How to plant apricot seedlings. How and when to plant an apricot in open ground

29.07.2023 House and plot

Apricot is an early-flowering beautiful tree, these are delicious fruits, these are vitamins and microelements. Fresh apricots are absolutely harmless to everyone, even those who are overweight. Therefore, every gardener wants to have this tree on his site.

Purchase of apricot seedlings

The best planting material is a well-developed seedling of the first year.

Such seedlings take root better, are more convenient for crown formation.

It is necessary to purchase seedlings in specialized stores or nurseries; when purchasing a seedling of random origin, you can get a seedling (stalk) instead of an apricot.

Seedlings of cultivated varieties do not have thorns, annual branches of apricot seedlings are thick, there is always a thorn (a stump from a cut rootstock trunk above a cultivated bud) at the base of the graft.

Seedlings with a dried root or with a frozen above-ground system do not take root.

Planting an apricot

The best time for planting apricots is early spring.

At the same time, if the spring is rainy, excellent survival of the seedling is ensured. Having put on sports sweatshirts, we plant the seedlings in pre-prepared pits, which are prepared in the fall, with a size of 80x80x80 cm.

2-3 buckets of humus or ripe compost, 500 grams of superphosphate, 2 kilograms of ash are brought into the pit, all this is thoroughly mixed, the pit is covered with this soil mixture at 1/3 of the depth, a mound is made of the soil mixture in the center of the pit so that the apricot grafted on a seed stock, the root neck was 5-6 cm below the edges of the pit for chernozem and 10-12 cm for sandy soils

In plants grafted on clonal rootstocks, the grafting site is placed at the level of the hill.

Before planting, the roots of an apricot seedling are dipped in a soil mash.

Having installed the plant on a mound, the roots are backfilled with a mixture prepared in advance, the top layer of the backfill is made with soil from the lower layers of the dug pit, the soil is compacted, an earthen roller up to 10 cm high is made around the planting pit so that water does not spread during irrigation.

It is better to plant three plants of different ripening periods on the site, the need for such a quantity is due to the fact that most apricot varieties are partially self-fertile and do not produce a high yield without cross-pollination of flowers with pollen from other varieties.

After planting, the seedlings are watered with 2-3 buckets of water, the settled soil is filled up to the previous level.

Apricot pruning

The planted one-year-old is cut off at a height of 30 cm from the soil surface. From the remaining buds on the stem, lateral spring shoots develop and a shoot is a continuation of the stem.

a) pruning after planting, b) in the spring of the second year, c) in the spring of the third year, d) in the spring of the fourth year

Apricot Care Rules

In the first two years after planting a seedling, the apricot trunk circle is kept loose, weed-free or under organic mulch. If there is good watering, the soil can be kept under the turfing of perennial grasses, when the grass grows up to 20-25 cm, it is mowed.

If the trunk circle is kept in a loose state, the loosening depth under the crown should not exceed 6-8 cm in order to prevent injury and root cutting.

Before fruiting, organic and phosphorus-potassium fertilizers can not be applied, nitrogen fertilizers should be applied annually at 20-30 grams per square meter in two periods: in spring and after harvesting in half doses.

After the start of apricot fruiting, it is necessary to annually apply 30 grams of ammonium nitrate, 8 grams of superphosphate, 20 grams of potassium salt per square meter of the trunk circle.

Organic fertilizers are applied 1 time in 3-4 years, if apricots grow under turfing, organic fertilizers are not applied.

Apricot responds well to nitrogen fertilizers, but their excess reduces the resistance of plants to diseases, causes gum disease, delays the ripening of fruits, and leads to extra long growth (more than 100 cm.).

On heavy and acidic soils, apricots respond positively to the addition of calcium. It is better to apply fertilizer in a liquid state, in a dry form it is applied to the grooves or into the wells before watering.

During the period of hardening of the seeds, active growth of fruits and shoots, apricot requires abundant watering.

Overloading trees with fruits leads to their weakening and poor fruit set next year. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out annual spring pruning of trees, in addition, manual thinning of the fruit after the ovary has fallen is recommended.

The correct ratio between the number of fruits and leaves in an apricot is 1:20.

Before manual thinning, the tree is shaken so that underdeveloped, diseased and damaged fruits fall, then defective, poorly located and crowded fruits are removed.

It is necessary to observe phytosanitary hygiene:

- remove all diseased branches and shoots, burn them;

- clean wounds, disinfect and putty them;

- to collect and burn carrion and diseased fruits;

- collection and burning of diseased leaves;

- annual disinfection of the tree with a solution of lime (in autumn or early spring);

- annual binding of the central conductor and the base of the skeletal branches with thick paper or other material to protect the plant from sunburn and rodents in winter.

Annual pruning of apricot

With good quality planting material and good care, spring shoots grow quickly and summer shoots appear. This property must be used during the period of formation and fruiting of the plant, for which spring acute-angled shoots are pinched over 2-3 leaves, shoots selected as skeletal are pinched over the fifth leaf.

In the summer (in July), the shoots from which the skeletal branches are formed are pinched at a length of 30 cm, at the same time the shoot is pinched and the continuation of the stem.

The following year, in the spring, annual growths are subjected to spring pruning.

On skeletal, semi-skeletal branches and the central conductor, they are shortened by 1/2 of their length, and weak annual growths of other branches are shortened by 1/3-1/4 of their length.

Further, the spring shoots that have appeared are subjected to summer pruning, 20-30 days after the spring one by 1/2 of their length with growth of more than 40 cm, and shoots up to 15 cm long are pinched over a normally developed leaf.

Apricot mainly bears fruit on annual branches of different lengths, as well as on special fruit-bearing formations - spurs and bouquet branches.

The main task of pruning apricot trees is to ensure the annual formation of new, fairly strong shoots.

On elongated shoots, compared to short shoots, fruit buds are laid later, late buds better tolerate provocative warming in winter.

For 2-3 years of the tree's life, moderate shortening of the main branches and the central conductor is continued in compliance with the rules of subordination of branches in the crown.

The degree of pruning is increased in weakly branching varieties and vice versa, reduced with strong-medium branching.

After the transition of the tree to fruiting, shortening is weakened, and with strong branching, it is temporarily suspended and thinning is increased.

Pruning, normalizing fruiting, increases the resistance of trees to low temperatures.
In addition, apricot trees love a planting site where there are no winds.

Apricot is a fragrant and very healthy fruit of southern origin, which is hard not to love. In summer, the apricot tree gives a plentiful harvest of unique fruits suitable for making jams, compotes and jams. Subject to the correct agrotechnics of care, the fruiting of the apricot tree will be stable and healthy.

Successful adaptation of an apricot seedling in a permanent place and further growth of the tree are possible if certain planting requirements are met.

Note. There are two ways to grow apricots: from the seed and grafting to wild trees with strong immunity.

What season to plant apricot

It is best to plant an apricot pit or seedling by the end of April. It is necessary to plant a tree before bud break begins, before the plant enters the active vegetation stage.

Note! Transplanting should not be done during the growing season.

Planting apricot seedlings in any other month, including June, is not recommended.

Landing in the middle lane is carried out in mid-April.

The end of April is considered the time for planting an apricot tree in the Ural and Siberian regions.

Planting an apricot in spring

Spring planting of apricot seedlings

In order for an apricot tree to grow healthy and bear fruit abundantly, it is necessary to choose the right apricot seedlings and plant them according to the recommended scheme, which tells in detail how to plant an apricot correctly.

Soil composition requirements

The soil pH for planting an apricot tree should not exceed 7. Permissible composition of planting soil:

black earth;
loamy.

Planting an apricot in clay, sandy or peaty soil will slow down the growth and development of the seedling. When planting a tree in soil with a sandy structure, the bottom of the planting recess must be covered with a layer of clay, and in clay soil with a layer of sand.

loam

How to prepare planting soil

To ensure uninterrupted access of oxygen to the root system, it is necessary to drain the soil well. Drainage can be provided by filling a layer of one of the available materials:

crushed stone (middle fraction);
gravel;
expanded clay.

One of the following components is poured over the drainage layer:

wood ash;
charcoal;
ammonium nitrate.

To avoid contact of the root system with the top layer of fertilizer, it is necessary to fill the soil over the drainage. You should also avoid excessive waterlogging of the earth to prevent root rot. The landing site must be protected from the north winds.

Upon completion of planting work, it is necessary to carry out the first watering, after which the near-stem zone should be mulched with one of the organic materials:

straw;
sawdust;
grass.

At a half-meter depth, most of the main and overgrowing roots are located. The radius of their growth horizontally exceeds the radius of the crown part by more than two times. At a 5-meter depth, 10% of the root system is located - vertical roots.

Mulching

Selection and preparation of seedlings

The purchased planting material for planting apricot seedlings in spring must be strong and look absolutely healthy. On the root system, the presence of any deformations is unacceptable.

The age of the seedling suitable for planting should be one year. Damaged roots, as well as those with breaks, must be cut off with a sharply sharpened garden knife. It is not recommended to trim the existing sections - this procedure may adversely affect the survival of the root system.

Drying of the roots during transportation and storage before planting in a permanent place should be avoided. However, if this situation occurs, in order to restore the seedling's ability to grow, it must be put in water for several days.

You can prevent the drying of the root system by soaking the roots in a mixture consisting of such organic components as black soil and mullein.

Before placing a seedling in a hole, you should carefully examine its roots.

Since the height of the apricot tree is 15 meters, the radius of the crown part is 5 meters, it is not recommended to plant it near other trees or structures. Many beginner gardeners are interested in the question of how to plant an apricot in two or in one tree. The minimum distance between an apricot and a neighboring tree should be 5 meters. Planting trees in a checkerboard pattern, adhering to standard parameters (in meters), will reduce the negative effects of strong gusts of wind:

3X5;
5X5;
5X6;
6X6.

Requirement for a landing recess

To ensure proper development of the tree in the future, it is necessary to create a planting hole of the required size before planting an apricot. The deepening for planting should be large - the placement of the root system requires a lot of space, as well as a significant area of \u200b\u200bthe pit for laying the soil with fertilizers applied to it.

The minimum dimensions of the pit for planting an apricot tree are 65X80 centimeters.

Spring is considered the most suitable time for preparing a planting recess - at this time the soil in it is enriched with a sufficient amount of moisture and oxygen. Autumn planting should be carried out three weeks before the onset of night frosts.

The soil is oxygenated

When digging a recess, the surface layer of black earth soil should be poured on one side, and the bottom layer on the other. This is necessary in order to cover the level of penetration of the root system with a surface layer, since the roots develop faster in the conditions of enriched soil located in the upper layer.

Landing errors

Inaccuracies should be avoided when planting an apricot tree, in order to avoid subsequent problems with the development of the root system and the plant as a whole. There are a number of the most common mistakes made by gardeners during planting events:

if the planting hole was prepared immediately before planting the seedling, this can lead to subsidence of the soil and excessive deepening of the root fork;
fertilizing the seedling with fresh mullein during planting will contribute to the oppression of the root system;
when using fertilizers based on nitrogen, the growth of the aerial part will increase, which will lead to a weakening of the root system and a loss of cold resistance of the plant;
adaptation of a two-year-old seedling will take more time;
too late planting in the spring can lead to the death of planting material.

Apricot planting process

Step-by-step instructions for landing work:

the day before planting, place the root soaked in clean water;
make a mixture by mixing mullein with clay to a consistency resembling sour cream;
briefly place the roots in the prepared composition;
dry the roots
create a landing recess;
deepen the soil according to the size of the root system;
pour water;
place the seedling in the center of the recess;
straighten all parts of the root system, avoiding the occurrence of deformations;
place the root fork at a level of 5 centimeters above the soil surface;
cover the roots with earth;
carefully compact the soil;
pour a 10-centimeter roller along the diameter of the pit;
fix the apricot seedling on a support;
water the planting with two buckets of water;
flatten the roller;
mulch the near-stem circle with a 4-centimeter layer of peat or humus.

mulch with peat

About transplanting apricot

Before you start replanting an apricot tree, it is necessary, after reading the manual on agricultural technology, to collect a number of information about how the secondary planting of an apricot is carried out.

Timing of transfer works

You can transplant apricots both in spring and autumn. In areas with a cold climate, apricot is transplanted in the autumn season. In regions located in central Russia, spring transplantation is practiced.

Repeated tree transplantation should be avoided, since the plant is difficult to adapt to a new place, and also because a certain area of \u200b\u200bthe root system is injured with each transplant.

Apricot top dressing

Transplantation in the spring season

In the spring, it is necessary to have time to transplant the apricot tree before the buds begin to bloom. The advantage of spring transplantation is good survival due to high temperatures. The negative side of this method is the risk of planting damage due to night frosts, characteristic of the northern and middle lanes. Thus, spring transplantation is recommended for the southern regions.

Moderately moist soil is a favorable environment for the establishment and development of this plant, another advantage of transplanting in the spring season is the abundant irrigation of the land, provided by melted snow.

Note. An apricot tree transplanted in the spring requires twice as much fertilizer as other trees.

Transplantation in autumn

Autumn transplantation is carried out a month before the establishment of 0 ° C air temperature. The time of apricot transplantation in the central regions of Russia for the autumn season is the end of September-beginning of October. In order for the planting to take root better, these works should be carried out after the foliage has fallen. In dry weather, transplantation in early calendar autumn should not be carried out - in dry soil conditions, the tree may not take root.

The advantage of transplanting in autumn is the possibility of gradual hardening of the tree. Before the onset of cold weather, the tree has time to take root, and with the onset of spring, it begins to grow rapidly.

When transplanting, accompanied by conditions of elevated air temperature, the tree may take root worse. If the apricot is transplanted too early, it can damage the plant due to the cold night temperatures.

You need to watch the temperature

Landing near groundwater

The first step is to determine the exact height of groundwater, as well as what type they belong to:

stagnant;
mobile;
flowing.

Ground water of the flowing type, due to its enrichment with dissolved oxygen, is suitable for growing fruit trees.

The waterlogged area should be dried. You can do this in two ways:

laying out plastic drainage pipes with a “herringbone”, dumping excess water into the outlet channels;
a system of 1.5-meter drainage ditches is being dug, leading excess water out of the site.

It is also necessary to determine the level of groundwater mineralization - exceeding the dry salt residue of 1 g / l is considered unacceptable for growing apricot trees.

There is a step-by-step planting procedure with a close occurrence of groundwater:

drive a stake in place for landing;
dig the earth along the perimeter of the trunk circle to a depth of two bayonets of a shovel;
apply the necessary fertilizers to the soil;
pour a 15-centimeter hill on top;
drive a garter stake into the ground;
put the seedling in the center;
spread the roots over the surface;
fix the seedling;
fill up the tree, leaving the root fork half a meter above the ground.

The trunk of the seedling must be tied to a peg when planting it.

What can be planted under an apricot

The most suitable plants for planting under apricot trees are spring flowers, such as:

tulip;
muscari;
primrose.

Walnut;
poplar;
birch;
cherry;
hazelnut.

Proper planting of an apricot requires certain knowledge and skills on how to plant an apricot and care for it. Compliance with all recommendations will allow you to grow a healthy apricot tree that gives a good harvest.

Apricots are among the trees that grow best in a sunny location. They not afraid of drought, air pollution and smoke. It is not difficult to plant an apricot seedling and grow it. The main thing is to determine landing site and time. If the seedling is given minimal care, then it will bring a good harvest. Experts recommend planting apricots in a place protected from cold winds on the sunny side. It is also recommended to plant an apricot on a small slope.

Areas that are not suitable for planting apricots are have moist soil in which groundwater occurs.

It is not recommended to plant seedlings in the shade of large buildings. The best option for planting apricot seedlings is to plant them in groups. More fruits are produced by cross-pollination. If there is a small area, and several apricot seedlings cannot be planted on it, then it is recommended to graft two or three branches of an apricot tree of a different variety on one tree.

How and when to plant an apricot

The best results are obtained when planting apricot seedlings in the spring, when sap flow has not yet begun. The ideal option for planting apricots is considered to be spring rainy season before the buds have opened. In this case, the survival rate will be 100%. If a decision is made to plant an apricot with leaves, then it is necessary to prepare for the fact that the seedling will die or be sick for a long time.

It is not recommended to plant seedlings in autumn, because they do not take root well and freeze slightly in a cold climate.
There are many disadvantages when planting apricots in autumn. It is recommended to plant an apricot seedling in September.
Thus, he will have two months to settle down in a new place. All unnecessary branches must be shortened by one third, and the leaves cut in half.
This must be done to reduce the evaporation of moisture and the safety of the seedling.

Planting an apricot on level ground is not recommended; the tree will take root better on a small slope. If there is no such place on the site, then the seedling should be planted on a mound with a diameter of 2 m and a height of at least 55 cm. Clay soil is recommended for planting, in which sand and small stones are added.

If the seedling is planted in acidic soil, then you need to add 500 g of lime. Experts recommend planting apricot seedlings in sandy, light soil. It has good air circulation. The soil is recommended neutral or slightly alkaline. Apricot is well planted in clay soil. The place should be one where there is no accumulation of water after a downpour or melting snow, as the tree does not tolerate excess moisture.

How to prepare a planting hole

The pit should be 85 X 85 X 85 cm in size. It is necessary to make drainage from broken bricks, large pebbles or stones in it. On the drainage you need to put a sufficient amount of fertilizer. For fertilizer, you need to take the following components: 40 or 50 kg of humus, 700 g of simple superphosphate, 300 or 400 g of potassium sulfate and 3 kg of ash.

You can not deepen the root neck.
After planting, the apricot should be properly watered.
After planting, the tree must be cut at a height of 40 or 50 cm from the ground.
Thus, the development of lateral buds will be stimulated.
After pruning, spring shoots will grow with a vengeance. During spring and summer, a young apricot tree grows up to 70 cm.
And also during this period there is a large increase in adnexal branches. In July, they must be pinched in order to form branches of the subsequent order.

For 2 seasons, a lush crown of a seedling with a huge number of flower buds is formed. The life span of the seedling is over 100 years. During this period it actively bears fruit. It needs to be well looked after in order to reap a large harvest. In the first five years, the apricot will produce large growths of up to 70 cm in 1 season. In the third or fourth year of life, skeletal branches will appear on the seedling, and short shoots in the form of spurs will grow on them. It is on these branches that the main crop is concentrated.

Basic rules for choosing apricot seedlings

Apricots that have been grafted onto cherries, plums, or alcha are considered the least sensitive to temporary flooding of the root system. A successful vaccination is considered to be on a plum. How the seedling will endure the winter and how resistant it will be to diseases depends on the variety and origin of the plant.

Apricots that have been grafted onto peach and almonds cannot tolerate heavy clay soil.
Seedlings grafted on peach and almonds have minimal frost resistance.
They are more susceptible to diseases that are bacterial in nature.
If the area is small, then it is convenient to plant apricot seedlings on it, which were grafted onto the turn.
Such trees are stunted or dwarfed. Low-growing seedlings will tolerate a cold winter well.
They quickly adapt to growing conditions. On the plots, dwarf trees do not take up much space.

Small trees can easily be harvested. The disadvantages of bonsai include a huge amount of root shoots. But this the disadvantage becomes invisible when the root neck is heated - undersized trees are resistant to this disease. A domestic apricot can be grown from the pit of a local tree. Such a tree is obtained adapted to climatic conditions. Grown from the seed, it will hurt less and acquire the varietal properties of the mother plant.

How to grow an apricot from a seed

The stone must be planted in May in well-fertilized soil. The distance between the bones should be at least 10 cm. But planting can be simplified: the apricot seed must be buried in the ground and watered abundantly all summer. Apricot kernel tree grows very quickly.

For 1 season, the tree becomes more than 1 m tall. When the tree is one year old, it must be transplanted to a permanent place and used as a rootstock. The gardener for seedlings from the stone must create ideal conditions for development and growth. The tree begins to bear fruit after 3 years of life. After 5 years, it gives a generous harvest for 70 or 90 years.

Annual increments can be 10 cm.
The crown of an apricot tree can withstand temperatures down to minus 33.
If in February there are frosts below 19 degrees for 4 or 5 days, then the tree's generative buds may be damaged.
In early March, the temperature is plus 5 degrees Celsius, at which time the apricots leave their dormant state.
If at this time there is a drop in temperature for at least one day, then this threatens with serious consequences: if the temperature drops to minus 8, then the flower buds will die.
If the temperature drops below minus 6 degrees, then the flowers will be destroyed in the pink bud phase.

If the flowers have time to bloom during this period, then they crumble when frozen at minus 2 degrees Celsius. The ovary can die at a temperature of minus 1 degree Celsius. To tree grew well and did not die, it is necessary to choose the right apricot variety and planting site.

Rules for choosing an apricot seedling

If you plan to plant a tree in a cold climate, then it is better to purchase varieties of late or medium ripening. The ideal option would be to purchase seedlings from garden shops or nurseries in the region where the seedling is planned to be planted. This ensures that the apricot tree will take root better. Yield loss will be kept to a minimum. When choosing a seedling, you need to pay attention to the color of the bark.

If it is dark brown or red, then the variety is winter-hardy. If the bark is green or light green, then the apricot variety is southern. Unvaccinated apricot seedlings have thorns. When buying a seedling, you need to pay attention to the kidneys. On cultivated species of apricots, double or triple buds appear in the first years of life. And on off-grade seedlings, the buds are single.

The grafted seedling of the apricot tree is well developed, has a wide trunk and long growth.
When buying, the vaccination site must be visible. It is of great importance how the branches are located on the seedling.
The best option is considered an annual plant with a single branching. It must have a clearly defined conductor.
You do not need to buy trees that have branches that are located at an acute angle. In the future, under the weight of the harvest, the branches will break, a wound will appear on the trunk. This will infect the tree.

Apricots are very sickly plants. After planting the seedlings in the ground, the apricot must be well looked after. It needs to be regularly watered, fed and trimmed. The trunk circle must be kept clean, the ground near the seedling must be constantly loosened and mulched. Mulching is done with peat, sawdust, straw or grass. It is recommended to use horse manure as a mulch.

After 4 years of tree life, it does not need to be mulched. If you continue to fertilize the seedling, then it will stop looking for water in the depths of the soil, thus, a root system will develop on the surface. This is undesirable, because the roots will freeze in winter. Seedling experts recommend sowing grasses with an underdeveloped root system. The ideal option lawn grass will become. Periodically it will need to be mowed. Thus, the quality of the soil will improve.

How to water an apricot

In the first year after planting, apricot care consists of regular watering. The formation of roots in a young seedling will occur only in moist soil. If the spring turned out to be dry, then the tree must be watered before flowering and a month after it. It must be watered regularly two weeks before the formation of the crop. Thus, the fruits will be large, juicy and fragrant.

When planting seedlings, it must be taken into account that they do not like a sharp change in growing conditions. If in the spring the tree was not watered, then during the hardening of the stone it is better not to water the seedling. Otherwise, the tree may drop the ovary. You need to spend 50 liters of water per square meter of food. If the summer is dry, then you need to water the tree 2 times more. After the leaves turn yellow, it is necessary to water the seedling abundantly. autumn water consumption increases up to 90 liters per square meter of supply. Abundant watering will help the apricot tree survive severe frosts with less loss.

How to feed an apricot tree in spring

Top dressing of the seedling should be carried out in conjunction with abundant watering. In early spring, it is necessary to feed the seedling with complex mineral fertilizer in the amount of 35 g per square meter in liquid form.

Around the seedling, it is necessary to make a deep well up to 80 cm deep using a garden drill.
Fertilizer must be poured into the well.
In spring, the apricot tree should be sprayed.
This is necessary to protect the flowers from spring frosts. Buds on an apricot tree must be sprayed with urea before blooming.

To prepare the composition, you will need the following components: 600 grams of urea, 60 g of copper sulfate, 12 liters of water. After processing, the apricot tree will delay flowering for a week. Spraying will help get rid of pests and protect the tree from diseases. In the summer, apricots need to be fed with nitrogen fertilizer at the rate of 25 g per square meter of nutrition after the ovary has fallen off. Foliar feeding of an apricot tree consists of spraying with a 3% urea composition after harvest.

Autumn top dressing of an apricot tree is done when digging soil under the seedling. When digging, it is necessary to add 5 kg of humus, 25 g of nitrogen, 20 g of phosphorus and 30 g of potassium per square meter for young trees. To feed apricots in the fall, which bear fruit, the fertilizer rate must be doubled. Autumn top dressing of the tree should be done once every 4 years. Excess nitrogen negatively affects the health of the tree. Because of this, fruit ripening may be delayed.

10.08.2016 15 016

Planting an apricot - secrets and subtleties in detail

It is the planting of an apricot that becomes the starting point for growing a fruit tree. It depends on this event whether the seedling will be accepted, how it will grow and develop in the future. Timely agricultural practices, combined with proper planting, will inevitably affect healthy growth and abundant fruiting in the future.

Content:

Choosing a place for a good tree growth

Productivity, growth, viability of an apricot in many respects depend on planting. When choosing a place, the local relief, the moisture content of the soil, the possibility of providing protection from cold winds in harsh winters are taken into account.

The south side of the apricot orchard planting site has more sunlight and heat. However, the spring sun accelerates the processes of apricot vegetation and intensive evaporation of moisture from the soil, which can lead to burns on trunks and core branches. Agronomists consider the southern areas less successful than the northern ones.

In the northern part of the garden in winter, a large amount of snow accumulates, it thaws for a rather long period, therefore, the vegetation processes of apricots begin a little later. The advantage here is good moisture, the disadvantage is the north wind and sharp drops in temperatures can damage the trees.

The western, northwestern, southwestern directions of the terrain in the garden are considered the most suitable for planting apricots. Apricot grows well on soils with a good lime content, but waterlogging and flooded soils lead to the fragility of trees. Apricot may not bear fruit regularly, as it reacts sharply to moisture. If the terrain allows you to plant an apricot on a hill, slope, hill, it would be preferable to choose this option, since cold air currents do not linger on the slopes, frosts are weaker in winter.

Preparing a planting hole for apricot

If the terrain has a significant slope (4 ° or more), the rows are placed across the slope in a horizontal line. Before planting, the allocated land is plowed up or dug in to a depth of 23-26 cm. When an apricot is planted in autumn, it is necessary to dig up the soil in spring or summer. When planting in spring, the soil is dug up in autumn.

An apricot garden is laid out on the prepared land - the rows and place of each individual tree are marked. It is advisable to use stakes for this procedure, to which seedlings will be tied after planting. The optimal dimensions of the planting pit for apricots are 0.6 meters deep and 90-100 centimeters wide. It is within these boundaries that there will be the necessary supply of loose nutrient soil for good growth of the root system.

We pour out the upper fertile land to the right, the rest to the left. Then a couple of buckets of rotted manure are taken and mixed with a fertile layer. At will and the need that has arisen, depending on the mechanical composition of the soil, mineral fertilizers are added (potassium and phosphorus in autumn, nitrogen is added in spring). Acidic soil necessarily requires neutralization with lime or dolomite flour (one bucket per square meter).

Planting an apricot seedling

In the southern regions (Krasnodar Territory, Astrakhan, Rostov Regions), apricot planting begins from the third week of October and lasts throughout the month of November. In areas where there is a high risk of freezing seedlings (in the Urals, in Siberia), according to experienced gardeners, it is better to make a deep winter dig and plant an apricot in the spring.

When planted in autumn in northern latitudes, trees may not take root properly until frost arrives. Apricot planting in the Moscow region, Moscow, Vladimir, Oryol, Ivanovo, Leningrad and Novgorod regions can be carried out in autumn and spring. It is believed that the middle lane is ideal for spring and autumn gardening.

Before planting, the seedlings are carefully examined and, if various damage to the bark is found, they are cleaned with a sharp knife and lubricated with garden pitch. Dead roots and shoots are removed. The roots are dipped in a mash of clay or earth, which has the consistency of sour cream. When heteroauxin is added to the mash, the survival rate and growth of apricot trees in the first year increases by 1.4-1.5 times.

in the photo - planting an apricot seedling
in the photo - planting apricot

It is customary to plant an apricot in such a way that the root system is at the same level with the soil or slightly higher (3-4 cm). So that after planting the seedling does not sink into the ground, you need to pour a mound of fertile soil mixture into the bottom of the pit, carefully set the apricot, straightening the roots.

Then gradually close the roots with the prepared loose soil mixture. When 10-15 cm of earth is poured over the roots, it must be trampled down with the foot (the foot is placed with the toe to the trunk and the main pressure is made with the heel so as not to tear the roots). After the earth is poured without tamping.

When planting an apricot, make sure that the seedling does not go deep and stands upright. The apricot should be planted tightly so that when twitching with effort it does not break out of the soil. Only in this case, the landing will be considered correct. Now the seedling is tied to a peg in two places - 23-24 cm from the ground and at the top.

Landing Care

After planting in a permanent place, the seedlings must be watered. In the spring, it is produced after planting by shortening the shoots by 1/3. By reducing the leaf surface, moisture evaporation is reduced, so pruning is a must! The amount of water for irrigation is taken so much as to irrigate the entire soil near the roots to a depth of 0.4-0.5 meters.

in the photo - apricot care

In autumn, after watering, apricot seedlings must be protected for the winter from frost and rodents. It is advisable to tie the trunk of the tree with kraft paper, sheets of roofing material, roofing felt in such a way that there are no bare areas left. The harness at the bottom is covered with earth and trampled down a little at the trunk. Planted apricots now need to be spudded, making a mound 30-35 cm high, which will protect the trees from freezing in the lower part.

In spring planting, special attention should be paid to watering; in dry spring, irrigation should be plentiful and thorough. After some time, the dried soil is loosened and mulched with sawdust, peat chips or straw (hay). In the first summer after planting, watering is done 4-5 times per season, using 50-60 liters of water per tree, sometimes the rate is increased.

The soil in the near-stem circle of an apricot is kept in a clean state, weeds are removed in a timely manner. It should be remembered that you do not need to get carried away with frequent watering in small doses, the plant must be well shed at one time. With shallow irrigation, water does not flow in the right amount to the roots to a depth, but lingers in the surface layer of the soil, which often leads to wilting and drying of the apricot in the first year after planting.

There are few people among gardeners who would not love juicy and sweet apricots.Ripe fruits are consumed locally, and green ones are sent for storage or transported to the northern regions where apricots do not grow.

However, now apricots have stepped far north, and it makes no sense to bring southern fruit. The key to success in growing apricots lies in its proper planting. In addition, it is not superfluous to choose the most winter-hardy varieties. For the Middle lane, Alyosha, Success, Monastic, Piquant, Lel are suitable.

When buying a seedling, you need to carefully examine the roots of the future tree. In no case should they be overdried. It is very good if the roots are well developed.

For growing apricots, the site must be well lit and protected from cold winds.

Apricots are planted according to the 3x5 m scheme.Moreover, it is better to plant at least two seedlings of different varieties. If you plant one tree, the yields will be very modest. Feel better apricots, which are planted on mounds, and in which the root collar is above ground level. Such apricots bear fruit better and grow better.

For apricots, serious pits are prepared - 70x50 cm in size. The size of the pit depends on the fertility of the soil. The more fertile the soil, the fewer holes you can dig.Fertile soil is poured down, mixed with fertilizers: humus, potassium salt, superphosphate.

Apricot seedlings are planted in the pits prepared in this way, trying not to deepen the root neck.

Planting apricot seedlings correctly can only be done with four hands. One holds the tree by the trunk, the second levels and sprinkles the roots. After planting on the periphery of the near-stem circle, a small groove is dug to water the tree.

To shrink the soil, 20-30 liters of water are poured. Apricots need to be watered throughout the season. The first time in mid-spring, the second - in mid-May, when shoots are actively growing. Then irrigation is carried out as needed, not forgetting to water the trees 2-3 weeks before the fruit ripens.

The last time apricots are watered is in the fall, when the trees are preparing for wintering.

OUR REFERENCE

It is important not to get too carried away, otherwise the roots of the trees can rot from excess water, which is fraught with the death of trees.

Top dressing for apricots should also be applied in the spring, using peat and mineral mixtures for this purpose. Organic fertilizers can be used only in the fifth year of the tree's life.

The soil around the roots of the tree must be loosened periodically to improve air access to them.