Characteristics of the Snegirek apricot variety, description of fruiting and cultivation rules

Description of the characteristics of the variety

The Snegirok variety is a late-ripening plant, so the harvest can be harvested in mid-August. Fruiting begins in the fifth year of vegetation and lasts 25–30 years. The lifespan of a tree can reach 35 years, of which the crop will bear fruit abundantly for more than a quarter of a century. During the season, a gardener can harvest up to 15 kg of apricots from one mature tree. The plant is characterized by high winter hardiness; its bark can withstand temperatures down to -42°C. As for drought resistance, the tree needs more thorough watering due to its low resistance to hot weather.

Trees

The plant is low-growing, up to 1.5 m in height. The crown is of medium density and round in shape. The bark on the trunk is thick, brown, with large furrows. Annual shoots have a reddish tint. The leaves are oval in shape, located on short petioles, green, rich in color. The edge of the leaf blade is slightly jagged. The flowers are five-petaled, white, about 2 cm in diameter.

Important! Stimulation of rhizome growth contributes to the crop’s resistance to temperature changes, as well as waterlogging and drought.

Fruits

The fruits of the apricot tree Snegirok are medium in size, weighing up to 20 g. The peel is dense, colored bright orange, there may be a red blush. The soft part is juicy, soft, and has a yellow tint. The stone is easily separated from the pulp. The taste of the fruit is sweet, sugary with a slight bitterness in the skin area.

Russian

The tree of this variety grows quite low, making it easy to harvest.
Moreover, without shelter it can withstand frosts down to –30°C. The fruits ripen round, orange in color, with excellent taste. Their flesh is rich yellow, tender and very juicy. The tree begins to bear fruit after 5-6 years of planting.

Apricot is one of the most heat-loving crops; it can often be found in the southern regions, both in gardens and growing wild. But varieties that grow well and bear fruit abundantly in the south live long in the cold conditions of the middle zone and in the north of the country. Why does this happen? But the fact is that in central Russia, apricot varieties that have high winter hardiness, both of the tree itself and of the flower buds, are able to survive.

However, through the efforts of breeders, many winter-hardy species of this wonderful orange fruit have been created, which retain excellent taste characteristics and high yield. We bring to your attention a selection of the best apricot varieties suitable for growing in central Russia, with winter hardiness at the highest level.

Pollination of apricot Bullfinch

The plant is self-fertile, which means flower ovaries can form without the presence of pollinators. But in order to increase productivity, there is a need to plant several varieties of pollinators nearby or attract bees to the site. Pollinators of the apricot Bullfinch:

• Red-cheeked;
• Northern Triumph;
• Russian.

Did you know? The core of the apricot kernel serves as a substitute for bitter almonds and is also used to make marzipan.

How to choose the best apricot seedlings when purchasing

Experienced gardeners recommend purchasing seedlings only from nurseries, which will guarantee the receipt of high-quality planting material. When purchasing a plant, be sure to check for diaper rash and rotten roots. If, with a slight pull, the roots peel off from the trunk, then the seedling is damaged and should not be taken. Planting material must be one- or two-year old, 1 m high, and the rhizome must be up to 40 cm. It is necessary to make sure that there is a graft, which will guarantee the authenticity of the variety.

Landing rules

If you follow the correct planting technology, you can easily grow a strong apricot tree. The choice of landing site and preparation of planting material are presented below.

Timing and choice of landing site

In regions with temperate and warm climates, planting can be done in the fall. The procedure is carried out in mid or late September. In areas with harsh climatic conditions, it is better to plant in the spring, in mid-April, so that the plant has time to gain nutrients and become stronger for the winter. The site must be selected according to the following criteria:

• good illumination;
• groundwater occurrence at least 1.5 m deep;
• absence of drafts;
• soils with a neutral pH.

We advise you to familiarize yourself with the features of planting apricots and caring for them.

Preparatory procedures before landing

Immediately before planting in the soil, you need to once again verify the integrity of the root system and, if necessary, remove damaged or rotten roots. The seedling is placed in a solution of the drug “Kornevin” (5 g per 5 liters of water) for 6 hours. The area for planting a fruit tree is “prepared” 6 months before the intended manipulation. The site is cleared of remaining vegetation. The earth is dug up, simultaneously adding 5 kg of manure and 300 g of wood ash (per square meter), the digging depth should be at least 40 cm.

The process of planting apricot seedlings

The hole is dug 15–20 days before planting the seedling. Fill to the middle of the volume with a mixture of:

• fertile soil - 10 kg;
• superphosphate - 60 g;
• potassium - 60 g;
• wood ash -200 g.

The plant should be planted in dry, windless weather. First, they loosen the soil in the hole, forming it in the shape of a small hill for ease of planting the seedling. Next, place the plant in the hole and spread the roots along the mound of soil. Soil is poured to the top of the hole, making sure that there are no voids left near the root system. Upon completion of soil compaction, you need to water the seedling with 10 liters of water and mulch the surface near the trunk with peat.

Video: instructions for planting apricots

Rules for seasonal care of apricots

Taking care of the crop is not difficult; even a novice gardener will find it easy to cope with this task. The general care instructions listed below must be followed.

Soil care

In order for the tree to develop well, it is necessary to frequently carry out the procedure of loosening the soil, which can save the plant from the problem of rotting rhizomes and the spread of fungal infection. You need to loosen the soil to a depth of 10–20 cm; this procedure is especially important after watering or rainfall - it prevents the formation of a dense crust on the surface of the earth and allows the root system to receive an influx of oxygen.

Important! Once every 6 weeks, the tree trunk circle is mulched with peat or sawdust - this helps maintain moisture and has a positive effect on the quality of the fruit. Mulching is carried out at a distance of 20 cm from the trunk, so as not to provoke its rotting.

Fertilizer application

It is necessary to feed the plant in the second year of growth, due to the fact that sufficient nutrients were placed in the soil during planting. To prevent the root system from being damaged when applying a solution with fertilizer, there is a need to pre-moisten the soil before the procedure. All nutrients are introduced into specially made furrows near the tree trunk, to a depth of 20 cm.

The first stage of feeding is carried out in early April. The plant is irrigated with a solution of 50 g of urea and 10 liters of water. A little later, before the buds open, 120 g of urea, 60 g of potassium salt and 20 liters of water are added in liquid form.

The second stage of adding nutrients to the soil is carried out at the end of May. It is necessary to fertilize with a solution of 500 g of bird droppings and 10 liters of water. After 7 days, after adding organic matter, you need to loosen the moistened soil with wood ash in an amount of 300 g per square meter.

The third stage of feeding takes place at the end of June. The plant is fed with a mixture of 90 g of urea and 60 g of superphosphate, dissolved in ten liters of water.

The fourth stage of fertilization is carried out at the end of August or beginning of September. When digging, add 60 g of superphosphate and 30 g of potassium (per 1 m²).

You will be interested to know why the apricot tree does not bear fruit.

Formative, sanitary and rejuvenating pruning

So that the apricot is not too thick and caring for it does not provide a lot of trouble, you need to form a sparsely tiered crown. Formation begins with determining the trunk zone - the distance from the soil to the first tier of skeletal branches. For a low-growing tree, the trunk area should be 50 cm. The first tier consists of 2 branches, which are located on opposite sides at a distance of 25 cm from each other.

In the second year, you need to form a 2nd tier, consisting of 2 branches located at a distance of 25 cm from the first tier from each other. On the skeletal branches of the 1st tier, 2 of the strongest shoots are left. All other shoots must be removed, and the remaining shoots must be cut to 15 cm. In the third year, 3 skeletal branches are left at a distance of 25 cm from the second tier. The remaining shoots are removed, and the formation ones are cut to 15 cm.

Read more about pruning apricots in the fall for beginners.

Every year, sanitary pruning of the plant is carried out, which consists of removing dry shoots infected with diseases, as well as branches broken under the weight of fruits or gusts of wind. Over time, apricot fruiting moves to the side or upper branches, which is inconvenient for picking fruit, so there is a need for rejuvenating pruning. With this procedure, all thickening, intersecting shoots are removed. On the first and second tiers of forming branches, all side shoots are removed.

Prevention and protection from diseases and pests

The plant can be affected by diseases such as moniliosis, brown spot. Moniliosis occurs due to increased humidity during the spring thaw. The first to be affected are the flower ovaries, which rot and crumble. The branches begin to dry out and the leaves do not bloom on them. Moniliosis can also appear at the time of fruiting. Large dark brown spots appear on the fruit, with a white coating characteristic of the disease.

Familiarize yourself with the diseases of apricot trees.

It is necessary to combat moniliosis in a comprehensive manner. For this:

1. Loosen the soil around the trunk.
2. Collect fallen apricots and leaves from the area.
3. Before flowering, apricots are irrigated with a 3% solution of copper sulfate (300 g per 10 liters of water).

Brown spot affects leaf blades and fruits. On the leaves you can notice red-brown spots, which in a short time grow and cover their entire area. As a result of the influence of fungal spores, the leaf blades crumble and transmit the infection to the soil. The fruits become deformed and fall off the branches before ripeness. You need to fight brown spot with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture (100 g per 10 liters of water), which is used to treat the soil and tree.

An invasion of leaf rollers and scale insects is dangerous for a fruit tree. The leaf roller is a small insect (3 mm). The pest feeds on sap from leaves, flowers and annual shoots. On the tree you can notice the appearance of curled leaves in which the leaf roller lays its offspring.

Fighting the leaf roller:

1. Removing damaged leaves.
2. Irrigation with soap solution (300 g per 10 liters of water).
3. Treatment with Karbofos (90 g per 10 liters of water).

The comma scale insect is an insect about 4 mm in length. You can notice the insect on the bark of the tree whose sap it feeds on. The characteristic features of the insect are its brown color and an oval body in a carapace in the form of a shield. Due to the impact of the scale insect, the plant dries out, its bark may crack, which will lead to the formation of gum. To get rid of scale insects, use the drug “Fufanon” (2 g per 2 liters of water).

To prevent diseases and pest invasions, preventive measures are carried out annually, which include the following:

• deep soil cultivation;
• collection of plant residues from the site;
• weed removal;
• seasonal whitewashing of the trunk;
• treating wood in the spring with a solution of 1% copper sulfate (100 g per 10 liters of water).

Preparing for winter

Preparations for winter are carried out 3–4 weeks before stable low temperatures are established. The area is cleared of fallen leaves and fruits, all plant remains of weeds and other crops grown near the tree are removed. Sanitary pruning is carried out, after which all cuts must be treated with garden varnish. To protect the plant from severe frost and pests that settle in the bark, the trunk is whitened with lime.

Read more about how to insulate apricot trees for the winter.

If the autumn is not rainy, do the last watering and mulch the soil near the trunk with a mixture of peat and sawdust, which will not only create ideal moisture for a long period, but will also provide excellent protection from the cold. In winter, the tree can be damaged by rodents, so its trunk at the bottom is wrapped with roofing felt or other dense material. Installing a chain-link mesh around the tree will help in the fight against mice and hares.

Diseases and pests

Reviews and descriptions of the apricot variety Snegirek (there is a photo in the article) note the tree’s weak immunity to diseases such as moniliosis, cytosporosis, fusarium, rot, and leaf curl. To prevent pathologies from affecting the bark, foliage and fruits, it is necessary to carry out proactive treatments with copper-containing preparations. Particular attention should be paid to treatments after rainy weather.

How to prevent diseases from appearing on a tree? The fungal pathology moniliosis appears on the tree after a sharp drop in temperature. Fungi multiply dramatically, turning flowers, leaves, twigs into something similar to a burn. To prevent this from happening, you need to treat it with Bordeaux mixture or Horus in early spring after flowering. If the fungus does infect the tree, you need to remove the infected branches and fruits. Be sure to whiten the wood with a mixture of copper sulfate.

If it is noticed that the tops of the shoots have begun to turn brown, the leaves have withered, and spots have appeared on the bark of the tree, these are signs of cytosporosis. First, you need to anoint all wounds with garden varnish, and the next step is to treat them with the antifungal drug “Hom”.

To prevent ticks and sawflies from parasitizing the tree, you need to remove and burn the weeds. Spraying with insecticides gives good results.

If the tree is not deprived of regular watering, fertilizing and protection from unfavorable environmental conditions and pests, it will definitely appreciate taking care of itself and bring an excellent harvest.

Harvest and storage

It is necessary to harvest the crop as it ripens if it is to be consumed immediately. And 5 days before full ripeness, if it needs to be stored for a long time, for transportation, or for sale. The collection takes place approximately from the 15th of August and can last for 7–10 days. Each fruit that will be stored unripe must be wrapped in paper and placed in a wooden box. Typically, installation is done in 2-3 layers.

We recommend that you familiarize yourself with the beneficial and harmful properties of apricot.

Such apricots must ripen, so they are placed in a warm room that is well ventilated. After 5–7 days, the fruit will reach full maturity and will be suitable for consumption. For long-term storage, apricots are placed in wooden boxes and covered with paper on top. Fruits are stored in the basement at a temperature of +10°C for 4 weeks.

The Snegiryok apricot tree is a winter-hardy variety, which makes it attractive to gardeners living in regions with harsh climates. Due to the low growth of the tree, it is easy to care for and collect fruits.

Reviews

Tatyana, Moscow region

“The Snegirek apricot has already bloomed for the 3rd year. As a result, I collected 4 kg of fruit, although the plant was attacked by aphids and ants. I concluded that the best apricot variety for the Moscow region is Snegirek.”

Svetlana, Novosibirsk region

I planted 2 Snegirek apricot seedlings. For the winter they were covered with burlap. After 5 years, the trees began to bear fruit. I really liked the apricots, they are sweet and aromatic.

Natalia, Ekaterinburg

I bought an apricot seedling Snegirek in the gardens of the Urals and planted it. Now, after 5 years, I have begun to harvest. I don’t really like that the fruits are small.