Apricot Glory of the North

Slava Severa is an incredibly hardy apricot variety. The culture has a lot of advantages, so gardeners who live even in unfavorable climatic zones can cultivate it.

The variety was bred with the co-authorship of breeders Venyaminov and Dolmatova. The work was carried out at the Voronezh Agricultural Institute (now the Voronezh State Agrarian University) named after Peter I. The Triumph Severny variety was supposedly used for pollination, but there is no clear information.

The glory of the North is growing quite actively. Trees are considered tall - from 3 to 4 meters, but some grow up to 5 m. The shoots of the variety are large, thick, very developed. The branches form a large-scale spreading spherical crown. However, it is not characterized by excessive foliage.

The leaves are medium, light green in color. It is noteworthy that in autumn they acquire not yellow, but orange color. The serration is weak, practically absent.

The flowering period of the variety is early May, but in some areas it may begin earlier, in the last decade of April. The flowers are large, about 3 centimeters in diameter, light pink in color. Inflorescences are located on spears.

Glory of the North is a large-fruited variety, apricots weigh 50-65 grams. With improper care, the fruits become smaller, gaining from 30 to 40 grams of weight. The fruits have a symmetrical oval shape, very beautiful in appearance. The skin is not too dense, has a slight velvety. Her color is yellow-orange, diluted with a slight reddish blush on the sunny side of the fruit.

The pulp is also orange in color and is quite juicy. The density is moderate, which many people like. The stone is large in size, there is a core inside, which can also be eaten. The stone separates from the fruit pulp perfectly.

Apricots have a honey-sweet dessert taste. The kernel is also sweet, with a delicate and subtle almond aftertaste. The use of fruits is universal: it is recommended to eat them fresh within 2-3 days, and processing is carried out immediately on the day of harvest. Jams, marmalades and drinks are made from soft apricots, and wine is often made from volunteers.

The glory of the North may bloom in the second year, but it is recommended to pluck the fruit ovaries that have appeared. For 3-4 years, they are already left for the formation of fruits. Technical maturity comes closer to the third decade of July, and the apricots ripen completely in two weeks. Thanks to these characteristics, the Glory of the North is ranked among the mid-late category of varieties.

The highest yields are observed in trees aged 5-6 years. During this period, they collect from 20 to 25 kg of apricots. It should be noted that the amount of harvest is greatly influenced by care. The tree can bear fruit for 25, or even 30 years, and in a regular mode.

Creating the variety, the originators zoned it in the Central Black Earth Region. However, after a few years it became clear that the tree takes root well in other territories:

• middle band;

• Far East;

• North Caucasus;

• Siberia;

• Ural.

The variety is found almost everywhere in the territory of not only Russia, but also Ukraine, Estonia and other countries.

The glory of the North is a self-pollinated crop for which you don't need to select pollinators. However, competent gardeners are still inclined to ensure that the tree has partners in pollination, because this way the yields are much higher. On the same site, it is customary to plant:

• Triumph;

• Champion of the North;

• Amur.

In order for a tree to take root well on the site, it must be 2-3 years old. The seedling is best planted in the spring, as is customary in most regions. Gardeners from warm areas can plant the crop in the fall. When buying, they pay attention to whether the seedling has a graft. Without it, the acquisition should be abandoned. It is recommended to plant this variety according to the method of Zhelezov, Baikalov and Chuguev (landing on the hills).

It is necessary to irrigate the Glory of the North in moderation. Most watering is done in the spring, and in the summer it is watered as needed if there is a drought. Towards the end of the warm period, irrigation is stopped. Water should be poured into the grooves dug along the perimeter of the near-stem circle so that moisture does not touch the root collar. This variety is prone to rapid root decay.

You should also be careful with feeding. In the case of organics, you need to focus on the growth rate. If the tree does not grow well, it can be fertilized in the fall with rotted manure. Then they look at the result. With an increase in the growth rate, the amount of dressings in the next season is halved, and if the growth is too intense, they stop fertilizing with organic matter.

In the spring, half a bucket of wood ash is introduced under the apricots. And when the fruits begin to ripen, the trees are given potash salt (60 grams are taken per square meter). But you do not need to make it immediately, but divide it into 2-3 stages. An interval of 21 days is observed between them. Before flowering and after the ovaries fall in the first month of summer, the trees are fed with superphosphate (30 grams per square of soil).

To consistently get a high yield, the gardener must attend to the formation of the crown. After planting, the seedling is pruned by 30%, and also rid of all the branches growing on the sides at an angle of 90 degrees. In the following seasons, the crown is formed so that it is sparse-tiered or has the shape of a bowl. Forming trims are combined with sanitary ones. If the fruiting level drops, anti-aging procedures are performed.

According to gardeners, trees endure winters in different regions very easily. The wood begins to freeze if the temperature drops below -42 degrees. As for flower buds, the situation here is somewhat different: they can withstand frosts down to -34 degrees. Both wood and buds recover easily from frost.

A shelter should be constructed for trees planted this season or the previous one. It is necessary to protect adult plants from the cold only when there is no snow in winter and too severe frosts hit. In other situations, the tree will cope well with winter if:

• the trunk is whitewashed;

• water-charging irrigation was carried out;

• autumn feeding was introduced;

• a snowdrift has been formed around the culture.