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

Winter-hardy apricot of early ripening Alyosha is successfully cultivated in the Moscow region, Pskov, Leningrad regions and other regions with a temperate climate. The variety was improved by the method of free pollination by seedlings of this type of seedlings of the 2nd and 3rd generation. Apricot variety Alyosha is recognized by the scientific community as suitable for cultivation in central Russia.

The history of the origin of the variety

Famous biologist Larisa Andreevna Kramarenko and Professor, Doctor of Biological Sciences Alexei Konstantinovich Skvortsov in the main Botanical Garden named after. N.V. Tsirana (in Moscow) developed a new variety of apricot.

From the works of L. A. Kramarenko, you can find out which rootstocks for grafting apricots should be used in order to improve their characteristics in terms of winter hardiness, resistance to wet and arid growing conditions. According to her authoritative opinion, the best apricot rootstocks are Armeniaca vulgaris - common apricot and mandshurica - Manchurian.

It is practically impossible for gardeners to buy them on their own, not a single nursery supplies these seedlings to specialized outlets.

Having more opportunities than amateur gardeners, two eminent scientists have optimized the native southern plant for the climate of temperate latitudes. Work on the plant species bred in the Botanical Garden of Moscow State University has continued since 1988. Only in 2004 it was included in the register of fruit trees of the Russian Federation.

Description

Description of a variety of fruit trees consists of two parts, both of them are important for gardeners. The characteristics of the plant itself determine the ease of care and the need for pinching, pruning, preventive treatment preceding the flowering period:

• height of an adult tree is 4 meters;
• crown branched, dense, rounded;
• sprawling branches evenly spaced around the trunk, their ends describe a circle of 4 m;
• the first fruits appear on the 3rd year from the date of transplantation to a permanent place;
• early flowering, white-pink large flowers;
• medium disease resistance.

For its lush flowering, Alyosha apricot is used as an ornamental plant for landscape design. No less important is information about the qualities of the fruit:

• fruits are not large, 15-20 g;
• color bright yellow;
• round shape;
• scarce pubescence on smooth skin;
• taste sweet and sour;
• the presentation is kept for 2-3 days.

Fruits are suitable for canning, making jams, jams, compotes. They are extraordinarily good and fresh.

Features

Characteristics of the cultivar affect planting site selection, the need to protect seedlings downwind, plant them as a single variety, or near a pollinator plant.

Drought resistance, winter hardiness

Variety Alyosha winters well in severe frosts. This practically does not affect the condition of the bark of the tree, the condition of the kidneys and the yield. A late, long spring with nighttime temperatures below 0°C is the main reason to delay flowering. Timely whitewashing of the trunk will help with this. Trees of this variety withstand the absence of water with firmness.

A prolonged period of drought may slightly reduce the taste of fruits, but they will remain on the branches and will be there until they are fully ripe.

Pollination, flowering period, ripening period

Apricot tree Alyosha is self-sufficient. Its pollination does not require another apricot growing in close proximity, unless justified by the need to pollinate a neighboring fruit tree. Fruit ripening occurs in the third decade of July. Apricot trees of this variety are excellent pollinators for varieties that bloom with them at the same time - in mid-May.

For reference: flowering can begin 1-2 weeks earlier or later, which depends entirely on the climate of the area where a particular tree grows.

Resistant to diseases and pests

Incorrect preventive preparation, unfavorable neighborhoods are a strong threat to the apricot tree, which belongs to the middle class of resistance to fungal, viral and other lesions.

Neighbourhood with a plum makes it a tasty target for insects - aphids and leafworms.The consequences of the actions of the leafworm can be confused with more serious diseases that drupe trees are susceptible to. Treating the tree from pests before flowering, a mandatory precaution.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

From the reviews of gardeners of the Moscow region, one feature of the variety becomes apparent - ripened fruits fall off on their own. This can be attributed to both advantages and disadvantages:

• don't have to figure out ways to get the fruit from the top branches;
• only ripe, delicious fruits appear on the ground;
• deformation, loss of presentation is possible when falling.

The biggest plus is self-sufficiency. The downside is that the plant is at risk for fungal and viral infections of neighboring trees.

Features of planting and care

Before planting, in the fall, the land should be enriched. When planting in loam, the soil must be enriched and made softer by adding ash. As in the preparation of the landing site, and every 4-6 years, the soil will have to be enriched with organic fertilizers - humus of herbs, food waste, sprinkled with layers of peat. This is the need for a compost pit on the site, which will be constantly replenished with weeds, fallen leaves, unusable fruits.

Disease and pest control

Prevention and compliance with the rules for selecting the neighborhood of plants is the best protection for trees with average immunity. After harvesting and before flowering, preventive spraying is carried out with special formulations for fruit trees. The concentration of the active substance in the solution for prevention is small, it will not affect the quality of the crop.

If you have to take drastic measures in case of a disease after the formation of ovaries on a tree, apricots will be unsafe for human he alth. The trunk of the tree must be whitewashed to a height of 1-1.2 m from ground level - this will protect against ants and other insects that want to settle in the bark of the tree.

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