How to grow apricot

Apricot is one of the most popular fruits in our country. Everyone remembers its fruits with delicate velvety skin and aromatic sweet pulp from childhood. Previously, apricot trees grew exclusively in southern latitudes. Now, many varieties have been bred that are able to survive the winter in more northern regions.

Apricot varieties

For cultivation in areas of the middle zone, special varieties of this crop, which are distinguished by such qualities as winter hardiness and self-fertility. They successfully cope with thaws and frosts. These varieties include:

• The Lel variety is self-fertile and early ripening. Its yield is low, no more than 20 kg per tree. But if other varieties of apricots are grown nearby, this figure can be increased. This variety has orange fruits weighing about 20 g. They ripen at the end of July. The tree begins to bear fruit in the third year.

• The Tsarsky variety is also distinguished by its low yield of up to 30 kg per tree. The ripening time of its fruits, weighing up to 20 g, occurs at the beginning of August. This variety is able to withstand frosts down to -40 degrees, and begins to bear fruit in the third year.

• The Aquarius variety brings up to 60 kg per tree. Its small yellow fruits ripen by mid-August. The tree, about 6 meters high, begins to bear fruit in the third year. The variety tolerates frost well and is suitable for growing in the central region.

• The Russian variety has a high yield of up to 80 kg per tree. Its fruits weigh up to 60 g, have a yellow-orange hue and ripen by the end of July. The tree begins to bear fruit in its fifth year. This variety is able to withstand temperatures down to -30 degrees and is grown in mid-latitudes and the Moscow region.

Is it possible to grow an apricot from a seed?

Currently, it is possible to purchase seedlings of a wide variety of apricot varieties, but if for some reason you want to grow a tree from a seed yourself, then this is not difficult to do. You will get a lot of plants this way. Later, you can select the hardiest ones, which will surpass the parent plant in taste and fertility.

It is correct to use seeds from fruits growing in your area or use varieties from Siberia or from the northern regions. Such apricots take root well in all regions of the country. As a last resort, you can take apricot pits that you bought at the market.

For propagation, take seeds from the best fruits. Slightly overripe, with well-separable pulp, are best. The seeds should be washed well and dried.

How to grow apricots at home

Don't plant seeds in pots. A seedling obtained in greenhouse conditions will die as soon as you transplant it into the ground. It is correct to plant the seeds directly into the ground at your summer cottage. The best time for this is mid-autumn or spring.

If you choose autumn for planting, then place the seeds in water for 24 hours. Immediately discard the floating seeds, and plant the remaining ones in grooves 6 cm deep. Cover the bottom of the trench with a mixture of sand, humus, grass and earth. Also cover the top of the planting site with grass and humus. Place the seeds at a distance of 10 cm. The first shoots should appear in the spring.

For spring planting, the seeds should be placed in water on the tenth of March for three days with a daily change of water. Then they are planted in a box filled with sand, and after a month, when the ground has warmed up enough, the seeds are transplanted into the ground.

In summer, seedlings should be covered with plastic bottles without a bottom to protect them from birds and rodents. Seedlings need to be watered well and the soil loosened. In September, grown plants can be planted in a permanent place.

Apricot planting

Choose a place to plant a tree so that a sufficient amount of oxygen reaches the roots of the tree. This should be an area with good lighting and protection from the north wind. It is best to choose a place on a hill.

The distance from other plants and buildings should be 3 to 5 meters. Plant the plant so that its root collar remains slightly above the surface of the surrounding soil. This will provide more space for root development.

Dig a hole for planting with sides measuring at least 70 cm. Place drainage at the bottom, then a layer of soil mixed with fertilizers. Plant the tree in this hole, straightening its roots and covering it with soil so that a mound is formed. Then along the edge of the hole you need to dig a ditch for irrigation. Then the tree is watered with 2 or 3 buckets of water, trying not to wash away the earthen mound.

Apricot care

After winter, the tree should be pruned, removing broken and frostbitten branches. Then the tree trunk must be whitened. Be sure to treat the tree with urea before the buds swell. This will saturate the soil with nitrogen and protect the apricot from pests. If the winter had little snow and the spring was dry, then the tree needs to be watered.

Second watering do it in June. In the summer, watch how new branches grow and if the crown becomes very thick, prune, otherwise the fruits will not ripen. If necessary, treat against garden pests and diseases. Harvest on time during the summer. The fruits begin to ripen on the lower branches, so release them first, removing only fully ripened fruits, because they do not ripen after picking. In summer it is necessary to treat the apricot tree with nitrogen-containing fertilizers and solutions of microelements. From July, instead of nitrogen, use fertilizers with potassium and phosphorus.

In August, water the apricot again for the last time before wintering and apply fertilizers with potassium and phosphorus; it is also advisable to add a small amount of chalk to the soil. In the fall, prune again, cutting out broken and dried branches. When the tree sheds its leaves, collect them and dig up the soil in the circle around the trunk. Lastly, treat the tree against pests and diseases for preventive purposes.

For the winter, young plants should be insulated. To do this, they are covered with spruce branches, covering them with spunbond. In the last days of March, protection can be removed.