The existing myths that apricot is originally a southern plant and it is impossible to get fruits from it in the temperate and northern latitudes of Russia are today refuted both by gardeners and the results of a huge amount of selection work done to breed frost-resistant species of this magnificent stone fruit culture.
Apricots grown in the middle lane of the country show excellent yields. Such species are those obtained by crossing the southern specimen of Krasnoshchekina with the Transbaikal species of the Northern Early Apricot Triumph Northern. Reviews of experienced gardeners about this culture are unanimous: the plant is hardy, with good fruit productivity and high decorativeness. Let's talk about this variety in more detail.
Apricot Triumph North: Description
As a classic representative of the Rosaceae family, this plant requires the most comfortable placement in the garden. The place should be bright, warmed up by the sun and high, excluding the proximity of groundwater. A variety of medium ripening dates safely lives up to 25 years. The magnificent early maturity of the tree allows you to collect the first crops already in the fifth year of life, and up to 20 kg of fruits from a 10-year-old plant. It has periods of lean and productive seasons. Fruits are rounded, somewhat elongated, of a delicate yellowish-pink color with pubescent skin and sweet pulp, well separated from the bone. The variety differs not only in delicious fruits, reaching 30-50 g, but also in edible seeds, reminiscent of delicious high-quality almonds.
Apricot Triumph is northern autonomous and does not require planting several trees; ovaries form on it regardless of the presence of such specimens on the site. Reaching a height of 4 meters, this culture is extremely decorative due to its magnificent spreading crown, rapid, beautiful and early spring flowering.
Culture features
Like many species adapted to grow in temperate climatic zones, the variety is endowed with the main quality - the ability to survive and produce crops in temperate climatic latitudes, famous for very difficult conditions. Apricot northern Triumph in the Moscow region gardeners fell in love precisely for these qualities. Among the northern varieties, Triumph has long been considered the best, and this is confirmed not only by its high resistance to frost of branches and flower buds, but also by its low susceptibility to various diseases and stewing.
Where to buy seedlings
Apricot Triumph North is difficult to find in the market, and for independent cultivation a large amount of time is required. Therefore, the most convenient and safe way to purchase is to purchase a seedling in specialized nurseries with a good reputation.
As a rule, crop-growing organizations supply high-quality planting material, taking care of the purity of the variety and their own rating in the services market.
When buying seedlings, special attention should be paid to the containers in which they are sold. An ideal acquisition would be to buy a seedling with a closed root system and located in the container in which it grew. This will keep the plant in a familiar state until the best planting dates. A seedling with an open root system will need more attention - it should not be delayed with planting, but until this moment it will be necessary to ensure that the roots do not dry out and break off.
Care and growing
Due to the regional peculiarities of the temperate and northern latitudes, apricots can be grown in the garden areas of the Moscow Region only if certain conditions are met, the main ones being the right choice of place, knowledge of the basic agricultural techniques when planting and further cultivating the crop, as well as the constant attention that the North Triumph apricot will require . We describe the sequence of actions in the article.
Choose a landing place
Young apricot grows better on a gentle slope from the south or south-west side on soils with an acidity index of pH 6-7. In the development of a tree, the right landing site is a significant part of success, so you should be careful about this.
Landing area:
• must be protected as much as possible from the north winds;
• cannot be in a lowland where cold air accumulates;
• should be located on a small hill, possibly artificially created, well warmed by the sun.
All apricot varieties , including the Triumph Northern, prefer light water- and breathable soils with a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction.
Landing requirements
Experienced gardeners prefer spring planting crops, but autumn is also possible. They are held in September-early October, since the plant needs to take root before the cold. In spring, the Triumph North apricot variety is planted before the sap flow and the awakening of the buds. Usually this is mid-April. The preferred air temperature favorable for this procedure is + 5-9 ° C.
It is almost impossible to meet multicomponent land in the garden areas of the Moscow Region, since the soils here mainly consist of either sand or clay. Therefore, for the comfortable development of the seedling, it is necessary to create a mixed soil. Usually they practice digging a landing pit with a diameter of at least 0.6 m to a depth of 0.6 m.
They prepare the soil by mixing equal parts of garden soil, clay, sand and peat. To neutralize the soil,
dolomite flour or lime is added to the earthen mixture. All varieties of apricots are quite indifferent to fertilizers during planting, but a little humus can be added.
Technology
With mixed and prepared soil, fill the pit so that a mound is formed, and there is enough land for a water-holding roller. Apricot Triumph North (gardeners' reviews confirm this) develops excellently when there is enough water, which prompts the installation of additional barriers to keep it in the tree. In the middle of the landing pit, dig a small depression corresponding to the size of the root system, fill it with water by two-thirds and place the roots in it. If the roots have dried out during transportation, the root system must be kept in water for 8-10 hours before planting, and then dipped in a clay mash. They have the roots in the pit freely, they should not bend up. Then they begin to gradually sprinkle with loose earth. At the same time, it is recommended to shake the sapling a little - this way air pockets are not formed and the earth fills all the voids. The root neck after planting should be at the same level with the soil, it cannot be deepened, it will cause diseases and inhibit the development of the plant. Plant a crop in compliance with a 5-meter interval between the trees.
Features of watering
Around the young tree in a circle with a diameter of not more than 0.8 m, an earthen roller is held that holds water. It is served carefully, trying not to erode the soil and roots immediately after planting. If the seedling is correctly formed, i.e. the aerial part is smaller than the root system, then there is no need to hold the tree with a peg.
If the aerial parts are exceeded, it is better to shorten the branches with pruning. Fruit seedlings, in particular, middle and late apricot varieties, well restore lost branches in the presence of a developed root system, so you need to take care of it. If the relevance of using the peg is still justified, then it should be installed in the pit before the seedling is placed there.
Cultivation agricultural
The main agricultural practices that must be observed in order for the self-fertile apricot varieties to develop well are as follows:
• In the post-planting period throughout the season, the soil around the seedling is kept clean: weeds are removed, loosened and intensively watered throughout the spring and two-thirds of the summer.
• Generous watering is necessary for intensive root formation and the most comfortable development of a young tree.
• Watering starts to be reduced by early August to avoid unnecessary growth by winter.
• Weed the ground in the tree circle before the onset of cold weather. Fallen leaves need to be burned. You can’t put it in a compost pile, because it can contain various infectious fungi that can cause severe damage to the apricot.
• In November, whitewashing of the trunk is carried out - the most important procedure that protects plant health. It protects the young boles from sunburn, often occurring in winter and early spring, prevents the premature onset of biochemical processes in the cortex, provoked by its heating. It is useful to add copper sulfate to garden whitewashing . It is necessary to whiten not only the standard, but also the main skeletal branches involved in the formation of the skeleton of the tree. If this protective layer will wash away the rain, then it will be necessary to update it. Apricot Triumph North is very responsive to such processing. Reviews of gardeners confirm the painless transition of the plant from the winter state to the period of activity.
• Winter sheltering of trunks with materials that impede air exchange and lead to heating is inadmissible: polyethylene, roofing material. To protect against hares, trunks are wrapped with spruce branches.
Pruning
All fruit trees, including self-made apricot varieties, need pruning. It is carried out in early spring, in March. But if for some reason the spring time is lost, then pruning can be done just before the coldest fall. When pruning, weak, sick, broken and growing inside the crown shoots that thicken the tree are removed. Shorten the side branches on the skeletal branches, forming a beautiful crown.
In order to avoid infection, all sections should be treated with garden varieties or oil paints made on natural ingredients: ocher, minium. Pruning is a necessary process that supports the culture in an active state that supports the immune system and allows you to withstand adverse weather conditions and pests.
Fertilizers and fertilizing
The Triumph North apricot variety is fed according to generally accepted rules: nitrogen fertilizers are applied in the spring, and phosphorus fertilizers are applied in the summer. The amount of fertilizer depends on the appearance of the plant. With good shoot growth, nitrogen fertilizing is reduced. The best nitrogen-containing fertilizer is manure, it should be applied either early in spring or before winter. It is impossible to close the tree trunks, middle and late varieties of apricot should be in a loose and free state from any vegetation. This is especially true for young and recently planted crops.
Thus, care and attention will help to grow an originally southern culture, such as the triumph north apricot. The feedback from experienced gardeners is unambiguous: the plant is excellently cultivated in temperate zones.