Growing, planting and caring for apricots in the Moscow region in the open field and pruning

Apricots are considered one of the most healthy and delicious fruits. The tree is common throughout gardens, summer cottages or vegetable gardens. Fragrant ripe fruits are used as a basis for compotes, jams, preserves, filling pies, casseroles. Growing apricots in any region has its own subtleties, for example, in the Moscow region, you need to know the peculiarities of choosing a variety, conditions, planting site, care, in order to prevent the death of the plant.

The choice of a variety for the Moscow region

Before you start growing an apricot crop, you need to choose the right variety. For this, the following factors must be taken into account:

1. Only frost-resistant varieties are suitable for the region, so the air temperature can vary: +45 to -30 degrees. A seedling near Moscow must withstand early thaws, intense heat and a sharp drop in temperature. You also need to know that:

• South Asian nectar has a short period of winter dormancy. The first thaws will lead to bud formation and shoot growth. The subsequent cold snap will cause damage to the plant or its death;
• the bark of the culture is sensitive to high humidity, which provokes rotting. Therefore, the snow cover thawed in early spring will harm the plant.

2. When choosing seedlings, you need to pay attention to the origin of the seedlings. Only plants grown in the Moscow region will adapt to local conditions.
3. The main sign of a good tree is high fruiting. Apricot flowers should be pollinated on their own, and produce fruits in July-August.
4. It is better to look after a suitable variety in a nursery. Thus, the plant will be grafted, capable of tolerating any temperature regime, excess moisture.

Therefore, suitable for Moscow and the region of culture, originating from the crossing of the common apricot variety with highly frost-resistant species. For example, they use sprouts of Siberian apricot, hybrid varieties of trees in combination with cherry plum or plum.

The frost resistance of properly selected apricot trees can reach 48 degrees below zero.

The proven varieties are:

• Red-cheeked - withstands subzero temperatures, gives a good harvest, large fruits from the third year after planting;
• Hardy - suitable for places subject to constant temperature changes. The tree bears fruit for 5-6 years;
• Honey sapling - not affected by strong winds, cold weather;
• The calyx is a small tree up to 150 centimeters high, it can grow even in the northern part of the Moscow region under cover;
• Snegirek is a small compact plant that grows well even without shelter.It is enough to wrap up the crown in winter.

Apricots are referred to as "health fruits". Apricot berries help maintain health, prevent, cure various diseases.

When and how to plant

To grow an apricot tree, you also need to take into account the conditions required for planting, the choice of where to break out, the requirements for the planting pit and seedlings.

Landing conditions

Planting apricots in the Moscow region occurs in the spring. Also, when choosing the time when to plant a plant in the ground, you need to take into account that the seedlings need to settle down in a new place, put down additional roots, and gain a foothold in the ground. By winter, the seedlings will get stronger and will be able to protect themselves from freezing and death.

Take a look also

Characteristics of the Manchurian apricot variety, description of frost resistance and care of the seedling

Landing place

Another important condition for how to plant a plant correctly is to choose a suitable landing site. For this, several factors are taken into account:

1. The landing area must be protected from strong winds. The southern, south-eastern and south-western directions of the Moscow region are suitable for disembarkation.
2. Low-lying areas where groundwater is closer than 2 meters to the top of the earth are unsuitable. It is optimal to grow a tree in a raised area, a flower bed. In this case, the roots will not reach the groundwater.
3. It is better to grow a tree on loamy soil. The reaction of the soil is neutral.

If pear, ash, and holly maple grow near apricot seedlings, then the soil and neighborhood are not suitable for growing.

4. You need to check in open ground the level of fertility and moisture permeability. Fertility factor is the abundance of earthworms. By loosening the soil, they achieve sufficient moisture. In addition, an adult seedling is less demanding for watering than other trees.

Apricot is an early flowering crop. Therefore, in order to protect the tree from frost, you need to prepare in advance frame beams for shelter and a film.

Requirements for planting plants in open ground

To transplant seedlings into soil, the following conditions must be met:

1. Prepare a landing site with a depth of 70 centimeters, a width of 50 centimeters.
2. At the bottom of the groove, throw a few stones of broken bricks so that the roots are well kept.
3. The distance between the seedlings is 5-6 meters.
4. Place the rhizomes to a depth of 40 centimeters.
5. Prepare the pit in advance, add fertilizer from several layers of humus with nitroammophosphate.

Pour fertilizers into the planting holes, mix, tamp. Then moisten the soil, cover it with earth.

6. Place the tree in the soil carefully, taking care not to damage the root system. Fix the roots with your hands.
7. After planting, tamp the soil. Then water the landing site, making near-trunk circles.

To preserve moisture, crush the ground with grass or hay.

Technology of growing a tree from a bone

It is easy to germinate an apricot from a stone, observing a number of factors:

1. Landing in the fall.
2. Choose seeds from overripe nectars of those varieties that are adapted to the climate near Moscow.
3. Before planting, rinse the seeds well, dry them and check for suitability by filling the raw materials with water. Those bones that float up are not suitable for landing.
4. Make trenches in the soil. Pour vegetation, manure, sand, earth on the bottom.
5. Plant the bones in the prepared areas. Pour humus, grassy layer.

Take a look also

Characteristics of the variety of apricots Rattle, description of advantages and disadvantages, yield

Not all seeds will sprout in the spring, but only the strongest seeds suitable for growing in the Moscow region. It is these sprouts that will become the basis of a bountiful harvest if you take proper care of the apricot.

Care

Necessary apricot care consists in:

1. Watering young plants at least 1 time in 2-3 days, 2 buckets under each tree. From August 10, do not moisten the soil to prepare the tree for winter. An exception is not a rainy autumn.

Pay the most attention to the cultures of the first year of life. At this time, the tree receives immunity, which affects the quantity, size, quality of the fruit.

2. Removing weeds from soil.
3. Loosening the soil. Use mulch for this.
4. Crown formation, pruning - during the period of abundant growth.

To attract more pollinating insects, you need to spray the plants with a solution of water and honey during the flowering period.

5. Preservation of seedlings from freezing or frost. For example, for the winter, wrap the tree in an airtight material.
6. Fertilizing plants with horse manure, mullein. Dry dressing is practiced based on the needs of the plant. On average, one tree needs 70 grams of nitrogen fertilizer and 50 grams of ammonium nitrate.
7. Bark care - treatment of wounds, open cuts with garden pitch.
   It is necessary to constantly check the condition of the seedlings, since the plants are susceptible to a number of diseases:

• clotterosporium disease;
• moniliosis;
• cytosporosis.

Only timely and proper care of the apricot tree will allow you to get a high-quality harvest.

Preparing for winter

Winter is the most difficult period of time for gardeners growing apricot fruits in the Moscow region. To properly prepare an apricot for the winter, you need:

1. Remove foliage from root soils in the fall, thereby protecting the trunk from pathogens.
2. Dig up the ground around apricot crops.
3. As a preventive measure, spray the tree against pests and diseases. Trees are sprayed with chemicals such as:

• Healthy garden;
• Agravertine;
• Avertin.

Before wintering, whitewash the trunk with a solution of lime.

4. Wrap up small trees for the winter. There are many options for protecting the plant from the cold. For example, make a shelter of sticks near the culture, pull the film material on top.
5. Wrap adult specimens in burlap.
6. Scatter snowballs near the tree to keep the roots from freezing and to provide additional moisture.

What are apricots grafted into in the Moscow region?

Saplings of apricot trees are planted on Chinese or home plums, on cherry plums. Thus, the root system will be more stable than that of crops grown without grafting.