Most of our country's gardeners have heard of peaches and apricots, which are larger in size, smell like pineapple and have an unsurpassed taste and distinctive sweetness. In this article we will talk about this sort of apricot, which is also called the peach hybrid.
- Description of the variety
- Characteristics of apricots
- Advantages and disadvantages
- Site selection and landing dates
- Lighting and location
- Soil type
- Planting seedlings
- Tree care
- Watering and feeding
- Cropping and crown formation
- Diseases and pests
Description of the variety
The tree is similar in appearance to apricot, refers to the medium-growth variations. The maximum height of a tree rarely exceeds 3 meters, so the collection of products can be considered quite comfortable.
The krone has the rounded-off form, does not differ in density. These differences help to determine the varietal identity. As for the shoots, they are very thin, annuals, require annual pruning. The color of the leaves and bark is identical to the "standards" of apricot.
The most interesting thing is, of course, the fruits. Peach apricots have an increased size, more rounded shape and differ in average weight (about 50-60 g).The color of the fruit is bright yellow, during maturation a reddish stain may form, but only in rare cases.
Characteristics of apricots
Flowering occurs in mid-May, which makes it possible to obtain a large number of products, as temperature drops and night frosts are unlikely at this time of year.
The tree begins to bear fruit only in the 4th year. If all the rules and regulations are followed, then the first harvest will not be showered with green, and you can try the first peach apricots at the end of July. The main time for harvesting is mid-August.
It should be noted that if the tree does not receive enough moisture during the ripening of fruits, then ripe apricots will begin to crumble and deteriorate quickly.
This is also due to the fact that the fruits are quite heavy and the slightest breath of wind can "drop" them. For this reason, planting crops in windy areas is not recommended. 
Advantages and disadvantages
You could see most of the advantages and disadvantages in the description and description, but it is worth discussing this point in more detail.
Minuses:
- products mature late;
- tendency to fall;
- annual pruning and thinning of the crown is necessary;
- dependence on moisture during ripening.
Pros: - good winter hardiness (in case of freezing, the tree is quickly restored);
- late flowering, which allows planting crops in colder climates;
- the tree is self-fertile (does not require planting several trees for pollination);
- high yield;
- drought tolerance (except for the period of ripening);
- universal use of products;
- the tree is resistant to diseases;
- Apricots are well transported over long distances.
As a result, without any comparison, we can say that the positive qualities of this variety are many times more than the negative ones. Most varieties suffer from spring winds and night frosts, which are not terrible peach option.
Long shelf life and high transportability allow us to consider apricots as a good option for delivery to the market.
Site selection and landing dates
Before you buy a sapling, you need to find a suitable place for it, and then calculate the time of planting. We will talk about all this further. 
Lighting and location
As mentioned above, choosing a windy place is definitely not worth it, because, in addition to shedding ripe fruit, you will encounter broken weak young shoots that obviously will not benefit the immature tree.
Planting is necessary so that the place was closed from the north and west winds and at the same time very well lit throughout the day.
Of course, you can plant a tree near any building, so that the light reflected from the walls warms the tree even more, but in this case you may regret when apricot roots begin to “prop up” the foundation in ten years.
Also note that the height of groundwater should be at the level of 3-4 meters, so in some cases you can consider the option of a hill or a small hill on the south side.
As for landing time, it is best to do everything in spring. Autumn planting is less preferable, since the tree may not get stronger before frost, which in the early years is very dangerous for the crop.Soil type
The soil must not only be fertile, but also have good drainage properties. Loamy or sandy soils will do, but the tree will not grow on sandy and purely clay soils.
The acidity of the soil should be neutral, a weak acid reaction is allowed. Strongly acidic soil must be lime.
Planting seedlings
After you have chosen a good place on the site and purchased a sapling, you should take care of the preparation of the pit and the direct planting.
A few days before landing we are preparing a pit. The optimal dimensions are 80 x 80 cm. We preserve the upper part of the soil and remove the lower part. Mix the top layer with humus or compost, add 500 g of superphosphate and a little wood ash. Mix thoroughly to evenly distribute all fertilizers. When planting, we place the seedling in the center, on a small hill, which we form from the prepared soil mixture. Next, straighten the roots and verify the location of the root collar.
It should be noted that, unlike most trees, which can rot, if the root neck is in the ground, apricot, on the contrary, requires its depth by 5-10 cm, depending on the type of soil (on sandy soils, we deepen it more strongly).
In the process of filling the landing pit with soil mixture, lightly tamp it down to fill the air pockets. After finishing, tamp the soil and spill it with water so that the soil will soak up to approximately one meter deep.
In case you plant several trees in a row, be sure to leave between them 4 meters of space, so that in a few years you will not have to cut off the intertwined crowns, which will strongly shade each other.
As for the mulching of the tree circle, it is here at your discretion. If climate presents unpleasant "surprises" to you, when after a strong daytime heat the temperature can drop by more than 20 ° C, then it is better to protect the roots from such contrast.
Also, mulch is needed if you want to retain moisture in the soil. This is especially true for sandy soils that do not trap moisture. 
Tree care
After planting, we need to pay maximum attention to the tree, so that it will quickly begin and grow, and also survive the first winter. Next, we discuss the main aspects of peach apricot care.
Watering and feeding
Although apricot is drought-resistant, but you should not grow it under stressful conditions. You need to either monitor the soil moisture by inserting a half-meter stake into the ground, or lay mulch and practically forget about watering.
Check the humidity at depth is necessary in order not to overwet the roots. On hot days, the upper 5-10 cm of soil can be dry as a stone, but at the depth of the roots moisture will be present in sufficient quantity.
As a result, if you irrigate, the soil near the roots will turn into a swamp, and rotting or fungal damage is possible.
You should also always remember that watering should be done early in the morning or after sunset, or cover the damp tree circle with any bulk material so that it does not dry out in a few minutes. 
Let's discuss feeding. In the first year, the tree does not need additional feeding, since you have planted enough organic matter and mineral water in the planting hole, but already in the spring of the second year you need to pack about 15 kg of humus together with 135 g of superphosphate, 45 g of ammonium nitrate and 45 g of potassium chloride.
Of course, if it is easier for you to use the complex fertilizer, which contains the NPK complex, then you can use it, however, while maintaining the dosage of each element.
In the 5th year, we need to seal up already 25 kg of humus or compost under a tree in order to satisfy its “appetites”. Also, 90 g of saltpeter, 190 g of superphosphate and 55 g of potassium chloride or complex fertilizer are added.
Cropping and crown formation
The first few years it is better not to touch our tree, so as not to injure it and not to inhibit growth. Only in the springtime, inspect the apricot for the presence of dry, diseased and damaged branches. They are subject to removal.
In order to form a "convenient" tree, we need to remove the rungs that grow inside the crown. This is done in order to thin it, thereby increasing the amount of sunlight that falls on the lower shoots. The crown should grow in width and to a lesser extent in height, so that it is convenient to harvest.
To make it clearer, after pruning the crown of an adult tree should be as if pressed in the center. Side shoots should be taller and denser than central ones.
Diseases and pests
Let's start with the diseases of this culture.
The following are the main "sores" that affect apricot trees:
- Monilioz. It seems that a fire was made under a tree: flowers and leaves wither, as if they lacked water or were dried on an open fire. Wood cracks, there is a gradual withering and abscission of leaves.
To destroy the fungus, trees are treated after flowering with the preparation Horus or Teldor, which can be used during flowering.
- Valsa mushroom. It looks like an orange canker. Near the ulcer markedly strong release of wood resin. It may seem to an uninitiated person that the tree has simply suffered physical damage and is trying to tighten the “wounds”.
You can fight the fungus with the same “Switch” preparation, which is used for treating wood 3 weeks before harvesting.
- Ring pox. Fruits become bloated, visible on dark red spots. It seems that apricots are covered with freckles, which are arranged in the form of rings.
Fruits quickly ripen and fall, and their taste leaves much to be desired. It is quite difficult to cure a viral disease, so it is easier to carry out prevention or destroy products. You can process the copper sulfate, but it does not always give a positive result.
- Ribbon mosaic. On the leaves appear yellow stripes along the veins, which later turn into "lace", and the sheet itself dies.
With a massive defeat, the tree can stop growing and even die.You can fight this viral disease with the same copper sulfate, but you will not get 100% of the result.
Go to the pests. The main parasites that plague the tree:
- Aphid. With this parasite everyone is familiar, as it affects everything that grows in the garden. Aphids are carried by ants, so you should pay attention to their colonies. To poison aphid is only as a last resort, when it hits the whole tree.
The best option - liquid soap, diluted in water, or infusion of garlic. Wood ash is also sometimes used. In case the tree is covered with parasites, it should be treated with the preparations "Fitoverm" or "Fufanon".
- Small moth. For us, the danger is not a butterfly, but a caterpillar that settles inside the fruit and eats away the core.
Of course, after removing the worm, the fruit can be eaten and the damage done is not so great, but no one wants to find the worm in apricot while eating it. To combat moth, use a 0.2% solution of Chlorofos or a 0.5% solution of Entobacterin.
- Listovertka.The moth eats the leaves of the tree, later tying them into tubes, in which it hides itself from danger.The bark of apricots is covered with cracks, there is a gum development.
The leaf-wrapper can be fought with the help of the concentrated Chlorofos solution after harvesting. And the bark of the tree is better to clean and burn.
This apricot variety combines peach size, excellent apricot flavor and light pineapple flavor. Now you know what a hybrid of peach and apricot is, why the variety has such a name and how not to be confused with the pineapple variety.
