Such fruit as an apple began to be eaten a long time ago. Even our ancestors knew about the beneficial properties of the fruit. It contains a huge amount of vitamins and minerals that help the body overcome various ailments and just keep it in good shape. And how many types of apple diets developed today. Without this product is difficult to imagine life.
To enjoy this fruit almost all year round, many varieties were bred. We will discuss one of them further.
Breeding history
The apple tree variety Ligol, or Ligol, was born thanks to the efforts of Polish breeders. To him passed all the advantages of the two varieties: "Linda" and "Golden Delicious". Hybridization occurred in 1972 at a Polish Institute of Horticulture and Floriculture in the city of Skierniewice. 
Today it is a rather popular winter variety of apples.
Did you know? For the first time, an apple tree, as a kind of tree, appeared on our lands in the XI century in Kievan Rus. Monks bred her in their gardens.
Characteristics of the tree
Apple trees "Ligol" grow medium, somewhere around 3.5 m. Trees stand out with a wide pyramidal crown of medium thickness. From the main tree trunk branches diverge at an angle of 60-85 °. The plant gives a lot of young shoots and because of this can lose in growth. Therefore, it is recommended every year to trim unnecessary young twigs. It is also necessary for the correct formation of the crown. 
Fruit Description
The main thing in the description of the apple variety "Ligol" is its fruits. To pass by huge, juicy, red-sided apples is almost impossible.
Indeed, this tree brings very huge fruits. One apple can pull as much as 450 g. The minimum weight of a fruit is 150 g. The size of the fruit is inversely proportional to the age of the tree. The older it is, the smaller the yield. The taste of apples are sweet, with light notes of sourness, very juicy, fragrant and crunchy. The flesh is light yellow or creamy, dense, with the manifestation of a granular structure.
Check out such varieties of apples as "Rozhdestvenskoe", "Ural Bulk", "Krasa Sverdlovsk", "Orlinka", "Orlovim", "Zvezdochka", "Kandil Orlovsky", "Papirovka", "Screen", "Antey" , "Rudolph", "Bratchud", "Robin", "Glory to the Victors".The appearance of the fruit can be admired for hours. Bright, red-carmine apples with a blush appearing in places have a rounded conical shape. Color may be a little green. The cup is ribbed.
If you study it carefully, you can see that its size is small, the leaves are located tightly to each other. Often, on one side of the fruit, you can see a striped resembling a seam.
Did you know? Known from mythology "apple of discord" was thrown up Erisa (the goddess of discord) at the wedding of Peleus (mortal) and Thetis (goddess) due to the fact that she was not invited to the feast. On the golden color of the fruit was written: "the fairest". A quarrel broke out between the goddesses Hero, Athena and Aphrodite. They could not determine which of them is addressed to the apple. Paris (the son of the Trojan king) gave it to Aphrodite, which indirectly became the impetus for the beginning of the Trojan War.
Lighting Requirements
Apple "Ligol" - light-loving plant. She needs a lot of light to grow. This improves the fertility of the tree, affects the size of the fruit, as well as the brightness of its color. 
Soil requirements
The plant loves fertile land with good ventilation. Loamy or sandy sandy soil is perfect as such a soil. Also, in places where trees grow, groundwater should not come close to the ground. With an excess of moisture, the roots of the plant begin to rot.
If it is difficult in your region to find a suitable soil for a tree, you can prepare it yourself. Insufficiently fertile soil fertilized (humus, saltpeter), too wet - drained.
Outside the homeland of the variety, Poland, apples Ligol, grown on the territory of Ukraine, where the land is rich in black soil, and hence fertile, are highly valued; the climate is very similar to the Polish, which means that the period of growth and maturation will not change. This variety is also found on the Belarusian lands in the western and southern regions of Russia. 
Pollination
The tree blooms in white for a short period of 7-10 days. During this short period, insects should have time to fertilize the tree.
The peculiarity of this variety is that the plant belongs to the self-infertile. This means that pollinating trees should grow nearby. The following apple varieties are most compatible with him: “Idared”, “Champion”, “Fuji”, “Elstar”, “Macintosh”, “Lobo”, “Spartan”, “Golden Delicious”, “Champion Arno”, “Gold Rush” .
Fruiting
"Ligol" refers to those varieties that give early fruit. 3-year-old tree is already able to please the first harvest. Of course, the young tree will not be able to give a big harvest. But the older it becomes, the more prolific it will be.
Important! The peculiarity of such a fruitfulness of the tree is that the plant is capable of letting in a lot of shoots.
Gestation period
The harvest period of this variety falls in September - early October. Since Ligol is a winter variety of apples, after harvesting, the fruits are not quite ready to eat. Fruits should lie down until winter, in order to acquire the characteristic sweets and juiciness.
Yield
We have already said that the older the tree, the greater the yield it brings. So, from a 5-year-old tree it is possible to collect 5-6 kg, and already an adult will give about 40-45 kg. If the yield is estimated by the collected fruit from the garden, then in the garden where mature trees grow, you can pick up 155-160 centners from 1 hectare. 
Transportability and storage
The harvest of apples is recommended to be placed in wooden or Euro boxes. When laying out the fruit layers separate them with paper. This will help avoid the spread of rot "from neighbor to neighbor." It is best to store fruit in a well-ventilated cellar. With improper storage, the presentation of the product is quickly lost.
Apples "Ligol" are famous for their transportability and long shelf life. They may lie 6-8 months. Fruits collected in October will be usable even in April.
Disease and pest resistance
The main enemies of the tree are a bacterial burn and some wood diseases. They appear as spots on the bark of a black or dark brown color. To cope with this disease, it is necessary to use antibiotics and to remove diseased branches as much as possible.
At the same time, the apple tree is rather resistant to scab and powdery mildew.
To protect the plant from rodents and pests, you should protect the lower part of the tree with a grid or roofing material.
If the fruits are stored incorrectly, then they can develop bitter pitting and tanning of the skin. 
Frost resistance
Variety refers to frost-resistant plants. Vigorous specimens are able to survive frosts down to -30 ° C. In low growth, resistance is worse; they can only withstand a frost of 15-17 degrees.
Important! To make the tree survive the winter better, it is necessary to pile it up before the first frost.
Fruit use
Ligol apples are ideal for use in both fresh and processed form. They are very juicy, which allows them to extract a lot of useful juice. The sweetness of the fruit makes it possible, when preserved, to minimize the addition of sugar. These fruits are good for salads, as they do not lose their marketable appearance when in contact with air (they do not change color).
Advantages and disadvantages
Any fruit plant has both positive and negative qualities.
pros
- Frost resistance
- High yielding.
- The fruits are universal in use.
- Long-life apples, well transported.
- Resistant to powdery mildew and scab.
Minuses
- Fruits are prone to bacterial burns.
- With poor care, problems immediately arise with wood.
- Due to non-compliance with the rules of storage, bitter spotting and tanning of the skin appear.
This wonderful variety of apples will appeal to many hostesses. It is pleasant to use as a standalone product, can easily decorate any holiday table. Due to the long shelf life you can make large stocks. Great for making jams, stewed fruit, jam.
