Apricots are temperate fruit trees with large floral structures, but their natural fruit set rate is extremely low, making them prone to flower and fruit drop. Farmers planting apricots need to pay attention to management. Let's explore the planting time and methods for apricots together.
Planting Time
The best time for sowing apricot seeds is in spring, preferably at the end of March when the temperature stabilizes, which can improve the seedling emergence rate. Alternatively, late November in the autumn is also suitable. However, grafting propagation should be carried out in the later stage of planting to promote better growth and fruiting.
Planting Methods
-
Variety Selection: Choose varieties with high flower rates, strong self-pollination ability, frost resistance, late flowering periods, and early and abundant fruiting as the main planting varieties. Additionally, you can also select varieties with early, medium, and late ripening periods to reduce losses from early spring frosts.
-
Seed Treatment: Apricot seeds have thick and hard shells, so they need to be soaked for germination before sowing. They can be soaked in water at around 80°C, stirring continuously to avoid scalding the seeds. After the water temperature drops, stop stirring, then remove the seeds and rinse them once in water at 50°C. Once sprouted, they are ready for sowing.
-
Sowing and Seedling Cultivation: When sowing, create ridges for sowing, one row per ridge, and use spot seeding method to ensure sufficient growth space later on. Typically, sow seeds at a spacing of 10 centimeters apart, with one seed per hole. Cover the seeds with soil promptly after sowing, press the soil firmly, and water thoroughly. If any seeds fail to germinate, replant them promptly.
-
Transplanting: Once apricot seeds have sprouted and reached a length of 50 centimeters, they can be transplanted. During transplantation, control the spacing between rows, preferably at 4 meters between rows and 4-5 meters between plants to ensure adequate growth space later on. Dig small holes for planting, cover the roots promptly, add soil, and water thoroughly to establish the roots.
The best time to plant apricot trees is from late autumn to early spring. Before planting, make sure the soil is thoroughly watered, then sow the seeds and cover them with soil.
