How to grow apricot saplings from apricot pits? A detailed guide to the seedling method
Apricots are a very common fruit. After eating apricots, many people keep the pits to sow and grow new apricot trees. So how do you grow apricot saplings from apricot pits?
1. Sowing
Choose land with deep soil, loose soil and average fertility. First deep-plow the sowing area with a mountain plow, then harrow it level and smooth it fine, and open furrows with a plow for sowing. The row spacing is about 30 cm, and the sowing depth is generally 10-15 cm. About 25-40 kg of seed is used per mu. For the sowing pattern, use wide and narrow rows, that is, leave one empty row after every two rows. The seeds should preferably be fully mature and plump ones collected in the same year. If the seeds are old, before sowing rinse out the empty grains and moldy, deteriorated seeds with clean water, and appropriately increase the sowing rate. For sowing time, sowing before the soil freezes in autumn and winter gives good results, with neat emergence the following year, and the seeds do not need sand stratification treatment, which is simple and easy.
2. Fertilizer and water
When the new shoots grow to about 15 cm, begin applying quick-acting fertilizer, alternating between soil topdressing and foliar spraying. From the end of September to early October, apply organic fertilizer and compound fertilizer. After covering with a greenhouse frame, apply urea before bud break, and from after flower drop to the fruit enlargement stage, topdress with potassium sulfate compound fertilizer. Spray urea and potassium dihydrogen phosphate every 10-15 days; in addition, 500 times yield-increasing bacteria can be sprayed at the same time. After the saplings are planted, water once thoroughly, and afterward determine the amount and timing of watering according to the specific situation.
3. Management
If cultivated in a solar greenhouse, the flowering period of the apricot tree can be extended, but the opening time of a single flower is shortened, and relatively high air humidity is not conducive to pollen dispersal and pollination and fertilization. Therefore, measures should be taken to strengthen pollination and fertilization: use stored pollen for spot pollination; use a feather duster for dusting pollination; during the flowering period, keep the beehive height close to the middle and upper part of the canopy, so that bees encounter flowers as soon as they leave the hive.
4. Pests and diseases
The main pests and diseases of apricot trees include apricot brown rot, apricot scab and apricot tree scale insects. Pests and diseases need to be controlled promptly according to the growth conditions of the apricot tree, and it is best to give priority to prevention.
The cycle from sowing to fruiting for apricot trees is relatively long, generally requiring three to four years, so this needs to be considered clearly when planting.