The shelf life of fruits is 3 months.

Removable ripeness of fruits of anise striped variety runs from late September to early October. This variety apples keep well until March.

Jonathan

Medium variety. Prefers wet fertile soils. The fruits are medium, rounded, weighing 100-150 gr. The skin is greenish-yellow with a blurred blush of dark red color.

Second decade of September optimal time to collect apples for storage. If the storage conditions are observed, the harvest can last until May.

Bogatyr

The tree reaches 2-3 m in height. Fruiting occurs at 5-6 years. The grade differs in early fructification and high productivity.

Apples are light green in color, turn yellow during storage. The fruits are sweet and sour, the flesh is firm and strong.

You can harvest at the end of September. At proper storage fruits can be preserved until May.

Aport

The trees are tall with a wide rounded crown. Average resistance to low temperatures. The first harvest will appear in 6-7 years. Low yield is compensated by large fruits weighing up to 0.5 kg.

Fruit with slightly pronounced ribs, narrowed towards the apex. The pulp is juicy, friable and white. It has a sweet and sour taste.

Apple picking falls in October. At right conditions storage fruits lie until March.

Rules for picking apples in the fall for winter storage

Harvesting is done only in dry weather. The fruits must be dry. Wet apples are more susceptible to various diseases.

They begin to take fruit from the lower branches. Then they continue to pick apples from the middle branches, gradually moving to the top of the tree. This will allow you to harvest without loss.

Do not aim to harvest apples in one day. Harvest on the south side first, where the fruits ripen a little faster. After 2-3 days, start harvesting fruit on the north side of the tree.

Harvest preferably in soft fabric gloves, which will prevent damage to the skin.

When harvesting for laying fruits for storage never shake the tree. Each apple must be carefully picked along with the stem.

When harvesting, try not to break the branches. This will lead to lower yields next year. Harvested fruit must not be thrown away. They must be carefully placed in pre-prepared containers.

How to harvest apple trees: choose the right tool

by the most in a simple way harvest is manual picking of the fruit. But this is not always possible due to the height and spreading of the branches.

In order not to damage tree branches, climbing a tree is not recommended. It is better to use a stepladder or ladder.

To harvest from a height, you need use special equipment. It doesn’t matter what apples are eaten with, the main thing is that this device meets certain criteria:

• firmly hold the fruits;
• reach high;
• do not injure fruit;
• be convenient to use.

In stores for the garden and vegetable garden, a large number of fruit pickers of different shapes and materials are provided. The fruit picker is a container with slots for fixing the fetus and its safe separation from the stalk. Let's present some of them.

Tulip Device

Made from durable plastic. It has the shape of a glass with rounded petals. A long handle is attached to the bottom of it.

When harvesting, the fruit should fall into the glass, and its stalk will be placed between the petals. To detach the fruit from the branch, it remains only to twist the fruit collector to one side.

Collet pickers

Made from wire which is a plastic tube. At the ends, the wire is bent into a circle. A fishing line is threaded through the wire rings, which controls the mechanism.

An apple is placed in the center of the fruit picker and pulled by the fishing line. As a result, the wire from above is connected and the fruit is trapped. It remains only to twist the device and tear off the apple.

With grip. Suitable for picking up small fruits that are caught in plastic parts. They look like a three-fingered hand.

With the help of a lever, which is located on the telescopic handle, the cavities are closed and the apple is inside the device. It remains only to tear the fruit from the branch.

Fruit pickers with bag. With this device, you can shoot several fruits at the same time. The bag is attached to a round shape with tin petals that act as a knife. It also has a handle holder.

It remains only to cut the apple, which will fall into the bag and not be damaged.

Fruit Picking Device

Fruit Picking Device - the latest device for harvesting. It is a long pole that extends 3 m.

A pruner is attached to its end, which is controlled from the other end. A mesh-stocking is attached along the length of the pole. After cutting, the apple falls into the net and rolls along it right into your hands.

How to make a device for removing fruits from the top with your own hands

From improvised means and tools, it is possible to independently make a device for picking apples.

2 liter plastic bottle cut into two halves. You will need a part of the bottle with a neck.

A wedge-shaped slit is made on the cut line, with the help of which the stalk will be separated from the branch. Attach a stick of the desired length to the neck of the bottle.

The same two-liter bottle is taken just don't need to trim it. A long pole is attached to the neck. A circle is cut out in the middle. It should be a couple of centimeters larger in diameter than the apples being removed.

In the cut out circle, a v-shaped incision is made with a sharp part towards the neck. When harvesting with a closed fixture, apples are unlikely to fall out and be damaged.

In a 2 liter plastic bottle, cut off the bottom. On the same side, with the help of scissors, we form petals, in each of which we make two holes. We pass the fishing line through the neck, then we pass it in turn through each hole and bring it out again through the neck.

The result should be a bottle, from the neck of which two ends of the fishing line come out. We attach any holder available in the household to the neck, which is hollow in the middle (you can use a mop handle). We pass a line through it.

At the time of harvest, you need place the fruit in the center of the bottle and pull the line. In this case, the edges of the bottle will shrink and prevent the apple from falling out. By turning the handle of the device, the fruit will separate from the branch.

Do-it-yourself fruit picker from plastic bottle and rails:

Summarizing the above, it can be concluded that it is not enough to properly care for apple trees for getting big harvest for storage.

As well as it is important to take into account the variety of apples, to clearly define the removable ripeness of apples of late varieties, rules for collecting bulk fruits, decide on a device for harvesting.

Only by combining all this into one whole, you can delight your family with homemade organic apples throughout the winter-spring period.

In fact, it is rather difficult to figure out how to store Antonovka, since this variety of apples does not have good keeping quality. When they are grown in industrial scale, usually use special chemicals that can better protect these fruits from premature spoilage. In addition, in this case, the technology for picking apples and storing them is strictly observed.

At right approach fruits can be stored almost until the end of winter, even at home. However, in this case there are a number of subtleties that must be taken into account. How long apples are stored depends largely on how they were picked and packaged, as well as on temperature regime and humidity in the room where they will be located. Without taking into account all these features, it will be extremely difficult to ensure that the fruits do not rot.

Collection of antonovka and its packaging for storage

Almost all varieties of apples have a special wax coating on the surface. It protects the fruits not only from pathogenic bacteria and many types of pests, but also from atmospheric phenomena. This is very important point to which you should refer Special attention. In order for Antonovka to be stored at home for as long as possible, it is necessary to collect the fruits even before they are overripe and at the same time very carefully so as not to damage the existing wax cover.

Collection technique

It is best to start picking fruit from the lower tiers of the tree. You should not take them with your hands. It is best to unscrew the apples while keeping the stalk. It is necessary to collect fruits only when there is no precipitation. It is necessary to start work in the middle of the day, when the existing dew is completely dry. Apples that are picked wet do not lie for a long time. Putting fruits on the ground during their harvest is also not worth it, since in the future they will most likely begin to rot.

Sorting

All fruits that have defects or were crushed during harvest should be put aside immediately, as they are not suitable for storage. Next, the entire harvest of Antonovka must be sorted by size. It is known that large fruits emit more ethylene, which contributes to the faster ripening of small ones. To avoid this, apples of different sizes must be sorted into separate containers.

What to store

To store apples, you need to prepare cardboard or wooden boxes and, if necessary, make many holes in them, and they should also be disinfected and dried in advance. It should be borne in mind that after picking apples, it is recommended to put them in storage for 12-24 hours. The bottom of the container intended for storing antonovka must be carefully covered with paper. The fruits are stacked down with their stalks to avoid damage.

Some growers wrap each fruit with soft paper towels before storage, or sprinkle with sawdust from hardwoods after they're in boxes. This really helps to avoid damage to the fruits when storing and in some cases improves the keeping quality of the fruits, since they do not touch each other. However, the effect of this method is not too significant, so it is quite possible to do without it.

At the same time, it should be borne in mind that if the fruits are wrapped in soft paper or covered with sawdust, it is quite possible to use the space remaining in the box to form the next layer. This saves a lot of space if only deep containers are available. It is impossible to lay 1 layer of apples directly on another, as this will significantly reduce their shelf life and cause rapid fruit rotting.

chemical method

Some modern gardeners use chemical methods to increase the shelf life of antonovka. For this purpose, it is often used

• alcohol solution of propolis;
• Vaseline oil;
• wax;
• glycerin, etc.

Fruits are carefully rubbed with these substances before they are stored. This method has its drawbacks. This treatment removes the natural waxy coating and increases the risk of damage to the apples. In addition, rubbing the fruit with various chemicals can cause deterioration of their taste and useful qualities.

Immediately before taking the boxes with apples to the room where they will be stored, you need to place the container in separate transparent plastic bags. They need to be tied. This will prevent moisture loss and oxygen ingress. In most cases, this method allows you to keep the crop longer. At the same time, it must be taken into account if a fungus is present on the fruit, high humidity may lead to an increase in its population.

Creating conditions for storing antonovka at home

This variety of apples usually does not lie longer than 3 months, but when created optimal conditions it can be slightly extended.

The optimum temperature for storing antonovka ranges from +2 to 0°C. Relative Humidity air should be about 90-95% in the room.

It is very important that such conditions are maintained in the cellar throughout the entire period of storage of apples. This will avoid gradual wilting of the fruit. You should not lay these fruits next to vegetables, as the latter can be a source of fungal infection. If possible, you need to periodically inspect the fruits and remove those that are affected by rot or mold. This will keep the rest longer.

How long Antonovka is stored depends not only on how carefully the preparation for its laying was carried out, but also on the conditions in which it will be located. When harvesting apples of this variety for the winter, it must be borne in mind that large specimens should be eaten first. Such fruits never dry up.

Due to the excess moisture content, large apples, spoiling, begin to rot, which contributes to the defeat of other fruits. Relatively small fruits can be stored for 4-5 months when creating optimal conditions for them at home.

Gardening experience. Video