Apricot Melitopol: description of early and late varieties, planting and care with photo

Even if the garden plot is located in a cold climate zone, it is necessary to plant an apricot tree. The plant will decorate the garden and delight with surprisingly tasty fruits. When choosing seedlings, you should pay attention to the Melitopol apricot variety. It is highly valued for its constant high yield and good winter hardiness. The fruits are suitable for transportation and long-term storage.

The history of the origin of the variety

In 1947, Ukrainian breeders in the city of Melitopol bred a new variety of apricot, which appeared due to the crossing of crops:

• Western European - Red-cheeked, which is self-fertile;
• Central Asian - Akhrori, which belongs to the self-fertile.

The new bred variety turned out to be self-fertile. Since 1980 recommended for cultivation in private and industrial gardens.

Variety description

There are two varieties of the variety:

• early;
• late.

Each variety has its own distinctive features. Early grade description:

• frost resistant;
• great tasting apricots;
• medium-sized fruits weighing 40 grams;
• fruit shape oval;
• crown thick;
• height up to 6 meters;
• tastes sweet;
• pulp juicy, no fibers, orange;
• stone is easily separated, this feature allows you to quickly process the crop;
• fruits are universal, suitable for canning and fresh consumption.

The disadvantages include poor transportability. Fruits are recommended to be removed from the tree and immediately processed. With a strong thickening of the crown, fruiting indicators deteriorate significantly.

Description of late apricot variety:

• is fast growing;
• wide oval crown;
• fruits from the 5th year;
• maximum fruit weight 60 grams;
• oval shape of apricots;
• pulp orange, sweet and sour;
• fruits are rich in vitamin C;
• suitable for canning;
• crop requires careful handling, with mechanical damage, the fruits quickly rot;
• has low temperature protection;
• disease resistant.

Melitopol apricot requires regular pruning, which will increase the yield.

Features

Key features:

• an adult tree of early ripening yields about 100 kilograms, late - 50 kilograms;
• both varieties have good frost resistance;
• have resistance to the most common apricot diseases;
• trees tolerate hot weather remarkably without regular watering;
• the variety belongs to centenarians, bears fruit for about 50 years.

The fruits grow in good quality and have sufficient transportability. Trees are resistant to sudden changes in temperature.

Features of cultivation

Before buying seedlings, you need to study the intricacies of planting and caring for the crop. Between plants maintain a distance of 3 meters.

Planting and care

It is best to plant seedlings in the spring. When landing, follow the recommendations:

• the landing pit is prepared in the spring, drainage is poured onto the bottom, which removes excess moisture from the roots, gravel, crushed stone, brick battle are suitable;
• spread nutrient soil with humus and fertilizer on top, use wood ash, superphosphate, s altpeter, lime as fertilizer;
• sapling roots are covered with prepared soil mixture;
• the plant is tied to a peg, which helps to fix the seedling in an upright position;
• filled with two buckets of water.

Care includes:

• crown formation;
• periodic watering;
• timely feeding;
• preventive spraying against pests and diseases.

Trees planted in a well-lit area will result in a more abundant harvest, fruits will ripen faster, and seedlings will take root better.

Cutting

In the last days of March or the first decade of April, pruning is done with simple garden pruners. To prevent the development of diseases, the cut is smeared with garden pitch; garden paint is also suitable for this purpose.

Disease and pest control

The variety is relatively disease resistant. Possible diseases:

• Moniliosis. Appears on plants growing on waterlogged soils and during heavy rains.
• Grey rot. To prevent sprayed with a solution of Bordeaux liquid, copper or iron sulfate. Also suitable drugs "Quadris" and "Horus".
• Clusterosporiasis. The affected parts are cut and burned. Wood is treated with Bordeaux liquid.

In the spring, against pests, traps are set on the trunk and the plant is treated with special preparations. To protect trees in winter from rodents, trunks are covered with spruce forest.

Crop storage

Unripe apricots, which are harvested from the tree, are suitable for long-term storage. To increase the keeping quality of fruits, each fruit is wrapped in paper. Store in a dry basement for about two months.

For transportation, ripe, hard fruits are removed, which are placed in a box in a maximum of two layers. In the refrigerator, the crop can be stored for about a month. Soft, overripe specimens must be processed immediately.

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