Dessert apricot varieties: planting and care features

Apricot varieties Dessertny was obtained in the process of targeted selection work, focused on the creation of varieties suitable for cultivation in the regions of central Russia. With proper observance of agricultural techniques for growing apricot in household plots, you can get a rich harvest of fragrant sweet fruits.

Description of Dessert Apricot

The authorship of the creation of the Desertny variety belongs to A.N. Venyaminov, who carried out extensive breeding work in collaboration with L.A. Dolmatova at the Voronezh Agricultural Institute. Based on the varieties of Michurinsky selection were taken - Best Michurinsky and Comrade. A mixture of pollen from these varieties was pollinated apricot from Western Europe - Louise. This made it possible to improve the initial characteristics and to obtain a winter-hardy mid-season variety with good taste.

Dessert variety reaches up to 5 m in height

Trees up to 5 m high are characterized by strong growth. They form a rounded thick crown. Despite its good resistance to cold, flower buds can suffer from spring night frosts. Fruiting after planting is observed on average after 4 years.

The weight of one apricot dessert can reach 30 g

The juicy pulp of light orange fruits with a thin skin has a pleasant sour-sweet taste. The average weight of one instance reaches 30 g. They tolerate transportation well. The bone is lagging. It has small dimensions and an average weight of 2.5 g.

The Dessert variety has retained the beneficial properties of other apricots. It contains acids - citric, malic, ascorbic. Apricots have a beneficial effect on cardiac activity due to the presence of potassium in them. Their use can reduce the concentration of cholesterol, since the pulp has pangamic acid, or vitamin B₁₅. Also, starch, inulin, carotene, pectin substances were found in the composition. In addition to eating fresh, apricot fruits are used for making jam, jam, compote.

Apricot "Dessert". In terms of taste, in my opinion, the best that can be grown in the suburbs. This tree survived the winter of 2006, of course, with damage, during the summer it was restored and until this year every year with a plentiful harvest. Branches under the weight of the crop "lay" to the ground ..., to prevent breaks, you have to make ring mating ... The ripening of the fruits is quite early, the tree has time to prepare for winter. Unfortunately, this year is not his ... this spring did not allow him to reveal his potential. Perhaps you need to prepare for the super-harvest 2015. Interestingly, the southern part of the tree is completely shaded, and the harvest is always more plentiful than on the same trees open to the sun. I suppose this by the fact that flowering on it begins a little later than others and takes place in more favorable terms.

Igor Ivanov

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Planting Apricot Dessert

When planting an apricot, to obtain a good survival rate, the following actions are performed.

Seedlings selection

Planting material should be selected according to several criteria:

• A well-developed root system in the seedling, consisting of the main and 2 or 3 lateral roots without damage and about 25 cm long.
• A clean trunk, the presence of gum smudges is unacceptable on its bark.
• The presence of thickening on the stem, which indicates that the seedling has passed the vaccination procedure. It begins to bear fruit faster and guarantees the receipt of fruits corresponding to the variety, unlike seedlings.
• Seedling age, equal to 2 years.
• Height varying from 1 to 1.5 m.
  

  Seedling age should be 2 years

Site selection

Apricot Dessert needs a well-lit place. This tree prefers loose soil:

• light loam;
• sandy loam;
• loess with good aeration.

They should not be acidic. The best indicator is pH7. The weakened growth of seedlings will be observed in lowlands with excessive humidity and accumulation of cold air. A good option would be to provide protection from strong winds, especially from the north.

Digging landing pits

To prepare planting pits for apricot begin in the fall. When making markings for them, take into account that the distance between the rows should be 6 m, and in the row - 4 m. The size of the pit is determined by the dimensions of the root system and includes a small margin. More often, its depth is 70 cm with the same indicators of length and width.

The size of the apricot landing pit is oriented to the dimensions of its root system

Soil preparation

The upper part of the soil when digging landing pits lay separately. Add rotted compost to it - a bucket for each seedling. If the soil is clay, make sand. The proportions should be approximately the same. Pour 30 g of potassium salt and 100 g of superphosphate into one pit.

The soil substrate is covered with a film to prevent drying out.

Landing

At the end of April, a layer of gravel for drainage is laid at the bottom of the pit and the prepared soil is poured in the form of a knoll. Saplings with open roots are recommended to be placed for 10 hours in a solution of a root stimulant, for example, Epina. Dilute the drug in accordance with the instructions.

A layer of crushed stone is laid at the bottom of the landing pit

The seedling is set vertically, spreading the roots, and fill the voids, carefully ramming each layer with your hand. They make sure that the root neck is 5 cm higher than the ground. Since the soil will additionally compact, then the root neck will be at the level of the soil surface, due to which the plant will not be excessively deep.

The seedling is mounted vertically in the planting pit.

Actions after landing

An irrigation circle is formed on the surface of the soil, pouring an earthen roller along the perimeter. Watering is carried out, hoping that for each apricot you will need 2 buckets of water. Then the surface around the trunk is mulched. A peg is driven into the ground and a planted apricot is tied to it.

Planting in the spring provides a good adaptation to the seedling. The young plant will have time to grow stronger during the summer-autumn period, which will serve as a guarantee of a successful wintering.

Features of cultivation and subtleties of care

Dessert apricot belongs to the self-fertile varieties. However, it is recommended to select a pollinator with a matching flowering period to improve fruiting. Winter-hardy varieties are suitable for this:

• Countess;
• Children's
• Lel.

Dessert apricot can be grown independently from seeds, taken from large, well-ripened fruits.

Apricot can be grown from seed

Procedure:

1. Seeds are washed from the pulp and dried.
2. Since for germination the bones need to go through a period of stratification (exposure at a certain temperature), drawers are prepared in which a layer of broken brick is laid.
3. Seeds are mixed with wet sand and placed in a prepared container.
4. From above it is closed to protect against rodents, and put in the basement. If there are few seeds, they are put together with sand in a plastic bag and kept in the refrigerator.

Apricot seeds mixed with wet sand and wait for seedlings

In April, they dig a plot designated for sowing, adding at the rate of 1 m² half a bucket of compost. 50 superphosphate and 30 g of ammonium nitrate and potassium salt are also added. If the soil is acidic, then add 60 g of lime. Seeds for receiving seedlings, which are then planned to be replanted, are placed in grooves, the distance between which should be 40 cm. The interval in the grooves is 15 cm. Bones can immediately be planted in a permanent place. In such a situation, the distance between the rows is 50 cm. Young shoots with the development of the fifth leaf are sprayed with Thiophos. The soil needs to be loosened, weeds removed and mulched.

Dessert apricot care activities also include the following items:

• During the growing season planted 3 times, making for each m² 48 liters of water. In hot and dry summers, the number of irrigations increases.
• To form a crown, sanitary pruning is carried out annually in early spring, removing broken, dried and excess branches.
• Trees are fed in a timely manner, starting from the second year after planting. After the snow melts in the spring season, nitrogen fertilizers are added. 200 g of urea or nitrate is scattered under each tree, and then watering is carried out. You can replace mineral fertilizers with organic, taking bird droppings, which are diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10. Under each tree, 15 liters of nutrient solution are poured. The second spring dressing is carried out at the end of flowering. At the same time, they scatter around a tree a liter jar of ash.
  

  Apricot needs regular pruning

In the summer season, 2 tbsp. l phosphorus and potash fertilizers. In autumn, simultaneously with loosening the soil, 125 g of superphosphate 40 g of potassium chloride are scattered under each plant.

In late autumn, preparations are being made for the winter season:

• Rake fallen leaves. They are recommended to be burned, although more often gardeners lay organic debris in compost pits.
• Shallowly dig and level the trunk circles.
• Perform sanitary pruning.
• Prophylactic irrigation of the crown is carried out using, for example, the fungicide Fundazole.
• Trunks are bleached with lime solution.
• Pour a layer of mulch from peat or compost with sawdust into trunks circles about 15 cm thick.
• Roofing material or other heat-insulating material is wrapped around the stem of young apricots. You can cover them with spruce branches and cover them with a non-woven fabric. Mature trees usually winter in the open.
  

  It’s better to shelter young apricots for the winter to protect them from the cold

The main pests of apricot and the fight against them

Despite the high resistance of the Dessert variety to pests, it is necessary to regularly inspect trees so as not to miss the first signs of disease. There are several varieties of insects that can damage plants:

• Plum moth. Caterpillars, eating the pulp of fruits, can reduce fruiting. To combat them, in mid-July, a spray of Entobacterin with a concentration of 0.5% is carried out.
• Leafloader. In spring, the caterpillars feed on young leaves and buds. Spray the plants before the buds open with Nitrafen, diluted to a concentration of 2%.
• Aphid. This pest, sucking juices from leaves, with a mass lesion weakens trees. For processing, Metaphos is effective at a concentration of 1.5%.

Photo Gallery: Apricot Pests

The main diseases of apricot and methods to combat them

Among the common diseases found on the apricot Dessert, the following varieties are distinguished:

• Cytosporosis. Against this fungal disease, at the first sign, Bordeaux liquid is used - 4%. Damaged branches are cut and burned.
• Monilial burn. It often appears in cold conditions and high humidity. The crown is sprayed with Topaz, removing all affected parts of the plant.
• Brown spotting. The disease leads to drying of the leaves, which begin to fall off early. A tree is treated by spraying with Bordeaux liquid - 4%.

As a preventive measure against diseases, timely cleaning of fallen leaves, fruits, branches. Regular top dressing, sanitary pruning, and removal of overgrowth contribute to tree disease resistance. It is recommended to carry out preventive treatment of trees with a 2% solution of Nitrafen or 0.4% Kuprozan before budding. During the growing season, spraying with Kuprozan is repeated, and 0.5% solutions of Phthalazan and Tsineba are also used.

Photo Gallery: Apricot Disease

The attitude of the variety Dessert Golubev to apricot Dessert

The Saratov agronomist and horticulturist A. M. Golubev began to practice breeding at the turn of the 70-80s of the last century, growing seedlings from seeds of different varieties brought from the south.

As a result, he selected two elite varieties, which received the working names of Dessert and Canning. They became donors for other samples - Kolobok, Pharaoh, Original. To eliminate confusion with the existing Apricot variety Dessert selection of Venyaminov, Alexander Mikhailovich renamed his variety into Dessert Golubev. This kind of donor conveys the taste of the original to the fruit.

Apricot variety Dessert, cultivated in summer cottages and plots in regions with a temperate climate, will produce tasty and healthy fruits that ripen directly on the tree. With proper selection of planting material and organization of care, a high survival rate and a decent harvest will be ensured.