Apricot Krasnoshcheky

Apricot Krasnoshcheky (Prunus armeniaca) – an apricot cultivar from the genus Plum and the family Rosaceae. The cultivar was bred by Crimean breeders of the Nikitsky Botanical Garden in 1947.

Leaves heart-shaped, ovate or rounded, 6-9 см in length, with an attenuated linear apex, margins finely serrated, with long dark-red petioles.

Flowers solitary, large, reaching up to 4 см in diameter, almost sessile, white-pink in color. Blooms in March-April before leaf-out. The cultivar is self-fertile.

Fruits large, weighing 40-60 г, round or oval, less often heart-shaped, with a deep suture. Color yellow-orange with a red blush on the sides. Flesh light, sweet (with a pleasant slightly acidic note), juicy and tender, with a pronounced apricot aroma, separates easily and without damage from the stone. Fruit ripening in the second half of July, uneven in time. Therefore it is recommended to harvest the fruits in several picks to avoid fruit drop when reaching full ripeness. After harvest the fruits can be stored and transported for 10 days. Yield very high, best among European cultivars – up to 90 кг per tree. Begins bearing in the 3-4th year after planting.

Hardiness zone: zone 5a-7b (-28.9°C).

Location: prefers sunny sites sheltered from cold winds. Undemanding regarding soil, requires moist soils.

Planting: seedlings should be planted at a spacing of 7x5 m. Planting can be done in spring or autumn, preferably in the second half of April.

Diseases and pests: susceptible to spotting and moniliosis, especially in rainy or foggy weather and with a dense canopy.

Care: the most optimal crown forms for apricot are the dwarf-leader and vase-shaped forms. After entering the fruiting period, one-year shoots are shortened by half or by a quarter depending on their length. Summer pruning can be used, during which wounds on pruned shoots heal better. When terminal growth decreases to 30 см a light rejuvenation pruning is carried out, and when growths decrease to 10-15 см, rejuvenation pruning to five-year-old wood is performed.

Propagation: mainly propagated by grafting. Seedlings of apricot, cherry plum, plum, sometimes almond or peach are used as rootstocks.

Use: Apricot fruits are used fresh, dried and preserved.