Apricots are sunny and juicy summer fruits that can be grown in your own summer cottage. Proper feeding of apricots with organic and mineral fertilizers in the summer will ensure a high yield, allow you to enjoy the view of a bright fruit-bearing tree and create not only a good mood, but also give you healthy fruits.
Why do you need feeding?
Having planted an apricot tree in a summer cottage, you need to understand that for a good harvest it will need additional attention.
Apricot has a developed root system that goes deep into the soil.This allows the tree to tolerate drought well. But without abundant watering and without the proper amount of mineral fertilizers, the soil will be depleted, which will lead to a deficiency of microelements necessary for apricots.
Apricot responds to timely root and foliar feeding with spring flowering, a large number of fruit ovaries and good summer productivity.
If you do not feed the tree in a timely manner, you may notice deviations in development: the appearance of withered leaves, a stunted appearance, dry branches. In this case, it is necessary to immediately figure out what element the apricot lacks and make up for its deficiency.
Main signs of deficiency:
- Nitrogen deficiency:
- slow development, lack of growth;
- discoloration of leaves, usually yellow.
- Phosphorus deficiency:
- change in leaf color to purple;
- severe shedding of flowers;
- unsightly plant appearance.
- Potassium deficiency:
- yellowness of the plant;
- drying of fruit tips.
Feeding methods by season
It is extremely important to be able to distinguish between feeding methods by season. After all, each season is characterized by different periods of plant development. And this determines what fertilizers need to be applied and how to do it correctly.
In summer
In summer, apricots prepare for fruiting and fruit ovaries appear. During this period, it is especially important to fertilize the plant and water it abundantly. After all, the lack of microelements very quickly affects the quality of the fruit.
The first feeding in summer is carried out using the foliar method, the so-called “leaf feeding”. The effect of such feeding is short-term, so it must be repeated after two to three weeks. When applying the solution, it is necessary to ensure that the sheet is treated on both sides.The best result of spraying will be complete wetting of the leaf, which will allow the fertilizer to be better absorbed, since the process of penetration of the nutrient solution occurs better from the bottom of the leaves.
In early June, when coin-sized ovaries appear on the tree, the leaves are sprayed with a nitrogen-containing solution, preferably in the early morning or evening. On a hot day, it is better to refuse feeding due to the danger of burning the leaves.
Nitrogen (urea, organic matter) has a positive effect on fruit growth, but due to its negative effect on the sugar content of fruits and their preservation, the nitrogen content should be reduced when feeding in July and eliminated in August.
In July, the apricot has formed fruits that have entered the ripening phase. During fruiting, nitrogen in fertilizers is reduced and potassium and phosphorus are added.
After harvesting, in August, it is necessary to feed the apricot with mineral fertilizers containing phosphorus and potassium, for example, wood ash. At the same time, the soil must be fertilized with calcium, for example, by crushing chalk and pouring it onto the soil. This fertilizing is needed for the formation of buds for the future harvest. Nitrogen is not used in August.
Also in the summer, if pests are detected, it is advisable to fertilize the apricot with the following solution:
- soda ash - 2 parts;
- copper sulfate – 1 part;
- boric acid – 0.5 parts.
These substances are diluted in 10 liters of water, adding 10-15 drops of iodine, and sprayed on the apricot. This solution not only saturates the tree with nutrients, but also protects it from most pests.
in spring
In spring, fertilizing should be root.This method of fertilization provides the apricot with the strength to begin growth, lush flowering and the formation of a large number of ovaries. It is better to feed with nitrogen fertilizers, both at the very beginning of spring, and before flowering, and after flowering.
When asked what to fertilize in the spring, the best answer is fertilizers such as urea, chicken manure, saltpeter, and slurry.
in autumn
It is important to understand that autumn feeding of a fruit tree is aimed at preparing apricots for winter and his successful wintering. It is better to feed the apricot at the end of September and use complex fertilizer. To prepare the mixture per square meter of soil you will need:
- superphosphate – 35 grams;
- potash fertilizer – 65 grams;
- humus - 4 kilograms.
All components are mixed with each other, and the resulting composition is applied to the soil near the trunk. The soil must first be loosened well so that the components are better absorbed.
After harvesting, the trunk is subject to mandatory whitewashing and autumn pruning of the tree. It is necessary to remove branches that have not borne fruit, as they take away the nutrients the apricot needs to prepare for a successful winter and planting a future harvest.
Pruning begins with branches that grow inward and thickens the crown, then moves to dried or broken branches. The remaining branches are shortened. It is important to note that branches that bear fruit for two to three years can be removed, as their productivity then decreases.
For comfortable pruning, all cuts are covered with garden varnish or drying oil. This protects the wood from the penetration of bacteria.
Feeding at different ages
Apricot seedlings should be fed from the age of two.
For a young plant, it is recommended to use a solution of bird droppings in a ratio of 300 grams per 20 liters of water, with the addition of peat or compost.
Next, identical solutions can be prepared to feed mature trees. The only difference will be in their dosage.
Preparation of fertilizing solutions
Nitrogen-containing solutions for feeding:
- You can prepare a solution from organic matter if feeding is required in mid-summer. A solution of mullein (rotted manure) is prepared in the proportion of 1 part mullein to 10 parts water. Depending on the size of the tree, a young plant will require from 0.5 liters, and an adult - up to 1 liter of solution. The soil under the tree should be loosened and the prepared “vitamins” should be poured out.
- A solution of fresh manure is prepared in a ratio of 1 part manure to 15 parts water. The amount of solution for one tree: young - from 0.5 liters and for an adult - up to 1 liter.
- Before using humus, no solution preparation is required. The soil is loosened, watered abundantly, sprinkled with humus and covered with moist soil on top.
- A solution of urea - in the proportion of 1 tablespoon of urea per bucket of water, is used for spraying the plant (foliar feeding).
Feeding with phosphorus and potassium:
- To quickly deliver phosphorus to the oppressed plant, it is necessary to use azofoska, preferably diammofoska. Pour 0.5 kilograms of azofoska with hot water (5 liters), stir until dissolved. Drain the liquid part for use as both root and foliar feeding. The precipitate that falls can be reused to prepare a fertilizing solution 2 times. But it is necessary to dissolve the sediment with less water, namely by adding 2.5 liters of hot liquid.
- Superphosphate solution, for quick help to plants, is prepared at the rate of one tablespoon of granules per one liter of boiling water. Used for spraying the aboveground part of the plant. The sludge cannot be used and is sent to the compost pit.
- A universal solution for foliar feeding can be prepared from several mineral fertilizers: superphosphate - 30 grams, urea - 30 grams, potassium chloride - 60 grams; Dissolve all elements in 10 liters of water.
Various ways of feeding apricots in summer are considered. It must be remembered that excess mineral fertilizers will not promote the growth and development of the plant. Therefore, moderation is good in everything.
If you follow the recommendations, tasty, healthy, sunny, juicy fruits - apricots - will grow in your garden plot. When harvesting, you must remember that apricot fruits do not ripen after they are harvested, so you need to remove them from the tree only as they ripen, starting from the branches located below.
