Apple 'Greensleeves'

Apple 'Greensleeves' (Malus domestica 'Greensleeves') – an early-autumn cultivar of the domestic apple (Malus domestica). The cultivar was bred in 1966 by Dr. F. Alston in Kent (United Kingdom) at the East Malling trial station from the cross James Grieve x Golden Delicious. In 1981 the cultivar received the RHS Award of Merit. It has been cultivated in Ukraine for more than 20 years.

It is a small tree. The crown is compact, semi-rounded, not dense. Flowers bloom in mid-season. The cultivar is early-bearing, beginning to fruit in the 4th year.

Fruits are uniform in size, 130-170 g, globular in shape, ripen in mid-September. Skin of medium thickness, greenish at first, becoming bright yellow at maturity, slightly rough, rarely with brown russeting. Flesh crisp, firm, yellow-cream, juicy. Taste is sweet-acid, 4.7 (8.5-8.8) points. Yield is stable and regular, up to 46 kg per tree. Apples store in ordinary storage up to one month, in a refrigerator – 2-2.5 months. Transportability is average. If overripe they overgrow and drop, so timely harvesting is necessary.

Pollinators for Greensleeves: Amulet, Imrus, Chimpeon, Delicia, Prima, Priam, Liberty.

Hardiness zone: 4 (-28°C).

Location: prefers sunny sites protected from wind. Does not tolerate waterlogging or very dry sites. Groundwater should be no closer than 2.5 m from the surface. Not demanding to soil, but prefers fertile, fresh soils.

Planting: It is preferable to plant a seedling in spring before bud break or in autumn 1-1.5 months before frost. The planting pit should be at least 80x80x100 cm; spacing between seedlings should be calculated depending on the crown size at maturity (at least 5-6 m). The seedling is backfilled with a soil mix consisting of leaf soil, humus and sand in a ratio of 1:3:2; a little peat and granular double superphosphate (250-300 g per planting pit) can also be added.

Diseases: the Greensleeves cultivar is immune to 5 types of scab; resistance to powdery mildew and brown spot is high.

Pests: boyaryshnikovaya kruzhkovaya mol, boyaryshnitsa, buryy plodovyy kleshch, verkhnestoronnaya plodovaya mol, yablonnyy tsvetoyed, vostochnaya plodozhorka, grushevyy pilil'shchik, grushevyy trubokvert, dubolistnyy shelkopryad, zabolonnik, zapadnyy neparnyy koroed, zelenaya yablonnaya tlya, zimnyaya pyadenitsa, kazarka, kolchatey shelkopryad, krasnogallovaya yablonnaya tlya, krasnyy yablonnyy kleshch, krovyanaya tlya, miniruyushchaya mol, neparnyy shelkopryad, obyknovennaya grushevaya medyanitsa, plodovaya mol, plodovaya i podkorovaya listovertka, pyadenitsa obdiralo, ryabinnaya mol, smorodinnaya listovertka, sovka-sinegolovka, fruktovaya polosataya mol, yablonnaya zaptatovidnaya shchitovka, medyanitsa, yablonnaya mol, yablonnaya mol i listovertka, yablonnaya plodozhorka, yablonnaya steklyanitsa, yablonno-podorozhnikovaya tlya, yablonnyy pilil'shchik.

Care: in the second year after planting it is necessary to apply a complete mineral fertilizer (phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium). In winter, protection from freezing and rodents is necessary. Whitewashing of apple trees is applied in the 5th-6th year after planting the seedling. In the spring-summer period supply nitrogen fertilizer and moderate watering. Feed the apple tree after flowering, then after fruit drop, and the last feeding – in late August - early September.

Pruning: carried out in two ways: thinning and shortening. For shortening remove half of the upper parts of shoots, and for thinning – remove the shoot or branch entirely. The optimal period for pruning is early spring – March-May. Apple trees planted the previous autumn should be pruned before sap flow begins. Summer pruning (pinching) can also be used.

Propagation: propagated by grafting onto rootstocks.

Use: the cultivar is valued for the high taste quality of its fruits, consistent and abundant yields, precocity, and high disease resistance. Fruits are consumed fresh, also suitable for soaking and juice production. Widely used in breeding as a donor.