Apricot variety Lel (17 photos): description, planting, care, pollinators, characteristics and reviews from gardeners

Description of the variety and its characteristics

Apricot Lel (a description of the variety and photos are presented in the article for informational purposes) is not a spreading tree, the height of which is about 3 m. Externally, the crop looks like a mushroom, so it is easier for agronomists to harvest and take care of the plant.

The foliage is medium-sized, ellipsoidal in shape, with jagged edges. The surface of the plate is smooth, there is a short light fluff under the bottom. With the onset of the autumn season, when the tree prepares for hibernation, the green tint of the foliage turns red.

Apricot Lel. Photo

Pinkish flowers, the diameter of which reaches 3 cm, have a pleasant, delicate scent. The mass of one apricot is 20 g. It is flattened on both sides and covered with a thin, smooth skin. The fruits are characterized by a pleasant taste, bright apricot aroma and delicate pulp. Inside there is a large bone that is not fixed to the pulp.

The variety is suitable for cultivation in the central regions of the country. With high-quality shelter, the tree can be cultivated in the northern regions.

The fruit tree likes warmth, and it can easily withstand prolonged drought and frost. Young seedlings with high-quality protective cover will be able to withstand temperatures down to -30 ℃. They are also able to cope with return frosts down to -3 ℃. Thanks to this, the variety can be cultivated in Siberia and receive a harvest every year.

The variety is self-fertile because the flowers consist of a pistil with a stamen, which is covered with pollen. Thanks to this, the tree is able to pollinate itself. The crop also has inflorescences that require cross-pollination. To get the maximum yield, you need to plant 3 fruit trees.

For the Lel variety, the Aquarius or Alyosha variety will be a good pollinator

Excellent pollinators for the Lel variety are the Alyosha and Aquarius varieties. If there is no area large enough to accommodate several such trees, it is permissible to plant one, but the yield will be small. Pollination by bumblebees and bees does not affect the number of fruits, because at the flowering stage these insects are not yet very active.

The variety is considered early ripening. The growing season is very fast, but during the flowering stage frosts occur quite rarely. Thanks to this, gardeners can harvest a large volume of crops every year. Regarding the climatic characteristics of the cultivation region, the ripening period for apricots falls in mid-July.

The first harvest can be harvested after 4 years from the date of grafting or transplantation to a permanent site. The fruits can be set on single inflorescences and on flowers that are collected in a bouquet.

Characteristics of the fruit:

• the pulp is compacted, with a pronounced shade and aroma;
• suitable for creating purees for small children because they contain many nutritional elements;
• They are universal, so they can be eaten fresh, dried, or used for making compote and jam.

The variety has average resistance to cluster blight. It is rarely attacked by aphids. Due to the fact that the immune system to many infections is average, plant cultivation will be successful if it is regularly treated with appropriate means.

Characteristics

Before purchasing seedlings of the Lel variety, gardeners are advised to familiarize themselves with the main features of this species: frost resistance, resistance to diseases and pests, and other equally important indicators.

Drought resistance, frost resistance

Apricot Lel showed an excellent level of winter hardiness. In spring, when temperatures drop at night (down to -3 °C), the plant does not need additional shelter. Such temperature changes will not affect the yield in any way. In winter, during the dormant period, the plant can withstand frosts down to -30 ° C (with proper autumn preparation). It is thanks to this feature that this crop is recommended to be grown in areas with cold winters.

It is worth noting that Lel apricot is not afraid of long dry periods.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

When choosing a variety of apricot tree, it is necessary to take into account their positive and negative qualities.

The following characteristics are considered to be the advantages of the Lel variety:

• compactness and excellent keeping quality;
• excellent taste;
• early period of ripening;
• good resistance to frost.

Among the disadvantages, the following parameters stand out:

• large bone;
• small fruits;
• average yield.

Landing Features

Apricot Lel (a description of the variety and photos are given to explain the characteristics of planting a tree) in the form of seedlings is planted only after sap flow.

In the central part of the country, this time begins in mid-April. At night the temperature should not be below +10 °C. It is the fulfillment of these conditions that will influence the formation of a strong root system by the beginning of the winter period.

You can replant in the autumn season. To do this, you need to choose the right time, which will guarantee the presence of 2 months of warm weather before the arrival of cold weather. If you are late with planting, it can destroy the plant.

Due to the fact that apricot prefers warmth, the crop is planted in a lighted area, which is carefully protected from drafts. The soil cover should be airy, with pre-prepared drainage.

The planting algorithm is described in the following steps:

1. Prepare a hole 70 cm deep 7 days before transplanting the crop.
2. Make high-quality drainage and enrich the soil cover with humus and ash.
3. View the root system and trim off any deformed shoots.
4. Immediately before placing in the hole, dip the roots of the plant in a clay solution and wait for it to dry.
5. Drive a peg into the mound at the bottom of the hole at least 20 cm above the seedling.
6. Place the seedling in the hole and straighten the root system.
7. Sprinkle the tree with substrate, compact it, and pour in a significant amount of liquid.
8. When the water is absorbed, mulch around the trunk.
9. For 2 days, protect the seedling from sunlight by installing a screen.

Planting apricot variety Lel

Regardless of the variety, when planting apricots, take into account the need of this crop for lighting and protection from sharp gusts of cold wind. Ideal are southern slopes or areas protected on the northern side by buildings, but no closer than 4–5 meters, so that snow does not accumulate and there is no stagnation of water. Apricots are planted at intervals of 4 meters in a row and 6 meters between rows, since the apricot crown grows quite wide, and these trees require intense lighting.

A few general recommendations for preparing the planting hole:

• The worse the soil, the wider the hole should be. For areas where weeds have grown heavily, it is recommended to make it wide - a diameter of 100 cm with a depth of 40–50 cm.
• First, the turf is removed.
• Dig out a layer of fertile soil and separate it.
• Next, a layer containing clay is selected and removed from the site.
• River sand is added to the soil mixture for planting in a ratio of 2:1.
• Apricots grow well on well-drained, light soils and, like all stone fruits, they respond gratefully to the addition of calcium, so large crushed limestone is poured into the bottom of the pit.

Apricot planting scheme

Along with the top layer of soil, it is recommended to lay your own turf on the drainage, only with the roots up. This will allow earthworms and microorganisms living in this layer to quickly spread throughout the soil, and plant residues, when overheated, will provide the seedlings with organic fertilizers.

Trees with an open root system are recommended to be planted in spring or early autumn. When purchasing containerized seedlings, the timing of planting is not so important, since the soil ball remains intact when the plant is planted, and it is subject to less stress.

When planting, it is important not to bury the root collar of the tree.

You need to choose the right level of planting seedlings to get a strong and healthy tree

Sequence of actions when planting an apricot seedling:

1. Dig a hole 80–100 cm wide and 40–60 cm deep.
2. Pour crushed limestone.
3. Add soil to it and compact it (you can also put turf here with the roots up).
4. Place the seedling so that the root collar rises 5–7 cm above the soil.
5. Sprinkle the soil mixture around the trunk and tamp down well.
6. Water.
7. Cover with mulch of humus or freshly cut grass.

Experienced gardeners do not recommend forming a watering hole, as this can lead to stagnation of water or accumulation of snow with subsequent stagnation, which will cause the bark to become heated.

Another important issue is the attitude towards fertilizers. Some successful people add mineral fertilizers to the soil mixture when planting apricots, others prefer to add rotted horse manure, and there are those who believe that apricots need their own fertile layer with the addition of river sand to improve the mechanical properties of the soil. Apricot is not very picky about soil composition. For him, warmth, lighting and quality drainage are more important. If desired, you can apply fertilizer in the spring to avoid intensive growth of young shoots before winter frosts.

Video: apricots in central Russia

Features of cultivation and subtleties of care

Apricot variety Lel requires standard care. Therefore, any novice gardener can do this. Below you can find a description and photo of the features of cultivation and care.

Watering

The Lel variety is moisture-loving, but reacts negatively to excess liquid. The plant is drought-resistant; therefore, irrigation can be skipped rather than allowing the soil layer to become waterlogged. However, a prolonged lack of moisture affects the fruits, which will subsequently dry out, become smaller and crumble.

It is not advisable to water the liquid under the trunk ; this should be done by uniform sprinkling over the entire area near the trunk. In the absence of the technical possibility of sprinkling irrigation, it is permissible to pour the liquid into pre-made circular ditches up to 20 cm deep.

The first of them should be at a distance of 50 cm from the trunk, and the next 3 are made at intervals of 30 cm.

Depending on the weather, the irrigation interval must be adjusted. Checking whether there is a need for watering or not is quite simple. To do this, in the area around the trunk circle, you should dig a hole up to 40 cm deep, take the substrate in your palm and squeeze it. If the lump does not crumble, it means that the soil cover is sufficiently moist and there is no need to water.

It is mandatory to irrigate the substrate during flowering and the formation of fruit ovaries. This period is within 1 month before the fruit ripens. When the last watering is carried out, moisture will need to be reduced to the required minimum.

Otherwise, the fruits will begin to crack, the flesh will become watery, and the taste will lose its richness. In mid-October, subject to stable and warm weather, it is necessary to carry out moisture-charging irrigation so that the tree can be well prepared for the winter season. For 1 copy you will need up to 80 liters of liquid.

Feeding scheme

The composition of the fertilizer is selected based on the age of the plant, as well as seasonal conditions. Every spring, the crop must be fertilized with nitrogen-containing urea-based compounds in the amount of 40 g per m2 of the circle around the trunk.

Apricot Lel - feeding

The soil layer should be fertilized with rotted compost or other organic matter once every 2 years in the amount of 6 kg per 1 m2. Natural fertilizers give maximum effect if they are applied during the fruiting period. In the absence of organic fertilizers, they can be replaced with preparations consisting of vermicompost.

Foliar feeding is recommended to be done in the summer at the rate of 5 liters of nutritional composition per 1 tree. The composition of these preparations should be filled with boric acid, manganese sulfate and iron.

When the first signs of homosis or cracking of seeds appear in the soil cover, it is necessary to add lime in the amount of 500 g per 1 m2 of substrate.

After 30 days of fruiting, to restore the tree’s strength, a fertilizer based on phosphorus with potassium, 50 g of superphosphate and 30 g of potassium sulfate should be added. All this can be replaced with wood ash in the absence of the above components.

Pruning and crown formation

After transplanting the seedling, it is necessary to perform pruning. For these purposes, strong shoots are selected that look in different directions. The angle of departure of the branches from the trunk to create a compact crown is an angle of 50°.

Apricot pruning diagram

The side shoots will need to be shortened by the spring bud so that they become 1/3 smaller from the central conductor. To prevent the crown from thickening in the following seasons, it is necessary to maintain its tiering.

During the pruning process, the following components of the apricot are removed:

• branches crossed among themselves;
• shoots looking into the trunk or inside the crown;
• shoots oriented down to the ground;
• weakened and thickening branches, as well as basal shoots.

Due to its slow growth, the Lel variety does not require close attention. In order for the tree to overwinter better, it is advisable to perform formative pruning in the summer season, leaving only powerful shoots up to 50 cm long. The remaining ones should be cut into rings.

In August, you should select a strong young shoot, bend it in a well-lit direction and fix it in this place, tying it with twine. The branch should be left in this position until next year.

Care

To please the columnar apricot with juicy fruits, timely planting alone is not enough. The tree needs to be constantly taken care of.

Care includes:

• feeding;
• watering;
• preventive treatment;
• pruning;
• preparation for winter.

Fertilizers are applied every month, starting in spring and ending in autumn. Chicken manure is suitable as organic matter; 1 kg of the substance is taken in 3 buckets of water. Apricot needs potassium, phosphorus, and nitrogen. The crop tolerates drought normally, but dies when moisture stagnates. The tree should be watered no more than once every 2 weeks, unless, of course, there is extreme heat, a sprinkler system is best. If it is absent, add up to 5 buckets of water under the apricot.

Before cold weather, they also begin to abundantly moisten the soil in the tree trunk circle.

The soil must be loosened carefully so as not to touch the roots located close to the surface. Columnar apricot is treated with copper sulfate in early spring and after the ovary has formed.

The tree trunk is wrapped with dense material to prevent it from being chewed by hares, and the ground under the plant is mulched with a thick layer of hay, sawdust, and humus.

Trimming

After the crown is formed, and this must be done, otherwise the tree will bear fruit poorly, every year the shoots are shortened so that their length does not exceed 20 cm, and no less than 3 buds remain on each. Be sure to remove dried branches and those on which the ovary no longer forms. Pruning of columnar apricot is carried out in both March and October.

Disease Control

Stone fruit plants are affected by fruit rot, which occurs when the ascomycete fungus multiplies. Flowers fall off the tree, the ovary fades, branches and leaves dry out. Columnar apricots also suffer from moniliosis, and the crop suffers from hole spotting, which is facilitated by rainy and damp weather.

Spraying plants with a solution of copper sulfate, Bordeaux mixture, removing dried stems, mummified fruits, blackened leaves, damaged bark, and digging up tree trunk circles helps prevent the activation of fungi. Treatment of trees is carried out in early spring, when the buds have not yet awakened, and is repeated after the formation of the ovary.

Wounds and cracks that appear on shoots and trunks are cleaned, capturing a couple of centimeters of healthy wood. After this, the damaged area is disinfected with copper sulfate, potassium permanganate solution or Fundazol, and covered with Rannet paste or garden pitch. In order for apricots to develop better and get sick less, it is necessary to plant varieties that are adapted to certain climate conditions.

Apricot pollinators

The Lel variety is self-pollinating, therefore it is able to bear fruit without the presence of auxiliary pollinating varieties. However, with close cultivation of apricot trees that bloom at the same time as the Lel variety, its productivity increases significantly.

The following pollinators are suitable for the middle zone:

• Iceberg;
• Alyosha;
• Aquarius;
• Countess.

Despite the fact that the Countess and Aquarius varieties are considered mid-season, their flowering stages begin in the middle of the flowering period of the Lel variety. In this regard, such a neighborhood can produce additional ovaries.

Apricots with a medium ripening period

Apricots with an average ripening period differ from early varieties in that they have greater resistance to unstable temperatures and tolerate the lack of moisture well. The fruits of these trees can be taken for making dried fruits, canning and making desserts. Which varieties can be called mid-season, we will consider their characteristics below.

Apricot variety Pineapple photo

The variety has good yield. It begins to bear fruit at the age of 5 years and the yield increases every year. When your garden is 15 years old, you can get up to 155 kilograms of fruit from one tree.

Trees of this variety have good immunity to diseases of fruit crops and relative resistance to frost.

Apricots of this variety have a pleasant aroma, sweet taste and thick skin. Suitable for preparing dried fruits, canning, selling and eating as dessert.

Apricot variety Shalah photo

The tree begins to bear fruit in the 4th year of life and grows high. The average lifespan of one tree is about 65 years. Thus, by choosing the Shalah variety, you can grow an orchard for several generations.

Each fruit weighs around 53 grams. The harvest is rich every year. This apricot variety is grown because it is not very picky about weather conditions and soil type. There is also no serious system for caring for fruit trees.

Trees should be protected from too low temperatures. At a frost of -19 degrees, apricots can freeze very much. At the same time, the buds and flowers of the crop tolerate frost well.

And if at the slightest frost the inflorescences of other varieties die off, then Shalah will give you a harvest. Trees are resistant to diseases. It is profitable to grow fruit crops in the middle zone of the country.

Apricot variety Russian photo

The variety begins to bear fruit 5 years after planting or grafting. The fruits grow large, the average weight of one apricot is around 112 grams. The peel is dense, the color is uniform yellow.

The variety survives frosts normally and practically does not get sick. The fruit crop is perfect for growing in almost any region of the country. The trees do not grow tall, but have a spreading crown.

The harvest can be harvested as it ripens, around the end of July.

Apricot variety Saratov ruby ​​photo

Apricot is suitable for growing in the northern regions of the country and throughout its territory. It calmly tolerates frost of -40 degrees and can bear fruit after that.

It is practically not exposed to diseases, but high-quality and timely care is extremely desirable. There is always a lot of harvest. Each fruit weighs around 40 grams. The largest fruits on the tree have an average weight of up to 51 grams.

The color is uniform with a ruby ​​blush, which sometimes occupies up to 90% of the fruit area. The skin is dense, the flesh is tasty. Apricots are good for sale; they can survive transportation and not leak juice.

If you make compote or make dried fruits from apricots, they will retain their color. In general, the variety is profitable to grow and can bring good profits.

Apricot variety Royal photo

From one tree you can get up to 156 kilograms of fruit, depending on its age. The culture is not afraid of frosts and diseases. But despite this, at a temperature of -20 degrees it can freeze.

The tree begins to bear fruit a couple of years after grafting, and the harvest is rich. Each fruit weighs around 44 grams, has a dense peel and sweet pulp. Apricots are suitable both for private purposes and for growing for sale.

Apricot variety Triumph northern photo

The trees survive frosts well and are practically not susceptible to diseases. The variety bears fruit 5 years after grafting. There is a chance that after a couple of years of life it will become self-fertile.

The average weight of one fruit is around 55 grams. The pulp is sweet, soft and has a characteristic apricot aroma. The fruits are suitable for transportation, sale and canning.

Apricots can be eaten fresh, but they make jam and kaisa especially tasty. Apricots ripen in mid-summer. Growing this variety is not difficult; if you give it time, it will delight you with a rich harvest.

Preparing for winter

Apricot Lel (the variety description and photo will tell you how to prepare the plant for the winter season) when cultivated in the south, it is permissible not to cover it with a protective shelter, because it can cope with winter frosts on its own. For the northern and central zones, such measures must be carried out.

Apricot Lel - preparation for winter

With the onset of the autumn season, it is necessary to completely collect all fallen leaves so that they do not contain sources of diseases and larvae of dangerous insects. It is also necessary to carry out sanitary pruning of the crown and dig up the soil cover around the trunk.

Before covering a tree with agrofibre, it is necessary to strip the bark and whiten the trunk along with the base of the skeletal branches. It is advisable to form a small mulch mound closer to the base of the trunk.

Snow can provide additional protection, so the highest snowdrift is raked to the trunk, which is periodically added as it settles. When covering with snow, it is necessary to control so that crust does not form. To do this, it is well broken to ensure good air circulation.

Self-fertility is a gift of nature to northerners

Few fruit trees have the ability to self-pollinate. It is imperative to have two varieties in order for an ovary to form in apple trees, pears, and some varieties of apricots. You can find out whether the Lel apricot is self-fertile or not by looking at the structure of the flower. If a flower has stamens with pollen and an ovule - a pistil, then self-pollination is possible. These are the flowers that are present on apricots, but not all of them. Some require cross pollination. Therefore, the harvest will be greater if more than one tree grows on the site. Even better if there is a pollinator, such as Aquarius.

Self-fertility is one of the methods of procreation. Apricots bloom early, there are no or few pollinating insects yet. So nature gave us the opportunity for self-pollination. By the way, to preserve the species, not all seeds from the batch will germinate in the first spring; dormant ones will remain, as a reserve in case the seedlings die due to bad weather. They will rise in the coming years.

Treatment against diseases and pests

Apricot Lel (the description of the variety and photos will tell you what means can be used to treat the crop against infections and parasites) can easily resist clasterosporiosis. Occasionally it is affected by aphids due to the large amount of potassium in the tissues. The plant is less likely to suffer from various diseases and insects if it is properly cared for.

Very often, apricots are attacked by the following pests:

Diseases dangerous to apricot are listed in the following list:

• Brown spot. The foliage becomes covered with small yellow spots, which eventually turn brown and increase in size. The fruits are deformed and then fall off.
• Verticillium. The foliage turns yellow and falls off almost completely in mid-July. Only a small part of the green remains at the top of the tree.
• Leaf curl. It is one of the most dangerous fungal infections. The tree is deprived of its harvest and the previous indicators are not restored. The foliage becomes covered with bulges and then becomes deformed. Affected tissues change color from orange-yellow to grayish and reddish. Leaves and shoots fall and die.
• Monilial burn. Purple spots appear, after which the fruits dry, but remain hanging on the branches. The inflorescences turn gray and begin to rot. In particularly severe cases, shoots may be affected. The bark cracks and gum begins to seep out.

• Scab. The disease spreads due to high humidity. The leaves of the tree become covered with dark green spots, which eventually turn grayish-brown. Afterwards, the fungus moves onto the fruits, changes their color from yellowish-gray to brick, and cracks appear on the surface.
• Gray rot. Dark brown spots resembling mold appear on the fruits in a short time.
• Fusarium. The fungus forms during the hot period and at the flowering stage. Grayish depressed spots appear on the foliage and fruits, the pulp dries and becomes dust.

For treatment, it is necessary to use fungicides and chemicals according to the instructions indicated on the package.

Harvesting and storage

Apricots do not ripen after harvest, so fruits used for personal consumption are allowed time to ripen on the branches. The harvest is harvested exclusively by hand, carefully separating it from the stalk.

In the refrigerator, fresh fruits are stored unchanged for 2-3 weeks in sealed bags. At room temperature, fruits do not lose freshness for up to three days.

If the fruit is wrapped in parchment and placed in a wooden box placed in a cool place with 50 percent humidity, the fruit will retain its original appearance and taste for up to three weeks. Apricots, cut into two parts with the pit removed, can be stored frozen for up to 8 months. The disadvantage of this method is that when defrosted, the pulp loses its elasticity and is only suitable for adding to baked goods.

Tips and tricks for growing

Tips and tricks for growing:

• In mid-July, the harvest can be harvested, but due to climatic conditions, this period may begin in August.

Apricot Lel can be harvested already in mid-July

• The variety does not ripen quickly, so the crop is harvested in several stages. The duration of cleaning can last approximately 40 days.
• Apricots are recommended to be stored fresh in the cellar or refrigerator compartment. The temperature should be no more than +1 ℃, humidity – 90%. The shelf life of the fruit is 14 days with preservation of taste.

Apricot variety Lel is an excellent choice for the middle zone and Moscow region. According to the description and photo, it is unpretentious in care and is capable of producing a high volume of harvest annually. Despite the presence of some minor negative qualities, they are completely offset by its advantages.

Reviews from gardeners

On various forums you can find many flattering reviews about this variety. Here are a few of them (click on review to enlarge):

The Lel variety is one of the best types of apricots for growing in the difficult climatic conditions of the middle zone. The plant is not afraid of frost or drought. To reap a good harvest, you only need to follow the rules of planting and care. The main disadvantage of this species is the small size of the fruits. But this minus is offset by good taste characteristics.