One of the most popular for cultivation is the apricot tree. The sweet pulp of the fruit conquered not only the inhabitants of China, the birthplace of the tree, but also our compatriots. Many people are interested in the question of how to grow an apricot tree from a stone. We will talk about this and much more in our article. It is designed for beginner gardeners who decide to plant this tree in their garden. Some people plant it in order to enjoy the sweet taste of the pulp of the fruit, but not everyone knows about the beneficial properties of the apricot. But there are so many of them that it is very difficult to underestimate this fruit.
General information
Apricot, the description of which we present to you, is very common in the Caucasus. Even the translation of the name makes us understand that the apricot is a Caucasian product. "Armenian apple" is the second name of this fruit. But, despite the fact that the tree prefers a warm climate, it is possible to grow it in other regions. Recently, apricot in the suburbs- Not unusual. The main thing is to follow the care recommendations, which are not very difficult or impossible.
Many varieties of fruit are known. The main difference in this case is the size of the fruit, its color and taste. Some varieties are sweeter, others are more fragrant, etc. The composition is also different, for example, the amount of sugar, and this is an important point, because sweets are not good for everyone. Apricot is also used in different forms. In addition to eating the fruit raw, it can be dried and made into juice.
Tree species
Apricot tree is of two types, which is based on the way of growth:
- Wild trees.
- Homemade apricots.
If we talk about wild varieties, then most of all such trees can be seen in places such as:
- Central Asia.
- Northern China.
- Kazakhstan.
- Caucasus.
Well, at home, in the garden, apricot can be found in different parts of the world, except for very cold regions, where the tree cannot survive due to lack of heat. It is worth noting that the type of tree does not have any effect on the taste of the fruit. Wild trees bring the same delicious apricots.
Varieties
If we talk about the territory of Russia, then fifty-four varieties of this tree are known. Each of them is good in its own way, and the gardener can choose an option for every taste. We will list the names of these varieties for reference:
- Iceberg.
- Academician.
- Alyosha.
- Cupid.
- Aquarius.
- East Siberian apricot.
- Eastern Soyang.
- Mountain Abakan.
- Countess.
- Gritikaz.
- Dzhengutayevsky.
- Pearl.
- Compote.
- Apricot Red-cheeked.
- Red-cheeked Nicholas.
- Late Red-cheeked.
- Black Kuban.
- Jubilee Kuibyshevsky.
- Lel.
- Monastic.
- Musa.
- Orlik of Stavropol.
- Orlovchanin.
- Early Kuibyshev.
- Pyotr Komarov.
- Spicy.
- Marusich early.
- Promotional.
- Samarsky.
- Sayan.
- Northern Lights.
- Seraphim.
- Siberian Baikalova.
- Snezhinsky.
- Youth Stavropol.
- Red-cheeked offspring.
- Surprise.
- Tamasha.
- Triumph Northern.
- Briddle.
- Ulyanikhinsky.
- Untsukul late.
- Uralets.
- Favorite.
- Khabarovsk.
- Hekobarsh.
- Honobach.
- Royal.
- Early Chelyabinsk.
- Champion of the North.
- Black velvet.
- Shindahan.
- Alasha.
- Volga amber.
As you can see, there are so many varieties that it's hard not to choose among such a huge list exactly the kind of fruit that you and your family will like.
What's good about apricots?
Whatever the type of tree, whether it is a Red-cheeked apricot, or Royal, any of them has useful properties, due to which the fruitis becoming more and more popular. The composition of the apricot includes such useful elements as:
- vitamin A, B, C.;
- malic, citric, tartaric, salicylic acid;
- mineral s alt;
- insulin;
- silver;
- iron;
- potassium and others
The combination of these components has a very good effect on the functioning of the heart apparatus. It is also recommended to eat apricots for people suffering from amnesia. Apricot kernel is used for cosmetic purposes.
Who shouldn't eat an apricot?
But you need to know that in addition to useful properties, the apricot tree also has contraindications. For example, this fruit should not be eaten by those who are overweight or have diabetes. With a low calorie content (about 45 kcal per hundred grams), the fruit has a lot of sugar. Another important point is that it is not recommended to eat apricots on an empty stomach due to the large number and variety of acids. This irritates the walls of the stomach and can cause gastrointestinal illness.
Uses
The options for using this fruit are quite diverse. In cooking, it is used in dried form, in the form of jam, in the raw version. And in every form, the fruit tastes incomparable.
In medicine, apricot is used both for the prevention and treatment of diseases. For example, it is recommended to eat for people with poor eyesight. Moreover, they talk about the ability of the fetus to prevent the development of cancer. Three hundred gramsfruits give a person the necessary daily amount of a very necessary element - beta-carotene. It is recommended for pregnant women.
Landing
The rules for planting a tree are simple, so they do not cause difficulties. To begin with, a few words about how to grow an apricot tree from a stone. Can be grown directly in the ground or in pots. If you plant immediately in the ground, then you need to take a ripe fruit, pull out the bone and soak it in water for a day. After that, you need to plant the bones at a distance of about ten centimeters, at a depth of six centimeters. It is recommended to plant about ten seeds, as not all will sprout. Make sure that the place where you plant them is protected from drafts.
You can also grow seedlings in a pot. Before you start planting a seedling in the ground, you have to go through the following steps:
- selected bones should be washed in warm water and then soaked in potassium permanganate solution for 24 hours;
- those that float to the surface should be thrown away;
- pull the bones out of the solution and just soak in water for another ten days;
- put the bones in a pot of river sand;
- cover the pot with foil and put it in a place where the temperature will be about 3 degrees above zero;
- keep the sand moist for three months, after which you will get germinated bones;
- next, we take care of small trees until planting in open ground, while watering as needed, putting them in a place where there is no direct sunlight.
Now let's talk about landing in the ground. It is necessary to dig a hole in the chosen place, taking into account the growth of the future crown. We lay out the bottom of the pit with gravel or crushed stone. Then comes a layer of fertilizer mixed with earth. Then sprinkle with clean earth, and place a seedling on top. We sprinkle the hole with earth and water the new tree with water.
Crown pruning
Pruning of apricot trees is done mainly at the initial stage. An adult tree does not like to injure branches, so the main work on crown formation must be done while it is young. The main task of the owner is to ensure that all branches grow correctly so that several main branches do not grow from one place in the trunk. If this happens, then you need to remove all but one. The correct crown is needed for uniform growth of the tree, as well as for sunlight to reach all branches and leaves.
Tree care
Apricot tree does not require special care. All that is needed is watering, periodically feeding and trimming the crown in time. Watering should take place in the morning or after sunset. Feeding is recommended every three years, and preferably annually. Most often, the soil is quite weakened, and there are few components useful to the tree in it. In this case, every autumn and spring you need to feed the apricot root system. Remember to also form a crown, which makes harvesting easier and also allows the tree to develop properly. So that the tree does not die from the attack of various diseases, you need to monitor itcondition and respond in time to changes in the appearance of the leaves, fruit or trunk. And there are a lot of possible diseases:
- moniliosis;
- verticillium;
- clasterosporiasis;
- bacterial cancer;
- cytosporosis;
- leaf curl;
- scab;
- phyllostictosis;
- ringpox;
- brown spotting.
Each of the listed diseases can be defeated by numerous drugs that are sold in specialized stores. You can also not wait for an attack, but carry out preventive measures by spraying trees in the spring. There are also insects that may take a fancy to your tree:
- goose;
- codling moth;
- moth;
- aphid;
- mol.
These pests can also be killed by treating trees with appropriate preparations.
