Apricot Saratov ruby: reviews, growing secrets, photos

Apricot Saratov ruby, as well as its origin, characteristics of yield, its external qualities, ripening time and stability. We will also consider the features of cultivation, planting and care. Apricots are very tasty and healthy; in terms of their qualities, there is little that can be compared with them. Today we will look at the Saratov Rubin apricot variety; it is very stable, productive and hardened.

Apricot Saratov ruby: photo of variety

Apricot Saratov ruby: variety description and characteristics

The Saratov ruby apricot tree reaches a height of up to four or five meters. The crown is spherical and very spreading. After the plant is planted, it will quickly begin to gain strength and grow in height. The bark is brown in color and rough to the touch. The shoots of the apricot tree are medium in length, their shape is straight, and brown in color. The leaves of the Saratov ruby apricot tree are bright green in color, have the shape of a circle, and the end of the leaf is slightly pointed. The front side of the leaf is smooth and glistens in the sun.

Description of the fruits of the apricot tree

The fruits of the Saratov ruby apricot variety are medium in size, one might even say large. One berry can weigh from thirty to forty grams. The shape resembles an oval, the color of the fruit is orange with a pinkish tint. The skin of the fruit is rough and has a small fluff. The pulp inside is orange in color and has a dense structure. There is also a bone inside; it is small in size and can be separated from the pulp very easily.

Landing Features

A correctly selected area for planting and a pre-prepared planting hole is already half the success in growing a plant.

Place and soil

Unlike heat-loving varieties, the southern side of the site is not suitable for planting Saratov ruby. The variety is already an early bloomer, but under the rays of the sun it can bloom even earlier and suffer from return frosts. It is better to choose the eastern or western side of the site with a barrier (building, fence) in the north.

Important! In acidic soil, due to excess magnesium and potassium, the tree is at risk of becoming infected with gommosis (gum disease).

Lighting is required most of the day, otherwise the fruits will be sour. The occurrence of groundwater is not lower than 2.5 m from the surface of the garden soil. The soil should be loose and nutritious with a neutral reaction. Dense soil should be diluted with sand, and acidic soil with dolomite flour or lime.

Landing dates

In the middle zone and in the northern regions, planting is recommended in the spring in April, when the snow melts and the soil dries out a little and warms up. In order to catch up before the movement of juices in plants begins, preparatory work is carried out in the fall. In areas with a warm climate, trees can be planted in the fall, in October.

How to plant correctly

In the fall, they dig a hole measuring 70x70. It is advisable to place drainage in a layer of about 15 cm at the bottom.

The extracted soil layer is mixed with fertilizers:

2 buckets of humus;
2 kg of ash;
200 g of potassium and phosphorus.

A little further from the center of the hole, a wooden stake is driven in, which in the future will serve as a support for the seedling. Over the winter, the soil will sag under the influence of moisture, and for planting it will be necessary to form a hill by adding more soil.

Find out how and what you can graft an apricot on.

Planting process:

The roots are pre-moistened in a clay mash.
Place the seedling in the center of the hill (20–30 cm).
Sprinkle with soil, holding the trunk and compacting the layers of earth to remove voids.
The growth point of the tree should be 5 cm above the ground.
The seedling is tied to a support.
After planting, a roller with sides is formed to retain water, and watering is carried out with two buckets of water.

Taste and application

Saratov ruby apricots have a sourish-sweet taste. If you evaluate taste on a five-point scale, then the score will be four point three points. The fruits of the Saratov ruby apricot contain substances such as: fruit sugar, dry substances, organic acids, as well as natural pectin and vitamin C. The fruits of this variety can be stored for a long time. If, for example, it is stored in a refrigerator with a temperature of plus five degrees, then it can lie there for up to a month without losing its commercial qualities. Apricot fruits are eaten fresh, and they are also used to make compotes, jams, confitures and marshmallows. If you dry the fruits, you can get a healthy dried fruit called dried apricots.

History of variety selection

A young apricot variety was created in Saratov. The parent was A.M. Golubev, who has been breeding various stone fruit crops for 30 years.

Alexander Mikhailovich has a private breeding nursery, where the gardener is actively working on creating new plant species (mainly nut-bearing and stone fruit plants).

The main task for the breeder is to create varieties of crops that can develop in all climatic zones, and not just in southern latitudes.

In addition to apricot, the gardener introduced the world to frost-resistant varieties with unique taste qualities:

peach and pomegranate;
lemon and almonds;
honeysuckle and pear;
apple trees, plums.

Saratov Ruby was created in 2010, but was only removed from the State Register in 2015. Over the past years, apricot has proven its superiority over other varieties and compliance with varietal characteristics.

Apricot Saratov ruby: planting varieties

In places with a cool climate, it is necessary to plant the Saratov ruby apricot in the spring, as soon as all the snow has grown and the earth has warmed up. It is necessary to root the seedling before the buds begin to open on it. If apricots are planted in the south, then preference is given to the autumn period, when all the foliage has fallen. In warm countries, the apricot plant will have time to take root before frost sets in.

Choosing a place to plant apricots

In order for the apricot tree to grow well and bring you a good harvest, it needs to be planted in an area where there are no winds and strong drafts, so that it receives a lot of sunlight and there is no shadow. The soil on which you will plant the plant should be light and loamy. The soil should be neutral or closer to alkaline, but not acidic. If the soil is acidified, then liming is necessary.

Apricot Saratov ruby is strictly prohibited in lowlands where groundwater usually accumulates.

How to select and prepare apricot seedling Saratov ruby

To root the Saratov Ruby apricot variety, you need to choose annual seedlings. When choosing seedlings, make sure that their roots are developed and healthy and that there is no rot. The trunk of the seedling must be free of cracks and other defects. The buds must not have blossomed on the seedling. Before planting an apricot seedling Saratov ruby, you need to shorten its roots and put them in a mash made of clay for a couple of hours, you also need to add mullein there. After this soaking, the roots will become stronger.

Apricot planting

It is necessary to dig a hole in advance. It is recommended to make the hole size seventy by seventy by eighty centimeters. Place fine gravel at the bottom of the hole, then lay a nutrient layer, which should consist of soil and fertilizer. Before planting, the hole must stand. After laying the fertilizer, it should be left for two weeks. Then we take the Saratov Ruby apricot seedling and place it in the middle of the hole and cover it with earth. Next, water the seedling and, if necessary, tie it up.

How to protect a tree from diseases and pests

Several factors can affect the health of apricot of this variety:

acidic soils;
frequent pruning;
excess fertilizer;
frostbites or sunburns.

If the scheme of application, watering and pruning is followed during growth, then it is enough to carry out 2-3 treatments with special chemicals - fungicides: in early spring, after flowering and in autumn.

When the first signs of infection appear, you should use Vitaros. Pest protection is also carried out up to three times a year.

Aphids are especially dangerous, but they can be removed by eliminating the ants and treating the infested area with insecticides.

Apricot Saratov ruby: care rules

The apricot variety Saratov ruby is an unpretentious plant, but care should be taken, as this increases the yield. Feed the plant with fertilizer every growing season. Feeding can be carried out several times during the season. In the spring you need to add urea or mullein, this promotes the growth of green mass. To ensure that the fruits ripen quickly, phosphorus and potassium are added under the plant in the summer and late spring. The Saratov Ruby apricot tree should be watered with warm water as needed. This plant needs more moisture when it blooms; it needs water during this period in order for as many fruit ovaries to form as possible. The plant may also have pathologies, such as brown spot. This disease is a fungal disease. If such a disease appears, then small yellow spots will appear on the leaves, and these spots will gradually spread over the entire leaf and turn brown in color. To combat such a fungus, it is necessary to spray the plant with the preparation “Copper sulfate.” Apricot plants can also be taken over by aphids. It usually affects young foliage and shoots. This pest is very dangerous, as it subsequently reduces the harvest. You can overcome aphids by spraying with Fitoverm and Karbofos.

Features of cultivation and subtleties of care

The main measures for caring for apricots of the Saratov ruby variety do not differ from those for most other varieties of apricots. This includes moderate watering, timely fertilizing, destruction of weeds, spraying against diseases and harmful insects, whitewashing trunks and skeletal branches for the winter.

Watering

As for watering, it is needed mainly during fruit filling. True, young trees that have not yet grown a root system need to be watered frequently in the first 2–3 years, but not to the point of waterlogging.

Mature apricots, if the summer is not extremely dry, are quite capable of finding water for themselves for most of the growing season.

In arid regions, watering is necessary; it is carried out approximately once a month, with a sufficient amount of water, but so that it does not stagnate around the trunk. Of course, ideally this should be warm, settled water, but in extreme cases, regular watering from a hose will do, only if the water does not come from an artesian well: this is usually too cold.

Feeding

Apricot needs systematic feeding. In the spring, the best option is liquid fertilizing with solutions of mullein and bird droppings, which, to a first approximation, can be replaced with urea and potassium nitrate. In June, foliar feeding is good - spraying tree foliage with solutions of complex fertilizers. From mid-summer, nitrogen-containing solutions should be replaced with phosphorus-potassium solutions; they promote the formation of fruit ovaries. After harvesting, the best option is to scatter half a bucket of wood ash around the tree and bury it shallowly with a shovel or hoe. Once every few years in the spring or late autumn, small holes are dug next to the tree and 1-2 buckets of manure or compost are placed in them.

Trimming

Apricots have a tendency to grow their crowns excessively, leading to excessive thickening. Saratov ruby is no exception; it requires regular formative and sanitary-rejuvenating pruning. In the process of formation, its crown should be given a rounded shape that is natural for the variety. The very first pruning in the life of an apricot was discussed in the section devoted to its planting. Over the next few years, up to 6–7 skeletal branches are formed on the apricot tree, on which second-order forks are formed.

Typically, trees such as apple or pear trees are pruned in the spring and fall. Apricots also have to be pruned in summer. In the spring, thickened areas of the crown should be thinned out, weak branches that have not overwintered should be cut out. Fruit branches older than three years are also cut out: their harvest will already be weak. Saratov ruby almost does not shed excess fruits, as a result of which the branches may not withstand the weight of the harvest and break, so even after pruning, you will need to carefully monitor the number of fruits set and, if there are too many of them, support the skeletal branches. Spring pruning should be carried out a month before the start of the growing season, when frosts will no longer return, but sap flow has not yet begun. Thanks to this pruning, the crown becomes easily accessible to sunlight and reasonable ventilation.

In the summer, the thinning operation can be repeated, but only if there is a sufficient amount of moisture (from rain or watering), shortening by a third and young shoots that are growing too powerfully. If necessary, you can remove some of the excess fruit or completely excess branches. Summer pruning benefits apricots: flower buds develop better on new shoots. Pruning in summer is carried out in the first ten days of June. After it, the fruits grow larger and become sweeter.

Video: formative pruning of an apricot tree

Preparing for winter

Preparing a tree for wintering consists of cleaning all plant debris around it, digging up the tree trunk, and spraying with insecticidal preparations. As an adult, the Saratov ruby overwinters without any shelter, but the trunks of young trees for the winter should be covered with spruce branches and wrapped with non-woven material on top. Disputes between gardeners are caused by hilling the trunks of young trees with soil. On the one hand, this is a good warming procedure. But on the other hand, winter thaws in this case will hit the root collar even more painfully, and its damping off is much worse for apricots than frosts.

To protect against hares and mice, the lower branches and trunk of young apricots must be covered with durable materials, and here, too, the prickly coniferous spruce branches have no competition. With the arrival of spring, before the sap begins to flow, apricot trunks are whitened with lime, but if possible, this procedure should be carried out even earlier: the most dangerous sun illuminates the trees already in March.

Apricot Saratov ruby: reviews from gardeners

Natalya Petrovna, Samara region: “Initially, when I first bought Saratov ruby apricot seedlings, the seller assured that this variety can grow without pollinators. However, then I learned from friends who grow this variety that it is still better to plant Saratov ruby as a pollinator for the apricot so that the tree develops better and faster. I was a little upset, but I did it. Now my garden plot boasts several fruit-bearing and actively developing apricot trees.”
Svetlana Alekseevna, Volgograd region: “The Saratov ruby apricot has been growing in my garden not long ago. But a couple of times I have already managed to enjoy a rich and tasty harvest of ripe fruits. I used the Saratov Rubin apricot variety to make jam and preserves, and they are also ideal for fresh consumption. The winter hardiness of the Saratov ruby apricot is very high, and this greatly facilitates the cultivation of the tree.”

Harvest and storage

Apricots are tricky fruits. If you wait until they are completely ripe, you can immediately forget about long-term storage. The entire crop must be eaten immediately or processed. If picked early, the fruits that are not fully ripened will no longer become sweet, and during the ripening process they will wrinkle due to loss of moisture. Therefore, Saratov rubies for storage or transportation must be collected when the fruits have reached their standard weight and color, but their surface remains quite dense.

Description

The fruits are mostly medium in size. Their weight is 38-40 grams. The appearance is excellent, the skin color is attractive, bright red, and the inside of the apricots is deep orange. The pulp has a delicate consistency, a pleasant sweet taste, and a characteristic aroma. However, the assessment of organoleptic properties from different gardeners varies greatly.

The bones are small. The universal purpose allows you to use apricots for drying, making compotes, jam and marshmallows. Fruiting is annual; from one mature tree you can expect to get about a hundredweight of harvest. Drupes ripen in the mid-early period, starting from the second ten days of July. They are not prone to cracking even in years with unfavorable weather conditions.

A special “competitive advantage” of the variety is increased transportability and long shelf life. When carefully stored in cool storage, at a temperature of about +5°C, the fruits can retain their consumer qualities for more than a month.

The trees are tall, so they need a relatively large amount of space. They reach 4-5 meters, so they should be recommended with caution for compact areas.

a brief description of

Color	bright red
4-5 m
4,4 / 5
Size	average

100 kg
Term	mid July
high
strong

Advantages and disadvantages

Apricot Shalah

The peculiarities of this fruit variety are its unusually small seed and healthy fruits. They are rich in vitamins, microelements and other substances important for the body. The benefits of apricot are as follows:

Fruits are rich in calcium and iron salts, which are necessary for the child’s body;
Recommended for use for anemia;
The presence of magnesium and phosphorus stimulates brain performance;
Lutein helps combat changes in visual function;
Kakhetin relieves inflammation;
Fiber is beneficial for the digestive system;
Vitamin C strengthens the immune system.

The advantages of the variety include:

High productivity and continuous fruiting;
Attractive appearance of the fruit;
Interesting, sweet apricot taste;
Excellent storage and transportability;
Frost resistance and immunity to diseases;
High tolerance to drought.

Gardeners consider the following disadvantages:

The need to regulate fruiting;
The need for pollinators.

Saratov ruby is one of the best domestic varieties that produce consistently high yields every year. The variety is popular due to its characteristics, such as frost resistance and immunity to the most common diseases of fruit trees. For the most part, reviews about the culture are only positive; the variety is highly valued not only by beginners, but also by amateurs. Saratov ruby is one of the best breeding achievements of domestic scientists.

0 0 votes

Article rating