Apricot Khabarovsk

This large-fruited and hardy culture has proven itself well in cold regions with unstable climatic conditions. And the high level of yield and the taste properties of the fruits of unusual color will pleasantly complement the impressions of a gardener who has decided to plant at least one such tree in his area.

This time-tested and time-tested culture was obtained by the scientist of the Far Eastern Agricultural Research Institute G. T. Kazmin in 1949. It was submitted for state tests in 1971, and in 1978 it was registered in the State Register. The crop is intended for cultivation in the Far East region; it develops most productively in the southern regions of Primorye and the Khabarovsk Territory. Suitable for central Russia as well.

Culture is universal in its intended purpose.

The trees are vigorous (up to 4.8 m), with sparse rounded and spreading crowns. Skeletal branches and annual shoots are thickened, upright. Branches of dark purple shades, with multiple whitish and oblong stripes. The flowers are large, white in color.

The leaves are intensely green on the outside, and light green on the back. Leaves are medium in size, elongated, oval in shape, with pointed and long tips. Large fruit buds form on both long and short fruit branches.

The culture reproduces well by seed, without losing its varietal properties. Nevertheless, it is more expedient to propagate it by grafting on frost-resistant rootstocks.

The fruits of the culture are large (30-45 g), rounded-cone-shaped, slightly flattened on the sides. With low, but normalized yields, the berries reach a mass of 45 g. The color of the fruits is pale greenish, partly with a dotted orange-red blush. The peel is lumpy, densely pubescent, lingering. The abdominal suture is deep, pronounced. The color is thick, medium juicy consistency, yellow-orange shades. The seeds are medium in size, easily separated from the pulp.

By chemical composition, the fruits include: sugar - 12.3%, malic acid - 2.1%, vitamin C - 7.9%, dry formulations - 16.1%.

Fruits with a good shelf life and medium transportability. Presentable presentation.

By taste, the fruits are sweetish-sour. Tasting score in points - 4.

The starting harvest of fruits occurs at 4-5 years of scion development. The ripening period is early. The culture blooms in May. Fruiting time is July 28-30. Bears fruit annually.

High-yielding culture - up to 36.6 kg per tree.

The plant is relatively self-fertile. Snezhinsky and Amur species are used as pollinating neighbors.

In the course of planting and growing a crop in an extreme climate for it, the rules for planting and care should be strictly followed. It is usually grown in areas with harsh and unstable conditions. It does not tolerate dampness and water stagnant in the soil. If snow melts in the near-stem space during the winter thaws, then it freezes, forming an ice crust, which injures the bark of the trunks.

For this reason, the landing sites must be selected elevated, with a deep location of groundwater. Trees develop productively on the southern and southwestern slopes, where moisture does not accumulate and there are no northern winds.

The selection of seedlings and pre-planting procedures are standard. For planting, 1-2-year-old seedlings are chosen.

Planting recesses are prepared in autumn, measuring 90x90 cm and 60–80 cm deep. The bottom of the depressions is drained with crushed stone, broken brick, expanded clay.

The depressions are covered with a nutrient composition consisting of equal parts:

• black soil;
• humus;
• peat;
• sand.

Superphosphate (300-400 g) and wood ash (3 l) are added there.

During the cultivation of the culture, traditional rules are observed, but there are also some nuances associated with the landing areas.

Crowns are formed in the first 4–5 years of crop growth. Due to the high growth of trees, a sparse-tiered crown configuration is used.

Sanitary cutting is performed every year, in the fall. Since tree crowns are sparse, regulatory pruning is avoided. But the summer chasing of annual shoots is necessary - this increases the level of productivity. For mature trees, rejuvenating pruning is carried out.

Intensive irrigation is carried out only in the first half of the growing season. The degree of development of seedlings depends on this. Mature trees are irrigated infrequently, but abundantly, moistening the soil 30–40 cm deep. After irrigation, loosening of the near-stem space and mulching are required.

After the autumn water-charging irrigation, the roller in the near-stem circle is removed, giving the mound a conical shape, which prevents the accumulation of moisture in the winter (melt water will begin to go down). It is especially important to irrigate young, 3-5-year-old trees, the roots of which have not yet reached the aquifers of the soil.

Top dressing should be started after the first pick of berries. It is important to monitor the balance of additives, the excess of which (especially nitrogenous compounds) can bring considerable harm to the culture:

• organic matter is added every 3-4 years (either in autumn or in spring), digging up fertilized soil (5 kg per 1m2);
• nitrogenous additives are produced for digging annually, in the spring (30–40 g / m2);
• potash - at the beginning of summer, dissolving in water 10–20 g / m2;
• phosphoric - every year in autumn for digging (20-30 g / m2);
• complex - according to the instructions.

In addition, during the ripening of berries and the growth of shoots 2-3 times with an interval of 14 days, the trees are fertilized with liquid infusions, using one of the components per 10 liters of water:

• mullein - 2 kg;
• bird guano - 1 kg;
• freshly cut grass - 5 kg.

The time of infusion in a warm place is 5–7 days. For irrigation, dilute 1 liter of infusion in 10 liters of water.

Usually, the culture does not often get sick and is subject to pest attacks. However, in rainy seasons, fungal spores are often affected. Therefore, professional procedures traditional for fruit trees are necessary (cleaning from fallen leaves, digging near-stem spaces, filling and processing cracks that have arisen, whitewashing).

A number of possible diseases are treated with standard methods:

• clasterosporium disease - with regular fungicidal treatments;
• moniliosis - elimination of infected shoots and treatment with fungicides;
• cytosporosis - cleaning damaged areas to healthy wood, 1% copper sulfate, fungicide treatment, protection of damage with a garden varnish.

Of the pests, one should especially be wary of the appearance of:

• weevil beetle;
• crumb;
• aphids.

The fight against them is carried out by known methods, including folk remedies.

The culture has a high level of cold resistance, provided it is grown in elevated areas. In lowlands, the degree of winter hardiness of trees decreases markedly. Flower buds perfectly withstand winter cold, very rarely freezing.

The level of drought tolerance of the crop also appears to be good.

Productive cultivation of a culture is possible on loamy, enriched and fertile soils, and the planting sites should be rich in sunlight.