Apricot cultivation in the Nizhny Novgorod region - planting and care
Tips for growing apricots in the Nizhny Novgorod region - planting and varieties
On taste and color, as they say, there are no comrades. However, in the garden this rule does not always work. Therefore, let us give the floor to someone who knows this firsthand - the author has a considerable summer experience.
Habitual does not mean better
I'm not a newbie in gardening affairs - the past season was for me forties. Back in the late 70s, I bought a small house in the village, an hour away by car from the city. It was at the end of November, the snow covered everything with a thick layer, including 60 stumps from 30-year-old blackthorn trees on the site (the former mistress did not warn about this inheritance). That’s what I “rejoiced” in the spring when all this “splendor” was revealed ... I had to uproot together with my father. But it didn’t work out manually - the blackthorn roots were hard as metal, the ax bounced off.
I had to apply the technique. After that, the plot was leveled and the potatoes were planted, and in autumn 9 seedlings of apple trees were purchased: three summer, three autumn, three winter.
Winter in that year was harsh (frosts reached -40 °), and almost all the trees were frozen. Only three remained: Antonovka, Grushovka Moscow and Autumn striped. That's when I started taking care of the garden seriously.
I read a lot, asked, looked and as a result I learned to plant the necessary varieties on seedlings. But the main thing was that he managed to tame dwarf apple trees and grew such unique varieties as Aport, Grandmother's (the fruits are stored until July), Foluel, Rosemary white, Cortland, Tsarskiy Ship, Spartan, Jonathan. In height, they are no more than 2,5 m, which greatly facilitates care: it is easier to carry out crown formation, pest control and harvesting, and this creates the prerequisites for better storage of fruits.
But the main advantage of stunted apple trees is the possibility of growing them on sites with a high level of groundwater, because their root system does not go deeper than 40-50 cm.
At the same time, because of this, trees require binding to any support at once in three points, otherwise they may fall down during abundant fruiting. And the yield of dwarf apple trees is above all praise, it's just a gardener's dream! Not to mention the fact that fruits from such trees are larger, more beautiful, more saccharine and aromatic than from the usual tall apple trees.
See also: Cultivation of apricot in the middle lane
Cultivation of apricots: winter to spite
At the end of 90 I began to deal with apricots and peaches. From friends and acquaintances received seeds and seedlings of varieties tested and resistant to climatic whims from the Far East and from the Saratov region. But, despite this, I did not immediately manage to make friends with these cultures: the trees developed poorly and in the second or third year almost all died.
There are only two seedlings of apricots from the Sayan foothills: Sibiryak Baikalov and Mountain Abakan. Apparently, the whole point is that in the first winter I made a dry shelter for them all over science: the stamps were covered with spruce lapnik, I put four colas near each tree, pulled them over a plastic bag and sprinkled them with earth from below. By the way, the package should not touch the plants.
In that year, the winter was not too harsh, however, short-term frosts (up to -30 °) did occur. In early April, sheltered the shelter. During the second summer, apricots grew strongly, although nitrogen fertilizer (urea) was given only once - at the end of May. In the third year, the trees rose up to 3 m, and any shelter became impossible. It was hoped that they had already gained strength and could continue to stand up for themselves. But, as a sin, the next winter took off in earnest: frosts below -40 °!
To be honest, I was very worried about my landings. And what was my surprise when 1 May apricots blossomed. No one leaf on them, and all the branches in white and pink color! There was no limit to my joy. Here are the only fruits that year, the trees are not tied up.
The next winter turned out to be insidious: in January -25 °, in February, first 4 °, and then a sharp dip to -16 °. Yes, and 8 late March, such temperature "swings" did not please: after all, such conditions provoke premature awakening of the fetal kidneys, as a result of which they may fall out.
But again, my apricots stood up, bloomed with 6 on 13 May. Around them actively worked bumblebees (it turned out that they pollinate no worse, and maybe even better bees). During flowering, I fed only urea (30 g per 10 L of water). Watered rarely, since in May and June there was a lot of rain, but at that time I made two top-dressing with double superphosphate (40 g per 10 l of water for each tree).
And there were so many fruits that could not be counted! In the last decade of July they began to gain beauty: in two weeks they turned from green to orange, with beautiful red sides. 4 August, the first mature apricot fell.
See also: Apricot - cultivation and care, varieties and useful properties. Recipes from apricots.
But I did not hurry to take the harvest from the branches, I wanted to let them ripen. Then he treated his neighbors, and, according to them, apricots were better and tastier than market ones. This is understandable, because they are brought to the market unripe, they reach the road.
In general, the frost resistance and winter hardiness of the Sybryak Baikalov and Gorny Abakan varieties are very high. Fruit buds after thaws do not freeze, the fruits are large, weighing 25-30 g, with a delicious blush and well-pronounced seam, slightly compressed laterally. The pulp is juicy, sweet, with a wonderful aroma, without sourness.
PS I forgot to mention one more important point. Everyone knows that when caring for apple and pear trees in winter, you need to scoop up as much first snow as possible. So in the case of adult apricots, the opposite is true - the snow needs to be raked off from them and the soil should be allowed to freeze well.
And in the future, too, do not allow a thick layer of snow. These trees are really the most frost-resistant root system. Although, perhaps, this rule is more suitable for our places, where frost is replaced by thaws.
© Author: Valentin KVARTALNOV, Dzerzhinsk, Nizhny Novgorod region.
Below other entries on the topic "Dacha and garden - with their own hands"
- Apricot - cultivation and care, varieties and useful properties. Recipes from apricots.
- Apricots - planting and care: tips from Bashkiria
- Apricot in the Moscow region - varieties of planting and care (advice of the candidate of science)
- Abricos from the bone from A to Z: advice of a professional
- Why Apricot Fruits Irregularly - Care Tips
- Ussuri apricots - cultivation and my reviews
- Cultivation of apricots - planting and care: the advice of a specialist (Orenburg region)
- Growing apricots in the Urals (Orenburg region)
- Is it true that pitted apricots need to be transplanted several times? My reviews.
- Spring planting of apricot
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To the apricot pleased with a generous harvest, it is important to correctly form its crown. At 3-year-old age in the autumn, it is necessary to shorten the conductor by a quarter. Next year, choose the two strongest skeletal branches and cut them halfway.
Immediately cut the conductor, but so that it was at 20-30 cm above the skeletal branches. You need to remove those branches that thicken the crown and grow at an acute angle. In a year it is necessary to allocate still 4 skeletal branches above the first two. This will be the second tier of the crown. The last, 7-th skeletal branch should be cut level with the conductor. When a smooth, spherical crown is formed, it will be enough to perform autumn rejuvenating and sanitary pruning. That is, remove the thickening and old shoots.
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Apricot seedlings, brought from other places, usually grow poorly. If you want to start a novelty, then it's better to plant a cultural stalk on a rootstock grown in a given locality. This at least slightly improves the functioning of the roots and root collar, which is the most vulnerable point in apricot.
As apricot rootstock apricot seedlings as well as wild apricots are suitable, some varieties of peach, plum, thorn, almond, and plum are suitable. Of apricot varieties, the best as a rootstock is apricot Pink. It grows well both on loamy and carbonate soils (which is important for southern regions) and has the most
resistant root to the eaves and frosts of the root neck.
The best type of fabric compatibility with modern varieties is the apricot royal variety. Its shortcomings include tallness and the later entry into fruiting of the rootstocks grafted onto it.
If it is planned to grow apricots on heavy clay soils, then ordinary (non-hybrid) plum may be used as a stock. It is better than the seedlings of the apricot, it transfers the excess density and moisture of the soil. But since the life span of individual trunks of a cherry plum is low, the grafted apricot on it will not become a longevity.