Manchurian Apricot: description and characteristics of the variety, yield with photo

Thanks to the Manchurian variety, gardeners and landscape decorators have the opportunity to create a hedge that separates the garden plot from natural reservoirs. The powerful root system of the Manchurian apricot is not only not afraid of a large amount of water, it is able to strengthen the coastline. The hardy variety is the rootstock of many northern apricot varieties.

Variety description

Despite all the advantages of Manchurian, I would like to start the description of the variety with its decorative qualities. During flowering, the tree looks more like a sakura than a traditional apricot, which was the goal of the breeders.The crown resembles a white-pink ball, consisting of inflorescences of large white-pink buds (up to 2.5 cm in diameter). During the fruiting period, the color of the tree appears yellow due to the large number of fruits, and in autumn it becomes crimson. Reddened leaves (5-12 cm in size) stay on the branches until late autumn.

Inconvenient for the gardener is a tall dark brown tree trunk, reaching 15 meters in height, which is not typical for varietal fruit trees. The trunk of an adult plant is 50 cm in diameter, the bark on it is similar in characteristics to a cork tree, deep cracks are not a disease, but a feature of the species. The endurance and strength of the root system, which extends several meters underground, suggests landing away from buildings.

The Manchurian Apricot can live for more than a hundred years, all this time the root system will develop and strengthen, capable of destroying the concrete foundation.

Attention! Apricots do not tolerate neighborhood with currant and raspberry bushes. All other plants cannot grow next to a giant that depletes, dehydrates the earth.

Despite such features of the root system, when transplanting, the seedling of the Manchurian apricot is deepened so that the root collar rises 2-3 cm above the ground.

Fruits:

oval shape;
slightly flattened laterally;
length 4-5cm;
weight 20g;
color light orange;
velvety skin.

The tree bears fruit abundantly, but the taste of its fruits is called specific. Sweet and sour fruits are great for eating raw and for preparing winter preparations - compotes, jams, marmalades, preserves.

History of selection

Work on improving the Manchurian variety has been going on for a long time in the Chinese branch of the research center of the Russian Federation. The main task of scientists was to create an ornamental apricot with signs of Japanese sakura for central Russia. The goal was achieved, as evidenced by the entry of the plant into the state register in 2005. Fruiting was not a priority.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

Unpretentiousness, ease of care, high decorative characteristics, powerful root system - the undeniable advantages of the variety. As a rootstock, Manchurian apricot is used to improve the quality of other varieties of winter-hardy apricots. The disadvantages can be considered the height of the tree, which complicates the harvesting and pruning of the crown. A bitter taste reduces the tasting characteristics of the fruit.

Features

The characteristics of the Manchurian variety, which served Ivan Vladimirovich Michurin as a stock for his experiments, differ significantly from those of the plant of the same name, adapted for temperate climates.

Drought resistance, winter hardiness

Manchurian apricot, due to the peculiarities of the bark, easily tolerates frosts down to -30 °C. To drought, an adult plant is more resistant than a young one. Every year, the roots go deeper into the soil, where they are able to independently extract the moisture needed by a large plant. Young trees during the dry season need to be systematically watered.

Pollination, flowering period and ripening period

Exuberant flowering continues for 12 days. In some regions, it begins in early April. In the more northern, this moment comes after the snow melts. Flowers with their honey aroma attract bees and wasps. They are the pollinators of the Manchurian apricot.

Productivity, fruiting

Already in early June, an apricot tree of this variety pleases gardeners with ripe, but medium-sized fruits. The number of fruits is directly proportional to the size of the crown, the branches of which are strewn. Despite the fact that the fruit is not large, the harvest from a mature tree can be generously shared with neighbors.

A gardener from the Moscow region shared his achievement by removing 25 10-liter buckets of apricots from one adult tree. Seedlings begin to bear fruit in the 5th year after planting on the site.

Resistant to diseases and pests

Immunity to viral, fungal infections in winter-hardy varieties of apricots is quite high. Its main enemies are insects, the fight against them does not require much effort, but the sprayer should always be at hand:

Spider mites are afraid of insecticides - Regent, Taboo.
Cherry Elephant doesn't like potassium permanganate solution.
Copper-containing preparations are used against aphids.

Verticellosis is terrible for all apricot trees, a soapy solution helps against it, spotting is treated with Hom.

Features of planting and care

Manchurian apricot needs fertile soil to grow, but it does not matter at all whether the food source is silt, sandy loam or rocky soil. Planting for plants of this species is preferable in the spring, then a seedling grown in greenhouse conditions or in another region will have time to adapt to the climatic conditions of the area.

Standard Annual Care:

With a long absence of rain in the summer, the tree must be abundantly watered with water warmed by the sun.
Mulch will help to keep moisture in the soil at the roots - cut grass, straw, hay.
Twice a year root feeding.
Loosening the soil within a radius of 2-2.5 meters from the trunk.
In spring and autumn, damaged, old and fast-growing branches are removed, taking away the plant's strength for fruiting.
Places of cuts are processed with garden pitch.
Bole whitewashing is also done in autumn and spring.

Attention! When planting seedlings near water, it is necessary to create a drainage layer of 20 cm of crushed stone.

Every gardener carries out the same care measures with apple trees, pears, cherries, plums and other fruit trees. It may seem difficult only to a novice gardener. Over time, this becomes natural and inevitable. Compliance with the processing time from pests, fungus, infectious diseases is the key to the he alth of the tree and a high yield.