Apricot Favorite
Content:
Apricot variety Favorite: description and planting rules, as well as when, where and how to plant an apricot. Proper care of this apricot variety, namely how to water, prune, feed and prepare for winter.
Apricot Favorite: photo of the variety
Apricot Favorite: variety description and characteristics
Apricot variety Favorit belongs to the northern varieties, it ripens late. It was discovered by a breeder from Russia in the year 2000. This variety bears fruit by the end of summer. It reaches a height of up to four meters. This variety bears fruit after four years as it was grafted. Fruits are average. Very well tolerated in winter. Around the middle of April, the inflorescences begin to open, they are white in color and very odorous.
The fruits of the Favorite apricot variety grow large, the weight of one fruit can reach up to thirty grams, the color of the fruits is bright orange with a reddish tinge in some places, also there is pubescence on the fruits. The pulp is very juicy and tasty, but firm. This variety will make good compotes for the winter or jams. It persists for a long time and tolerates transportation well.
Favorite apricot variety: choosing a place and planting
Apricot Favorite is very fond of light and warmth, which means it is better to plant it in April. The risk of freezing of the plant will decrease if it is planted in the spring. If you plant it in the fall, it will have a bad effect in the future.
In order for apricot trees to grow well, it is better to plant them on plots of land where the sun's rays fall well. Also, the apricot tree can be planted near any fences or buildings. Look for the fact that there are no strong winds and drafts in this place.
The apricot tree of the favorite variety will develop better and bear fruit in high areas where there is a small slope. Do not plant a tree in a low area, water stagnates there.
This variety of apricot prefers light soils, it is usually sandy loam and light loamy that have medium acidity. Sandy and clayey soil is not suitable for planting, because they are poorly permeable to water and air.
Apricot will take root well with neighbors such as old pears, maples, oaks and ash because they have a good branched root system.
Apricot variety Favorite: selection of seedlings
It is very important to choose healthy Apricot seedlings Favorite, because this will ensure you that it will take root well and will grow a good fruiting tree. It is better to purchase such seedlings in special stores or fruit nurseries. Do not buy seedlings in the market, they do not always sell quality goods. Also, do not order seedlings through online stores, because it is not known in what condition it will reach you.
When buying young trees, pay close attention to the trunk and branches, they should be straight and smooth. If you choose a plant to inoculate, then you can choose plants that tolerate cold well and that do not rot, such as plum, apricot, cherry plum and peach. You can also plant almonds. The roots of the plant should be smooth and healthy, without any dry or frozen parts.
For planting apricot Favorite, both annual and biennial plants are suitable, they can also have a root system, both open and closed.
How to plant a variety of apricots Favorite
Before planting the Favorite apricot in the ground, it is necessary to remove all dry and damaged roots. If previously a cut was already made on them, then a second cut should not be done. The roots just need to be dipped in the slurry from the earth, which is prepared before planting. To prepare the slurry, you just need to fill the ground with water until a thick state, you can also add heteroauxin there, adding it to accelerate the growth of roots and ensure better survival in a new place. For ten liters of water, you will need to add zero point one tenth of heteroauxin.
Next, we dig a hole in the right place. The hole diameter is zero point eight meters. At the bottom of the hole, you need to make an earthen pile and drive a peg ten centimeters from the center of the earthen pile.
On this heap you need to put your seedling, and spread its roots down in the heap. The edge of the root neck should be about five centimeters higher above the edge of the hole. When burying a hole, a young tree must be shaken, this action helps to fill all the voids with earth. Then the earth will need to be tamped and tied up with the plant.
Next, you need to dig a hole forty centimeters in diameter and pour about twenty liters of cool water into the hole near the trunk and mulch the hole. For about a month, you need to watch so that the earth is wet there.
Watering
Apricot Favorite has a very developed root system, which is able to extract the missing moisture on its own. If the climate in which the Favorit variety grows is satisfactory, then you need to water only four times, this is in April, May, July and October. The best irrigation is drip irrigation.
Trees that require up to twenty liters of water a year, that require two buckets for two years, and trees that require three buckets for three years. With each watering, the soil will be moistened about thirty or forty centimeters in depth. Every time you watered, do not forget to be sure to mulch the hole with dry soil.
Pruning
Pruning of the Favorite apricot variety is usually done in the spring, if pruning is done in the fall, it can damage the health of the tree.
The formation of the crown of an apricot tree occurs in the first years of life. Most of all there are trees with a tiered crown. They usually leave up to seven branches on the first tier, the distance between them should be forty centimeters.
For the next season, you need to cut off those branches that grow a meter from the ground. At the beginning, we shorten the branches of the main row by half, and then we cut off the remaining ones. In the last month of summer, cut off the branches and branches that grow at an angle of forty-five degrees.
Next year, we begin to form the second tier of the apricot. It is necessary to retreat forty centimeters from the first tier and begin to form the second, there are already pruned young shoots that reach sixty centimeters or more in length, they must be cut in half.
Well, in the 3rd year of life of the apricot tree, the third tier is also formed.
After cutting the crown, you need to carry out sanitary and thinning pruning. With these pruning, dried and broken branches are removed. It is also necessary to prune the vertical shoots so that they do not make the crown dense.
Top dressing
Fertilization is necessary after the first crop has been harvested. The Favorite apricot tree is fed annually. Top dressing must be divided in half, the first time must be applied in April, and the second time after harvest.
Organic fertilizers are usually applied every 3 years. It must be distributed around the trunk in an even layer, then sprinkle it on top with simple earth about ten centimeters.
Apricot Favorite: photo of the variety
Preparing for the winter cold
In order for the Favorite apricot tree not to freeze in winter, he needs to prepare a special shelter.
Before that, in the fall, we whiten the trunks and thick shoots with lime and mulch the soil near the tree trunk with branches from the spruce.
The tops of young trees are tied with a rope. If a harsh winter is promised, then you need to make a dome in the form of a cone on top of the tree. Do not use hay or dead leaves for mulch.
Apricot Favorite: reviews of gardeners about the variety
- Anastasia Vladimirovna, Samara region: “Apricot Favorite is one of the most popular varieties. Many gardeners I know prefer to grow it, and I am no exception. I really like the taste of these apricots, and caring for an apricot tree is not as difficult as for some other varieties. "
- Ekaterina Andreevna, Volgograd region: “Favorite apricot variety is the only variety that I grow in my garden. I tried to grow other varieties, but for some reason they did not take root, but the Favorite apricot took root perfectly, and the tree grew as much as about one and a half meters in length. "