Features apricot varieties Snegiryok
The apricot variety Snegiryok is able to withstand severe frosts, so it can be cultivated in the northern regions of the country. About the characteristic features of the plant, planting and care technology, read below.
Selection history
A variety of apricot tree Snegiryok was not recorded in the State Register of Selection Achievements of Russia. This fact indicates that information on breeders who bred the variety is currently missing.
Did you know? Apricot wood is very strong and wear-resistant, so it is used for the manufacture of kitchen utensils.
Description of variety characteristics
Snegiryok variety is a plant of late ripening, so the crop can be harvested in mid-August. Fruiting begins in the fifth year of vegetation and lasts 25-30 years. The life span of a tree can reach 35 years, of which more than a quarter century, the culture will abundantly bear fruit. During the season, from one adult tree, the gardener can collect up to 15 kg of apricots. The plant is characterized by high winter hardiness, its bark is able to withstand a drop in temperature to -42 ° C. As for drought tolerance, the tree needs more careful watering due to its low resistance to hot weather.
Tree
The plant is stunted, up to 1.5 m in height. Crohn - medium density rounded. The bark on the trunk is thickened, brown in color, with large furrows. Annual shoots have a reddish tint. The leaves are oval in shape, located on short petioles, green, saturated color. The edge of the leaf plate is slightly indented. The flowers are five-petalled, white, with a diameter of about 2 cm.
Important! Stimulation of rhizome growth contributes to the stability of the culture to temperature extremes, as well as waterlogging and drought.
Fruit
The fruits of the apricot tree are Snowflakes of medium size, weighing up to 20 g. The peel is dense, painted in a bright orange color, a red blush may be present. The soft part is juicy, soft, has a yellow tint. The stone is easily separable from the pulp. The taste of the fruit is sweet, sugary with a slight bitterness in the skin area.
Pros and cons of the variety
- Among the advantages of the variety are:
- high winter hardiness;
- excellent yields;
- long shelf life of fruits;
- excellent transportability.
- The main disadvantage of the variety:
- susceptibility to fungal infections, such as: moniliosis, leaf spotting;
- low drought tolerance.
Pollination of apricot
The plant is self-fertile, which means flower ovaries can form without the presence of pollinators. But in order to increase productivity, there is a need for planting nearby several varieties of pollinators or attracting bees to the site. Apricot Pollinators Snegiryok:
- Red-cheeked;
- Triumph of the North;
- Russian.
Did you know? The core of apricot kernel serves as a substitute for bitter almonds, it is also used for the manufacture of marzipan.
How to choose the best apricot seedlings when buying
Experienced gardeners recommend buying seedlings only in nurseries, which will guarantee a high-quality planting material. When buying a plant, you must definitely check for diaper rash and rotten roots. If, with a little tension, the roots exfoliate from the trunk, then the seedling is spoiled and should not be taken. Planting material should be one-or two-year-old, 1 m high, and the rhizome - up to 40 cm. It is necessary to make sure that there is a vaccination, which will guarantee the authenticity of the variety.
Landing rules
With the correct planting technology, you can easily grow a strong apricot tree. The choice of landing site, the preparation of planting material are presented below.
Timing and choice of landing place
In regions with a temperate and warm climate, landing can be done in the fall. The procedure is carried out in the middle or end of September. In areas with severe climatic conditions, it is better to plant in the spring, in mid-April, so that the plant has time to gain nutrients and grow stronger by the winter period. The site should be selected according to the criteria:
- good illumination;
- occurrence of groundwater at least 1.5 m in depth;
- lack of drafts;
- pH neutral soils.
We advise you to familiarize yourself with the features of planting apricot and care for it.
Preparatory procedures before boarding
Immediately before the procedure of planting in the soil, you must once again verify the integrity of the root system and, if necessary, remove damaged or rotten roots. The seedling is placed in a solution of the drug "Kornevin" (5 g per 5 l of water) for 6 hours. The plot for planting a fruit tree is “prepared” 6 months before the proposed manipulation. The site is cleaned of residual vegetation. They dig the earth, while simultaneously introducing manure in the amount of 5 kg and 300 g of wood ash (per square meter), the digging depth should be at least 40 cm.
The process of planting apricot seedlings
They dig a hole 15–20 days before planting a seedling. To the middle of the volume fill with a mixture of:
- fertile soil - 10 kg;
- superphosphate - 60 g;
- potassium - 60 g;
- wood ash - 200 g.
The plant should be planted in dry, calm weather. First, the soil in the pit is loosened, forming it in the form of a small hill for the convenience of planting a seedling. Next, put the plant in the hole and straighten the roots on the embankment from the ground. Pits are poured soil to the top, making sure that no voids remain near the root system. Upon completion of soil compaction, water a seedling of 10 liters of water and mulch the surface near the trunk with peat.
Video: apricot planting instructions
Apricot Seasonal Care Rules
Taking care of the culture is not difficult, even a novice gardener will be able to easily cope with this task. Observe the general care guidelines listed below.
Soil care
In order for the tree to develop well, it is often necessary to carry out the procedure of loosening the soil, which can rid the plant of the problem of decay of the rhizome and the spread of fungal infection. The soil needs to be loosened 10–20 cm deep; this procedure is especially relevant after irrigation or rainfall — it prevents the formation of a dense crust on the surface of the earth and allows the root system to receive oxygen flow.
Important! Once every 6 weeks, the trunk circle is mulched with peat or sawdust - this helps to maintain moisture and positively affects the quality of the fruit. Mulching is carried out at a distance of 20 cm from the trunk, so as not to provoke its rot.
Fertilizer application
It is necessary to feed the plant in the second year of growth, due to the fact that when planting enough nutrients were laid in the ground. So that the root system is not damaged when applying the solution with fertilizer, there is a need to pre-moisten the soil before the procedure. All nutrients are introduced into specially made furrows near the trunk circle, to a depth of 20 cm.
The second stage of applying nutrients to the soil is carried out at the end of May. It is necessary to fertilize with a solution of 500 g of bird droppings and 10 liters of water. After 7 days, after the introduction of organics, it is necessary to loosen the moistened soil with wood ash in the amount of 300 g per square meter.
The third stage of feeding takes place at the end of June. The plant is fed with a mixture of 90 g of urea and 60 g of superphosphate, dissolved in ten liters of water.
The fourth stage of fertilizer is carried out in late August or early September. For digging, 60 g of superphosphate and 30 g of potassium (per 1 m²) are added.
You will be interested to know why the apricot tree does not bear fruit.
Formative, sanitary and anti-aging scraps
So that the apricot is not too thickened, and caring for it does not provide much trouble, it is necessary to form a sparse-tier crown. Formation begins with determining the zone of the stem - the distance from the soil to the first tier of skeletal branches. For a stunted tree, the stem area should be 50 cm. The first tier consists of 2 branches, which are located on opposite sides at a distance of 25 cm from each other.
Read more about apricot pruning in the fall for beginners.
Every year, sanitary pruning of the plant is carried out, which consists in removing dry shoots infected with diseases, as well as broken branches under the weight of the fruit or gusts of wind. Over time, apricot fruit formation moves to the side or upper branches, which is inconvenient for picking fruit, so there is a need for anti-aging pruning. With this procedure, all thickening, intersecting shoots are removed. On the first and second tiers of the forming branches, all side shoots are removed.
Prevention and protection against diseases and pests
The plant can be affected by diseases such as: moniliosis, brown spotting. Moniliosis occurs due to increased humidity during the spring thaw. The first affected are the ovaries that rot and crumble. The branches begin to dry and leaves do not bloom on them. Moniliosis, also, may occur at the time of bearing fruit. Large spots of dark brown color appear on the fruit, with a white coating characteristic of the disease.
Check out apricot tree diseases.
Fighting with moniliosis is necessary in a comprehensive manner. For this:
- Loosen the soil near the trunk.
- Collect fallen apricots and leaves on the site.
- Before flowering, apricot is irrigated with a 3% solution of copper sulfate (300 g per 10 l of water).
Brown spotting affects leaf plates and fruits. On the sheets you can notice spots of red-brown color, which in a short time grow and cover their entire area. Due to the effects of fungal spores, leaf blades crumble and carry the infection into the soil. Fruits are deformed and showered from branches before ripening. To deal with brown spotting, you need to use a 1% solution of Bordeaux liquid (100 g per 10 liters of water), which is used to treat the soil and tree.
For fruit trees, the invasion of leafworms and insects is dangerous. Leaflet is a small insect (3 mm). The pest eats juice from leaves, flowers and annual shoots. On the tree, you can see the appearance of twisted leaves, in which the leaflet lays its offspring.
Fighting the leaflet:
- Removing damaged leaves.
- Soap irrigation (300 g per 10 l of water).
- Treatment with Karbofos (90 g per 10 l of water).
In order to prevent diseases and pests, preventive measures are carried out annually, which are as follows:
- deep cultivation of the soil;
- collection of plant residues from the site;
- weed removal;
- seasonal whitewashing of the trunk;
- wood processing in the spring with a solution of 1% copper sulfate (100 g per 10 l of water).
Winter preparations
Preparation for winter is carried out 3-4 weeks before the establishment of stable low temperatures. The site is cleaned of crumbled leaves and fruits, all plant residues of weed grass and other crops grown near the tree are removed. Sanitary pruning is carried out, after which all sections must be processed with garden var. To protect the plant from severe frost and pests that settle in the bark, the trunk is bleached with lime.
Read more about warming apricot trees for the winter.
If the autumn was not rainy, they make the last watering and mulch the soil near the trunk with a mixture of peat and sawdust, which will not only create perfect moisture for a long period, but will also be an excellent protection against the cold. In winter, a tree can be damaged by rodents, so its trunk in the lower part is wrapped with roofing material or other dense material. In the fight against mice and hares, installation of a mesh netting around the tree will help.
Harvesting and storage of crops
Harvesting is necessary as it ripens, if it is immediately eaten. And 5 days before full ripeness, if it needs to be stored for a long time, for transportation, for sale. The collection is carried out approximately from the 15th of August and can last for 7-10 days. Each fruit that will be stored unripe must be wrapped in paper and put in a wooden box. Usually laying is done in 2-3 layers.
We recommend that you familiarize yourself with the useful and unhealthy properties of apricot.
Such apricots must ripen, so they are placed in a warm room, which is well ventilated. After 5-7 days, the fruit will reach full maturity and will be suitable for eating. For long-term storage, apricots are placed in wooden boxes and covered with paper on top. Fruits are stored in the basement at a temperature of + 10 ° C for 4 weeks.
