Planting and caring for apricots in the Middle Zone, the best varieties and cultivation features

Apricot is a nutritious and valuable fruit for human health, so gardeners try to cultivate it in the Middle Zone. However, summer residents doubt whether to plant a whimsical seedling. The question also often arises: how to properly plant apricots, and what kind of care is needed in the Middle Zone?

Choosing a place for apricot

Before planting the plant, experts advise choosing the area in which the apricot will grow. She must:

1. Be on a hill.
2. Know to be warm.
3. Sunny.
4. Unwinded by constant cold winds.

It is recommended to plant on the south side of rooms, fences or structures painted white - this is necessary to reflect the sun's rays in order to evenly warm the crown.

The soil at the planting site must have good air permeability, that is, be drainage, as this is required by the root system during the development of the plant.

Important! Temporary flooding is unacceptable or excessive soil moisture around the root system. Due to excess moisture, the plant dies.

To virgin soil containing clay, you should add: peat and sand. And it is advised not to plant trees in sandy soil, as they deteriorate and become burned, as a result of which they die and do not produce a harvest. It is best to plant in soil with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction.

Seedlings need to be planted: 6 meters between rows and 4 meters in a row.

Apricots should be planted in the spring. Plants are placed in pre-dug soil to a depth of 45 centimeters. A hole for the plant is dug before planting. Add 10 kilograms of humus and 1 kilogram of superphosphate.

The best varieties of apricots for the Middle Zone

The best Summer residents consider Northern Triumph to be the apricot variety – a tall self-pollinating tree with a spreading crown. Thanks to good immunity, the plant is not affected by pests and various diseases. Tolerates any frost. The first fruits begin to bear after three years, the harvest reaches 60 kilograms. Apricot is juicy, bright and colorful, large. Ripens from July to August.

Let's introduce a few more popular varieties:

1. The iceberg reaches a height of 3 meters, the crown is wide. It blooms profusely, but there are few ovaries. The fruit weighs 20-25 grams, is round, covered with yellow and orange-tinged fibers on top. Soft and delicate taste.The ripening period occurs at the end of summer (last week of July - first week of August).
2. Alyosha is a tall tree (can reach four meters). Its crown is lush and spreading. The inflorescences are large. The fruit weighs 15-20 grams, is round in shape, bright yellow in color with a blush. Delicious, the fibers are small, the fruit seems shiny from afar. The fruits ripen from the end of July to the first ten days of August.
3. Variety Aquarius, hybrid of the Lel variety. A large tree, reaches a height of 5 meters. Gives a big harvest. The color of the fruit is yellow with a slight blush. Tastes astringent. The stone comes away from the pulp. Ripen in the second half of August.
4. Royal apricot - begins to bear fruit after 4 years. Winter-hardy species. The fruits are small, oblong, bright orange in color. The pulp is nourishing, sweet and sour.
5. Red-cheeked apricot is a self-fertile variety that is resistant to low temperatures and a tall tree. Bears fruit after 3 years. Larger than average size, deep orange color. Among the advantages, it is worth highlighting self-pollination.
6. The bullfinch is a low-growing plant, reaching a height of one and a half meters. The fruit size is average. It has excellent taste and juiciness.
7. The Countess ripens in August. Brings enough harvest. It is necessary to thin out the fruits - if this is not done, they will be small. Grows up to 6 meters, the crown is round. Pollinated with the help of other plants. It is considered the most sensitive variety to frost. Fruit weight – up to 25 grams. The skin is pale yellow with a blush. The pulp is tasty, juicy, sweet. In dry weather, apricot will feel good, but during rainy summers it will suffer from disease.
8. Monastic - depending on the temperature, ripens during August.The tree is tall, the crown is heavy and wide. High yield, fruit weighing 30 grams. The skin is covered with lint. Bright yellow with a reddish side.
9. Favorite – fruits ripen late. The height of the tree is 4 meters. The harvest is large, weighing up to 30 grams, orange with a red side. The pulp is compacted, juicy, the stone is small, easily separated. Late ripening, in cool and rainy years the crop does not have time to ripen.

For the Middle Volga region, you should choose frost-resistant plants, such as:

1. Iceberg.
2. Alyosha.
3. Aquarius.
4. Tsarsky.
5. Lel.

Before planting, a mound should be made, and the hole should be insulated with slate so that the roots do not freeze.

Planting and care

You must first choose a place isolated from drafts. It is desirable that the soil contains trace elements of potassium. Spring is considered a favorable time of year for planting seedlings.

Before buying a tree, you need to decide which seedling is suitable for a given region, and how to care for it?

It is necessary to create drainage to allow air to penetrate into the soil; You should also periodically loosen the soil around the plant.

Preparing for Apricot planting begins in the fall, from creating a hole to plant in the spring. Drainage should be laid at the bottom, then the soil is mixed with humus, salt containing potassium, lime and superphosphate.

Water the apricot sparingly. Excessive watering will lead to the death of the fruit plant. During the summer season – 4 times:

1. In the middle of spring.
2. In the second ten days of May.
3. 2-3 weeks before the fruit is fully ripened.
4. In the fall, before preparing the tree for winter.

Trim apricot follows annually. In early spring, branches frozen after winter are removed.Gardeners advise pruning the tree to stimulate the movement of sap, this helps awaken dormant buds.

Summer pruning must be done at the end of August. In autumn, pruning branches has a beneficial effect on the winter hardiness of the plant.

Strong seedlings can withstand low temperatures. Before cold weather, you should wrap the trunk with burlap and sprinkle soil around it. Young seedlings should be given more attention. You need to make a structure from wooden boards and stretch a film over them, sprinkle earth on top. Cover the crown with agro-fabric in two layers.

Within five years after planting a tree, it is necessary to fertilize the tree trunk area. Next, increase the area for fertilizer. In the spring, add up to 4 kilograms of humus, combining them with 6 grams of nitrogen and 5 grams of phosphorus, 8 grams of potassium. The resulting mixture is intended for 1 square meter.

Important! To increase the apricot yield, it is necessary to regularly apply mineral supplements.

1. In the second year of life, you need to fertilize with 0.06 kilograms of ammonium nitrate, 0.04 kilograms of potassium chloride and 0.13 kilograms of superphosphate.
2. For years 4 and 5 – 0.1 kilograms of ammonium nitrate, 0.06 kilograms of potassium chloride, 0.2 kilograms of superphosphate.
3. In subsequent years, add 0.37 kilograms of ammonium nitrate, 0.25 kilograms of potassium chloride and 0.88 kilograms of superphosphate.

How to dig in a seedling for the winter:

1. A trench with well-ventilated air flow is required.
2. Lack of groundwater.
3. Place some moss and sawdust on the bottom. You can also put pine needles.
4. Should be spilled with water.
5. After the first light frost, sprinkle with earth, forming a hill.
6. Seedlings need to be removed after the soil has sufficiently warmed up.
7. Before placing plants in a pit for storage, the leaves should be torn off, the damaged roots should be cut off and placed in water for a day.

Apricot is a very capricious tree, but thanks to selection it can be grown in Central Russia. The needs of the plant should be taken into account and a future variety should be selected that is suitable for the climate of the region in which it will grow.