Apricot Rapture early: description, photo

Offering a description of the Apricot variety Delight, professional gardeners focus on its yield and good taste of ripe fruits. A high degree of frost resistance makes it possible to grow this fruit tree in almost all regions of the country.

Breeding history

The authors of the early ripe apricot Rapture are breeders from the South Urals F.M.Gasimov and K.K.Mulloyanov. The variety is created on the basis of Piquant apricot. In 1999, Delight was entered into the State Register.

Description of an early variety of apricot Delight

Apricot Delight is a stone fruit crop, the maximum height of which is 3 m. The lush and spreading crown of mature trees reaches 4-4.5 m in diameter.

The leaves are dark green, glossy. The shape of the leaf plate is typical for representatives of fruit trees - round, ovoid, pointed at the top, with a jagged edge. Petioles are thin, grooved. The arrangement of leaves on the shoots is regular.

Flowers are solitary, five-petal, 2.5-3 mm in diameter. The petals are white and pink. During flowering, apricot trees exude a pleasant aroma.

The fruits, as seen in the photo of the Apricot variety Vostorg, are round, isosceles. Weight of one - 22-24 g, size 3-3.5 cm in diameter. Fruit color is yellow-orange, with reddish barrels. The peel of the apricot is loose, tender, not separating from the medium-dense light orange juicy pulp. But the pulp itself easily moves away from the hard bone, inside which there are seeds (kernels) that have a bittersweet taste.

Apricot can be grown in almost all areas of the country

Attention! The apricot tree is an excellent honey plant. Its flowers form a fairly large amount of bee bread, which attracts bees even in not particularly sunny weather.

White and pink flowers attract bees

Characteristics

Early apricot Delight has won the recognition of gardeners in many regions of the Russian Federation. And this is not surprising, because it has quite good characteristics.

Drought tolerance, winter hardiness

Apricot Delight is characterized as a frost-hardy variety, therefore it is suitable for cultivation in areas with cool winters. This culture is not afraid of drought. Nevertheless, it is still necessary to water the tree 1-2 times a month in the warm season.

Apricot Pollinators Delight

The early apricot variety Delight is self-fertile. This suggests that it will need pollinating trees for good yields. This role can be played by other varieties of this culture, the flowering period of which coincides with Rapture, for example, Manchurian and Kichiginsky.

Flowering period and ripening time

Delight is an early maturing apricot variety. Already at the beginning of May, the tree is covered with white-pink flowers, and at the end of June, you can get the first ripe fruits.

Warning! Ripe apricots are prone to falling off, so it is not recommended to hesitate with harvesting.

Ripe apricots appear in early July

Productivity, fruiting

Fruiting time is in July.The first apricots appear in the 3rd year. In the future, the tree bears fruit every summer throughout its life (about 30 years).

The average yield of Apricot Delight is 15 kg per adult tree. The reason for its decrease can be sharp jumps in temperature, provoking kidney damage, high humidity, improper care and tree diseases.

The yield of the variety is about 15 kg per tree

Scope of the fruit

Apricots are distinguished by good taste, which makes it possible to eat them raw and use them for canning whole-fruit, in the process of making jams, compotes and jams.

In addition, dried fruits are made from apricots:

  • dried apricots (dried apricot halves without pits);
  • apricot (dried whole fruit with a stone);
  • kaisu (dried whole fruit without seeds);
  • ashtak (dried whole fruit without seeds, but with embedded kernels).
Warning! Ripe fruits, after being removed from the tree, can be stored for only a few days. Therefore, do not delay their processing.

Apricots are used fresh or processed

Disease and pest resistance

The Delight variety is resistant to many diseases. However, high humidity and improper care can provoke the appearance of fungal diseases and pests. To prevent such troubles, trees are sprayed with insecticidal and antifungal drugs.

Advantages and disadvantages

The popularity of Apricot Delight is due to the inherent advantages of this variety. It also has minor drawbacks, but with the right approach, they can be eliminated.

One of the main advantages of the culture is the good taste of the fruit.

Pros:

  • large size and good taste of the fruit;
  • high productivity;
  • drought resistance and ability to withstand low temperatures;
  • disease resistance;
  • the versatility of the use of fruits.

Minuses:

  • self-infertility of the variety, which necessitates the presence of pollinating trees;
  • the tendency of the fruit to fall off;
  • short shelf life of ripe apricots.

Landing features

The rules for planting Apricot Rapture are identical to the rules for planting all fruit crops. You need to purchase good planting material, choose a suitable place and plant a tree.

Recommended timing

The best time to plant Rapture apricots is in spring (April or May). This makes it possible for the young tree to grow strong enough before the onset of frost. In southern regions with warm winters, it is permissible to plant seedlings in the fall.

Choosing the right place

A well-lit corner of the garden with a permeable neutral or slightly alkaline soil is suitable for growing this variety. If the soil is too acidic, neutralize it with lime.

The tree does not like excess moisture, so a site with a shallow groundwater table is not suitable for apricot.

Important! The distance between adjacent trees is at least 4 m. Otherwise, crops will compete for moisture and nutrients, which will not be the best way to affect the level of yield and quality of fruits.

The distance between landings is not less than 4 meters

What crops can and cannot be planted next to an apricot

Ideal neighbors for Rapture would be other varieties of apricots. You can plant plums or raspberries nearby. True, the latter will not be very comfortable in the shade of a tree when it grows.

Apple and cherry trees will not harm the apricot, but will compete with it for moisture and nutrients. Therefore, the distance between these crops should be at least 6 m.

Apricot feels good next to a pear, which cannot be said about the latter. As he grows, he can oppress his neighbor.

Attention! You can not plant an apricot next to a walnut, which is able to drown out all nearby growing fruit plants.

Selection and preparation of planting material

In the process of choosing seedlings, you need to pay attention to:

  • the condition of the shoots is elastic, without damage, with a full-fledged deciduous cover;
  • the condition of the root system, which should be moist and free from damage.

Better to buy seedlings with closed roots

Landing algorithm

Apricot Delight is planted in the same way as other fruit trees.

During planting:

  • dig a hole 60x60 cm in size;
  • drainage and a nutritious soil mixture prepared from a fertile layer of soil, peat, sand, organic and mineral fertilizers are placed on the bottom;
  • the seedling is placed in the center of the hole, the roots are spread and covered with soil;
  • the apricot is watered, the soil in the root zone is mulched.

Follow-up care of the culture

Culture care involves the following activities:

  1. Watering... Apricot Rapture is characterized as a drought tolerant variety, so it doesn't need to be irrigated too often. One abundant watering once a month and autumn watering before wintering will be enough.
  2. Top dressing... They begin to feed the Apricot Rapture in the second year of life. Before the beginning of the growing season, fertilize with nitrogen is applied. Before flowering, the tree is fed with potassium fertilizers, and in the fall - with mineral fertilizers, which include potassium and phosphorus.
  3. Removing weeds and loosening the soil... Weeds are recommended to be removed as soon as they appear. The soil is loosened after each watering. If it is covered with mulch, there is no need for loosening.
  4. Pruning... Apricot Delight is pruned twice a year. In the spring, sanitary pruning is carried out, during which dry and damaged branches are removed, and in the fall, shaping, the purpose of which is to thin out the crown.
  5. Disease prevention... Before the start of the growing season, the tree is treated with fungicides and insecticides.

In spring and autumn, it is recommended to whitewash the tree trunk to prevent damage. Whitewash can be purchased ready-made in the store or prepared by yourself by adding copper sulfate to an aqueous solution of quicklime.

The tree is fed 3 times a year

Preparing for winter

Apricot Delight is characterized as a frost-resistant variety, therefore it does not need protection from low temperatures. However, gardeners recommend that you wrap the trunk. This will help protect the tree from rodents. In addition, before the onset of cold weather, the tree is watered abundantly.

To protect the tree from rodents, the trunk is wrapped in thick cardboard

Diseases and pests

The Delight variety is resistant to many diseases. However, excess moisture and improper care can provoke troubles such as:

  1. Scab... The initial symptom of the disease is the appearance of brown spots on the vegetative parts of the tree. After a certain time, the scab appears on the apricots themselves. In the process of treating the disease, the tree is sprayed with fungicides.

    Scab affects not only leaves, but also fruits

  2. Cytosporosis... This ailment is characterized by wilting of the leaf plates, followed by drying of the branches. The disease can be dealt with only at the initial stage. For this, damaged branches are removed, capturing several centimeters of healthy tissue.

    Cytosporosis can only be dealt with at an early stage.

  3. Curly leaves... Curly leaves sometimes cause complete crop loss. The main symptom is deformation of the leaves and the appearance of yellow swellings on them. In the process of combating the disease, damaged shoots are eliminated and the tree is treated with preparations with copper.

    Leaf curl can be identified by the presence of yellow blisters.

Can cause trouble and pests:

  1. Leaf roll... A small gray-brown butterfly whose caterpillars eat leaves and buds.

    Insecticidal preparations are used to destroy leaf rollers.

  2. Aphid... Small insects that destroy shoots and leaves. Get rid of aphids with insecticides.

    Aphids feed on the sap of shoots and leaves

Conclusion

Having studied the description of the Apricot variety Delight, we can conclude: this culture feels good in almost all regions of the country.The tree does not need much maintenance. With a minimum of effort, you can have a good harvest of juicy and aromatic apricots every year.

Reviews of Apricot varieties Delight

Valentina Kutsaenko, 37 years old, Korolev
The variety Delight has been growing in my dacha for 10 years. The first 2 years there were no apricots, the harvest was obtained (several pieces) only in the 3rd year. But the wait was worth it. The fruits are delicious, sweet. And we eat fresh, and we cook jam, and there is enough for drying. I recommend this variety to everyone.
Timofey Ilyin, 54 years old, Saratov
I planted an apricot Rapture in my dacha. After 2 years, it has already begun to bear fruit. Now the harvest is getting bigger every year. Pests, however, have to be dealt with. But I spray it before flowering and everything is fine.
Darina Ermolaeva, 35 years old, Novokuznetsk
Before I planted Rapture, I already had apricots at my dacha. However, this variety pleased with the fact that it is early, already at the end of June the first fruits ripened. In addition, the tree does well in Siberian climates. And the taste is good, children are happy to eat both fresh fruit and jam.

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