Description and characteristics of the TOP 20 best nectarine varieties, pros and cons
Scientists have made great strides in creating nectarine varieties that are characterized by early maturation of buds and intensive growth. The result of this work is many varieties of culture, the tasty fruits of which are preserved for a long time, transported over long distances, and attract the attention of gardeners with their beautiful appearance and universal use.
General description of the plant
Nectarine is considered a subspecies of the common peach. Its fruit is characterized by a smooth skin. Its chemical composition as well as biological features are close to that of a peach. But the peach is not as sweet as the nectarine. The fruit is on the list of diet foods. Mature trees can grow up to 7 m.
Plants are decorated with green leaves of a rather large size, elongated and with denticles at the edges. In spring they bloom profusely with fragrant flowers of white or pink hue. Fruits are spherical, may have red, orange, yellow skin. Inside is a soft, fibrous orange pulp, in which there is a wrinkled, furrowed bone. The delicious fruit is juicy and sweet.
Popular varieties
The variety of nectarine varieties is impressive, and their number is constantly increasing. This situation is due to the growing popularity of the fruit. When choosing nectarine, you need to familiarize yourself with the description of the varieties of the culture.
Stark red gold
Medium late variety. Vigorous trees delight with the harvest in August. Fruits are round in the form of a sphere. Their surface is decorated with a deep red blush. The Stark red gold variety is distinguished by large fruits weighing 190-240 g. They love nectarine for the density and juiciness of the pulp, which is colored yellow.
Advantages: transportability, high yield.
Nectarine 4
The variety has early fruiting. Harvesting begins in early August. The fruits are large, weighing 140-160 g, have a dark red color and an oval shape. The pulp is yellow with an orange tint, has a dessert taste.
Pros: resistance to fungal diseases, frost resistance.
Fantasy
Strong growth tree with early flowering. Harvesting takes place at the end of September. Columnar plant no more than 2 m in height and 0.5 m crown diameter. Forms beautiful fruits in the shape of a circle. The skin has a yellow color with a golden sheen and a washed out carmine blush. The peculiarity of the variety is in the juicy pulp, which has a yellow color and a slightly red tint at the skin and near the bone. The weight of the Fantasy fruit varies from 120 to 180 g.
Pros: not afraid of frost and rarely affected by diseases, pests.
Scythian
The Skif variety is of medium ripening. The harvest will ripen in August. Strong tree up to 10 m in height with a wide-pyramidal crown. Oval-round fruits weighing 120-180 g. The skin is yellow, with a red streaked blush that adorns more than half of the surface of the fruit. The yellow flesh is noted for its firmness and fiber, with a sweet and sour taste.
Pros: flower buds are frost-resistant, yield, excellent taste.
Cons: poor disease resistance, average winter hardiness.
Ruby 7
The ripening period of a self-fertile plant is the 3rd decade of August. A medium-sized tree of the Rubinovy 7 variety has a reverse-conical crown. Brilliant yellow fruit with a carmine blush, weighing 180 g, attracts attention. The pulp is yellow, has a red tint under the skin and near the small stone. Differs in juiciness, delicate fibrous consistency and balanced taste.
Pros: winter hardiness, drought resistance, transportability, versatility in the use of the crop.
Cons: poor resistance to diseases and pests.
Crimean
Late appearance, harvesting occurs at the end of summer. Compact trees, which form a round fruit, weighing 190 g. The skin is medium in density without pubescence. The fruits of the Krymchanin variety are covered with a blurred blush. The pulp is appreciated for its yellow color, juiciness, moderate density.
Pros: transportability, ability to adapt to sharp fluctuations in ambient temperature
Cons: The crop is susceptible to diseases and pests.
Lola
Early ripening lola from green nectarine varieties. It is a tree up to 5-6 m high, forms a broad-oval, slightly spreading crown. Fruits are attracted by the shape of a wide oval, weighing up to 100 g, which have a weakly pronounced abdominal suture. The dense, thick green skin with a creamy sheen has a deep red blush. The kernel is difficult to separate from the pulp.
Advantages: self-fertility, the ability to withstand the effects of the external environment in the winter.
Disadvantages: susceptibility to fruit rot, powdery mildew.
Favorite
The mid-season Ukrainian variety is a medium-sized tree with a spreading crown. Pleases with flowering at the end of April. Harvesting takes place in mid-August. Yellow-creamy fruits with a slight pink blush, weighing 150-180 g. The yellow flesh is juicy, has a noticeable acidity and is covered with a dense, moderately thick skin.
Pros: attractive large fruits, resistance to fungal diseases, tolerance of winter frosts, transportability.
Stark Sanglo
A variety with an average ripening period - mid-August. Plant of moderate vigor, not very densely growing branches forming a rounded pyramidal crown. Large fruit, weighing 160-170 g. The shape is spherical, slightly asymmetric. The skin is thin, has a yellow-orange color with a red blush that adorns half of the fruit. Balanced taste with slight acidity.
Advantages: resistance to major diseases and frost.
Disadvantages: Poor transportability due to delicate texture.
Crimson Gold
Crimson Gold variety with an early ripening period. Yields a harvest in mid-July. Nectarine weighing 120-130 g, round, yellow in color, with a bright raspberry blush. The pulp is yellow-orange in color, juicy, has excellent taste.
Pros: early maturity, productivity.
Cons: self-fertile, needs pollinators.
Big Top
The ripening period is the last days of July. The Big Top tree is slightly spreading up to 2 m high. The culture is decorated with dark green leaves, and in early April, during the flowering period, large pink flowers. Fruits are round, slightly flattened, weighing 200 g. Red blush covers the entire surface of the orange peel.The pulp is yellow, endowed with firmness, firmness and sweet taste with a honey aroma.
Advantages: high-yielding crop, undemanding care, suitable for commercial cultivation.
Wang 3
Medium ripening culture - second half of July. Trees of moderate growth, fast growing. The nectarine is round, red in color with a yellow tint. Fruit weight 150-190 g. The yellow pulp delights with its juiciness and crispness.
Pros: winter hardiness, transportability, productivity.
Erythrocarpa
The late variety is a tree up to 3.5 m with a spreading crown. Fruits weighing up to 150 g are circular and pink-red in color. The pulp is ruby-red in color with a pleasant, slightly vanilla flavor.
Pros: transportability, good taste, attractive appearance, not afraid of frost and disease.
Super Queen
An early variety, the harvest can be harvested in the last decade of July. Trees are distinguished by intensive growth and productivity. Large fruits weighing 180-220 g are covered with dark red skin. The pulp is yellow, characterized by sweetness, juiciness and aroma. Inside there is a well-detachable bone. The taste of Super Queen is balanced.
Pros: industrial grade, not afraid of curliness, copes with severe frosts, unpretentious in care.
Harko
Medium late type of culture. Tree up to 3 m in height. Round fruits of Harco weighing 130 g have a yellow tint and a carmine blush. The pulp is yellow, endowed with juiciness, meatiness and harmonious sweet taste.
Advantages: winter hardiness, self-pollination.
Sun Glow
Pleases with a harvest in the middle of summer. The tree is medium in size, yields nectarines weighing up to 150 g. The skin is red-pink with yellow spots. The pulp is appreciated for its juiciness, firmness and fibrous structure.
Pros: nectarine can be easily transported, endowed with a presentation, universal in use, and resists disease.
Spocus
Mid-late fruiting, grants harvest in early autumn. The Spocus tree is self-fertile. Large nectarine, weighing 160-200 g, the fruits are yellow with a ruddy red barrel, elongated. A feature of this variety is a smooth skin. Gardeners prefer this variety because of its yellow, juicy flesh and sweet-sour taste.
Advantages: drought resistance, frost resistance.
Crimean
Early ripening culture. A plant up to 3 m high forms a spherical spreading crown. The fruits of the Crimean variety are round and broadly oval, weighing from 110 to 160 g. The peel is of moderate thickness, yellow in color with a carmine blush. The pulp is yellow, popular for its juiciness, dense fibrous consistency and balanced taste.
Pros: transportability, disease-free, early maturity.
Silver Rome
An early ripe type of Silver Rome culture will sing in mid-July. The tree is of medium height. Nectarine weighing up to 150 g, with a burgundy skin color. The pulp is white, with a sweet taste. The bone does not detach.
Pros: not affected by diseases.
Cons: average winter hardiness.
Honey sweetness
Very early variety, the harvest ripens at the end of June. Plant of intensive growth, slightly spreading. Round fruits weighing up to 200 g are covered with cherry peel of a different density. The pulp is pink, it becomes red closer to the stone, has a honey, sweet and sour taste.
Positive aspects: high yield, undemanding care.
Planting and caring for nectarine
For successful cultivation, planting should be carried out correctly, which consists of the following stages:
- Make holes and fill them with humus or compost with the addition of fertilizers based on nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. Mix all the components with the top layer of fertile soil and form a hill at the bottom of the hole.
- Drive a peg into the center for secure support.
- Spread the roots of the seedling and distribute on the sides of the hill, then cover it with a layer of soil, carefully compacting the soil.
- Water the soil, mulch with a 5-10 cm layer of sawdust, peat and tie to a peg.
Care includes activities aimed at ensuring the survival of the tree after planting and creating comfortable conditions for growth. This requires:
- organize proper watering, especially during the period of maximum growth and fruit formation;
- provide nectarine with nutrients by applying complex mineral and organic fertilizers over the entire root area;
- pruning in order to rejuvenate the plant and stimulate the growth of new shoots;
- regularly inspect the plant for signs of diseases and pests and, if problems are detected, promptly take appropriate measures to combat them;
- protect plants for the winter by covering them with a special material that allows air to pass through.
Taking care of nectarine is easy and even a novice gardener who wants to grow it can do it.
If you choose the right variety and take into account all the nuances of planting and important points of care, heat-loving, demanding trees will delight you with the beauty of their flowering and rich harvest of sweet fruits for a long time.
