Any gardener knows that the timely receipt of nutrients is the key to health for any crop, and apricot is no exception. In order to properly carry out the procedure for feeding this crop in the spring, you need to find out what fertilizers are required for this, as well as familiarize yourself with the rules for their application.
The main fertilizers used in spring feeding apricot
Both organic and mineral fertilizers are successfully used for top dressing of apricot.
Organic fertilizer
- Compost - rotted plant debris (foliage left after pruning, straw, etc.). Helps maintain fertile soil qualities, and also contributes to better absorption by plants of nutrients, especially minerals. Its use is necessary if your apricot grows on heavy clay soils.
- Manure and bird droppings. The use of these fertilizers helps enrich the soil with nutrients and improve its qualities such as air and moisture permeability. In the spring, these fertilizers are usually applied in the form of solutions.
- Ash. It contains a lot of potassium, therefore it is necessary to increase the amount of sugar in apricot fruits and the formation of seeds, and also contributes to the formation of new shoots.
Mineral fertilizers
Fertilizing ensures proper development of the plant
- Urea. It contains nitrogen, which is necessary for building green mass and young shoots of apricot, and also helps to increase productivity. It is successfully used for root and foliar top dressing both as an independent fertilizer and as a component of the nutrient mixture.
- Ammonium nitrate. It has the same properties as urea, but is often used in the composition of mineral mixtures for root top dressing.
- Superphosphate. Recommended for the growth and strengthening of the root system of culture.
- Potash fertilizers. To feed apricot, potassium sulfate or potassium salt is often used. These fertilizers help to increase the cold resistance and drought tolerance of the plant, as well as improve the taste of the fruit and have a beneficial effect on the growth and development of the crop as a whole. Usually made as part of a nutrient mixture.
Fertilizer Rules
Fertilizers must be applied to special furrows or grooves so as not to damage the root system of the plant
- It is necessary to start fertilizing apricot in the second year after planting. In the first year, the plant is provided with nutrients introduced in the fall into the prepared planting pit.
- All fertilizers must be applied to pre-moistened soil so as not to damage the roots.
- The apricot tree should have a near-stem circle with special grooves or an external furrow, where the spring part of the fertilizer is introduced. The diameter of the trunk circle varies depending on the age of the tree and should slightly go beyond the border of the crown:
- 50 cm - for apricots 2-5 years old;
- 1 m - for apricots 6-10 years old;
- 1.5 - 2 m - for apricots older than 10 years.
- The outer furrow of the near-stem circle should have a width of 20-30 cm and a depth of 15-20 cm. If you want to make grooves, keep in mind that the distance between them should be 30 cm. The depth of the groove is also 15-20 cm. Fertilized at first slightly digging (if solutions are used, then the earth must first be loosened), and then grooves or grooves are covered with earth.
Apricot spring feeding scheme
| Time | Fertilizer |
| Period before flowering | Early in the spring before the swelling of the kidneys (in the south - in late March to early April, in the colder regions - in the first decade of May), foliar feeding is carried out. Prepare a urea solution (50 g + 10 L of water) and spray the tree. Nutrient top dressing is carried out after the appearance of foliage. There are several options, and you can choose the most suitable: Option number 1: Potassium sulfate (2 tbsp) + urea (2 tbsp) + water (10 l). On 1 tree - 20 liters. Option number 2: Ammonium nitrate (5-8 g) + potassium salt (5 g) + superphosphate (20 g) + water (10 l). On 1 tree - 20 liters. Option number 3: Chicken droppings (1 part) + water (20 parts). Organics in this case should be dry. You can also add peat (1-2 parts) or humus (1-2 parts) to the solution. For 1 young tree - 5 l of solution, for a tree older than 4 years - 7 l. Top dressing for the formation of fruits (as a rule, 3-4-year-old trees need it) is carried out 5-7 days after general dressing. Ingredients: ammonium nitrate (3 tablespoons) + superphosphate (2 tablespoons) + potassium sulfate (2 tablespoons) + 10 liters of water. On 1 tree - 40 - 50 l. |
| Flowering period (usually begins in mid-April in the south and closer to the end of May in colder regions and lasts 8-10 days) | The feeding option number 1 is often used, but if you have already applied mineral fertilizers, then organic fertilizers can be used. For this purpose, a solution of chicken droppings (1 part of dry organics + 20 parts of water) is suitable. It is also necessary to add 1 liter of ash or 200 g of dolomite flour to the moistened groove or grooves to avoid acidification of the soil and enrich it with substances such as potassium, calcium and magnesium. Sprinkle the powder with soil after application. This procedure is carried out 3-5 days after top dressing with organics. |
| The period after flowering | It is necessary to re-feed to form fruits. Ingredients: superphosphate (2 tablespoons) + ammonium nitrate (3 tablespoons) + potassium sulfate (2 tablespoons) + water (10 liters). After it, add to the moist soil grooves or grooves of ash or dolomite flour in the same quantities and in the same manner as in the previous case. |
With regular use of organic matter, the soil becomes acidic, which, in turn, causes gumming of the trunk and branches of the apricot (a thick yellow-brown liquid continuously flows from them, which forms growths when dried), so do not neglect deoxidizing fertilizers (ash, dolomite flour). Also, the appearance of gum may indicate that the apricot does not have enough calcium, so fertilize your apricot with a solution of calcium chloride (10 ml per 10 liters of water) before flowering, 2-3 days after general dressing.
Fertilizer Overview for Fruit Trees
As you can see, apricot fertilizer in the spring is a simple procedure that does not require the use of any special means. It is enough to hold it in due time to provide the tree with favorable conditions for development.
