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Apricots intended for harsh regions have high frost resistance. However, with improper planting and illiterate agricultural technology, they will not give a proper harvest and may even die. That is why it is important to consider all their preferences.
Apricot cultivation
The main thing that is needed for the successful cultivation of apricot is to choose the right place for it. Ideally, if it is a site with a slight slope to the south or southeast, it will warm up faster in the spring. It is also important that the place for planting apricots is very bright and protected from cold northern winds. For example, you can plant an apricot on the south side of a house or a high fence.
“In no case should you plant apricots in the lowlands,” warns agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mihailova, – cold air accumulates there, more often there are spring frosts that can kill flower buds, and water stagnates in spring and after rains, which leads to warming of the root neck.
Not suitable for apricot and areas with high groundwater – they should be no higher than 2 m.
Planting of apricot
It is best to plant apricots in the spring – they will have the whole summer ahead of them in order to adapt well in a new place and grow roots. When planting in autumn, apricots often have a root neck that rots in the spring. Which can lead to the death of the tree.
In nature, apricots grow on mountain slopes, sometimes very steep. Most of our sites are on the plains. Therefore, the ideal option is to plant apricots on specially prepared mounds.
The height of such a mound should be 70 – 100 cm and a diameter of about 3 m. However, the height can be made smaller – experiments have shown that when apricots are planted on mounds 0,5 m high, winter hardiness and productivity increase in trees, and they quickly enter the fruiting season (one). If there is sod on the site, then it must first be removed and the soil loosened. Well, then pour the earth. When the mound is ready, a hole is dug in its center with a diameter of 1 cm and a depth of 70 cm.
On clay soil, drainage from gravel, broken bricks and sand should be laid at the bottom of the pit. On sandy – a layer of clay 20 – 30 cm thick. Then the pit is filled with a mixture of fertile soil, peat and sand in a ratio of 1: 1: 1. There you also need to add a liter jar of ash and 1 bucket of humus or compost. All “ingredients” must be thoroughly mixed. But remember: apricot is not particularly demanding on soil fertility, so you should not abuse fertilizers.
– When planting, it is important not to deepen the root neck of the seedling – this is the place where the trunk goes into the roots. It should be 3-4 cm above ground level – over time, the soil will settle, and it will be level with the soil, – says agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mikhailova. – But even the soil will not settle, and this is also possible, and the root neck will be higher than the surface – it’s not scary, it will not hurt the apricot. But if it is buried – write wasted, the tree may die.
After planting, the seedling must be watered. Norm – 1 – 2 buckets. It doesn’t matter if the soil is wet or dry. Even if it rained the day before, watering is still needed so that the earth settles and fits snugly to the roots.
Apricot care in the open field
In general, it is simple, but you should not ignore the main postulates of agricultural technology.
Watering. There is an opinion that apricots are drought-resistant. However, this is not entirely true – these trees tolerate dry air well, but not soil. Therefore, they need to be watered. Especially in the first time after planting, since new roots grow only in moist soil.
Moisture is essential for apricot in spring and early summer, during the intensive growth of shoots. And watering is important after harvest.
But at the end of the season, when the shoots ripen, watering should be reduced or completely stopped – then they can better prepare for the winter.
Feeding. In the first year after planting, apricots do not need top dressing – they have enough of what they put in the planting pit. Fertilizers should be given to them from the second year.
The first top dressing – at the beginning of bud break: 15 g (1 tablespoon) of ammonium nitrate for young trees and 30 g (2 tablespoons) for plants starting from the 5th year. This is the norm for 1 sq. m near the trunk circle.
The second is given during fruit ripening: 30 g (2 tablespoons) of nitrophoska per 1 sq. m near the trunk circle. The age of the tree is not important.
How to calculate the fertilizer dose
The area of the near-stem circle depends on the diameter of the tree crown. It can be calculated using the formula:
3,14 x R x R
R is the radius of the tree crown (not the diameter, but the radius, that is, the distance from the trunk to the tips of the crown branches).
Example calculation
If, for example, the crown radius is 1,5 m, the area of the near-stem circle will be equal to:
3,14 x 1,5 x 1,5 = 7 sq. m
Accordingly, the rate of fertilizer application for 1 sq. m must be multiplied by the area of the trunk circle, that is, by 7.
Pruning. Apricots are susceptible to fungal diseases, and to avoid problems, they must be pruned annually. Pruning is best done in early spring, before the start of sap flow – in March or early April (no later than the 10th).
Pruning should start from the trunk – it must be shortened at a height of 2,5 m. Then all shoots growing inside the crown should be cut. As a result, the shape of the tree should resemble a bowl. Too long lateral skeletal branches must also be shortened – they should be no longer than 1,5 m.
Apricot harvest
You can collect apricots both at the stage of full maturity, when the fruits have acquired a typical color for the variety and become soft, and unripe – they ripen at a temperature of +10 … +15 ° С.
It is better to pluck them with gloves so as not to damage the protective layer with villi. And no stem.
The collected fruits are placed in boxes in 2 – 3 layers, no more. Otherwise, they will wrinkle and begin to rot.
Apricot storage rules
For storage, varieties with thick skin and dense pulp are best suited. Soft apricots do not lie for a long time. Fully ripe and overripe apricots are best sent to refrigerators – they will last up to 10 days in a plastic container with a lid.
Unripe apricots can be kept at room temperature in boxes, in 2-3 layers. To increase the shelf life, each fruit must be wrapped in parchment. Better yet, put them in the cells from under the eggs. With this method, they lie up to 3 weeks. In the cellar or refrigerator, unripe apricots will lie longer – 30 – 50 days, provided that the temperature is about 0 ° C and the air humidity is 90 – 95%. But before you eat them, the fruits must be kept warm for several days – in order to ripen.
Frozen apricots can be stored for up to 9 months, while, as experiments have shown, the amount of nutrients in them practically does not change (2). They are sent to the freezer, having previously removed the bone and divided into two halves. Apricots cannot be re-frozen.
On fruits intended for storage, there should be no dents, stains, damage by pests and diseases.
Popular questions and answers
We addressed the most interesting questions about apricots to agronomist Svetlana Mikhailova.
Should I plant different varieties of apricots on the site?
If there is not enough space on the site, you can graft a couple of branches of other varieties into the crown of a single tree.
Why do apricots fall off?
• lack of moisture;
• lack of nutrition;
• poor illumination;
• diseases and pests;
• age of the tree – old trees cannot provide adequate nutrition for the entire crop, so they must be constantly rejuvenated.
Sometimes apricots fall off if there are too many of them – the tree gets rid of excess fruits in order to leave strength for the ripening of annual shoots and preparation for winter.
Can you eat apricot kernels?
Sources of
- Susov V.I., Nikitochkin D.N. Peculiarities of apricot cultivation in the Michurinsky Garden of the RGAU-MSHA named after K. A. Timiryazev // Proceedings of the Timiryazev Agricultural Academy, issue 3, 2006 https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/osobennosti-vozdelyvaniya-abrikosa-v-michurinskom-sadu- rgau-msha-imeni-ka-timiryazeva
- Turbin V.A., Glushko G.I. Forecasting the chemical composition of frozen apricot fruits during long-term storage // Izvestia of higher educational institutions. Food technology, 2002 https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/prognozirovanie-himicheskogo-sostava-zamorozhennyh-plodov-abrikosa-pri-dlitelnom-hranenii-1
- Federal Institute for Risk Assessment // Press Release, July 7.07.2007, 2007 https://www.bfr.bund.de/de/presseinformation/07/9424/bittere_aprikosenkerne_koennen_zu_vergiftungen_fuehren-XNUMX.html