Apricot in the Urals: growing and grooming

It is not so easy to get juicy and sweet fruits of such a southern tree as apricot, in the Urals. Growing it in severe climatic conditions requires compliance with a number of certain rules.

Peculiarities of growing

The life span of the apricot in the Urals region is rather short and is no more than 20 years. Of these, for a period of productive fruiting account for a maximum half of this period. Therefore, in order to ensure the annual supply of these sunny fruits, it is necessary to plant new trees periodically in the area where apricots are grown. Not all varieties are able to withstand winter cold, when frost reaches 30-40 degrees.

The place for planting should be chosen for this thermophilic culture solar, unattainable for the cold northern winds. Then, with good care a good harvest can give apricots in the Urals.

Their sorts should be selected according to the climatic features of this region. Apricot does not pretend to soil with high fertility. It can grow on clay sites. Not suitable for him only light sandy soils.

Selection of seedlings

The choice of quality planting material is of great importance for the future harvest. It is best to take well-developed seedlings of the first year of growth. You should pay attention when purchasing them for the absence of thorns, which are peculiar only to wild-growing varieties.

Branches of cultural species must be necessarily thick, with a small spike, which is formed on the site of vaccination. It is not necessary to take seedlings with signs of freezing of the root system or dried overground part. The probability that such plants will take root is practically absent.

Planting of seedlings

Usually the planting of apricot in the Urals in the spring, then during the summer period the tree will grow stronger and prepare better for the winter. It is recommended to dig a planting pit in the fall so that the soil settles. Its dimensions should be such that the root system of the seedlings easily fit, usually make a depth of about half a meter, and a diameter of not less than 70 centimeters.

Planting apricot in the Urals (it is recommended to cultivate it with mandatory consideration of all requirements) is necessary, observing the distance between seedlings of at least five meters. Soil mixture should consist of several components. This, as a rule, peat, clay, sand with a small addition of manure and calcareous flour. It is good to add a mixture of superphosphate and ash (500 g and 2 kg, respectively).

In the center of the landing pit a peg is driven in, necessary for the future garter of the tree, around which a hill of soil mix is poured. Before this, a layer of drainage must necessarily be laid, in the quality of which gravel or small pebbles can serve. Then the seedling is placed in a pit, with its roots neatly straightened and covered with earth. Before they are planted, they are dipped into the soil mash. The root neck should not be deeply buried, it should be above the soil level by about 4 centimeters. The plant is tied up and properly watered on the periphery with water.

Care of apricot

In the Urals, it has significant differences. Begin taking care of the young seedlings from the very first days of planting. The time of spring thaws is the most dangerous period for plants. When melting a large amount of snow, it is possible to fill in the root collar, which can cause it to prop up and eventually lead to the death of the tree. Therefore, care includes mandatory mulching of soil and drainage of excess water.

In the future, apricots need timely watering, fertilizing and pruning. This drought resistant plant does not require much water. More frequent watering is required only during the setting and ripening of fruits.

Top dressing

Depending on the age, apricots are fertilized in the Urals. Cultivation without applying top dressing in this climatic zone is impossible, but their excess can adversely affect the development of the plant. The resistance to diseases decreases, the fruit ripening process slows down, and rapid growth of shoots occurs.

When the biennial age is reached, plants require up to 15 kg of organic fertilizers with the addition of superphosphate (130 g), ammonium nitrate (50 g) and potassium chloride (50 g). For a plant that is 4-5 years old, the number of these components should be increased 2 times, for a 8-year-old tree - 3 times, etc. Very favorably affects potassium apricot, increasing yield, improving the taste of fruits and affecting the Their size.

Seasonal works

Planting of apricots in the Urals requires certain works related to the care of the plant, which depend on the season. In autumn this heat-loving tree should be prepared for frost, creating conditions suitable for wintering. If this is not done, the plant may die. Ruberoid or tolle wrap around the tree, fixing with wire or rope. This "coat" protects the plant in winter from a temperature drop and from severe frosts.

After harvesting, the lower part of the trunk must be whitened, so that the tree does not turn into a wintering place for insect pests. The pre-winter whitewash ensures that various bugs do not settle in the bark.

Trimming

The cultivation of apricots in the Urals, whose varieties yield a high yield under these conditions, is impossible without pruning. This procedure is carried out in the spring. Branches that grow inside the crown are removed.

Pruning well stimulates the growth of new shoots, which are characterized by higher fertility. It is on them that the bulk of apricots is formed. In addition, there is no risk of overloading the tree. Crown pruning allows you to adjust and shape it in the right direction, so as not to grow a huge tree with a handful of fruits on the very top.

Usually, the crown is formed according to the sparse-longline type, when the branches are located at intervals of 35-40 cm. The most abundant fruiting occurs on shoots that are 2-3 years old. Old branches are recommended to be deleted in time. But too intense pruning is not worth pursuing. This can lead to lower yields.

Pests

There are many insect pests that can amaze apricots. In the Urals, the cultivation of this tree also does not do without their participation. The main one is aphids, which can weaken the plant and ruin the crop. To combat this pest spraying the tree with the infusion of tobacco, dandelion and ash is used. But mechanical cleaning will be much more effective.

Caterpillar butterfly-hawthorn is another of the pests, often settling on apricot.

The appearance on the plant of black grass is most dangerous. Only one larva of this insect, which manages to penetrate into the root system, is capable of destroying the entire tree. The main method of combating it is spraying the plant with a Bordeaux liquid. The procedure is performed in autumn, when the leaves fall.

Diseases

It is worthwhile to thoroughly study all possible plant diseases and preventive measures, before planting apricots. In the spring, sharp temperature fluctuations occur in the Urals, which makes the trees too susceptible to various diseases caused by fungi and bacteria. The most common of these is moniliosis. The causative agents of this disease lead to its drying out and, advancing inside the branch, amaze all shoots. If you do not take measures in time, you can lose up to 80% of the crop. All infected fruits and other parts of the plant should be immediately removed and sprinkled with Bordeaux fluid.

No less dangerous disease - klyastkerosporiosis (holey spotting). First on the leaves there are small specks with a violet border around the edges, which gradually turn into holes. On fruits the same spots form crusts. For treatment, too, Bordeaux fluid is used, spraying the swelling buds in the spring and the branches of the tree after fall foliage in autumn.

Verticillium wilt can cause the entire tree to dry out. The lower leaves turn yellow, fall off and, hitting the ground, infect the roots of the plant.

Any disease is easier to prevent, so it is worth paying more attention to prevention. To do this, it is necessary to burn all the infected parts of the plant, to introduce a sufficient amount of nitrogen fertilizers and to avoid overmoistening of the soil.

Observing all the rules of agricultural technology and carefully looking at the trees to help in time, in general, it is easy to get a healthy apricot in the Urals. Cultivation, photos of damaged plants and methods of treatment, proper pruning - all this must be carefully studied, so that in the future harvesting could bring only positive emotions.

Caulking of the root collar

With the advent of spring, the water appeared on the surface of the soil, then freezing, then again thawing, causes the death of cambial cells. A tree with an attached root neck can actively bloom, but after a few weeks slowly dies. This is the most common cause of apricot death in the Urals.

To prevent propping up, after the appearance of the first snow, the necessary work is carried out. To do this, shovel the snow from the root neck by 20-30 cm so that the earth freezes. To frost, the root system of the apricot is quite stable. In March, this procedure is repeated, additionally digging the grooves to drain the melt water.

Recommended varieties of apricots

In the Urals, it is better to use for planting varieties specially selected for this region. When planting, some of them require for pollination the presence on the site of a tree of a different variety. Kichiginsky, Piquant, Snezhinsky - the most famous apricots in the Southern Urals. In addition, there are other varieties suitable for growing in cold climates.

They are resistant to low temperatures, a short summer does not prevent the ripening of fruits, which taste is not much different from their southern counterparts.

• Cupid is a winter-hardy and drought-resistant variety with a high yield, which sometimes reaches 40 kg. Fruits weighing 30 g are covered with a yellow ruddy skin. A tree of medium height, with a rounded shape.
• Khabarovsk is a tree with a sprawling crown, the yield is quite high (up to 35 kg). Fruits with a pale yellow skin and the same color of flesh ripen in late July or early August.
• Seraphim - gives a regular yield of about 30 kg, ripening at the end of July. This is one of the earliest varieties. The flesh of the fruit is creamy, sweet and sour.

These are the most popular apricots in the Urals. Grades Minusinsk ruddy and Minusinsk amber are recognized as the most winter-hardy. The Siberian Baikalov is not inferior to them either.

All of the above varieties have been tested and recommended for planting in the Urals region.