Thanks to the work of biologists and breeders, southern plants are now planted in mid-latitudes, and they take root well and produce crops. The Manitoba apricot variety is adapted to the harsh climate of Siberia. It was bred in a Canadian province with the same name. Specialists from the gardening station in Morden crossed Scout with the frost-resistant stone fruit variety Maccle. As a result, the breeders received a tall tree with a thick and beautiful crown, which bears fruit normally even after a cold and long winter.
Description of the variety
Manitoba has a height of up to 5 meters. The spreading crown is formed by shortened shoots and oval leaves.The tree looks very beautiful during flowering. When the buds with large pink petals open, the plant takes on a decorative appearance. Apricot blossoms like sakura. The description of the variety indicates that even in mid-latitudes and Siberia there is no need to wrap the tree for the winter. The continental cool climate of the Canadian province, where the Manitoba apricot comes from, is almost no different from the weather in the central regions of Russia. Large fruits ripen on the tree in mid-summer:
- oblong shape;
- bright orange color;
- with pubescent skin.
The apricot pulp, which turns red, has a sweet taste, and almost no acid is felt. Inside the fruit, which is distinguished by an elongated toe, there is a stone with a core in which there is no bitterness and it is easily separated.
Young trees delight with apricots weighing up to 100 grams; in the old crop, their weight is 2 times lower. The fruits become especially smaller when there is a heavy load on the plant.
Characteristics of the Manitoba apricot
The variety is not afraid of severe frosts, is rarely affected by diseases that kill even mature garden trees, and produces a good harvest almost every year. Very tasty apricots of uncharacteristic color are used to make jams and preserves. It is impossible to transport the fruits; they crumple and leak juice. Perhaps this is the only drawback of the Manitoba variety. The plant is not cultivated on an industrial basis.
Timing and features of planting
In the southern regions, apricot is taken from a seed isolated from the fruit of a tree of the same variety. The seeds are hardened and stored in a cool place.
In mid-latitudes, Manitoba is grown from seedlings no older than 2 years old. The site for apricot is chosen:
- on the sunny side;
- in a place protected from northern winds;
- on a hill.
Groundwater and meltwater collect in the lowlands, causing tree roots to die. Pit for planting a young apricot dig in advance to a depth of about 70 cm. Expanded clay or pebbles are poured into it, organic matter and mineral fertilizers are added, and soil with humus is placed on top, which is compacted well. The tree is watered and tied to a peg.
In mid-latitudes, apricots are planted in April, while the buds are dormant. In the southern regions, this can be done both in September and October, since frosts there begin no earlier than December.
Care
In order for a tree to please you with sweet fruits, you need to constantly take care of it. Seedlings are watered once every 2 weeks, mature apricots need less water, irrigation is necessary at least four times per season, namely:
- when new shoots appear;
- before flowering;
- before fruit ripening;
- shortly before winter.
In rainy and cool summers, the tree does not need additional moisture. Apricots should be watered more often in hot and dry weather. At least 50 liters of slightly heated water are added to each trunk circle of the plant. The soil near the tree is periodically loosened so that air can penetrate to the roots.
An apricot's crown must be formed, and long and withered branches are pruned every year. Manitoba is not insulated for the winter.
Diseases and pests
Breeders from Canada worked to create a variety of garden crops resistant to fungi and bacteria. Apricots are affected by:
- gray rot;
- cytosporosis;
- scab;
- cracking of the bark;
- leaf curl;
- perforated spotting.
Although the Manitoba variety rarely suffers or dies from diseases, preventive measures are necessary.In autumn, dried branches and blackened fruits are burned. In early spring and before flowering, apricot trees are treated with Bordeaux mixture, copper sulfate, and sprayed with Nitrafen before the buds open.
The juice from the leaves of the garden crop is drunk by microscopic aphids. Codling moth caterpillars destroy the ovary and feast on ripe fruits. Stone fruit plants are affected by mites. Control insects with insecticides.
Mice and hares eat the bark from the stems. For the winter, the tree trunk is wrapped in spruce branches or durable material. The beetles feed on the roots of the plant; in order to get rid of them, in the fall they dig deep into the ground, turn over the layers, and the beetles, once on the surface, freeze.
