How to plant a nectarine seedling: in autumn, in spring

Planting a nectarine in your area is quite realistic, and even in the Moscow region. Breeders regularly develop new varieties, working on their winter hardiness, yield, immunity and other important characteristics.

Growing conditions for nectarines

The homeland of this peach subspecies is Western Asia, but frost-resistant varieties have been bred, therefore it is possible to grow nectarine even in central Our Country. For him, the following conditions are important:

• long warm summer – maturation takes 3-5 months;
• spring without severe cooling – mature trees have good winter hardiness, but flower buds can die from frost;
• comprehensive care – watering, fertilizing, pruning, treatment for diseases and pests, preparation for winter is required.

For growing nectarines, it is important to choose the right variety. It should be suitable for the climatic conditions in the region. The State Register of the Federation still has less than ten varieties of nectarine. All of them are approved for cultivation in the North Caucasus.

What year does a nectarine bear fruit after planting

The timing of the fruiting of a nectarine depends on the variety, planting method. If you use a healthy seedling, then the first harvest can be seen already for 2-3 years.

How to plant a nectarine

Nectarine is a heat- and light-loving crop that does not grow on all soils. It is important to choose the right place and time for its landing.

Suitable dates

In warm temperate climates, both spring and autumn planting of nectarine is acceptable. In the south, it is better to plan this work after the summer, at least a month should remain before the cold weather. Spring planting in this case is undesirable, since the heat in the high season will not allow the plant to adapt as it should. For the northern regions, this option is optimal. Planting a nectarine in the fall means there is a risk that it will simply not take root. During the summer, he will just have time to get stronger and get used to new conditions. If the seedling is grown at home, then the nectarine is transplanted at the same time.

Where to plant a nectarine

It is better to plant nectarine on sandy or loamy, but not heavy soil. When choosing a place for culture, you need to focus on the following points:

• an open and well-lit area, the south side or southeast slope is optimal for planting;
• wind protection;
• remoteness of groundwater;
• lack of moisture stagnation;
• light and fertile soil;
• good drainage;
• the optimum pH level is 6,5.

It is unacceptable to plant nectarine in damp and wetlands, in lowlands. The culture does not tolerate saline soil.

Nectarine should not be blocked from the sun by buildings, tall trees – shading is acceptable for a maximum of 1,5-2 hours a day

Planting pit preparation

For planting a nectarine, it is optimal to make a cubic pit with a side of 70 cm. The preparation algorithm is simple:

1. Remove the top fertile layer of soil and set aside.
2. Dig a hole.
3. Install a wooden stake in the center. The optimal height is 1,5 m.
4. Mix fertile soil with fertilizers – 10 kg of rotted compost, 150 g of superphosphate.
5. Pour 50% of the soil mixture into the pit in a slide.
6. Leave the rest of the fertile land (it will be needed when planting), covering it and the pit with something from the rain.

If spring planting of nectarine is planned, then it is optimal to prepare a pit for this since last year. When the work is scheduled for autumn, preparation should begin at least 2-3 weeks in advance.

Selection of seedlings

For planting nectarines, it is best to choose one-year-old seedlings. It is not recommended to buy material older than two years, since survival rate only worsens with age. Seedlings for planting must be healthy, when choosing, be sure to pay attention to such points:

• lack of sagging at the vaccination site;
• inside the nectarine bark is green;
• a healthy root system, rotten and dried roots are excluded.

Landing technology

Before planting a nectarine, you need to prepare a seedling. All dry areas of the root system are cut off, then it is soaked for a day. For this, you can add a growth stimulator to the water.

Spring and autumn plantings of nectarine are practically the same. The general algorithm of work is as follows:

1. Set a nectarine seedling on the soil poured in advance by a mound.
2. Spread the roots gently.
3. Fill the hole with the remaining soil.
4. Tamp the soil tightly, moving from the edges of the pit to the seedling.
5. Plentifully water the tree – spend 40-50 liters of water.
6. Tie the seedling to the support.

When planting a nectarine, it is important to monitor the level at which the grafting site is located. After filling the pit with soil, it should rise 3-4 cm above the ground, and after absorbing moisture, become flush with the surface.

After autumn planting, hilling with dry earth by 20-30 cm is required. In the spring, such a measure is not required.

When planting nectarine in autumn, pre-winter mulching with compost is necessary – the optimal layer thickness is 8-10 cm

Outdoor nectarine care

After planting and with further cultivation, nectarines need comprehensive care. The health and development of the tree, its yield, taste and appearance of the fruit depend on it.

Watering

Watering the nectarine begins only after hardening of the seeds in the fruit, otherwise they will crack. The frequency and abundance of moisture are oriented to weather conditions, ripening period. For early varieties, 2-3 waterings are enough, and for mid- and late-ripening varieties, they need twice as much.

Be sure to moisten the tree abundantly a month before harvesting. For 1 m² of the near-stem circle, 3-6 buckets of water are needed (focus on the age of the tree). The next watering is carried out when the crop is harvested and the laying of flower buds begins. This time more water is needed – 4-7 buckets per 1 m².

In October, water-charging watering is required. Water is needed so much that the soil is saturated 0,6-0,8 m deep.

Additional fertilizing

If the site for planting nectarine was prepared correctly, then the next 5-6 years it is not necessary to fertilize it, especially with the annual mulching of the trunk circle. In the future, top dressing is carried out several times a season.

In spring, it is optimal to use urea (7% solution). It eliminates pathogenic microorganisms and pests, and also provides nectarine with nitrogen. Processing is carried out until the kidneys swell. Otherwise, they may burn out.

If it was not possible to spray the nectarine with a solution of urea in the spring, then this event can be held in the fall, when the leaf fall ends

In the fruit growth phase, emphasis is placed on potassium. Prepare the solution according to the instructions, making it through the foliage. Such top dressing makes the fruits richer in color and sugarier.

During the season, nectarines are recommended 2-3 foliar top dressings with this solution:

• water – 10 l;
• superphosphate (water extract) – 100-150 g;
• ammonium nitrate – 50-80 g (ammonium sulfate can be used) or urea – 30-50 g;
• chloride (sulphate) potassium – 30-60 g (50-70 g);
• manganese – 15 g;
• Borax – 10 g.

When the fruits ripen, the solution should not contain nitrogen and borax.

How to prune a nectarine

You need to cut the nectarine in the spring, when the buds appear, to form a crown. After that, the prevention of fungal diseases and pests is recommended. The composition of the products used should not contain copper.

If the planting was in autumn, pruning of the nectarine will be required only in the spring. Organize it before the sap flow begins.

For sanitary purposes, cutting nectarines in the fall is recommended as needed. Do this after the leaves have fallen. It is optimal to carry out such work in the spring along with the formation of a tree.

In addition to cuttings, rationing of nectarine is mandatory. It is carried out after shedding the ovaries, leaving one piece per 10-15 cm of the shoot. If you do not remove the excess, then under the fruits that have poured, the branches can break.

The scheme for pruning nectarines in the fall for beginners is presented below. Formation is carried out within 4-5 years after planting according to such a plan:

1. In 1 year, outline 2-3 branches extending at a wide angle, shorten to 10 cm, remove the rest.
2. In subsequent years, add 2-3 skeletal branches.
3. Branches of the first order should be formed on last year’s skeletal branches, the second order – on the year before last.

While the crown is being formed, the conductor should be 20-25 cm higher than the skeletal branches, then it is cut flush with them. The optimal size of the bole is 50-60 cm. The shoots formed in the region of it are broken out until they are woody.

The stemless form of nectarine is also acceptable, when the departure of skeletal branches from the trunk begins near the ground. In this case, the growth of the tree is held back for a long time, so care and harvesting become even easier. It is optimal that the height of the nectarine be 2,5-3 m.

The crown of a nectarine is usually shaped into a vase or bowl – this increases strength, makes it easier to care for and harvest.

In the spring, in addition to forming and sanitary, pruning is carried out for fruiting. For this, two shoots growing side by side and properly developed are isolated on the skeletal branch. The one that is closer to the top is shortened by 8-10 buds. It is on it that the fruits will appear this season. Another shoot is shortened to two buds. This is necessary for fruiting next year.

Shelter for the winter

Nectarine must be prepared for winter. In addition to water-charging irrigation, top dressing and preventive treatment, cleaning up fallen leaves and plant residues. This must be done before the onset of frost. When they come and become stable, the trunk circle is mulched:

• dried leaves;
• peat;
• straw;
• sawdust;
• botva.

Mulch the trunk circle only in dry weather. It is optimal at this time to whitewash the trunk and bases of the skeletal branches with lime.

If a nectarine is planted in autumn, then it must be covered for the winter:

1. Install long slats on both sides.
2. Put a bag of a suitable size on this support so that the seedling is inside.
3. Sprinkle the bottom of the shelter with earth.

If the winter in the region is cold, then shelter for the winter will also be needed in the second and third year after planting. Three support rails are already being installed, and spruce branches are used instead of a bag. On top of it, they cover it with agrofibre and fix it with twine.

Protection against diseases and pests

Compared to ordinary peach, nectarine is more resistant to diseases and pests. This does not exclude prophylaxis against them, which is carried out several times per season:

• in the middle of spring along the swelling buds of Karbofos;
• into the green cone phase Bordeaux liquid;
• after formative pruning in the spring and again after flowering Karbofos or Fozalon in combination with a fungicide (Kuprozan, Fundazol, Polikarbatsin);
• in the summer 2-3 times the drug for leaf curl – Delan, Skor, Fundazol, Horus, Topaz, Ridomil Gold;
• in early October, when changing the color of the leaves, Bordeaux liquid;
• after moisture-charging irrigation, copper sulfate from the fungus, Nitrafen from pests.

Curly – a fungal disease in which leaves, branches, buds are deformed, the fruits are bent, the flesh becomes dry and tasteless

Methods of reproduction

Nectarine can be propagated in many ways. It depends on the method chosen when fruiting begins.

Seeds

Healthy, ripe and juicy nectarines are selected for seed propagation of nectarines. They operate like this:

1. Remove the bone, rinse in running water.
2. Dip the seed in water at room temperature, changing it daily.
3. After a week, soak the bone for two hours in a growth stimulator.
4. Prepare a suitable soil mixture, moisten.
5. Plant a bone.
6. Cover the container with glass or film.

It is recommended to plant several seeds at once, since not all of them will sprout. In some instances, shoots may not appear.

It is possible to plant seeds immediately in open ground. The seeds are deepened by 5-6 cm, and 20-25 cm are left between them. The earth is watered abundantly after planting. After absorbing moisture, the soil is mulched (grass, sawdust, foliage).

Planting nectarine seeds is possible from spring to autumn. If this is done before winter, then the seedlings will appear next year after the shelter is removed.

Cutting

Propagating nectarines from cuttings is not easy. They are taken from the lower tier, blanks of 6-10 cm are needed. Only a third is left from the leaf blades. The cuttings are planted in a greenhouse to a depth of 1 cm and watered abundantly. Further moistening is carried out every day, and in the heat 3-4 times a day. Rooting takes about four weeks.

The cuttings are gradually hardened by airing the greenhouse. When the roots become brownish, you need to transplant into pots of 1-1,5 liters with clay-soddy soil, adding compost and lime. After a few days, hardening begins. In autumn, planting in larger containers is needed with the preservation of an earthen clod.

For the winter, the bushes are removed to the basement, and in the spring they are put outside and the shoots are cut off by 5-6 buds. Then organize enhanced watering and top dressing. Fruiting will begin in the third year.

nectarine grafting

You can graft a nectarine, then all varietal qualities will be preserved. Reproduction in this way is available from spring to autumn. The chosen time affects the fruiting period. It will start next season if vaccinated in early spring, and two years later if vaccinated in autumn.

It is best to resort to budding, and take a peach or almond as a rootstock. On heavy soil with a close occurrence of groundwater, it is optimal to use home plum or cherry plum.

Vaccination is optimally carried out during the period of active sap flow, use a well-sharpened and disinfected tool

Conclusion

Planting a nectarine in your area is not so difficult. It is important to choose a variety suitable for the climatic conditions of your region, find healthy cuttings and provide the culture with comprehensive care. With its observance and systematic preventive treatments, there are no special problems.

Reviews about growing nectarine in the Moscow region