When Do Apricot Blossoms Bloom? An Introduction to Their Blooming Period
Apricot blossoms generally bloom in March-April. It is a famous ornamental tree in China, with flowers that are both red and white, dotted with rouge, abundant and delicately graceful, reigning over the spring breeze. It can be planted in front of courtyards, at wall corners, beside roads, and near water, and can also be planted in groups or patches on hillsides and watersides. It is also a tree species for afforestation in deserts and barren mountains.
What Are the Cultivation Techniques for Apricot Blossoms?
1. Orchard Establishment
Although apricot blossoms tolerate poor soil, plots with deep, fertile soil should be chosen as much as possible when establishing an apricot orchard. Otherwise, the soil must be deeply turned and improved, and organic fertilizer applied, to create good environmental conditions for the normal growth of apricot trees. Apricot trees are afraid of strong winds, so the orchard site should avoid wind gaps, with a sunny south-facing slope being preferable; otherwise, a windbreak forest should be established.
2. Variety Selection
To achieve high yield, good quality, and high efficiency, a suitable rootstock-scion combination must not be overlooked. For cultivation in the south, it is best to use the pits of southern local apricots as rootstock seeds. First, they have strong grafting compatibility with various apricot varieties and will not show physiological disorders later on. Second, they adapt to the southern climate and environment, and will not, like northern mountain apricot rootstock seedlings planted in the south, easily induce crown gall, gummosis, and other adverse consequences such as fear of moisture. Note that using peach as rootstock will have negative effects on apricot fruit quality, making the fruit smaller, delaying the ripening period, worsening quality, shortening tree lifespan, and causing later incompatibility at the graft union. For example, grafting Italian No. 1 apricot onto peach rootstock leads to tree death due to later incompatibility. However, peach rootstock can reduce fruit cracking in apricots; for some varieties with excellent quality and large fruit that are prone to cracking when cultivated in the south, peach rootstock can make up for the shortcomings of apricot rootstock in this regard. If introducing and cultivating, development must be carried out only on the premise of successful trial planting; seedlings should be self-propagated, which can avoid problems such as impure varieties, seedlings carrying pests and diseases, and uneven seedlings.
3. Planting Density
Apricot is a light-loving fruit tree, so apricots cultivated in the south must not be densely planted. It is recommended to use a spacing of 3m×5m on hillsides and 4m×6m or even larger in plains and lake areas.
4. Fertilizer and Water Management
After apricot seedlings are planted, fertilizer and water management during the young tree stage is very important for achieving early production. When the new shoots of apricot trees reach 20cm after trunk heading, chemical fertilizer can be applied as a top dressing, mainly nitrogen fertilizer, applied little and often, with fertilizer applied along with water. The first fertilization should be at a distance of more than 20cm from the trunk, gradually moving outward thereafter. After autumn, phosphate and potassium fertilizers should be added along with base fertilizer. Upon entering the initial fruiting stage, little or no nitrogen fertilizer should be applied, to avoid the large amount of nitrate nitrogen leaching into the soil with rainwater during the rainy southern summers. It suffices to supplement only organic fertilizer and phosphate and potassium fertilizers.
5. Training and Pruning
In modern fruit tree cultivation, summer pruning is a routine technical measure. Summer pruning, complementing winter pruning, can effectively maintain the economic fruiting years of apricot trees. Summer pruning of young apricot trees can accelerate canopy formation and advance fruiting. Summer pruning of mature trees improves ventilation and light penetration, reduces the ineffective consumption of assimilates, and improves fruit quality. Before harvest, pinch the vegetative shoots by leaving 15-20 leaves, and repeatedly pinch any subsequent regrowth by leaving 3-5 leaves. After harvest, moderately retract drooping branches, crossing branches, and overlapping branches to improve ventilation and light penetration within the canopy, but never prune too heavily, to prevent weakening tree vigor or stimulating excessive new shoot growth from the cut wounds.
6. Promoting Flowering and Preserving Fruit
The phenomenon of blooming without setting fruit is a common problem in southern apricot cultivation. To solve this problem, first check whether there is a pollinizer tree, whether it is the best pollinizer, and secondly consider flower bud quality. Large trees with strong vigor, many flowers but few or no fruit are a matter of flower bud quality. For this, on the basis of routine summer pruning, leave 1-2 branches at the base of the trunk as auxiliary nurturing branches, and perform a double C-shaped ring saw cut on the trunk above them.
Apricot blossom is an ancient flowering plant; it can both bear fruit and be enjoyed for its flowers, holding an important place in both fruit production and urban landscaping, and many places hold apricot blossom festivals during its blooming period. Friends who are interested can go and visit.