Golden apricot fruits attract the attention of aesthetes and fruit lovers. In honor of the apricot, varieties of roses and the international film festival are called. Even the great combinator reflected in his work "blooming apricot." And is it any wonder that Michurin has been promoting this culture to the north since the end of the nineteenth century.
A little bit about how to grow hardy apricots
Some gardeners collect apricot kernels of their favorite varieties and sow them using natural selection. Very few sprouts survive, but seedlings are most adapted to specific conditions and can affect the crop. There is another way. Find apricot seedlings now is not particularly difficult. Nurseries sell various varieties of apricots that are resistant to frost in central Russia.
Video about growing winter-hardy apricots
Description apricot varieties Tsarsky
One of the most grateful cultivars for growing in risky farming conditions is Tsarskiy Apricot, which has been included in the State Register since the beginning of this century. The variety is recommended for the Central region. The fruits ripen early, are used fresh and are suitable for canning and drying.
The tree is medium-sized, characterized by slow growth. Has the raised not dense crown. Begins to bear fruit in the third year after planting. Shoots are smooth, reddish.
Apricot Tsarskoye medium-sized tree
The leaves are dark green, large, rounded or elongated to the tip.
Apricot flowering begins before the leaves appear. Most often, the flowers are solitary, have a very short stalk or sit tight on the shoot. Petals are white-pink, up to 3 cm in diameter, sepals are dark red.
Apricot flowers sit tight on the smooth dark red shoots
The fruits are colored yellow-orange, in the sun they are covered with a pink-red tan, slightly pubescent. The pulp is bright, orange, juicy, delicate texture, sweet and sour taste. The average weight of the fruit is 15 g.
Royal Apricot Blush
In places of natural growth, apricots live for a long time and bear fruit regularly. But in conditions of central Russia, gardeners note the frequency of fruiting. Harvest years alternate with years of rest, depending on the weather or other reasons. It is worth noting that in the "fat" years, the fruit is enough to provide themselves with blanks for several years. On average, 30 centners of harvest per hectare are harvested from Tsarskiy apricot trees.
Apricot Tsarsky winter-hardy grade.
Planting and cultivation features
An important condition for landing is the choice of location. For apricots, it is important to choose sunny, well-heated areas. The southern slopes are ideal. Some gardeners choose places that are limited to the north by buildings. In this case, the trees are protected from piercing cold winds. And if the soil on the site is drained, then you can count on the success of the enterprise. Apricots usually tolerate drought, thanks to a powerful root system, but suffer from stagnation of water.
Saplings with an open root system are usually planted in the spring, after the snow has melted, but the ground has not yet warmed up. You can land in late September or in the first decade of October. For containerized seedlings, planting time does not play a role, since their root system is protected, and when planting an earthen lump around the roots, it remains intact. If several trees are planted, then keep a distance of 4 meters between the seedlings in a row and a gap of 6 meters between the rows. Apricots do not tolerate shading, so when planting they avoid the proximity to large trees with a wide dense crown. Another threat to plants is root neck warping. To avoid this, experienced gardeners recommend not forming an irrigation hole when planting seedlings in the fall. Excess moisture accumulates in the hole, and then the snow stagnates, which ultimately leads to heating of the root neck and can destroy the plant.
For landing:
- Dig a hole at least 60-70 cm deep with a diameter of 50 cm. The fertile soil layer is separated, and the clay is simply removed.
- One-third of the depth is filled with broken bricks and large gravel to ensure drainage.
- The soil mixture is poured with the addition of river sand in a ratio of 2: 1.
- Tamped and spilled with water.
- Position the seedling so that the root collar rises slightly above the soil level and add ground around or under the seedling, if necessary.
- Press the soil well again.
- Mulch the near-stem circle with humus.
Opinions differ on fertilizer application. Some believe that it is enough to introduce only your own soil from the site, apricot is not very demanding on soil fertility, and nitrogen fertilizers are only harmful during autumn planting. Other gardeners must add humus, complex mineral fertilizers to the soil mixture. It is more important to prevent deepening of the root neck and to exclude stagnation of water in the landing fossa.
When the seedling is planted correctly, the root collar is above the soil
After planting, it is necessary to trim the seedling in order to subsequently correctly form the crown cup. Leave 3-4 skeletal shoots directed in different directions, cut to 1/3 of the length on the external kidney. The central conductor is cut into a ring so that the shoot remains 30-50 cm higher than the rest of the branches.
Apricot crown formation pattern by years
In subsequent years, they try to maintain the crown layer and destroy root shoots in time. Usually the Tsar's apricot is planted on a stock of cherry plum origin, therefore, shoots cannot be run.
Diseases and pests of apricot
Apricot bark suffers from excessive moisture and can be affected by fungal diseases. The best defense against disease is prevention. To do this, it is advised to add copper sulfate to the whitewash and whiten the trunk and the main skeletal branches in late autumn and early spring. When frost potholes appear, it is recommended to peel the wood to a healthy tissue in spring and cover it with garden varnish. The most common apricot disease is kleasterosporiosis. Trees are especially affected in warm summers with heavy rains.
Apricot kleasterosporiosis or hole blotch affects leaves and fruits
Dark sores appear on the fruits, and on the leaf blade patches of necrosis, which then fall out. Apricot Tsarsky does not apply to varieties sensitive to claustosporiosis, but preventive measures during cultivation should not be neglected. Compliance with agricultural standards and early spraying with copper preparations (1% solution of copper sulfate or Bordeaux liquid) will prevent the development of other fungal diseases.
Of the pests of apricot, it is worth mentioning the moth.
Apricot moth is especially rampant during the hot months
Recently, due to climate warming, apricot moth has spread significantly. For chemical protection measures, it is recommended to spray trees with a solution of 0.3% nitrafen before flowering. When the temperature rises above 20aboutEntobacterin is used as a biological product. In addition to targeted insecticides, it is worth remembering about simple methods of control:
- Remove spider webs on leaves.
- To cover cracks in the cortex.
- Impose hunting belts on tree trunks.
- Time to remove leaf litter and destroy.
- Dig the soil around the trunk regularly.
People who grow stone fruits on the plot know that diseases and pests primarily affect weakened and groomed trees. Experienced gardeners patiently and carefully take care of young seedlings, carry out preventive spraying, whitewashing, sanitary pruning, form the crown of old trees, receiving a generous crop in return.
Reviews about the variety Tsarsky
... You will also have to implant stone fruits if you want the same variety to grow, because it’s not entirely clear WHAT will grow out of your stone (no one has canceled the splitting of signs, but it happens both in stone fruits and in seed stones!). Apricot varieties for the Moscow region: the most famous, which is easiest to get - Triumph Severny. But, if you really try to find out the places and “good” people, you can get Lel, Zeus, Sea-buckthorn, Tsarsky and others. In our TSAA in Michurinsky garden, they are now blooming.
Alex Moscow
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... I have blossomed the Tsarsky apricot variety, planted in an open area near the road and 18-23 meters in a straight line from it, the Bryanskiy Ranniy apricot variety, planted on the south side of the greenhouse. Despite the fact that he is 1.5-2 years younger, he looks larger. All apricots that are planted in an open area die or grow very slowly. Apricots obtained from Siberia and the Southern Urals have proved especially bad. Of more than 40-45 vaccinations, last year, the Royal, Seraphim and Michurinsky survived. A lot of work has been invested and the output is 0. There is nothing to boast about.
Bogdan. St. Petersburg
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- The wood is normal, healthy. But the kidneys could freeze in the winter. The cross section of the root pruner should also be light. BUT:!: NO FEEDING IS IMPOSSIBLE TO DO. ... THAN WEAKER ROOTS - IS MORE SENSITIVE TO THE CONCENTRATION OF NUTRIENTS IN SOIL. AND NO MINERAL FERTILIZERS IN THE ROOT ZONE OF YOUNG Sapling!
Oleg, Kiev
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People familiar with the Latin definition of apricot as an Armenian plum should not worry about the harsh climate of Russia. Apricot Royal gives delicious delicate fruits, but the tree itself is winter-hardy and drought-resistant. Truly a royal gift for the gardener.
