How much and how often to water apricots in summer: detailed instructions
Not every garden has apricot trees, but every beginner dreams of growing this tasty, beautiful and healthy fruit. Although apricot is considered a heat-loving crop and grows in the southern regions, there are many varieties that grow in central Russia, and winter-hardy varieties ripen even in the harsh Siberian climate.
In the summer, apricot requires close attention and goes through several stages of care. Today we will talk about summer watering, which is especially important for crops.
Do I need to water apricots in summer?
Watering plays an important role for the full development of the tree and the quality of the harvest.
If there is a lack of moisture, it grows poorly, its leaves dry out, and its fruits become smaller. But too moist soil often leads to rotting of the root system. Proper watering ensures plant health and a good harvest.
Does he like water?
Apricot water regularly in the first half of summer, when moisture is necessary for growth and flower formation, and also if the tree transplanted. Lack of moisture during this period causes crop failure.
In the second half of summer, the plant is moistened only during drought. Excessive watering in August leads to protracted growth of shoots. They do not ripen and most often freeze in winter.
How often to water
How often you need to water an apricot in the summer depends on climatic and weather conditions, the age of the tree and the growing season.
The plant needs moisture most of all a few weeks before the fruits begin to ripen. Depending on the region in which the tree grows and its varieties, this period lasts from mid-June to early July or its first ten days.
If at this time it is already possible to estimate the future volume of the crop, the amount of moisture is determined from it. Also, do not allow the soil to dry out.
In dry summers, young plants are watered once a week; in extreme heat, the number of waterings is increased. Two-year-old trees are moistened as the soil dries out. Plants older than 3 years are watered 4 times during warm summers. During drought, more frequent irrigation is required.
Reference. The older the apricot tree, the better it tolerates heat and drought.
Water volume
How much water to pour under each tree depends on its age. The simplest way to calculate the volume of water is 10 liters per 1 year of tree. For example, if an apricot is 3 years old, it will need 30 liters of water.
Water requirements for irrigation
The plant can be watered with plain water. Water from a well or a well located on the site is suitable.
In cases where the site has water supply for irrigation, use it. Experienced gardeners advise using settled water for apricot trees.
What can I add?
Settled water can be enriched with minerals.
700-800 g of high-moor peat or 1 g of stove ash in a linen bag are placed in a barrel of water for 3 days. This water becomes soft and acquires an optimal level of acidity.
Important! Make sure that after watering the water does not stagnate near the trees.
How to properly water an apricot in summer
Apricots are watered in different ways. Each of them is necessary for the plant in the summer.
Regular watering
The easiest way is to use a watering can or bucket.Also water with a hose. A furrow is dug around the trunk at a distance of 0.5 m. A hose is connected to it and the water is turned on at very low pressure.
In 2-4 hours it saturates the entire root system, reaching the smallest roots. This method is equivalent to drip.
Sprinkling
With this method of watering, both the soil and the green mass of the plant are moistened.
Use a hose or special equipment for watering, regulating a constant water pressure. When sprinkling, the top layer of soil, which is the most fertile, is not eroded.
Liquid fertilizer
In summer, the crop requires nitrogen and potassium fertilizers. Use the method of foliar feeding. The leaves of the plant are sprayed with solutions.
Nitrogen mixtures are used in early June, when the ovaries form. After 2-3 weeks, the procedure is repeated. With this method of feeding, the leaves are treated from all sides.
What mistakes to avoid
There are a number of watering errors that can harm the crop:
- violation of watering schedules;
- lack or excess of moisture;
- watering around the trunk (floods the root collar).
Watering apricots when planting
When planting apricot trees Watering plays an important role in the further growth and development of the tree.
For the first time, the plant is moistened immediately after planting, even if it rained the day before.
During flowering
During flowering, apricot is watered through furrows made around the crown. Their diameter is ½ the diameter of the crown.
The amount of water is determined depending on the age of the tree: 1 bucket for 1 year of seedling. In cool and rainy weather, the amount of moisture is reduced.
During fruiting
During this period, they prefer sprinkling, especially if the weather is dry and hot. Also, under the crown of the tree, the ground is evenly watered using a watering can with a sprayer.
Important! At the end of fruiting, apricots are moistened only in the south of the country if there is severe drought.
Rules for watering seedlings
For apricot trees of different ages, watering rules differ. Young and mature trees tolerate drought and excessive moisture differently.
Trees from year
Young trees are watered for the first time at the beginning of flowering and then throughout the summer in such quantities as to prevent the soil from drying out.
Sprinkling and irrigation through furrows are used.
Trees from 2 to 5 years
In trees of this age, the root system already goes deep into the ground, so the amount of watering is reduced.
If there is sufficient rainfall and moderate soil moisture, plants are watered during the period of growth of young shoots, before and after flowering and 2 weeks before fruit ripening.
From 5 to 15
Trees after 5 years of age are usually watered no more than once a month. Be sure to moisturize after flowering and at the stage of fruit ripening.
old trees
Trees over 15 years old are watered in the same way as 5-year-old trees. At the same time, liquid mineral fertilizers are added, which are applied to the holes along the perimeter of the crown.
Advice from experienced gardeners
When watering apricots, it is necessary to observe some nuances that beginners do not yet know about.
I advise experienced gardeners to pay attention to the following points:
- Mulching after watering helps maintain soil moisture.
- If you miss watering time during the fruit ripening period, you can lose the harvest. In this case, moisturizing at this stage should be abandoned.
- Liquid foliar feeding should not be carried out in sunny weather to prevent leaf burn. Choose morning or evening time, as well as cloudy weather.
- To water the seedlings, use no more than 2 buckets of water.
- To check whether there is a need for watering, dig a hole near the tree to a depth of 35-40 cm, take a little earth from the bottom and squeeze it in the palm of your hand. Sufficiently moist soil forms a dense lump.
Conclusion
Apricot does not require frequent watering, but a number of mistakes should not be made. The main time for watering the plant is the first half of summer. You cannot pour water around the tree trunk. This leads to rotting of the root collar.
Along with watering, the crop requires liquid fertilizing, especially old trees. To ensure that the soil retains moisture longer, it is mulched. It is also important to take into account the climatic conditions of the region and weather changes. If you follow these rules, you will reap a bountiful harvest of apricots in your garden.