Description of the best varieties of columnar apricot Prince Mart, Zvezdny, planting and care rules
In the conditions of a short summer and cold winters, gardeners did not grow thermophilic crops, since they froze out, and if they took root, the ovary crumbled in the spring, there were almost never fruits, and those that ripened turned out to be small and tasteless. Breeders worked on breeding southern plant hybrids that could be cultivated in the middle lane. The result of their labor was the creation of a columnar apricot, which quickly replaced the usual varieties of thermophilic culture and began to grow in gardens and in suburban areas, delighting with fragrant fruits.
Description, external features
The tree of the new apricot variety has an interesting column-like shape. Short branches extend from the straight trunk, the length of which does not exceed 20 cm. In the south, the plant reaches 3 meters in height, in the middle lane the trees are slightly lower. White or pink buds bloom on them in early spring - late March or April. Leaves, regardless of shape, are pointed upwards.
On the side branches, orange, red or yellow apricots ripen. The weight of the fruit depends on the variety, on the growing conditions and care, on average it weighs 20 g, some specimens reach 80, or even 100 grams, but there are also very small berries. Summer residents are happy to plant columnar apricots, since a tree needs no more than a square meter of area for growth and fruiting. The advantages of varieties include:
- The ability to preserve fruit for the winter.
- Good yield.
- Interesting appearance of the plant.
Fruits appear in the third year, it is easy and convenient to pick them off. Columnar apricots are immune to many garden tree diseases. However, not all summer residents know how to form a crown, that the plant needs to be cut every year, without this, the culture does not develop normally, few fruits ripen.
The best varieties of columnar apricot
Scientists did not stop at breeding only one hybrid of a garden culture, but created several varieties that differ in ripening time, color and weight of fruits, the recommended region for growing. The best varieties of apricots for the middle lane should be chosen among the columnar trees that are not afraid of cold winters, easily located in a small area.
In order not to take the place of pollinating plants, you need to plant self-fertile hybrids. Perfect for the Moscow region:
- Gold;
- Star;
- Sunny.
The fruits of the Prince Mart variety ripen by the end of July, and are already tied on two-year-old trees. Apricot tolerates severe frosts, rarely suffers from diseases, does not require additional pollination.With three or four plants, the family will have enough fruit to eat and preserve for the winter. In the northern regions, the variety can be planted in greenhouses, as the tree is barely 2 meters high. The bright orange fruits weigh about 60 g.
Summer residents and gardeners of the Moscow region are happy to grow self-fertile Zvezdny apricot, which pleases with its yield.
Although the fruit ripens rather late, a whole bucket of juicy and sweet fruits are removed from one compact plant, differing in:
- yellow in color;
- pulp with a pleasant aroma;
- thin skin;
- weighing about 80 grams.
Gold trees more than 2 meters high do not die at 33-34 ° С frost. In August, oval apricots ripen with an unusual pinkish blush.The productive variety Sunny is cultivated in mid-latitudes. It tolerates low temperatures, does not freeze at minus 35 degrees. Golden fruits ripen in August, weigh up to 60 grams, but pollinating plants need to be planted next to the apricot.
The height of the tree is about 2.5 m, but up to 1.5 buckets of fruit are harvested from it. Sunny takes root in partial shade, but the yield in such a place drops significantly. In the Kuban, where there is a fertile climate and fertile soil, all kinds of stone fruit are grown.
Features of planting columnar apricots
Both apricots and hybrids bred by selection are demanding for light, adore the sun. In the absence of such conditions, if fruits are set, then in small quantities, and the taste will deteriorate sharply. Trees bloom very poorly in the shade.
You don't need much space for a columnar apricot, so you can always find a small area where the cold wind does not fall, there are no drafts. It is not difficult to plant a tree between buildings at a distance of 20-15 centimeters from them, but so that no shadow falls on it. Apricots should not be placed in a lowland, where both melt and rainwater stagnate, cool and humid air accumulates. The tree will be comfortable if you find a place for it at the foot of a gentle slope.
In the southern regions, planting of a columnar apricot in open ground is carried out in October and April. In the fall, he manages to settle down and get stronger before the cold weather, which will come not earlier than December. In the middle lane, trees are planted only in late spring or in the first month of summer, since frosts are not uncommon here, and when they come, the hydrometeorological center is not able to foresee.
Apricots develop poorly, often get sick in the place where they used to grow:
- tomatoes and peppers;
- raspberries and strawberries;
- potatoes and eggplants.
Such crops are attacked by helicopter, they infect fruit trees with fungi. It is very difficult to cope with the pathogen. Apricot seedlings, best of all 2 years old, are placed at a distance of 80 cm-1 m, leaving at least a meter between the rows.Trees take root well on loose soils, permeable to moisture, grow on loam, gray soils and black soil.
It is advisable to buy seedlings in special nurseries that are located in their area, since the apricots that are sold there are adapted to this climate. The height of the tree should be within a meter. It is necessary to check whether the roots are bent, whether the bark of the seedlings is healthy, whether there is a trace of grafting. You should not buy apricot grown from a stone.
The pit for the tree is prepared in the fall. Both its depth and width should be within 60-70 cm. To prevent the water from souring, expanded clay or fine gravel is poured onto the bottom with a layer of 40 mm, after which wood ash or mineral fertilizers in the form of urea, superphosphate or potassium nitrate are added.
The top layer of earth is mixed with humus and sand, put on the bottom of the pit, next to a support for the tree is installed and covered, and in the spring:
- A recess is made into which the apricot is vertically planted.
- The soil is poured and tamped, leaving the root neck about 5 cm above the surface.
- A furrow is made along the trunk circle, sprinkled with peat or straw.
- The tree is attached to the support, poured with 2 buckets of warm water.
In order for the columnar plant to take root faster, the roots are soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate or a biostimulator, after which they are slightly shortened and dipped in a chatterbox made of clay and manure.
Care
For a columnar apricot to please with juicy fruits, timely planting alone is not enough. The tree must be constantly taken care of.
Care includes:
- top dressing;
- watering;
- preventive treatment;
- pruning;
- preparation for winter.
Fertilizers are applied every month from spring to autumn. Chicken droppings are suitable as organics, 1 kg of the substance is taken for 3 buckets of water. Apricot needs potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen. The culture tolerates drought normally, and dies when moisture stagnates. You need to water the tree no more than once every 2 weeks, unless, of course, there is a strong heat, the sprinkler system is best suited. In its absence, up to 5 buckets of water are poured under the apricot.
Before the cold weather, they also begin to abundantly moisten the earth in the trunk circle. The soil must be loosened carefully so as not to touch the roots located close to the surface. Columnar apricot is processed with copper sulfate in early spring and after the ovary has formed. The tree trunk is wrapped with dense material so that hares do not gnaw it, the ground under the plant is mulched with a thick layer of hay, sawdust, and humus.
Pruning
After the formation of the crown, and this must be done, otherwise the tree will bear fruit poorly, every year the shoots are shortened so that their length does not exceed 20 cm, and at least 3 buds remain on each. Dried branches and those on which the ovary no longer forms are necessarily removed. Columnar apricot pruning is done in March and October.
Fighting disease
Stone fruits are affected by fruit rot, which occurs when the ascomycete fungus multiplies. Flowers fall from the tree, the ovary withers, branches and leaves dry up. Colon-shaped apricots also suffer from moniliosis, the culture suffers from perforated spotting, which is facilitated by rainy and damp weather.
Spraying plants with a solution of copper sulfate, Bordeaux liquid, removal of dried stems, mummified fruits, blackened leaves, affected bark, digging up near-stem circles helps to prevent the activation of fungi. Trees are processed in early spring, when the buds have not yet woken up, and is repeated after the formation of the ovary.
Diseased apricots sprayed with fungicides. The most effective among them are Signum, Horus, Malkin, Kuproksat.
Wounds and cracks that have appeared on shoots and trunks are cleaned, capturing a couple of centimeters of healthy wood. After this, the damaged spots are disinfected with copper sulfate, potassium permanganate solution or Fundazol, covered with Ranet paste or garden var. In order for the apricots to develop better, hurt less, it is necessary to plant varieties that are adapted to certain climatic conditions.
