Apricots are capricious plants that require proper attention and care. Good yields of ripe fruits can only be achieved by putting maximum effort into choosing the variety, the location of the young plant, preparing the soil for planting, and then caring.
Selection and preparation of seedlings for planting
The selection of apricot trees for autumn planting should be carried out taking into account the characteristics of a particular variety, its winter hardiness. Planting stock should correspond to the climatic zone in which it will grow. This must be taken into account to avoid freezing of plants.
Before choosing a seedling, we recommend reading our article on the best varieties of apricot.
When selecting a specific seedling of a future apricot tree, focus on the following important nuances:
- The seedling trunk must necessarily contain a pronounced vaccination zone. This indicates that the tree belongs to a certain variety and provides guarantees for the ripening of fleshy and sweet fruits when compared with seed-grown trees.
- Choose a seedling for autumn planting you need 2 years of age. This stage is most favorable for plant adaptation in a new area.
- The selected specimen cannot contain any kind of damage, cracks in the cortex, the main trunk should be stronger than the side shoots, without spikes.
- Apricot should be from 1 m to 1.5 m in height. Deviations from the norm up or down indicate improper care of the tree, as well as an excess of fertilizers with nitrogen content.
- The roots of an apricot seedling should consist of 1 main and 2-3 lateral processes 20-25 cm long each. It is not permissible that they be broken, rotten or overdried.
Do not buy seedlings with obvious vegetative signs. Such a tree will die quickly.
Of great importance in the selection of apricot seedling is the shade of the bark:
- Red boles or with a dark shade of brown is inherent in winter-hardy varieties;
- a light green trunk is characteristic of the southern representatives of fruit trees.
Which soil is suitable?
The main soil requirement for apricot planting is excellent breathability. This is important for the root system of the plant, which needs a regular flow of atmospheric air masses during the growing season.
A negative effect on apricots is an excess of moisture, even for a short time. Flooding of the territory where the seedling is located often leads to the death of the tree. To notice the deterioration of the plant will help fading leaves.
The choice of a place for planting an apricot tree should be carried out taking into account the composition of the soil. The ideal variation is chernozem. Due to the fact that the earth passes moisture, air, and solar heat well, sandy and medium loamy soils are suitable.
Planting apricot trees on soils with a high clay content is not recommended, as they retain water, which leads to a slowdown in plant growth during the cold season and, as a result, poor wintering and termination of fruiting. According to its content, the earth can be slightly alkaline or neutral.
Acidic soils require liming, adding dolomite flour. Landing in the sandy earth will not do without adding a layer of clay to the bottom of the pit, and in clay - parts of sand. This simple manipulation will give the tree a chance to build a strong and strong root system until the roots grow to the main ground.
Soil preparation
Before planting an apricot, you need to prepare a land plot - the soil is dug up to the width of a shovel and cleaned of weed grass and roots. Next, the surface layer of the soil is leveled, the depressions fall asleep and the hills are removed.
The ideal variation is the preparation of soil for apricot trees 1-2 years before planting. The land is cultivated for the fertility of the layer. In autumn, the plot must be plowed so that the depth near the trees is 15 cm.
Fertilizer selection
So that the seedling can adapt and develop well, the landing hole must be fertilized with nutrients and minerals. Therefore, it should be filled with a special mixture of the following components:
- 1.5 shares of the upper earthen layer;
- 5 parts of the earth from decayed leaves;
- 1 share of mullein;
- 60 g of wood ash;
- 50 g of superphosphate.
These ingredients must be mixed, filled with a fertilizer pit 7 days before planting.
Fertilizers with nitrogen content during planting do not make. This negatively affects the survival rate of the plant and significantly prolongs the adaptation period.
Landing pit preparation
Planting apricot seedlings in autumn in the ground requires special soil preparation. When deciding to plant a seedling in airy loamy soil with zero or low acidity, it is better to prepare the soil in advance:
- After September 15 - in the first days of October, in a selected area, dig a half-meter hollow 50 cm deep and 60-80 cm wide. Drive a wooden stake 1.5 meters high, and pour drainage (pebbles, chipped bricks, gravel).
- Fill the dug up soil in the ratio 2: 1 with humus peat, add 500 g of superphosphate and 1.5-2 kg of wood ash and mix everything.
- Pour the prepared soil into the hole and form a hill, leave before planting, so that the soil is a little donkey.
Before planting in the ground, the plants are prepared. If a young tree with a covered rhizome is purchased, when it is transplanted, it is necessary to remove the packaging, shake off the seedling. All actions must be careful to avoid damage to the rhizome.
Open-root apricot plants are inspected for the presence of dried and rotten roots requiring removal. Healthy roots reduce by a third of their length. Then the tree is lowered into the clay mixture with the addition of mullein. This manipulation will prevent the apricot from drying out and will soften the initial contact with the ground during planting.
Landing procedure
Planting an apricot tree and growing it for the first time requires continuous care and protection from damage by harmful insects and all sorts of diseases. If frost is likely, it is recommended to use film insulation for still weak plants.
To quickly root the seedling, you must adhere to the algorithm of special actions when planting. It is not permissible to ignore any of the following steps:
- Soak apricot root 24 hours before planting. This manipulation will ensure the restoration of biological processes in the root system and nourishes the roots with moisture.
- Make a clay mixture with manure so that it resembles sour cream in texture.
- Dip the rhizome of the tree into the prepared talker, wait for the roots to dry.
- Prepare a hole in the root hole for root size and water well.
- Place the tree in the center of the hollow, and rid the roots of kinks.
- The apricot root neck should be 4-5 cm above the ground.
- Sprinkle the rhizome with soil, and compact the soil to get rid of the voids between the roots.
- Around the landing pit, build an edge 10 cm high.
- Tie the apricot to the support with a cord and lock in the exact position.
- Pour the tree generously with 2 buckets of water, then flatten the edge.
- Mulch the soil near the trunk circle with a 4 cm layer of peat mixture or humus.
Autumn planting is an ideal opportunity to provide good conditions for hardening a seedling. This is achieved by maintaining the monthly interval between the first frosts and planting. This time is enough for successful survival of the plant and its further wintering.
Apricot planting scheme
An apricot tree loves light and heat, it does not tolerate gusty winds and streams of cold air, so it is recommended to prepare holes for planting in advance. The distance between the trees in the garden should be more than 3-4 meters.
The depth of the landing cavity is 0.5 meters, the width is not less than 0.8 meters. The bottom must be covered with drainage, on top of which the fertile layer of soil is covered and the plant is placed.
Fertilizing
Growing an apricot tree does not cause any particular difficulties. As soon as the garden crop enters the fruiting stage, it is important to apply top dressing once a year in the form of 8 g of superphosphate, 30 g of ammonium nitrate and 20 g of potassium salt per 1 sq. Km. m circumference.
Organic food is applied every 3 years once. Apricot crops respond well to nitrogen supplementation. But we must not forget that an overabundance of such top dressing provokes a delay in fruit ripening and gum therapy, and also reduces the resistance of the apricot to diseases.
Watering
Planted apricot from the very beginning of its life needs moisture. When planting seedlings, small roots often break off, playing a major role in the absorption of moisture. Larger roots are also able to absorb water, in the presence of close contact with the ground. Therefore, planting a plant in all weather conditions requires abundant watering.
Water, filling the entire “vacuum” near the roots, contributes to the greatest compaction of the soil, which ensures optimal water supply in the first months of the tree’s life. Planting in the fall makes it easier to care for the seedling - it is enough to water the tree 1 time, the remaining function will be performed by rains.
Apricot does not tolerate excess moisture, and therefore its retention at the rhizome is undesirable. Compared to apples and pears, apricots are preferably hibernated with dried earth. The presence of even a small amount of water creates the prerequisites for the growth of roots, which is undesirable before wintering.
Do I need to prune apricots when planting?
After planting an apricot in autumn, it is important to perform formative pruning every year in early spring. Cut the weak and frozen, the tallest and thickening the crown branches. Slices are subject to processing garden var. Apricot seedlings grown from seeds do not have a central trunk, which is conducive to accurate formation.
Pruning is important for apricot growth and ripening. They need to create a crown and get rid of parasitic branches. To do this, the crown is trimmed, after which the plant is tied to a strong base for correct further maturation. How and when to prune apricots can be found in this article.
Annual processes cut to 80 cm above the ground. The skeletal branches of fresh apricots are shortened by one third, the main trunk should remain 30 cm above the neighboring skeletal processes. It is forbidden to leave many branches growing from a single point. In spring, fruit-bearing branches are slightly reduced, stimulating the growth of buds on other processes.
In his video, the gardener shares his experience of planting apricot in the fall:
Tree care after planting
For the speed of rooting of a seedling in a new territory, it is advised to fertilize it with root root at the rate of 5 g per 5 l of water. All further tree care includes timely watering, in the absence of rain, and preventing excess moisture and drying out the root system.
The appearance of the initial signs of harmful insects and diseases requires spraying with special solutions. In the first months of the seedling's life, additional feeding is not needed, since all the nutrients and minerals were introduced before planting in the hole.
Planting apricot seedlings in autumn is considered the best option, because thanks to this reception the tree fully adapts to the new place in the spring. To accelerate rooting, it is enough to water and prepare the apricot correctly for the upcoming wintering.