Growing, planting and caring for apricots in the Moscow region in open ground and pruning them

Apricots are considered one of the healthiest delicious fruits. The tree is widespread in gardens, summer cottages or vegetable gardens. Fragrant ripe fruits are used as the basis for compotes, jams, preserves, and as a filling for pies and casseroles. Growing apricots in any region has its own subtleties, for example, in the Moscow region you need to know the specifics of choosing a variety, conditions, planting location, and care in order to prevent the death of the plant.

Choosing a variety for the Moscow region

Before you start growing apricot crops, you need to choose the right variety. To do this, the following factors must be taken into account:

1. Only frost-resistant varieties are suitable for the region, so the air temperature can vary: +45 to -30 degrees. A seedling near Moscow must withstand early thaws, extreme heat and a sharp drop in temperature. You also need to know that:

• South Asian nectar has a short winter dormancy. The first thaw will lead to the appearance of buds and the growth of shoots. Subsequent cold snap will cause damage to the plant or its death;
• the bark of the crop is sensitive to high humidity, which provokes rotting. Therefore, snow cover that thaws in early spring will harm the plant.

2. When choosing seedlings, you need to pay attention to the origin of the seedlings. Only plants grown in the Moscow region will adapt to local conditions.
3. The main sign of a good tree is high fruiting. Apricot flowers must be pollinated independently and bear fruit in July-August.
4. It is better to look for a suitable variety in a nursery. Thus, the plant will be grafted, able to tolerate any temperature conditions and excess moisture.

Therefore, crops derived from crossing the common apricot variety with highly frost-resistant species are also suitable for Moscow. For example, they use Siberian apricot sprouts and hybrid tree varieties in combination with cherry plum or plum.

Frost resistance of properly selected apricot trees can reach 48 degrees below zero.

The tested varieties are:

• Red-cheeked - withstands sub-zero temperatures, produces a good harvest, large fruits from the third year after planting;
• Hardy - suitable for places subject to constant temperature changes. The tree bears fruit for 5-6 years;
• Honey seedling - not affected by strong winds and cold weather;
• The calyx is a small tree up to 150 centimeters high; it can grow even in the northern part of the Moscow region under cover;
• The bullfinch is a small compact plant that grows well even without shelter. It is enough to wrap the crown in winter.

Apricots are called “fruits of health.” Apricot berries help maintain health, prevent, and cure various diseases.

When and how to plant

To grow an apricot tree, you also need to take into account the conditions necessary for planting, the choice of location for planting, the requirements for the planting hole and seedlings.

Landing conditions

Apricot planting in the Moscow region occurs in the spring. Also, when choosing the time to plant a plant in the ground, you need to take into account that the seedlings need to settle in a new place, put down additional roots, and gain a foothold in the soil. By winter, the seedlings will become stronger and will be able to protect themselves from freezing and death.

Landing place

Another important condition for how to plant a plant correctly is to choose a suitable planting site. To do this, several factors are taken into account:

1. The landing area must be protected from strong winds. The southern, south-eastern and south-western directions of the Moscow region are suitable for landing.
2. Low-lying areas where groundwater is closer to the top of the earth than 2 meters are unsuitable. It is optimal to grow a tree in a raised area or flower bed. In this case, the roots will not reach groundwater.
3. It is better to grow a tree on loamy soil. The soil reaction is neutral.

If pear, ash, or Norway maple grow near apricot seedlings, then the soil and the neighborhood are not suitable for cultivation.

4. You need to check the level of fertility and moisture permeability in open ground. Fertility factor - abundance of earthworms.By loosening the soil, sufficient moisture is achieved. In addition, an adult seedling is less demanding on watering than other trees.

Apricot is an early flowering crop. Therefore, in order to protect the tree from frost, you need to prepare frame beams for shelter and film in advance.

Requirements for planting plants in open ground

To transplant seedlings into the soil, the following conditions must be met:

1. Prepare a planting site 70 centimeters deep and 50 centimeters wide.
2. Throw a few stones of broken brick at the bottom of the excavation so that the roots stick well.
3. The distance between seedlings is 5-6 meters.
4. Place the rhizomes to a depth of 40 centimeters.
5. Prepare the pit in advance, add fertilizer from several layers of humus with nitroammophosphate.

Pour fertilizers into planting holes, mix and compact. Next, moisten the soil and cover it with soil.

6. Place the tree in the soil carefully, trying not to damage the root system. Correct the roots with your hands.
7. After planting, compact the soil. Then water the planting site, making circles around the trunk.

To retain moisture, cover the ground with grass or hay.

Technology of growing a tree from a seed

It is easy to germinate an apricot from a seed, observing a number of factors:

1. Planting should be done in autumn.
2. Choose seeds from overripe nectars of those varieties that are adapted to the climate near Moscow.
3. Before planting, rinse the seeds well, dry them and check for suitability by filling the raw materials with water. Those seeds that float to the surface are not suitable for planting.
4. Make trenches in the soil. Pour vegetation, manure, sand, and soil onto the bottom.
5. Plant the seeds in prepared areas. Pour humus and herbaceous layer.

Not all seeds will sprout in the spring, but only the strongest seeds suitable for growing in the Moscow region. It is these sprouts that will become the basis for a bountiful harvest if you properly care for your apricot.

Care

Necessary apricot care is:

1. Water young plants at least once every 2-3 days, 2 buckets for each tree. From August 10, do not moisten the soil to prepare the tree for winter. The exception is not rainy autumn.

Pay the most attention to the crops of the first year of life. At this time, the tree receives immunity, which affects the quantity, size, and quality of fruits.

2. Removing soil from weeds.
3. Loosening the soil. Use mulch for this.
4. Formation of the crown, pruning - during the period of abundant growth.

To attract more pollinating insects, you need to spray the plants with a solution of water and honey during the flowering period.

5. Preserving seedlings from freezing or frost. For example, wrap the tree in airtight material for the winter.
6. Fertilizing plants with horse manure and mullein. Dry fertilizing is practiced, based on the needs of the plant. On average, one tree needs 70 grams of nitrogen fertilizer and 50 grams of ammonium nitrate.
7. Bark care - treating wounds and open cuts with garden varnish.
   It is necessary to constantly check the condition of seedlings, as plants are susceptible to a number of diseases:

• cleasterosporiasis;
• moniliosis;
• cytosporosis.

Only timely and proper care of the apricot tree will allow you to get a high-quality harvest.

Preparing for winter

Winter is the most difficult period of time for gardeners growing apricot fruits in the Moscow region. To properly prepare apricots for the winter, you need:

1. Remove foliage from root soils in the fall, thereby protecting the trunk from pathogens.
2. Dig up the soil around the apricot crops.
3. As a preventative measure, spray the tree against pests and diseases. Trees are sprayed with chemicals such as:

• Healthy Garden;
• Agravertine;
• Avertin.

Before wintering, whitewash the trunk with a solution of lime.

4. Wrap small trees for the winter. There are many options for how to protect a plant from the cold. For example, make a shelter out of sticks near the crop and stretch film material on top.
5. Wrap adult specimens in burlap.
6. Scatter snowballs near the tree to protect the roots from freezing and for additional moisture.

What is apricot grafted for in the Moscow region?

Seedlings of apricot trees are grafted onto Chinese or domestic plums and cherry plums. Thus, the root system will be more stable than that of crops grown without grafting.