Mysterious black apricot: features of the culture and the most common varieties. Black apricots: description of famous varieties and cultivation nuances

Unusual fruit trees they do not always adapt to the domestic climate, although they are attracted by the color of the fruits. But apricot Black Velvet is an exception to the rule. The plant was bred by Crimean breeders who crossed the American variety and cherry plum. The result of the work was a medium-sized culture, on which fruits appear 3-4 years after planting.
Domestic gardeners are just discovering apricot salmon, but agronomists in Asia, Transcaucasia, Western Europe and the USA are already long time cultivate culture. The black variety type is also called apricot plum, purple apricot, slibricos, Aprium, Plumkot, Pluot.

Description: features, advantages, disadvantages

The agrotechnical description of the variety reports a tree with a dense, beautiful crown, which easily takes root in the domestic climate.

Information about the crown and fruits

In the description compiled by the breeders, it is said that the leaves of the culture are small, resembling an oval with small teeth along the edges. They grow from a branch on thin cuttings. The tree blooms in spring - pale pink or white buds appear in early May.
With late flowering, the culture is characterized by stable fruiting. On a low, sprawling bush, green fruits appear, which gradually turn brown or bluish.
Fruits are red or black-violet, to the touch they resemble velvet fabric. Fruits weigh about 20-30 grams. Hybrid received from cherry plum small size, sour, and from apricot - a sweetish smell. Black varieties bear fruit 3 years after planting.

Culture Benefits

Excellent varietal characteristics of the plant make the culture suitable for planting in the country or in the garden. The benefits of slibrikos include:

• late formation of peduncles and fruiting ovaries. Due to the late flowering time, the tree tolerates cold snaps in spring and takes root in the territory. Middle lane;
• fruiting regularity and crop stability;
• frost resistance. Black species do not drop flowers, but, on the contrary, increase productivity if frosts come after a short warming;
• low susceptibility to varietal diseases - fungi, moniliosis, cytosporosis, clasterosporiasis;
• compactness of the crown, which facilitates the care, pruning and harvesting of fruits;
• versatility of application. Apricots are eaten fresh, used for compotes, preserves or jams.

The disadvantages of the plant include the small size of the fruit, which is more similar to a plum than an apricot. It is noted that the bone is difficult to separate from the pulp and the taste is without characteristic sweetness.

The nuances of the cultivation of black apricots

When growing Black Velvet, it is necessary to decide on what soils it grows and what kind of lighting it prefers. To do this, carefully study the characteristics of the plant.

site lighting requirements

One of the features of apricot plum is sun-loving. Fruits are actively tied only in light areas. If the plant is planted in an area with a slight darkening, a drop in yield and a decrease in sugar levels in the fruits are likely.

The right choice of location

Despite the resistance to spring cold snaps, black apricot is afraid of frost. It must be planted in a site closed from blowing from the east and north. Optimal places for planting there will be an area near the house, a barn, between the building and the fence.
You can plant a cutting in a sunny area, protected from the wind by a wall. When heated, the brick will produce additional heat necessary for culture. Wet soils or areas with stagnant water are not suitable for apricots. To eliminate the risk of flooding and root rot, do good drainage or plant a seedling on a hill.

Optimum groundwater level

Check the GWL - water should not approach the surface by more than 1.5-2 meters. Low-lying areas are dangerous not only for flooding - low temperatures will harm the roots. To protect the seedling from flooding, the following work is carried out:

1. Dig a planting hole.
2. Equip at the bottom of the drainage of large gravel, stones.
3. They fall asleep with soil - peat, sand, humus and compost, mixed in equal proportions.
4. On the soil mixture they have wooden barrel without cover and bottom. The structure should rise above the ground by 50 cm.

Planting apricot seedlings in a barrel will prevent exposure ground water on the roots and protect the lower branches from heavy snow.

Suitable soil

In order for the black slibrikos to take root in the garden, it is important to remember its soil preferences. Suitable for culture are loams and sandstones. On clay soil or in sand, the plant will not take root. Gardeners recommend deoxidizing the soil so that the seedling grows well.
It is necessary to mix clay, peat and sand in equal proportions, bring the substrate to neutral acidity (no more than 7.0-7.5 pH). Exceeding the indicator will lead to gum disease and cracking of the bones. Normalize acidity levels with dolomite flour introduced into the ground.

How to plant black velvet?

When choosing an apricot of the Black Velvet variety for planting in the garden or in the country, spend preparatory work and take into account the peculiarities of its reproduction.

Reproduction specifics

To get this variety, you can propagate it:

• grafting on cherry plum or another variety;
• using a cloned rootstock;
• cuttings (green or lignified material is used);
• seeds, but in this case there are risks of losing varietal characteristics.

The tree can be used for landscape decoration or food. It will germinate only if the planting algorithm is followed.

Site preparation rules

Apricot plum is a medium-sized cultivar. Its survival depends on compliance with the nuances of preparing the landing hole. The summer resident needs:

1. Dig a hole of the same length and width (60 cm).
2. Deepen it by 70 cm, taking into account the growth of the roots.
3. Drive fasteners to the bottom for tying the seedling.
4. Organize drainage from gravel, crushed stone, stones.
5. Fertilize the soil with a mixture based on horse humus, humus, to which add 20 grams of potassium chloride and 30-40 grams of superphosphate.

A planting hole is made 7-15 days before planting. Above the hole must be left a small amount of earth, which will fall asleep stalk.

Landing algorithm

Cuttings, depending on their type, are planted in autumn or spring. In the spring, they work with bare root seedlings, in August-October they plant container crops. The sequence of events is not at all complicated:

1. They place the cutting in the hole, straighten the root processes and tie it to the peg with twine or rope.
2. Gradually fall asleep soil mixture, leaving the root collar 5-7 cm.
3. Cover the plant with the prepared substrate and water well.

If you purchased a cutting in the spring, cut off the branches, but do not touch the roots. They are necessary for the survival of the culture. The only thing that is allowed to be done with the rhizome is to straighten it a little.

Carrying out care work

Like the yellow varieties, Black Velvet needs timely care. The tree is regularly watered, fed and pruned. The variety is partially self-fertile, so it has to be pollinated by hand.

Proper watering

During active growth, stone fruit crops need a lot of moisture. In June, they begin to water the plant 4 to 5 times a month, add 1-2 buckets of water per tree. The flowering period (May - June also requires soil moisture). In mid-July, watering is stopped, but resumed 14-15 days before harvest. So the plant will tolerate the winter well.

Fertilization

Apricot culture requires micro and macro elements for normal development. On the fertile soils practically no fertilizers are applied. For varieties growing on poor soils, top dressing is required. Experts recommend fertilizing apricots as follows:

• in the spring, treat the trunk circle with nitrogen-containing additives;
• apply urea at the flowering stage, after the end or during the fall of the fruit ovaries;
• backfilling in September trunk circle superphosphate (150 grams) and potassium salt (100 grams);
• fertilize the soil with organic matter in March and November.

For autumn feeding It is not recommended to use fertilizers based on nitrogen.

Cropping Features

Root shoots develop rapidly in black apricot plantations. Extra branches with fruits on them are on the ground, which leads to a decrease in yield. For the normal development of culture requires:

• cut off 1/3 of the branches from a young seedling - the crown begins to form faster;
• remove branches more often than from other trees;
• cut shoots to wood aged 2 to 3 years with low growth. The procedure is carried out in the spring before the onset of bud formation;
• complete pruning of knots should be done according to the “on the ring” scheme, completely removing them without stumps.

With excessive growth intensity, young shoots are shortened by 10-15 cm. Work is best done in August so that the culture has time to prepare for wintering.

Preparing for the cold

The leaf fall of the plant improves the quality of wintering and provides frost tolerance. To speed up leaf fall in autumn, dried wood ash is sprayed onto the green crown.

Burn Protection

Apricot trees, more than other stone fruits, are subject to burns of the trunk and leaves during the heat, and damping. The trunks are not covered with dense materials in order to maintain air exchange. You can protect wood from burns by whitewashing. Copper sulfate is added to the lime, and the composition is applied to the plant in November or March.
In addition to the caring complex, it is recommended to control the pollination process.

Nuances of pollination

In partially self-fertile varieties, including Black Velvet, only 20% of the pollen is involved in fertilization. To maintain the level of productivity, pollinators should be planted nearby. They must be healthy, grow in the same soil conditions.
Self-pollination of apricot species is carried out massively - on the second day of flowering. It is recommended to organize an apiary near the garden, since bees are good carriers of pollen. Agronomists advise to carry out pollination mechanically or passively.

hand pollination

Activities are carried out in unfavorable weather during flowering, the absence of pollen-carrying insects. Optimal time works - the beginning, middle or end of flowering. Pollen from one peduncle to another is transferred with a soft brush or toothbrush.

Planting pollinators

Apricot crops, plums and cherry plums are suitable for slibrikos. To choose the right pollinator variety, consider:

• compliance with the timing of flowering varieties;
• type of pollinator - standard and promising, which take root in the region;
• the level of self-pollination of the variety.

Do not forget about the taste of the fruit - they must be preserved.

What do gardeners say about Black Velvet?

The opinions of cultivators converge on the suitability of the variety for cultivation in the domestic climate. Good resistance to disease and cold is reported. If the rest of the apricot trees are subject to frost, then the fruiting of this species is preserved. Summer residents note the freezing of buds in cold winters, but this does not affect the quality of the crop.
Fruits appear in August, as the variety is late ripening. Gardeners say that the taste of fruits is best revealed in compotes. They are also suitable for eating fresh due to the juiciness and delicate taste of the pulp. Cultivators are advised not to wait for the fruit to ripen. To improve the sweetness and aroma, they are removed from the branches a little underripe and left for several days.
Summer residents and gardeners need to look at Black Velvet for cultivation in the southern and central regions. Compliance with the planting algorithm and care rules will ensure the yield of the tree.

This article will discuss such a rare and interesting fruit as black apricot. In the article you will find a description of the hybrid, tips for caring for it, as well as the characteristics of the most popular varieties of this hybrid in the southern regions.

Apricot breeding does not stand still. Researchers are constantly looking for ways to improve the species and experiment by crossing them with other stone fruits. As a result, interesting hybrids appear, such as black apricot, which was bred by crossing the common species and cherry plum. It also has another name - apricot salmon.

This species inherited from cherry plum late dates flowering, as well as slow spring development. But this is more a plus than a disadvantage: such vegetation contributes to more regular fruiting and crop stability, since the plant, due to the later appearance of flowers and ovaries, is protected from spring frosts.

Because of this feature, attempts to grow the species in central Russia, in the Moscow region, are popular. Indeed, through reproduction with a bone, seedlings can be obtained that are more adapted to the harsh conditions of the “Russian winter”.

A tree of medium height, rather reminiscent of big bush. In the process of growth and development, its fruits are green, but closer to the time of ripening they become dark brown. Thanks to cherry plum, the fruits are small and slightly sour, but they have an apricot flavor, which often misleads non-specialists.

Apricot salmon can be used as fresh, and roll up, getting compotes and jams.

Another feature is that it is self-pollinating. Most apricot varieties require cross-pollination, that is, in a garden or in a summer cottage, several apricot trees must be planted so that they pollinate each other, otherwise you can not wait for a harvest from a lonely growing tree. However, many gardeners do not have the opportunity to grow several seedlings of the same species at once. But apricot salmon perfectly pollinates itself and does not need other apricots for this, but besides this, it is well pollinated by cherry plums, plums and ordinary apricots, which is also a plus.

It is worth noting that this rare view less susceptible to fungal diseases such as cytosporosis, clasterosporiasis and moniliosis, which regularly and mercilessly affect recent times apricot orchards of traditional varieties.

Growing features

This exotic variety is propagated by grafting on rootstocks of apricot, plum, cherry plum, as well as cuttings. You can try with a bone, but then there is a chance to get new hybrid, which will differ in characteristics from the parent.

Caring for seedlings of this rare species is not much different from agrotechnical methods when growing ordinary apricot trees.

When choosing permanent place for planting a seedling, give preference to the south side of the garden or plot, protected from the north winds and well lit throughout the day. The ideal place would be landing on the south side of the fence or house.

Apricots are traditionally unpretentious to soils, although they grow worse, develop and bear fruit on heavy clay or pronounced acidic soils.

It is also advisable not to plant seedlings in lowlands and in places with a low level of groundwater. Lowlands are dangerous for plants because, firstly, there is often an excess of moisture, and secondly, cold air descends into such places and the temperature there is lower than in adjacent areas, and the cold is not a friend to these plants.

If your site is located where The groundwater come close to the surface, do not despair - there are ways to plant apricot seedlings in such, to put it mildly, unfavorable conditions. One of them is landing "in a barrel". The planting technology is simple: they dig a hole, put drainage on its bottom, which is covered with a mixture of sand, humus, peat or compost. And already an ordinary barrel is placed on this layer, having previously knocked out the bottom and lid. The height of the barrel above ground level must be at least half a meter. This approach will protect root system tree from groundwater, and also protect the trunk and lower branches in case of heavy snowfalls.

Seedlings need regular watering in the process active growth: every two weeks, pour a bucket of water under the plant. At the end of July, watering must be stopped, as saturated with moisture, the seedling begins to actively develop branches, giving many young shoots. And if watering is not stopped in time, thereby limiting growth, then young sprouts will not have time to mature before the onset of frost, which is fraught with crop loss and a general weakening of the tree.

It is also recommended to regularly feed apricot salmon. Traditionally, these events are held in spring and autumn. In addition, it is advisable to regularly carry out preventive pruning to prevent thickening of the crown and to give the plant a bushy shape.

It should be noted that apricot salmon, like most apricots, often suffers from sunburn, therefore, it needs annual whitewashing of trunks and main branches, which is carried out late autumn and early spring. At the same time, a small amount should be added to the lime blue vitriol.

Video "Apricot Grafting"

This video will tell you how to properly graft apricot seedlings.

Varieties

This species is bred artificially, therefore, in wild nature it does not occur, and the first specimens were obtained by American breeders and did not distinguish themselves by the outstanding characteristics of both the tree itself and the fruit. However, time does not stand still and breeders have bred a lot of new varieties, among which there are winter-hardy, high-yielding, and disease-resistant. Consider interesting varieties which are common in our regions.

Black velvet

This clone was created by Crimean specialists by crossing American black and cherry plum. The tree is medium-sized, begins to bear fruit regularly for 3-4 years. It blooms late, so it is protected from spring frosts. Harvest can be harvested in early August. The fruits are small - up to 30 g, but very juicy and sweet with a slight sourness.

Black apricot black velvet differs from relatives in increased winter hardiness. Also, the advantages of this clone include self-fertility, resistance to various fungal diseases, regularity of fruiting. Has sweet fruits.

Apricot black velvet has one drawback: the small size of the fruit.

Melitopol black

The black apricot of the Melitopol variety was created by specialists from the Research Institute of Irrigated Horticulture (Melitopol). The tree is tall, fast-growing. Thanks to late flowering, the buds are not damaged by late frosts, which has a positive effect on the regularity of fruiting and the abundance of the harvest.

Melitopol black apricot is different early term ripening - already in the third decade of July, you can harvest fairly large fruits weighing up to 50 g. The fruits have a honey flavor and a pleasant delicate aroma.

Like most of its counterparts, the black apricot of the Melitopol variety has good frost resistance and protection against many diseases. However, there is one drawback - the hybrid can be affected by moniliosis. Therefore, it is necessary to regularly carry out preventive checks and, at the first signs of the disease, treat the affected areas with fungicides.

Black Prince

Apricot black prince was brought out by breeders from the city of Artemovsk. Early-growing medium-sized tree. It has all the features of related hybrids - self-fertility, late flowering, resistance to most diseases.

Black apricot black prince has the most large fruits among relatives - the average fruit weight reaches 65-70 g. But it was not without drawbacks - this clone is the least frost-resistant among its own kind.

This variety is still exotic and is difficult to meet on summer cottages. However, the hybrid is interesting in its ability to withstand spring frosts and increased resistance to bacterial infections, due to which it can regularly give high yields good quality and trade dress.

black apricot

This very rare type of apricot - black apricot - is a spontaneous hybrid between common apricot and cherry plum. In culture, it is found in the countries of the Front and Central Asia, Transcaucasia, as well as Western Europe and the USA. Not found in the wild.

For the first time I read about this unusual apricot from I. V. Michurin. He grew one of his varieties Shlor Tsiran (misread by him as Tlor Cyran) under light cover in a dirt shed. Assessing the taste qualities of black apricot fruits, the scientist wrote that when used fresh, they “cannot withstand comparison with the best varieties of real apricots, but, nevertheless, when compared with the fruits of imported ordinary varieties found in our markets, many of those who dislike the insipid taste of the latter, they will willingly give preference to the fruits of black apricot, which have a special spicy pungency in taste. As for jams from apricots, then positively everyone, without exception, will be on the side of black apricots, since jam from its fruits, both in appearance and in taste, is immeasurably higher than the quality of jams from all other apricot varieties.

According to I. V. Michurin, the Shlor Tsiran variety itself is not suitable for planting in gardens of the middle lane, because "although the wood does not suffer from frost in most winters, the flower buds die off." However, in fairness, it must be said that I. V. Michurin had plants grown from seeds of this variety, and they openly overwintered quite safely.

For most of their morphological and biological features black apricot occupies an intermediate position between the parental species. Its fruit is smaller than that of an apricot (20-30 g), pubescent, skin color from yellow to dark purple. The pulp is fibrous, juicy, sweet and sour, reminiscent of large-fruited cherry plum varieties, but has an apricot flavor. The stone in most varieties is not separated from the pulp. The taste of black apricot fruits is inferior the best varieties ordinary, but they are good for various homemade preparations.

Of the ancient varieties of black apricot, the most famous Shlor Tsiran (Tsiran-Salar), American Black, Big Late, Manaresi. At the Crimean OSS VNIIR, a lot of work has been launched to breed new varieties of this crop. The task of scientists is to create more productive and winter-hardy varieties with improved fruit flavor and detachable pit. To do this, black apricot is crossed not only with its own varieties, but even with distant relatives plum (Chinese, Russian and domestic), cherry plum, common apricot, blackthorn, cherry plums. The varieties obtained in this way are so different from the ancient ones that they, perhaps, could be called some kind of new fruit crop. Among the new varieties, it is especially interesting little mouse (flowering in Fig. 1). The variety was created by G. V. Eremin in Krasnodar Territory(Krymsk). It is literally a dwarf that can be grown even in tub culture. At the same time, it is winter-hardy (apparently, it will also fit in the middle lane), resistant to diseases, with sweet-sour, fragrant fruits. A. G. V. Eremin recommends his new varieties Kuban Black and Black Velvet.

Kuban black (in Fig. 2) is a random hybrid of cherry plum with common apricot. Maturity is average. Relatively disease resistant. The yield is below average, but regular. Self-infertile. The fruits are small (25 g), very good sweet-sour taste.

Black velvet (in Fig. 3) is more productive and more winter-hardy than the Kuban black. He also has a smaller tree. But the fruits are also small (24 g), similar in taste to the Kuban black.

The black apricot is superior to the common apricot both in resistance to diseases (moniliosis, clasterosporiosis, cytosporosis), and in winter hardiness, especially in resistance to cold snaps at the end of winter. Therefore, it bears fruit more regularly than the common apricot in southern Russia. It is advisable to test its new varieties in more severe conditions - in the Volga region and the middle lane right up to Moscow (and, by the way, it is better in a non-stem and low-stem bush form). Plants are placed at a distance of 4-5 m. All varieties are well pollinated by each other, as well as by cherry plum, Russian and Chinese plum and common apricot.

Black apricot is propagated by grafting on cherry plum, apricot, clone rootstocks Kuban-86, Alab-1, Evrika and others, as well as green and woody cuttings. Black apricot, especially its varieties Alab-1, Alab-2, Afghan , are also used as clonal rootstocks for plum, apricot and peach.

Caring for a black apricot is practically no different from a regular one. For planting choose the sunniest, warmest place. The plant must be protected from the north and east winds.

Apricot does not tolerate stagnant water. If there is such a danger, more holes are dug, drainage is done, and seedlings are placed on mounds.

Land in landing pits should not be uniform. Clay is mixed with sand and peat in equal parts. When planting, do not abuse fertilizers. Feed only sparingly in subsequent years to support growth. If the growth is too large, stop feeding, increase the dose when attenuation.

Apricot like others fruit crops, requires watering, which is carried out during strong growth of shoots. In the second half of summer, watering is stopped, as it contributes to the growth of shoots, and they do not have time to ripen by winter. The growth of shoots can also be stopped by pinching in the autumn, but after that, the growth of lateral shoots often begins, and then they also need to be pinched.

To accelerate leaf fall, which will provide better training tree for winter, experienced gardeners recommend in the fall, even green leaves, carry out pollination with dry wood ash.

Apricot, to a greater extent than other fruit crops, suffers from sunburn on the bark and its decay. Therefore, the trunks cannot be covered with any material that impedes air exchange (polyethylene, roofing material, stockings). But, protecting the trees from sunburn, they must be whitewashed with garden whitewash with the addition of copper sulfate. And they do it not in May, as many people think, but in late autumn and again in early spring.

Apricot loves pruning. Its technology is in many ways similar to the apple tree. Many gardeners form apricot trees in the shape of a "vase".

What kind of curiosities sometimes you will not meet! For example, chokeberry apricot. The Black Prince is its most famous variety. Not only do these delicacies have an interesting taste, they are simple in terms of agricultural technology and are quite suitable for growing even by novice gardeners.

When the garden apricot and the garden cherry plum spontaneously interpolated among themselves, and someone thought of planting a seed from the fruit of such a crossing, the black apricot appeared. Varieties of its taste are in many ways similar to the parent plants. The stone does not separate, like a plum, but the fruit is fragrant and fragrant, like an apricot.

There are old species that are not suitable for cultivation outside the Caucasian region: they are not at all winter-hardy, they ripen late. In central Russia, they have to be well covered, but the crop is still harvested a little unripe. However, modern plum-apricot varieties, as this crop is also called, endure cold winters better and ripen faster.

Video about the features of apricot

Black apricot varieties are interesting for growing for the following reasons:

1. Its flowering begins later than all other stone fruits, late spring frosts are not terrible;
2. Black apricots tolerate winter well. return frosts, detrimental to ordinary varieties;
3. Dark-fruited hybrids are much more resistant to traditional stone diseases: clasterosporiosis, cytosporiasis, and moniliosis;
4. Black is inferior to ordinary apricot in the taste of ripe fruits. It is more tart, piquant, which is why it is best suited for jams, which also have a beautiful aesthetic appearance. Already in terms of cooking, he absolutely outperforms simple species apricots;
5. Dark-fruited trees are more compact, making it easier to care for.

The experience of many farmers in the Middle Strip has shown that chokeberry not only is not afraid of spring frosts, but perhaps even needs a cool spring.

In any case, some of them noted the fact that when plums, common apricots and nectarines shed their color due to late frosts, plum-apricots, which previously refused to set fruit, brought good harvests.

Photo of black apricot

In terms of agricultural technology, our black curiosity is not much different from an ordinary apricot. When choosing a place to plant, be guided by the basic principles for stone fruit crops:

• Choose a sunny, sheltered location. It is ideal to place the seedling against the southern wall of the fence or house;
• Groundwater should not lie close to the surface to avoid wetting the roots;
• Snow cover in spring is desirable of moderate size, no more than half a meter, otherwise it is fraught with dampening of the lower part of the apricot trunk.

If the groundwater level is too close to the surface, then gardeners often resort to planting in slightly dug-in barrels with a carved bottom. First, they prepare a pit, cover its bottom with pebbles or other drainage. And then the planting substrate is poured out of sand, humus, clay, peat, compost. Where the barrel is already being hoisted so that it rises half a meter above the soil level. Then such a tree will not be afraid of both the high spring rise of groundwater and the winter excess of snow at the base of the trunk.

Photo of apricots "Black Prince"

Michurin began the cultivation of these chokeberry stone fruits from the Old Caucasian variety Tlor Tsiran (sometimes you can find the name Shlor Tsiran). By palatability it is not very good, but in terms of winter hardiness it is inferior to the northern subspecies of apricot. But since then, the selection of this plant has moved far ahead. Now among the chokeberry varieties there are many winter-hardy, productive, disease-resistant, that is, perfectly suitable for medium garden conditions when there is no time to take care of any one green pet for a long time.

Apricot Melitopol black was bred by Kuban specialists from the experimental fruit growing station in the city of Krymsk. He is one of the least whimsical, large-fruited, fruitful. The latter is important for plum-apricots, since in terms of yield they lose both plums, cherry plums, and apricots. The fruits of Melitopol are large, 50 grams each, rounded. It tastes more like an apricot than a plum. Very sweet, with a hint of honey. Melitopol is the earliest ripe among black varieties, it begins to ripen from mid-July. You need to be careful, as overripe apricots begin to crumble quickly. Very resistant to diseases and pests special care does not require.

In the same place, in the city of Krymsk, another popular apricot was bred - Black Velvet. It is derived from crossing cherry plums with American varieties. Differs in small force of growth, compact size. From famous varieties European selection is the most winter-hardy. Its fruits are small, only 25 or 35 grams, very well stored. The taste is something between apricots and plums. Harvest begins to ripen by early August.

And, perhaps, the most famous apricot is the Black Prince. The description of this variety speaks of its good self-fertility. That is, male and female flowers of the same tree are enough for pollination. This is good fact.

Video about growing apricots

Most plum-apricots are self-fertile trees.

That is, they need a tree of a different variety in the neighborhood so that there is a normal pollination process, the color does not fall off, but forms ovaries. In this regard, the Black Prince is well suited for gardeners who do not have other stone fruits in their garden, or who do not have enough space to plant another tree. The prince will lead Ukrainian breeders from the experimental nursery station of the city of Artyomovsk. It is less winter hardy than the same Black Velvet, but it is also highly resistant to spring freezing of fruit buds.

The prince has the largest fruits of the black varietal group, can reach sizes up to 80 grams. He is also the record holder for taste among them. If other plum-apricots are most delicious, like jam, then this one will compete with southern nectarines and apricots in terms of dessert. It is the most productive among all chokeberry varieties. Growth strength is average, disease resistance is very high. The weak winter hardiness of the Black Prince is more than compensated for by its yield and fruit quality.

Photo of black apricots

In addition to these three popular varieties, there are many old Caucasian ones, they are resistant to pests, stunted and can grow further north in a slate or stemless form. There are also representatives of the Far Eastern selection obtained by crossing with Siberian apricot. They withstand frosts down to -55 ° C, but lose to European ones in terms of quality, fruit size, and yield.