Another advantage of peaches is their very early fruiting. Often, in the second year, we get a few kilograms of fruit from the tree.Apricots start fruiting a bit later, usually in the 3rd or 4th year after planting.The only inconvenience in their cultivation is that, as thermophilic plants, in severe winters they are damaged by frost, and flowers by late spring frosts. Therefore, they should be provided with the best possible habitat conditions.
In the past, it was popular to plant trees next to sheltered walls of buildings that heat up in summer. Currently, they should also be planted in quiet places, not exposed to strong winter winds. Freezing pools, which often occur in depressions and depressions of the terrain, should be strictly avoided.
The soil requirements of both species are basically low. Trees can grow on virtually any soil. They thrive best in permeable soils and light sandy rather than heavy soils. Thanks to an extensive root system, they are able to draw water from deeper layers, so they rarely suffer during drought.The less fertile part of the garden can therefore be used for their cultivation.Trees grow best when the soil is neutral, or slightly acidic, so it is worth liming the position before planting.
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Peach is a self-fertile species and therefore can grow singly, while most apricot varieties require the presence of a pollinator and pollination with pollen of a different variety to set fruit. Only four varieties of apricot are grown in Poland.The early varieties include 'Early Orange', 'Wczesna z Morden' and 'Harcot'. Of the late varieties there is only 'Somo'. So if we have a fruitless apricot in the garden, and there is no other apricot tree nearby, another one must be planted so that they can pollinate each other.
When buying trees, you should also think about the second variety, unless another apricot grows nearby. Remember that the apricot will grow significantly after a few years, reaching several meters in height and width, so it should be planted in the right place.
Care for apricot and peach trees
After planting, it is important to regularly water the trees and remove weeds, as they greatly weaken the growth of trees. Good results are achieved by mulching with pine bark or black foil, which prevents weeds from growing and keeps the soil moist.In the first years after planting, the trees respond favorably to nitrogen fertilization. In the first year, about 10 g of pure nitrogen are sown around the trunk, and in the second - 40-50 g. An important procedure is thinning out the buds. They are made when the fruit reaches the size of a walnut.
Each bud should grow individually at a distance of about 15-20 cm from each other. Then we will be sure that the fruit left behind will reach the size typical for a given variety.The tree, on the other hand, will not be overloaded and will also bear fruit in the next year.
In order to maintain the balance between the root system damaged during planting and the aboveground part, it is necessary to trim the trees strongly after planting. For peaches, we shorten the guide 100 cm from the ground. Prune off all the side shoots at the bottom of the crown, leaving a few stitches at the most.
In the middle and upper part of the crown, 1-2 stitches are left on the side shoot. We can cut out very thin shoots completely. We cut the apricots a little less. Usually the guide is shortened by 80-100 cm, and the side branches are shortened by half.These species are susceptible to diseases of the bark and wood, therefore the cutting wounds must be protected with emulsion.
How to grow the perfect cherries
Cutting trees in further years
Apricot forms an almost natural crown, which we leave practically without cutting.If necessary, cut out only branches that are too strong.Peach, on the other hand, reacts very favorably to pruning. The pruning is done late, usually just before or after flowering. Then we cut out the excess of older limbs, and cut the remaining shoots into the so-called "Pencil".
This is done by cutting all pencils thick to 6-8 stitches, and shortening all the thin ones to 2 stitches.It is important to prune every year to prevent the transfer of fruiting to the outer parts of the crown.The general opinion is that no matter how we cut the peach, it will still be better than if we its not cut at all.
