Is it difficult to raise the Champion of the North

Apricot Champion of the North attracts gardeners unpretentious care, strong branches, sparse crown. Experts recommend growing it on complex soils, since the difficulties of the variety were not terrible.

Description apricot variety Champion of the North

Apricot variety Champion of the North was obtained in Voronezh by sowing from the seeds of the famous and well-established apricot Triumph North. Like the parent, the variety has excellent qualities and has become widespread in the Central Black Earth region, as well as beyond.

Apricot fruits Champion of the North begin to ripen in mid-July

The tree of the Champion of the North is tall (5-6 m), shoots are thick, the crown is quite rare. Early maturity: the first berries can be expected 4-5 years after planting. The variety is declared as self-fertile, but, as practice has shown, in order to get a good harvest nearby, it is desirable to have a parent - apricot Triumph of the North.

Winter hardiness of the plant is high, the wood can withstand frosts up to -30ºС. Flower buds have medium resistance to return frosts. Berries ripen from mid-July to almost mid-August.

With an average yield, the berries grow large, up to 65 g. If there are a lot of fruits, then their weight can be reduced by half. The color of apricots is orange, with a delicate blush on the sunny side, the taste is pleasant, with acidity. The stone separates easily and contains a sweet kernel with an almond flavor, which can also be eaten.

The pulp of apricots is rather dry, which, however, leads to good keeping quality and transportability of ripe fruits.

7-year-old apricot tree Champion of the North brings up to 25 kg of delicious berries

Tree planting

The best time for planting an apricot is just before the start of sap flow, when nature wakes up from winter sleep. Proper planting is preceded by planting in the fall:

1. First you need to choose a suitable place, which should be protected from the wind, well-lit by the sun (apricot will not bear fruit in the shade), not be moist and flooded, salted.
2. A seedling is purchased in the fall - at this time the best choice and quality of planting material. Preference is given to 1-2-year-old trees, as older adults tolerate the transplant worse. The root system must be well developed. To preserve the tree until spring, the roots are covered with a mullein of mullein and red clay, then placed in moist sawdust or sand. Store in the basement at a temperature not exceeding 5ºС.
   

   For storage, the seedling can be dug in the garden. The plant is placed in a pit, the roots are covered with earth.

   

   Sapling purchased in autumn can be dug in the garden for storage.

3. The size of the pit for the future tree on fertile lands may be minimal - 60 x 60 x 60 cm. But on poor sandy soils, pits are prepared large, not less than 1 m deep and 1.5 m in diameter. The upper fertile layer is folded separately.
4. At the bottom of the pit lay a nutrient mixture consisting of equal parts of fertile land, humus or compost, grassroots peat, sand (does not apply to sandy soils). Add 300 g of double superphosphate, 2-3 l of wood ash and mix well. Cover until spring with a film or other material.

In the spring, they begin the final stages:

1. Remove the seedling from the storage location.
2. At the bottom of the pit, a small mound of nutrient mixture is formed, on which the roots of the plant are placed, carefully spreading them.
3. They fill the hole with the remaining earth. If it is not enough, then in advance you need to prepare a certain amount of soil.
4. Form a near-stem circle and water the tree well.
5. The seedling is cut to a height of 60-80 cm, the branches are shortened by a third.

Apricot Care North Champion

Growing this apricot is not difficult.

Watering

Watering apricot should be rare, but plentiful. The soil should be soaked to a depth of not less than 30-40 cm, and when watering under the winter - 60-70 cm Especially the tree needs moisture in the spring, during flowering and the formation of ovaries. At this time, and you need to carry out the first watering.

The second watering is needed during the ripening period, but not less than 20 days before the start of harvest.

If the summer was dry, then after picking berries, you can water the tree again to restore strength.

Top dressing

If when planting a tree a sufficient amount of fertilizer was introduced, then in the early years, apricots are not fed. With the onset of fruiting, food consumption rises. Organic fertilizers (humus, compost, grass peat) are applied at intervals of 3-5 years. They are embedded in the soil when digging in spring or autumn.

During the period of growth and ripening of the fruit, you can feed the mullein infusion (2 kg per infusion of water for 5-7 days), which is diluted with water in a proportion of 1:10 and watered the tree under the root.

Infusion can be prepared from bird droppings (1 kg per bucket of water) or freshly cut grass (5 kg per bucket of water).

Mineral fertilizers are applied in spring and autumn. They are used both individually (with the lack of a specific element), and as part of complex fertilizers.

Table: types of mineral fertilizers and the timing of their application

How to properly form the crown of apricot Champion of the North

Since the variety is tall, one of the goals of the formation is to restrain tree growth. For this case, the long-known sparse-tier crown shape is better suited:

1. In the early spring of the next year after planting, all branches, except the top three, are cut "onto the ring". The distance between the remaining - at least 25 cm, they should grow in different directions. These are future skeletal branches of the first tier. They and the central conductor need to be cut by 20-30 cm.
2. For the 2-3rd year, the second tier of skeletal branches is formed in the same way.
3. In the 3-4th year, the formation of the tree is completed by the formation of the third tier, and the central conductor is cut off above the upper branch.
   

   For the Champion North apricot tree, a sparse-tier crown shape is suitable

In addition to forming cropping, the following types are distinguished:

• Regulating cropping. Its goal is to maintain the crown in a thickened state and to improve fruiting. To do this, use two methods:
  • removal of shoots directed inside the crown, as well as tops;
  • chasing annual shoots (shortening 10–15 cm of young branches, which encourages the shoots to form new flower buds).
• Sanitary pruning. It is carried out in late autumn (as part of preparations for winter), as well as in early spring. It is necessary to remove dry, injured and diseased branches, which are then destroyed.
• Anti-aging pruning. It is necessary when the crops begin to fall, and the gardener decides to extend the fruitful life of the tree. The easiest way to cut off all the shoots growing inside the crown on skeletal branches. After that, new shoots will begin to grow on them.

For any pruning, the following rules must be observed:

• Use a sharp tool, having previously disinfected it.
• Slices do at right angles to the branch, do not leave stumps.
• Cut branches of large thickness in several steps.
• Protect the slices with garden var.

Diseases, pests and other problems

The likelihood of diseases and pests on the tree is significantly reduced with regular maintenance.

Table: Preventive work to prevent disease and pest attacks

Diseases to which apricot Champion of the North is exposed

Common diseases and pests of apricot:

• Moniliosis. This is a fungal disease, the development of which is favorable for high humidity and cool weather. Spores can be brought in by wind or insects. In the summer, the fungus affects the fruits in the form of gray rot. If signs of infection are detected, fungicides are treated.
  

  Signs of a Monilial Apricot Burn - Twisting and sagging leaves

• Kleasterosporiosis (perforated spotting).
  

  Kleasterosporiosis is treated with fungicides

Table: the best fungicides, their characteristics

Apricot Pests

There are many drugs to deal with uninvited guests - insects. These drugs are united by a common name - insecticides. They can not be used during the flowering period of plants, since they can destroy bees collecting nectar.

Table: the best insecticides, their characteristics

Common pests:

• Weevil. Winters in the bark and soil, and in early spring awakens and rises to a tree. At this time, it can either be poisoned (treat the crowns and soil with insecticides), or mechanically collected and destroyed. The second possibility of pest control will be presented at the end of May, when small larvae 4-6 mm in size will emerge from the eggs. They feed on young roots in the upper layers of the soil. If the soil is treated with Diazinon, then within 20 days most of them will die.
  

  The weevil owes its name to a long proboscis

• Aphid. You can detect it by seeing twisted leaves. A lot of black, green or other color small insects hide in them. With a significant spread of the pest, the leaves do not need to be unwrapped - aphids can already be observed en masse on young shoots. It is a sucking pest and is well eradicated by systemic insecticides like Biotlin.

Aphids settle on leaves in large colonies

Why apricot Champion of the North does not bear fruit

It happens that apricot grows, but does not produce crops. There may be several reasons for this:

• Incorrect landing location:
  • close occurrence of groundwater;
  • lowland where water accumulates;
  • shade
  • acidity of the soil (this problem can be combated by adding lime or dolomite flour).
• Weakness of the tree due to poor maintenance:
  • lack of watering;
  • lack of nutrition;
  • illnesses.
• Adverse climatic conditions (prolonged return frosts as a result of which the kidneys freeze).

Grade Reviews

And this year my favorite apricot Champion of the North gave the first fruits! True, there is still quite a bit - two dozen. But most importantly, he began to bear fruit! And the beginning is good: chic bright yellow apricots !!! Sweet and juicy, just melting in your mouth. Waited for them for 3 years. Last year, my apricot bloomed, but due to freezing in early May, the color circled. And this year everything turned out so cool. And it blossomed well, and many fruitlets started, and the sores (pah-pah!) Did not cling. In general, they began a new era - apricot

RoMashulya

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The previous summer and the beginning of spring were unfavorable for apricot in the Moscow region. But even under such conditions, an adult tree will provide the family with dessert and will provide an opportunity for harvesting. This year the Champion of the North showed himself best.

Igor Ivanov

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Apricot Champion of the North - a worthy son of the Triumph of the North. Excellent quality berries, unpretentious care, frost resistance - all this has long been appreciated by the inhabitants of the middle lane. The disadvantage is partial self-fertility, therefore it is better not to plant it without a tandem with a parent or other pollinating variety.