Peach and nectarine

General information: the birthplace of peaches is China. There it has been cultivated for several millennia. Through Persia and Greece the peach reached Ancient Rome, and from there it spread throughout Europe.

A peach with a smooth cuticle is called nectarine( if the bone is separated) or a brun( if the bone has grown to the pulp).

Requirements: peach - warm and light-loving. For normal ripening of fruit, a high sum of positive temperatures during the growing season and a winter temperature of at least -20-25 ° C are necessary. A necessary condition for growth and fruiting is the moisture content of the soil. The optimum moisture conditions create a prerequisite for proper tree nutrition, growth of vegetative organs, and the like. Peach trees need water, especially during the formation of flowers, and most importantly - after bloom, during the accelerated growth of fruits. For peaches, medium-loamy soils with good moisture and air exchange, with a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction, are more suitable. Cultivated heavy loamy soils with a normal( more than 3

%) humus content are also suitable for growing a peach. Excess amounts of calcium in the soil increase the risk of chlorosis.

Ingredients: peaches are not so rich in vitamins, except that in fruits with yellow flesh the content of carotene is high. But there are so many mineral substances that they contribute to the formation of hemoglobin in the body and the maintenance of acid-base balance.

The following peach varieties are distinguished by the time of fruit ripening:

early( 100-110 days from flowering to ripening in June-July) - Fluffy early, May flower, Greensboro and Juicy;

medium( 115-125 days before maturing in August) - Golden anniversary, Soviet, Red-cheeked, Nikitsky fine;

late( 130-150 days from flowering to ripening in September-October) - Elberta, Tourist, Champion is late.

According to the shape, color of the skin and pulp, table, canned and dried varieties are distinguished. The color of the flesh of the fruit is divided into peaches by white-spotted ( with white flesh) and yellowish ( with cream and yellowish, less often pink flesh).

Planting: peach is a rare visitor in medium-sized gardens, but where the growing conditions to some extent meet the requirements of this plant, it must be planted in sunny, fully illuminated areas protected from constant winds, better near the walls of buildings. For the peach the mostthe south and south-west side of the site is suitable. It is possible to grow trellis peach forms, which open certain opportunities for its cultivation, even in regions that are not completely suitable for this culture.

Care: a common set of necessary measures - fertilizing, watering and pruning the tree crown. Methods of care are similar to caring for cherries. Pests and diseases of the peach and methods of combating them are described in the section Pests and diseases of fruit and berry crops.

Pruning: features pruning peaches, like other crops, are associated, above all, with the characteristics of its fruiting. Peach fructifies mainly on strong last year's growths and bouquet branches, which die in 2-3 years, so the yield of peach is determined mainly by the value of annual growth. He responds well to rejuvenating pruning. The thickening of the crown causes a weakening of the growth on which fruits are formed, and the rapid aging of the tree, therefore, in order to obtain high-quality fruits and a high yield, it is necessary to trim the fruiting and maintain optimum illumination inside the crown. For the peach, the crowns are recommended, providing a good light regime, in particular cup-shaped with 3-4 skeletal branches, located at a distance of 10-20 cm from each other evenly along the tree trunk, all the excess branches and branches in the zone of the stem are cut to the ring. To avoid breaks, the angle of divergence of the branches should not be less than 50 °.On each skeletal branch 2-3 branches of the second order are placed at a distance of 30-40 cm from the trunk on the right or left side of the main branch, so that they do not cross. Later in the process of annual pruning, cut out vertical and growing shoots, and shoots growing on the inner side, greatly shorten, leaving 2-3 sheets. As a result of such trimming, the crown opens and the supply of nutrients increases. When forming the crown of a peach, combine the trimming and bending off of the axial branches growing upwards, for which they are transferred to external branches with the required angles of retreat. Formation of the crown is completed in the fourth year. For suburban and homestead land the most suitable is the low-molded peach form, which yields large yields in favorable years.

After-planting of the peach tree

1. Choose 3-4 branches, which are laid as the main ones, and produce their strong shortening.

2. Cut out all the extra branches that are not included in the skeleton of the future crown and the available branching of the stem, the central conductor is shortened at a height of 20 cm above the last of the branches left.

3. Peach is characterized by high activity of shoot formation and already in the next season it generates powerful growths of

. When primming peaches, it is important to ensure that the center of the crown is not thickened, which, when the plant is prone to strong branching, occurs constantly. To avoid thickening and darkening of the crown, it is necessary to constantly cut out from the center of the crown thickening, growing vertically and growing branches of the shoots on the inside.

Harvesting: fruits are removed when they begin to "lighten up": the green color turns into yellow-pink tones, the fruits soften and become fragrant.

Peach fruits for on-site use are removed in full maturity;for transportation - solid, so that upon arrival at the place of destination they would be suitable for consumption. Early collected fruits that did not reach the color characteristic of the variety, when wrinkled, become wrinkled and become unsuitable for eating, and the overripe quickly rot. The fruits of the peach are not ripening at the same time, so they are picked up selectively, in 2-3 hours. Fruits are removed very carefully, trying not to beat the barrels. Otherwise, putrefaction may begin in the areas of impact.

Usage: peaches are very tasty fresh, besides they are a valuable raw material for home preserving, as they do not lose their taste qualities, from them they make greens and compotes for pies.

Berries and grapes