Apricot Alyosha: variety description, photos, reviews
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This culture is very popular in the Moscow region and throughout central Russia. Alyosha's apricot yields a crop in the middle of summer. The tree is not demanding to care for, and sweet fruits are gladly consumed freshly picked from a branch, and they are also used for making blanks.
Apricot Alyosha: variety description and characteristics
The apricot variety Alyosha was created quite a long time ago by our Russian scientists. When creating the variety, they, first of all, wanted to increase the resistance of the apricot to frost and to achieve early ripening of the fruit. They did it.
The apricot tree Alyosha is quite tall, reaching about 3 m in height. The crown of the tree resembles a circle. Apricot Alyosha blooms with large white flowers in May. The fruits are orange in color, they are sweet in taste with a slight sourness. The peel of the apricot is soft and tender. The fruits are very healthy, especially because they contain a lot of potassium. There is a large bone inside the fetus, but it can be easily separated.
Created for the weather conditions of central Russia, growing in this climate, Alyosha apricot bears fruit well and is quite unpretentious during care.
Apricot Alyosha winters very well. With recurrent spring frosts, the trunk should be covered with lime in time so that the tree does not bloom ahead of time. This crop tolerates drought and hot weather well.
You can get a harvest from the Alyosha apricot tree in 4 years. This culture does not need to be pollinated, it is self-pollinating. In addition, this variety can itself become a pollinator for other apricots. Apricot Alyosha blooms beautifully and magnificently. And in the middle of summer, you can already harvest and enjoy delicious fruits. It is very useful to eat them fresh. And they also make delicious compotes and other preparations. The fruits have a long shelf life and tolerate moving well.
In addition to good frost resistance, this variety is resistant to diseases common for these trees, such as monoliosis and clasterosporium disease.
Usually, these fungal diseases occur with frequent changes in air temperature and with high humidity. Affected by a fungus, the tree loses leaves and ovaries.
In addition, Alyosha apricot is resistant to the attack of insect pests.
Landing rules
In order for the Alyosha apricot tree to take root and produce a large harvest every year, it must be planted on time and properly prepared. It is important here to choose the right soil and the place where the tree will grow.
Small apricot trees are planted in early spring, when the ground warms up to about 10 degrees, since after planting the roots of the tree will begin to grow actively.
If the apricot seedling Alyosha has closed roots, then it can be planted in the ground, starting in the spring and ending in August.
In order for the Alyosha apricot tree to give a good harvest, it must be planted in an open sunny area. It is important to make sure that the north side is protected by any structures or high plantings. Apricot roots are usually located high, but despite this, care must be taken to ensure that the groundwater flows deeply and the place is not flooded during melting snow or heavy rainfall.
Also, when choosing a place, you should take into account that apricot does not like neighbors such as currants, raspberries. Because they require a lot of nutrients for themselves, while depleting the soil for apricots. Also, given the shallow roots, a great deal of space should be left around the tree.It is permissible to plant various early flowers under the tree, such as daffodils, tulips or crocuses.
Alyosha apricot trees are chosen by young ones, no more than 2 years old, with good strong roots. If you purchased planting material in the fall, then in the spring before planting it is necessary to cut off and also remove the unusable areas of the root system. It is good to buy an Alyosha apricot seedling immediately with a large clod of earth, ensuring better plant survival.
First you need to dig a large hole, about 70 cm deep and lay out a sufficient layer of drainage. Next, you need to apply fertilizers and soil, and place the apricot seedling Alyosha on the formed mound.
The root collar must be left 5 cm above ground level. And next to it, install a small support. Further, the apricot seedling Alyosha is covered with soil and everything, as it should, is compacted and abundantly watered. In a month, the tree will already take root and give the first leaves.
Plant care
In order for the Alyosha apricot tree to bear fruit regularly, it is necessary to follow simple rules of care, in particular, to form a crown. The correct crown shape contains 5-6 skeletal branches, which are shortened by about 1/3. And then you need to regularly prune the branches, creating a ball shape.
In the spring, Alyosha's apricot should be fertilized. Nitrogen and organic fertilizers work well. In the autumn, the tree is fed with potassium salt and superphosphate. To protect the tree trunk from insect pests, you should whitewash it, and you can also cover it with a net. It is necessary to water the plant only during active growth, and if the summer is too dry.
Despite the fact that the Alyosha apricot variety has a high immunity to popular fungal diseases, it is still recommended to treat the foliage with fungicides for preventive protection. And also during the cut off damaged branches. Easy digging of soil around the trunk also helps, as this helps to destroy various larvae and caterpillars. If you notice the presence of a pest such as aphids or moths on the leaves of trees, then here it is necessary to treat with insecticides.
As a result, we can conclude that the described apricot variety has a large number of advantages, and at the same time that it does not require much effort and time during care. The tree can pollinate itself, which indicates its independence from insects, and will delight you with a large harvest of delicious and sweet fruits.
Those who have already planted the Alyosha apricot variety on their plot are very satisfied and recommend other gardeners to grow such a wonderful tree on their plot.
Apricot Alyosha: reviews of gardeners about the variety
- Lilia Vasilievna, Samara region: “I have been growing the apricot variety Alyosha for a very long time. Of the undoubted advantages, I can note the faster ripening of the variety's fruits, good resistance to various diseases and pests, and of course the excellent taste characteristics of the variety. The only drawback, even just a defect, is the very large size of the fruit seed. The rest of the apricot variety Alyosha is ideal. "
- Tamara Viktorovna, Volgograd region: “The frost resistance of Alyosha's apricot became the main nuance, why I chose this particular variety for cultivation. Also apricot Alyosha is able to give very large yields. Moreover, the fruits have a long shelf life. In general, there are some advantages and benefits. "