Red-cheeked apricot is an old and proven variety that gardeners love for a successful combination of taste and beauty of the fruit. The variety became the ancestor of many modern hybrids that can grow in more severe conditions than their "progenitor". We learn about the features of planting and growing "red-cheeked" apricots.
Apricot variety "Red-cheeked"
Variety "Krasnoshchekiy" is popular because of its high consumer qualities
apricot "Krasnoshchekiy" - a southern, thermophilic variety
How did the Red-Cheeked Apricot come about?
Accurate information about the origin of the variety has not been preserved. It is only known that the first apricots with characteristic red dots merging into a “blush” grew in Central Asia. “Migrating”, apricots with “rosy” fruits came to Armenia, and from there they spread to the southern regions of Russia.
Crimean breeders managed to fix a characteristic feature - red spotted spotting. After breeding work carried out in the Nikitsky Botanical Garden (Crimea), the Krasnoshcheky variety was officially introduced into the State Register in 1947.
Description of the tree and fruits
An experienced gardener can easily distinguish Krasnoshchekiy according to the characteristics characteristic of this variety:
- Wood. Powerful tall, reaching a height of 12 m. The crown is sparse, sprawling. The branches are long.
- Fruit. Red-cheeked apricot is easily recognizable by its beautiful orange-red fruits. The shape of the fruit is round, ovoid. There is a deep abdominal suture. Fruits are covered with velvety skin, thin but dense. The color is golden orange. The surface is covered with red dots, sometimes merging into spots. Weight - 40-65 g. The seeds are large, well detachable from the pulp, their weight is 6.5% by weight of the fetus. Inside the bones are delicious nucleoli.
The fruits of Krasnoshchekoy are sweet and sour. Light orange pulp has a pleasant apricot aroma. Fruit Composition:
- sugar - 9.7%;
- dry matter - 13.7%;
- acids - 1.37%;
- ascorbic acid - 13.7 mg per 100 g.
Calorie content of apricot - 41-44 kcal per 100 g. The composition of fruits: proteins - 0.9 g, carbohydrates - 10.8 g, fats - 0.1 g.
Key Features of Red-Cheeked Apricot
Giving half a centner of fruits per year, the variety does not require special agricultural activities. The variety takes root without any problems and easily tolerates the lack of watering.
Krasnoshchek valued for excellent agrotechnical characteristics:
- Drought tolerance. With a powerful, well-developed root system, the tree extracts water from the depths, without the need for external moisture.
- Frost resistance. The variety is reliable only in those regions for which it is intended. Red-cheek can withstand frosts to minus 15-20 degrees without damage. But the shorter the periods of low temperatures, the better.
- Resistance to diseases and pests. Most of all, Red-cheek is afraid of fungal diseases, it can be affected by moniliosis, klyasterosporiosis and brown spotting. If the weather is unfavorable - moist, slightly sunny and cool, then the tree will inevitably become infected with some kind of fungus.
- Self-fertility. The variety does not need additional pollinating varieties. Only one apricot tree can be planted on the site, and it will fully bear fruit.
The main agrotechnical characteristics of Krasnoshcheky apricot:
Specifications | Parameters / Description |
Productivity | 70 kg per tree |
Ripening time | end of June |
Early maturity | high |
Pollination | self-fertile |
Frost resistance | average |
Immunity | middle |
Life span | 50-60 years |
Drought tolerance | high |
Pros and cons of the variety
Advantages due to which the Krasnoshcheky variety remains popular among gardeners:
- Prematurity - the tree gives the first crop in the third year after planting.
- Self-fertility - yields large yields in the absence of pollinators.
- It resists many diseases and pests. You do not have to spray a lot of wood.
- High yield. A large tree and an abundance of large fruits are an ideal combination for large crops.
- Resistance to extreme growing conditions. It tolerates low winter temperatures and summer drought.
- Excellent taste and marketability of the fruit. This is a good commercial grade.
- Universality of fruits - suitable for any purpose.
- Unpretentious and undemanding to soils.
- Decorativeness. The tree is powerful and beautiful. Especially during the flowering period, when it is decorated with numerous flowers, and during fruiting, when the branches are strewn with red-sided fruits.
Apricot blossom lasts about 10 days. The tree, covered with delicately fragrant flowers, attracts numerous honey plants.
Krasnoshchekoy has a few drawbacks:
- A tall tree is difficult to maintain - it is difficult to spray, harvest.
- It does not tolerate temperature extremes and freezing. Because of them, flower buds die. Freezing, it is very long and difficult to recover.
The most dangerous time for the Krasnoshcheky variety is the alternation of a spring thaw with frost.
Regions of growth and climate adaptation
In addition to Crimea, the North Caucasus and the southern Volga region are recognized as the most suitable regions for growing Krasnoshchekiy varieties. This apricot can also be found in the Krasnodar Territory and in the Rostov Region. The variety is actively grown in Belarus, Latvia, Ukraine.
In the southern regions, the thermophilic Krasnoshchekiy is ubiquitous. Today, thanks to new hybrids and good agricultural technology, red-sided apricots are slowly but surely moving further and further north.
Fruiting and Yield
Red-cheeked refers to mid-season varieties. Fruiting in it begins for 3-5 years, and depends on specific climatic conditions. In most regions of Russia, the fruits ripen in the range from mid-July to early August.
The annual crop, there are no breaks in fruiting. Except in cases with freezing of flower buds. Productive fruiting lasts 50-60 years.
Productivity varieties Krasnoshchekiy:
- From one tree - 60 kg. There are records of 80-90 kg. 50-60 kg is 10-15 buckets of apricots.
- From 1 ha - 65 centners, maximum - 180 centners.
Popular types of apricot varieties Krasnoshchekiy
After the official registration of Krasnoshchekoy, work began to improve its characteristics by creating hybrids. The work of breeders brought excellent results, on the basis of the popular variety many varieties were created, with new characteristics and capabilities.
Distinctive features of popular types of Krasnoshchekoy:
Name | Distinctive features |
Red-cheeked Nikitsky | It differs from the ancestor in the flattened shape of the fruit, more sweet and delicate pulp. |
Red-cheeked late | It ripens later than Krasnoshcheky - in late July-early August. |
Son of a red cheek | It has improved winter hardiness, better withstands temperature extremes. More Red-Cheek is suitable for the middle band. |
Red-Cheeked Salgirsky | It is characterized by increased yield and good technical properties of the fruit. |
Hardy | It tolerates harsh climate. Branches safely tolerate cold winters. The fruit has a flattened shape, and the skin is darker than that of the Red-cheeked. |
Russian | Stunted tree. Suitable for growing in the middle lane. Withstands severe frosts. |
Snegiryok | The most hardy species of Krasnoshchekoy. The tree is very compact - only 1.5 in height. Productivity - 10 kg per tree. The fruits are dense, stored for a long time. |
Landing rules
The entire fate of the tree depends on how accurate the actions of the gardener during planting will be. We learn how to prepare for planting a seedling and how to conduct it correctly.
Optimal timing
The exact landing dates depend on the climatic features of the region. Two landing options are practiced:
- Autumn. More suitable for the southern regions. Softer and later winters allow seedlings to take root safely and survive a difficult period without loss. About one and a half months should pass between landing and the onset of stable frosts.
- Spring. This option is suitable for regions with cold winters. They begin landing immediately as soon as the snow has melted, before the sap flow begins.
In the middle lane, as in the southern regions, apricot seedlings can be planted both in spring and autumn. If weather forecasters predict an early winter, it is better to postpone landing until spring.
Choosing the best place
Requirements for the site for planting apricot:
- Relief. Suitable plain or elevated. Lowlands with stagnant moisture are not suitable. It is advisable that the site be protected from strong winds. A wall, a high fence, a landing can serve as a barrier.
- Illumination. Apricot is photophilous, therefore, a sunny area is chosen for planting.
- Ground water level. Groundwater should not be closer than 2.5 m from the surface.
- The soil. Light loamy, loamy and weakly carbonate soils with a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction are suitable. The pH level is from 7 to 8. Soils with a high lime content are not suitable, but in excessively acidified, on the contrary, it should be added.
The main thing that apricot does not like:
- Shadow. Shortage of light negatively affects the growth and development of the tree, reduces its productivity.
- Moisture. Increased humidity is detrimental to the root system - it vypryvaet, and then the tree itself dies.
Cultural neighborhood
Apricot does not like neighbors. It is poorly affected by the proximity of any stone fruits. Apricots do not plant apples, plums, pears, cherries, cherries, nuts, rowan berries near the crops - they all act in an overwhelming way on the crop. Experienced gardeners recommend planting apricot seedlings to maintain a distance of 10 m to the nearest plantings.
In addition to fruit trees, apricot is also badly affected by berry bushes - raspberries and currants. Pests that parasitize these crops, passing on an apricot tree, weaken it, reduce productivity. The best option is to plant flowers or short vegetables near the apricot. But only those that have an underdeveloped root system - so that it does not damage the roots of the tree.
Selection and preparation of planting material
When buying a seedling, it is impossible to predict how strong and healthy it is, therefore, when choosing, you have to focus on external signs:
- Bark. On the trunk and branches there should be no damage, cracks, spots or other traces indicating the disease or weakness of the seedling.
- Roots. The root system is moderate, but strong. Saplings with weak and thin roots are not suitable - they will take root for a long time and with difficulty.
- Height. The best option is 70-80 cm.
- Age. It is advisable to purchase an annual seedling.
- Type of seedling. It is recommended that you buy a grafted seedling, not a seedling. Grafted seedlings are carriers of parental properties, and seedlings are often unpredictable - they can surpass parents in fruit quality and yield and can grow wild. Saplings of cultivated varieties do not have thorns, but there are stumps at the root - a place where the rootstock is cut off over an established kidney.
Gardeners with experience practice growing apricot seeds. Such trees not only are not inferior to ordinary seedlings, but also superior in yield.
The purchased seedling should not dry out the root system during transportation. To restore the seedling's ability to grow, its roots, one day or two before planting, are placed in water. Potassium permanganate (at the tip of a knife) or bio-fungicide can be added to it. The roots are trimmed with a sharp disinfected knife, removing damaged and dead tissue. Immediately before planting, the roots are lowered into a mash of clay and mullein.
Pit preparation
Pits for landing, regardless of the time of landing (fall / spring), are prepared in advance. This is necessary for shrinkage of the soil. If the seedling is planted in the fall, then the pit is prepared two weeks before planting, and if in the spring - then the soil and pits are prepared from the fall, in October or November.
Krasnoshchek has a powerful root system, so they dig a hole with a depth of at least 80 cm. The diameter is 50-60 cm. Drainage is made at the bottom of the hole to prevent stagnation of moisture near the roots. Expanded clay is most suitable for drainage, but pebbles, gravel, brick chips, clay shards can also be thrown.
Pit preparation procedure:
- Fertile layer - 15-20 cm laid aside.
- Mix fertile soil with humus / compost (1.5-2 buckets).
- Fertilizers are added to the soil mixture - nitrogen (30-40 g), phosphorus (60-70 g), potash (25-30 g). You can use complex fertilizer, for example, Azofosku or Nitrofosku (120-150 g). Adherents of natural fertilizers can add 3 liters of wood ash.
- The mixture is poured into the pit, filling it 2/3, then covering it with waterproof material.
Walkthrough for Landing
Step-by-step instructions for planting an apricot seedling:
- Open the landing pit by removing the waterproof coating. A little away from the center of the mound of soil mixes establish a support for the seedling. The peg should be about 20-30 cm higher than the tree.
- 30-40 liters of water are poured into the pit.
- Immerse the seedling, prepared for planting, on the knoll so that the roots are evenly located on it. There should not be protruding roots.
- The roots are thrown with a prepared substrate, gently tamping - so that there are no air gaps. For the same purpose, the tree is periodically shaken. When the pit is filled, the root neck should be 4-5 cm from the soil surface, not less. If the apricot is planted in a sandy substrate, the distance is reduced to 3-4 cm.
- Having rammed the soil, at a distance of 50 cm from the trunk, around the circumference, make a small earthen rampart - so that the water does not pour out.
- Water the seedling with 2-3 buckets of water.
- After half an hour, when the water is absorbed, the trunk circle is sprinkled with mulch. For this purpose, peat crumbs, fallen leaves, freshly cut grass or humus are suitable.
- The tree is neatly tied to a support.
- The side branches are cut off completely, the main conductor - 1/3.
Caring for a seedling and an adult tree
Caring for apricot Krasnoshchekoy changes as the tree grows. In the first years of life, the forces are aimed at maintaining the plant, it should be well established, form a crown, prepare for fruiting. An adult tree also needs support - top dressing, pruning and other activities on which the health and yield of the crop depend.
The first year of planting care
Features of apricot seedling care:
- Top dressing in the first two years is not needed - fertilizers laid in the landing pit will last for a long time.
- Watering a young tree 6 times a season - 3 buckets of water. As it grows, the frequency of watering decreases, and the volume of water grows.
- The soil in the trunk circle is regularly mulched. This is necessary to strengthen the root system of the seedling.
- Pruning is not done in the first year. Crohn's saplings Krasnoshchekoy formed independently.
- Regularly inspect the trunk for cracks. Upon detection, they cover up with garden var.
- If necessary, the tree is treated with Bordeaux liquid or copper sulphate.
If you water the apricot seedlings excessively, excess shoots are intensely growing in them, taking away the strength from the young tree.
Follow-up Care
The procedure for caring for an adult apricot:
- Watering. For irrigation, circular grooves are formed. The last ring in diameter coincides with the crown. Water the tree 2-3 times per season. The first time - during flowering, then at the end of May, and the last time in July - before the fruits ripen. In autumn, it is recommended to carry out water-charging irrigation, at the rate of 70-80 liters of water per tree.
It is impossible to overmoisten Red-Cheek - root rot may develop. If, after a long drought, water the tree abundantly, the fruits crack.It is forbidden to water the apricot by irrigation from a hose - a fungal infection is transmitted with drops of water. - Loosening and mulching. After irrigation, the earth is loosened to a depth of not more than 10 cm. Then, the trunk circle is mulched to preserve moisture.
- Top dressing. Apricot requires less fertilizer. They begin to feed the tree in the third year. Spend several top dressings per season:
- In the spring, every 2-3 years, humus or compost is scattered under a tree - 5-7 kg per 1 sq. m. Then the norm increases - a 10-year-old tree is given 12-15 kg of humus per 1 sq. km. m
- After adding organics, after 1-2 weeks, the tree is fed with mineral nitrogen-containing fertilizers - 10-15 g per 1 sq. m
- Before picking the fruit, the tree is fed twice more - after flowering, fresh cow dung, bird droppings with the addition of superphosphate and potassium sulfate (20-30 g per 1 sq. M) are added.
- A month before harvesting, complex fertilizer is applied according to the dosage specified in the instructions.
- Last feeding - after harvesting. Contribute phosphorus and potassium. Their natural source is wood ash. You can also make fertilizers without nitrogen.
- Apricot pruning. The optimal version of the crown is sparse-tier. Form 3-4 tiers of 5-6 branches. Between skeletal branches should be 30-40 cm. Tiers form over several years. Skeletal branches should not be located in relation to the trunk at an too acute angle. All branches pointing down are pruned.
To regulate the crop, cut off all excess branches located in the depths of the crown. The tree also needs regular sanitary pruning. All cut branches infected with diseases and pests are immediately destroyed. - Preparing for the winter. The trunk circle is mulched, the trunk is covered with spruce branches or wrapped in burlap.
Nitrogen fertilizers allow the tree to grow green mass, then it does not need nitrogen, even harmful. But apricot really needs phosphorus and potassium.
Diseases: treatment and prevention
Most apricot suffers from fungal diseases. It’s easier to prevent them than to treat them.
The main diseases of the red-cheeked apricot:
Disease | Symptoms | Fighting and Prevention |
Moniliosis | The leaves are dry, the fruits are affected. | Spray for prevention with Tsinebom or Kaptan. After 2 weeks, spraying is repeated, the last time - a month after harvesting. In the spring, treated with 3% Bordeaux liquid. |
Kleasterosporiosis | It affects all parts of the tree, but most of all the leaves - red-brown spots appear on them. Over time, holes form at the spots. The fruits also rot, the branches are affected. | The tree is cultivated 2 weeks before flowering by Horus, Skor. Also added to the solution for whitewashing vitriol (copper or iron) - 2-3 g per 1 liter. |
Fruit rot | The fruits have brown spots and a gray coating. | Spraying with copper. Treatment with Horus or Condor. |
When and how to harvest?
The fruits ripen in stages. In addition, when collecting take into account the goals for which they are harvesting:
- Drying - overripe, softened apricots are more suitable for it.
- For food - moderately ripe, not requiring ripening.
- For transportation over long distances - slightly ripened fruits, light yellow in color.
- For conservation - the fruits of any stage of ripeness are suitable.
An overview of the Krasnoshcheky apricot variety was provided by the gardener in his video below:
Fruit storage and transportation
"Red-cheeked" fruits tolerate transportation well. Fruits harvested in a state of technical ripeness, when creating favorable conditions, can be stored for up to 10 days.
Pests: eradication and prevention
Apricot Krasnoshchekoy attack various insects - aphids, Khrushchev, weevils, leafworms, moths and others. To prevent damage to the crop, it is important to timely preventive spraying.
The most dangerous pests of apricot Krasnoshchekoy:
Pest | What is striking? | Fighting and Prevention |
Aphid | It feeds on leaf juices. Shoots are deformed. | Preventive treatment in spring and autumn with insecticides. For destruction - sprayed with Actofit. |
Yellow sawfly | The butterfly lays eggs in buds and buds, the larvae eat them. | Processed a month before harvesting with Karbofos - up to 10 liters per tree (60 g per 10 liters of water). |
Moth | Caterpillars eat up the pulp of the fruit. | Spraying with malathion in time and in doses according to the instructions. |
Galitsa | Larvae eat away the kidneys. | Dig the soil, remove damaged kidneys. Spray the tree with Kemifos. |
Rodent (rats, mice, hares) | Damage to the bark. | A Storm preparation (3-4 briquettes) is placed near the trunk. Tie the trunk with thick paper. The barrel is whitened, coated with a mixture of mullein and clay. |
Reviews of the Red-Cheeked Apricot
Anton P., Tver Region Great apricot. You don’t have to do anything special - it grows and bears fruit. In the fifth year, I collected from him a bucket of apricots. It does not particularly suffer from pests - it is not necessary to spray with any chemistry. The fruits are very sweet, but not stored for a long time. Go for drying, jam, jam. They are always in demand in the market, as they are not only tasty, but also very attractive in appearance - the fruits are large, beautiful, with red spots.
Elena P., Krasnodar Territory. Our Krasnoshchekoy already more than 20 years. Starting from the 3rd year of life, he feeds us with sweet apricots. True, productivity is unstable - there are years when there are very few fruits. Tree care is minimal. Minus - branches are fragile, can break due to wind or the severity of the fruit.
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Apricot Krasnoshcheky not in vain tops the popularity ratings for many years. This variety is a real "apricot classic." It combines the qualities that are most valued in fruit trees - magnificent fruits, high yields and unpretentiousness in care.
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