Ornamental trees and shrubs are the main decoration of any garden. They not only have an excellent appearance, but can also bear delicious fruits. Recently, the Manchurian apricot is gaining popularity.
The Manchurian apricot variety has been gaining more and more popularity lately.
During its flowering, it begins to form large delicate pink flowers that attract the attention of others and delight the eye.
General information about the variety
Apricot Manchurian was bred in the Chinese branch of the research center of the Russian Federation. Experts have long wanted to create a variety that would be similar to Japanese sakura.
At the beginning of 2005, this species was entered into the State Register.
It is suitable for cultivation not only in the eastern part of China or in the Far East, due to its excellent resistance to weather conditions, it can grow even in Siberia. It is used to decorate not only garden plots. The plant has a powerful root system; it is customary to plant it near water bodies to strengthen the coastal system.
Features of the tree
The description indicates that the Manchurian apricot has a rather tall trunk. Its height reaches 18 m, and the diameter of the trunk itself is 50 cm. The color of the bark is dark brown. Tying branches is recommended. The leaves are large, up to 12 cm long, having an oval shape. In autumn, the leaves can turn red and do not fall off until the onset of frost.
The Manchurian apricot has pink flowers. It is believed that the earliest harvest of honey is harvested from them. Their main feature is that their aroma resembles the smell of honey. The flowers are small in size, their diameter is 2.5 cm. They are located on a stalk of small height and can be grouped into inflorescences. Apricot blooms every year and is observed in early April.
Fetal parameters
When considering the description and characteristics of the variety, it can be noted:
- the fruit is oval, slightly flattened at the edges;
- the size reaches a length of 4-5 cm;
- weight is 20 g;
- the surface of the fruit is rough;
- color is light orange.
Fruit ripening occurs in early July. Their taste is sour, so they may be slightly inferior in sweetness to their counterparts from the southern regions. Jam, jams and compotes are made from them.
Fruits of the Manchurian variety are used to make jam
Positive and negative qualities
The description indicates that the Manchurian apricot has the following positive qualities:
The disadvantage is that the fruit tastes sour with notes of bitterness. Many try to avoid planting this crop in their plots, but most grow the plant for beauty.
Planting rules
To a large extent, apricot trees are planted using the inner seed. The Manchurian variety is no exception. The bones can retain their qualities throughout the year. If you plant a seed in the fall, then next year it will give a young plant with 90% probability. It is advised to place the seeds in a bowl of water. The floating ones can be thrown away.
The planting material should be placed in the ground to a depth of at least 1.5 cm. After a few years, the resulting seedling can be transplanted to a permanent growing site.
Care requirements
The plant does not require special care for itself. Timely watering, loosening the soil, removing weeds and mulching are important.
- Watering is only important in the first year after planting. It should be done every 5-6 days. After the plant is fully formed, watering should be carried out as the soil dries. A large amount of moisture in the root system can lead to the fact that the shoots cannot form in time and die during winter frosts.
- The choice of soil is optional, because such a variety is capable of showing high yields in any type of soil. You just need to choose for planting those areas with a lot of sunlight.
- If you notice that the groundwater is very close to the root system, a drainage system should be installed. It is ideal to use a large layer of rubble to prevent water from reaching the roots.
- The plant needs to remove old dry or diseased branches. This is necessary for healthy shoots to form and receive the required amount of nutrients.
Manchurian apricot varieties need to periodically remove old, dry and diseased branches
Diseases and pests
You can get rid of a spider mite with the help of special insecticides "Regent" or "Tabu". You can fight the cherry elephant with a manganese solution. Aphids are removed with medicinal preparations.
Of the diseases, verticellosis and spotting are considered the main enemies. To get rid of verticellosis permanently, you can use a soapy solution. It is possible to fight spotting with the help of the Hom preparation.
Conclusion
The tree does not begin to bear fruit immediately, but only 5 years after planting. The variety has received many favorable reviews and is recommended for cultivation.
Manchurian apricot is a picturesque tree that can become a decoration and pride of an orchard on your personal plot. These trees also look beautiful in the form of hedges along fences or forest belts. During the flowering period, apricots are enveloped in an amazingly beautiful pink haze of large fragrant flowers. The features of growing this decorative tree with edible fruits at home will be discussed in the article.
Botanical description
Manchurian apricot, in Latin - Prúnus mandschúrica, belongs to the Plum genus. This tree is up to 15 meters in height, with filigree foliage and lush crown, throwing out many shoots. The bark is dark gray, cracked with deep furrows. 
The flowers are pink, more than 2 cm in size, on the branches are located in groups or singly, on short pedicels. The tree blooms profusely, every spring from April-May, about 12 days.
The leaves grow up to 12 cm, have a broad-oval, double-serrate shape, pointed tops.
Fruits are small, up to 2.5 cm in diameter, yellowish-orange, velvety-pubescent. Ripening time - from the end of July. A tree easily grows from a fruit seed, which can live for over 100 years.
Distribution and ecology
Manchurian apricot is a rare plant in the Red Data Book. It grows in China in the northeastern provinces, in the north of Korea, as well as in the vast southern territory of the Primorsky Territory in Russia. 
This tree is able to tolerate both drought and cold temperatures well. Loves a sufficient amount of light, but not demanding on soils: it can grow even on dry mountain slopes.
The Manchu apricot has a large and branched root system, so it is good to plant it along water bodies to strengthen the coastline, as well as slopes to protect them from avalanches.
Did you know? Manchu apricots got their name in the XVIII-XIX centuries from the area in the northeast of China - Manchuria, where they were widespread. Later, when these trees from China came to the European territory of Russia, the namesurvived after them.
Application in landscape design
When planting these decorative fruit trees on your site, you will need to decide on their purpose: it will be trees in the form of a hedge, a single planting or a whole garden.
You will win in any case: these trees from April to October will decorate the courtyard and delight the eye with a riot of colors. 
- Since the flowers of this tree are pale pink in color and are more than 2 cm in size, these are the very first spring honey plants, spreading their honey scent far beyond the gardens.
- When the fruiting period comes, small golden lantern fruits will shine among the bright greenery of openwork foliage.
- In autumn, the leaves will acquire a blood-red hue and will burn on the tree until the first frost, illuminating the empty garden with their radiance.
If this spreading tree is used as a tapeworm in landscaping, it will attract all the attention and dominate the background of a building facade, gazebo or decorative fence.
In green building, apricot trees of this variety are good for planting together with other trees. They go well with Manchu birch, Mongolian oak, and Amur linden, dimorphan and other trees and shrubs. 
Did you know? The Europeans did not know about apricots until Alexander the Great brought them to Greece from the East. They came to the taste of the Greeks and soon spread throughout Europe.
Fruit of the tree
The first harvest of fruits from apricot trees can be expected 5-7 years after planting. They begin to ripen in late July or early August.
Apricots have a flattened-oval shape, yellowish, with orange splashes. They taste not very juicy, more sour than southern varieties, and give off a bitter taste. Because of such taste, not everyone likes to eat them in their natural form.
But from them aromatic jams, preserves and compotes are obtained.
Each individual fruit weighs up to 20 grams.
Growing at home
To grow such handsome trees in your courtyard, you need to follow some general recommendations. Below we will talk about the nuances of growing Manchu apricot.
Features of planting and reproduction
The most suitable time for planting a Manchu apricot is the end of April. Thanks to a sufficient number of sunny days, the soil warms up well and persistent frosts are no longer threatened. The main requirement for planting is to do this before the fruit buds begin to swell.
If you purchased seedlings in the autumn, you need to take their planting more seriously. During winter frosts, the fragile root system can be damaged, so it is imperative to mulch the soil around the trunk. What means to use - we will talk about this below. 
When planting, it is imperative to ensure that the seedlings are provided with good air drainage, so that in the spring the trees will be better warmed up by the sun. To do this, you need to carefully consider which place suits them best.
Having decided on a landing site, you need to prepare a landing pit. The optimal size is 70 cm deep and the same width. For spring planting, such a pit is prepared in the fall and filled with compost, the composition of which will be described below.
Important! The greatest yield of Manchurian apricot is provided by planting trees in groups with other varieties, since it allows for cross-pollination of flowers. If the size of the plot does not allow this, then on one tree grafting is done with twigs of other varieties.
When planting, the presence of two people is desirable: one of them must hold the tree by the headquarters, and the other at this time will sprinkle it with earth, compacting it around the roots. After planting, be sure to water the seedlings with sufficient water and cover with mulch. 
There are two ways to grow this wonderful tree in your garden: from the stone and by cuttings. Below we give a detailed description of these methods.
From the bone
There are some peculiarities in planting a pitted apricot tree. When planting them in the fall, you can expect a different germination result: from 0 to 90%. This planting material can be stored in the soil, retaining germination for years, or it can wake up abruptly in any season, even not suitable for vegetation.
In order to act for sure and get the maximum result, it is better to plant immediately before the winter cold, otherwise, during the autumn thaws, the seeds planted before this period may rise ahead of time and die during the first frosts. By the way, this can happen in the spring.
First of all, you need to pour water on the bones selected for planting and remove all floating ones - this will result in the rejection of low-quality material. 
Then, high-quality seeds must be planted to a depth of about 1 cm, preventing the root collar of the seedling from being underground and rotting.
It would be nice to carry out a 3-month stratification before planting: keep the bones in a cold room or refrigerator at a temperature of about 0 ° C, after placing them in a container with damp sand, without covering it. Such freezing will additionally ensure good germination.
Important! Manchu Apricot can grow on any type of soil. However, if the site has a close occurrence of groundwater, the tree needs good drainage. For this, a layer of crushed stone 30 cm thick is suitable.
After planting and germination of seedlings, they need careful care: they need to be watered, loosened around the soil, remove weeds and mulch. After a two-year period, young trees are ready for transplantation to a permanent place.
Planting an apricot from a stone
By cuttings
To propagate the Manchurian apricot by cuttings, they need to be prepared in late June - early July, and planted in the last decade of September.
To prepare future planting material, you need to cut a stalk with two or three internodes on which a couple of leaves grow from the most powerful and strong branches of the parent tree.
From above, the stalk is cut perpendicular to the growth of the trunk, about 1 cm above the kidney, and the cut is made beveled from below. Cuttings prepared in this way are placed in a vessel with a liquid growth stimulant and brought into a warm room (at a temperature not lower than 24 ° C) for 15 hours.
It is very important to consider what the water level is in containers with cuttings. For the roots to actively form, you need a sufficient amount of oxygen, because they are formed in the place of the cutting, where the border of air and water passes. 
If the container is deep and filled with water more than necessary, it means that there will be little oxygen at the bottom, and this will lead to decay of the planting material.
The landing site must be prepared in advance. To do this, you need to make a small track of the required length, up to half a meter deep and 85-90 cm wide. Lay out the bottom of the track with broken brick, and sprinkle it with river sand on top. The height of this layer should be up to 5 cm.
The next layer in the track will be a soil mixture consisting of sand, soil, manure and wood ash (1: 3: 1: 1.5). Next, you need to evenly distribute the mixture along the bottom of the track, compact and moisten with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
The seedlings are planted in such a way that the base of each of them only slightly touches the layer of soil mixture at the bottom of the track. To do this, one person holds the seedling at the desired height, the other falls asleep it with the same soil mixture to the level under the upper bud with leaves. 
To hide the seedlings from sudden temperature changes, a small wooden structure is installed over each of them and covered with a film from all sides.
Soil and fertilizers
If you plan to immediately plant seedlings in the place of their permanent growth, the planting hole must be prepared in the fall.
Humus is poured into it, consisting of one or two buckets of mullein with the addition of one glass of wood ash, 400 g of potassium sulfate and 700 g of granular superphosphate. Upon the arrival of spring, the pit is cleared of humus, and an apricot seedling can already be planted in it.
As soon as the first signs of growth are noticed, you need to feed the cuttings from water and manure: take 6 parts of water for 1 part of manure and let it stand for 7 days. It is better to fertilize trees during watering. 
Important! In the spring, when the snow melts, apricot plantations need potash and phosphorus feeding, and during the period of abundant fruiting, the need for nitrogen increases.
Watering and humidity
Having planted seedlings and wrapped them in greenhouses, you need to provide them with further proper care. It consists in creating an optimally moist environment for the trees: to spray the cuttings themselves, and not the ground around them, until they begin to actively grow.
Although the Manchu apricot is drought tolerant, it needs regular watering during transplantation and active growth. This is especially true for months such as May and June. After that, the tree needs watering only during drought, which occurs in July - early August.
Irrigation rates are calculated as follows: 1 square meter of near-stem soil requires at least 50 liters of water. During dry weather, the rate should be doubled. 
It is important to remember that it is impossible to over-water the seedlings in August, since the growth of the shoots can be delayed and they may not mature by the beginning of winter, as a result of which they freeze.
Loosening and mulching
In the second or third year after planting an apricot tree, it is necessary not only to regularly water and feed it in the summer, but also to loosen the soil under it, as well as mulch the trunk circle.
When it rains, the soil usually crusts and needs to be loosened periodically. This should be done not only for aeration, but also to keep it clean. It is impossible to dig up the soil, as this can damage the roots of the plant.
Mulching is done, or by grass.
After the fourth year after planting, it is better not to mulch the trees, since this is fraught with the formation of surface roots, which in the subsequent winter period may freeze. 
It is better to sow lawn grass under a tree, which sometimes needs to be mowed. Thus, the quality of the soil will also improve.
For the winter, peat chips or sawdust can be used to mulch the near-trunk soil. This will insulate the roots and save the young tree from frost. As soon as the first stable layer of snow falls, it must be carefully tamped around the tree.
Important! If a Manchu tree does not receive enough moisture, this contributes to a decrease in fruit size in the current season, as well as a decrease in the formation of flower ovaries and a low yield for the next year.
Preparation for wintering
Although Manchu apricots are known for their winter hardiness, they still need preparation for the cold. You need to start preparing trees in August. In order for the wood on the shoots to mature well, it is necessary to feed the seedlings with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. As already mentioned, watering is reduced during this period. 
We have already talked about how to insulate the root system for the winter. However, the root collar of the tree also needs to be insulated, because in this case, it is not so much frost and cold that are terrible, as sharp changes in temperature.
This can lead to the formation of ice on the neck, which will not allow oxygen access to the roots, and the tree can subsequently weaken and die.
Therefore, the protective layer of mulch must be at least 20 cm in height, and the trunk itself must be wrapped from the very root to the first branches with agrofibre or spunbond (industrial insulation).
If we approach the insulation of apricot trees in a comprehensive manner, this can guarantee their protection even from extremely low temperatures. 
It is also recommended to wrap the trunks of wintering apricots with roofing felt to protect against rodents. Do not wrap the barrel tightly with this material, leaving an air cushion. Roofing material can be wrapped with agrofibre on top. This will provide additional insulation and maintain air exchange.
You can also build a small greenhouse over each tree. To do this, wrap the seedling with any heat-insulating material, then install 4 pegs around it and wrap it with plastic wrap.
Pests and diseases
Most of all, Manchu apricots are affected by fungal diseases. This usually happens during the frequent and abundant summer-spring rains. Due to the increased moisture in the leaves and fruits, clasterosporia, verticillosis, can develop.
To avoid this, apricot trees need to be regularly sprayed and sprayed with fungicides, as well as whitewashing of trunks and skeletal branches.
Another enemy of apricot trees is the plum aphid. This pest lays black eggs since autumn, placing them at the base of the buds, which belong to annual shoots. In early spring, when the first leaves appear, larvae appear from the testicles. They begin to feed on the tissue juices of the leaf, attaching themselves to its underside. Aphids also prefer the juices of tender shoots of the plant.
Although apricot leaves affected by aphids do not curl up, they will gradually dry out.
To avoid damage to trees by this pest, it is necessary to spray with the insecticidal preparation "Decis" or its analogue even before the buds open, and then during the period of their opening in the spring. 
Due to its positive characteristics and qualities, the Manchurian apricot can take the main place in the green building of your garden.
Taking care of these trees throughout the year, you will receive pleasant emotions and a bountiful harvest of fruits, from which excellent jams, compotes and jellies are obtained. In addition, you will contribute to the spread of the rare and useful plant.
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Manchurian apricot is an incredibly beautiful plant that can become the pride and centerpiece of a garden plot. The tree, which is exceptionally beautiful during the flowering period, is covered with large pink flowers.
It is no less elegant in the autumn decoration of bright foliage, as well as at the time of fruiting. Characterized by longevity (life expectancy over 100 years), Manchurian apricot is planted in garden plots, used to decorate parks and squares, both in single and in group plantings. Due to its deep root system, such a tree is used to anchor river banks, slopes, and watering systems. In natural conditions, it grows in the Far East, in Eastern Siberia, in the northeastern part of China.
Breeders bred decorative Manchu. In particular, the East Siberian apricot, a derivative of the Manchu apricot, is characterized by aromatic, tasty fruits.
Manchurian apricot: description
Plant height - 10-15 meters with a half-meter trunk diameter. The crown is spreading, openwork. The bark is dark gray, deeply cracked. Leaves 5-12 cm in size, oval; in autumn they turn red and remain on the tree until frost.
The pink flowers of apricot, which is the earliest honey plant, exude an incredible honey aroma. Small in size (about 2.5 cm), they are located on short pedicels in several pieces or singly. Manchurian apricot blooms annually and abundantly. Such a gorgeous spectacle is observed in April and early May and lasts only 12 days.
The first harvest of Manchurian apricot, reviews of the beauty of which encourage you to acquire such a plant on your site, gives in the 5-7th year of planting. For effective pollination, it is recommended to have several such trees on the site.
Fruits are flat-oval, medium, pubescent, orange-yellow, weighing 15 to 20 grams, ripen in mid-summer and are inferior in sweetness to southern relatives. Bitter-sour to taste. But despite this seemingly small flaw, they make wonderful jams, jellies, preserves and compotes.
Manchurian apricot: planting
The seeds of such a plant remain viable for several years and, when planted in autumn, give from 50 to 90% of young plants. It is recommended to first put the bones in the water: the floating specimens must be removed, since they are not suitable for planting. Stratification is useful. When planting, the seeding depth is 1 cm. The emerging seedlings need careful care: watering, loosening, removing weeds, mulching the soil. After 2 years, young plants can be transplanted to a permanent place of growth.
Care features
Such a tree is not capricious in care: it is important to provide it with regular watering, especially after transplanting and in the process of growth. In the second half of summer, filing should be done only during drought. Excessive watering can cause protracted growth of shoots, which by winter will not have time to ripen and freeze.
Manchurian apricot (photo in the article) is a frost-resistant plant that can survive temperatures below 30 o C.
It grows on all types of soil and at the same time gives abundant growth, loves an abundance of light. If the groundwater table is close, the plant should provide good drainage. This can be a 20 cm layer of rubble.
Pre-winter preparation includes covering young plants with spruce branches near the root collar. If frost damages annual shoots, the latter must be pruned.
It is required to whitewash the tree trunk twice a year. In the presence of damage, such places must be cleaned up to a living area and applied to them
Plant pruning
It is recommended to remove dry and diseased branches from the tree in a timely manner. It should also be borne in mind that Manchurian apricot does not have the ability to control its own harvest: almost all normally formed ovaries will turn into fruits firmly attached to the branches. The plant can be overwhelmed by the crop, which will weaken the growth of new shoots. Therefore, annual anti-aging pruning is a necessary factor in plant care.
Of the pests, Manchurian apricot can be affected by spider mites, cherry elephants, aphids; of diseases - perforated spotting and verticillosis.
The Manchurian apricot gained wide popularity among gardeners due to its frost resistance and decorative effect. This variety is native to Central Asia, from where it spread to Northeast China, Primorye and North Korea. Manchurian apricot belongs to the Pink family.
Manchurian apricot - an Asian variety
General characteristics of the variety
Manchurian apricot is a deciduous plant with a dense and spreading openwork crown. This is a rare variety, therefore it is listed in the Red Book of Russia. Cultivation of apricot began at the beginning of the 20th century, and the variety gained popularity due to its unpretentiousness and easy reproduction (using seeds or grafting).
The plant grows in height from 10 to 15 m. The bark on a young tree is light brown, but the older it is, the darker it is. And already on an adult plant, the bark is covered with deep wide cracks. Often the trunk of an apricot reaches 40 cm in diameter.This type of apricot is the ancestor of the following varieties:
- Uralets.
- Honey.
- Spicy.
- Gold bone.
- Firstborn.
Main characteristics:
- A winter-hardy variety that can withstand a gradual decrease in temperature to -30 ° C, and some specimens can easily tolerate cold and up to -50 ° C.
- It is resistant to drought and very light-requiring.
- Perfectly adapts to survival in soil of various compositions and types.
- In the wild, it most often grows on dry mountain slopes.
Leaf features
Description of tree leaves:
- Elongated shape.
- They are bright green above, dark green below.
- In autumn they change color to yellow-red-orange.
- Although the plant is classified as deciduous, it does not completely shed its leaves immediately after the onset of autumn. The bright crown can be observed on the tree until mid-November (or before the onset of severe frosts).
- Medium in size and thin petioles.
Thanks to the color of the leaves, cultivated ornamental trees and shrubs of this variety will serve as a worthy decoration for the garden. A plant planted in the form of an alley looks good.
Bloom
Manchurian apricot begins to bloom in April. The flowers are distinguished by a beautiful pale pink hue and their size (they are much larger than that of cultivated apricot varieties). They are located on the tree both singly and in small bunches. Flowers are sessile or have a very small stalk, appear on the tree before the leaves.
Flowering does not last long, like all apricot trees: only two weeks, but if the weather is not sunny and the air is cool, flowering can last for several days longer.
Apricot bloom begins in April
Features of the fruit
This variety begins to bear fruit only 7 years after planting. The fruits ripen in July. They are distinguished by their large size (about 2.5 in diameter) and a bright orange-yellow color. On the fruits of the Manchu apricot there is a slight pubescence. They weigh between 15 and 20 g.
This type of apricot is considered an ornamental fruit, that is, its fruits can be eaten. But in their raw form, they taste unpleasant. They are more herbaceous than cultivated apricots, but larger and juicier.
Manchurian apricot tastes good only after heat treatment or drying, therefore it is often eaten in the form of jam, compote or preserves, dried apricots, pastilles. Suitable for food and bones. They are eaten fried (like almonds) or squeezed for apricot oil. It is widely used in cosmetology due to its oily structure.
