The homeland of apricot is the Far East, it is grown in many countries, especially with a mild, warm climate. But in domestic conditions there is a chance to successfully get a crop from this plant. Some lovers experiment by planting a bone in a flower pot. Another option to breed apricot is planting and caring for it in the open ground. In height, it can reach two and a half meters, and the crown width is 4.5 m. Apricot is a self-pollinating plant. Therefore, it is enough to plant one tree, and it will abundantly bear fruit if all the requirements for caring for it are met. Low-growing varieties are most suitable for breeding.
Apricot is planted in autumn and spring. Saplings should be selected 2 or 3 year old, grafted onto a plum. Earth requires slightly alkaline, well-drained and able to retain moisture. The tree grows especially well on sandy loamy or loamy soils. In the autumn months , soil preparation for planting is carried out. Compost or rotted manure should be added to it. A pit for the seedling is dug in such a way that the roots fit there, and the root neck remains at the soil level. Then the ground must be trampled and watered abundantly.
Apricot does not like moisture very much, planting and tree care includes regular, but moderate watering, it is especially important in dry weather and during the appearance of ovaries. It is not recommended to water the apricot in the winter, excessive moisture can lead to prolonged vegetation in the fall.
In the spring, weakened plants need to be fed , it is necessary to add ammonium nitrate to the soil , it will take thirty grams per square meter. The roots of the tree are located in the upper layer of soil. They need more than moisture. At the end of spring, the entire area occupied by them is mulched with compost or humus; the layer should be 2 to 3 cm thick.
A necessary condition for the apricot to develop successfully is planting and care, pruning of young seedlings in early spring. An adult plant does not require frequent thinning of branches. And for a young plant, this operation is necessary to form a crown. In this case, the height of the stem should not exceed fifty centimeters. The number of skeletal branches to leave no more than five to eight. On average, seedlings are shortened by one third of the length.
If apricot grows in your garden, planting and care for which are carried out on a shaded area, then, as a result, you may encounter severe thickening and drying out of its branches. Flower buds can also suffer from this, and they will develop less and less. Recovery pruning is carried out in the spring. Moreover, every 4-6 years should be shortened branches that have ceased to bear fruit, their length should exceed fifty centimeters.
Since apricot is a very thermophilic plant, planting and caring for it require protection from frost. For this purpose, the tree is insulated, low plants are covered with plastic wrap, whitewashed, create shelter. They are distinguished by increased resistance to cold varieties: Son of the red-cheeked, Hardy, Rossoshansky handsome. In central Russia, such varieties as Pineapple, Krasnoshcheky, Red Partisan and others are cultivated.