The most unusual hybrids of apricot, peach, plum and apple

Many gardeners want to grow unusual plants on their plots., which will differ from others, both in appearance and taste.

In this case, it would be appropriate to plant hybrid plantscombining the characteristics of several cultures.

For a very long time, breeders have been trying to cross different varieties and crops with each other in order to obtain ideal plants. Their fruits are distinguished by their attractive appearance and excellent taste.

There are many hybridsthat are a mixture of two or more cultures, the most unusual of them are:

• Sharafuga - a hybrid of plum, peach and apricot;
• Aprium and Plumkot - a mixture of plums and apricots;
• Apple and plum nectarine;
• Plum / cherry plum hybrid;
• Mainor - a combination of plum and high.

Apricot plum

There are two varieties of plum and apricot hybrids.

Aprium - this hybrid is 75% apricot and 25% plum. This unusual fruit was bred in the 90s by the American breeder Floyd Zeiger.

The tasting evaluation of the apricot plum speaks of its outstanding taste and pronounced aroma. The flesh of the fruit is firm, less juicy than that of an apricot, and the skin is smooth, like that of a plum.

Aprium has a high fructose content, which indicates the sweetness of the fruit.

Pluot - a hybrid ¼ consisting of apricot and ¾ of plum. Bred in California in 1989, there are currently 11 varieties of this hybrid.

It has a sweet, dessert taste; such fruits make wonderful jams, compotes or wines. The taste of the fruit is more like an apricot, and the appearance of a plum.

The skin is smooth, colored purple, pink or even green. The pulp is juicy, red in color.

Plum nectarine

Peach and plum hybrid is called plum nectarine. Many people do not even realize that such a fruit as nectarine can be of two types, plum and apple.

They differ significantly among themselves both in taste and in appearance:

• plum nectarine is dense and not juicy, the pulp is quite firm and “thick”, yellow in color, separates well from the stone;
• in appearance, the fruits are round in shape and resemble a peach;
• the skin is thin, smooth and matte.

Apple nectarine

A hybrid of peach and apple is called apple nectarine, its distinctive features are expressed in the following indicators:

• the pulp is very soft and juicy, most often creamy or white. The taste of the fruit is sweet and sour;
• apple nectarines are almost 2 times smaller than plums, they have a slightly elongated shape;
• the skin is smooth, glossy, pale pink.

A hybrid of plum, apricot and peach

Fruit that was bred by crossing peach, plum and apricot called Sharafuga, and has the following qualities:

• the color of the fruit resembles a plum and has a purple-lilac hue;
• the shape is more rounded, similar to an apricot, but the size of the fruit is closest to a peach;
• the pulp is juicy and sweet, the taste is a combination of plum and apricot. The stone is round, well separated.

Pros and cons of hybrid plants

A hybrid is a plant obtained by crossing several varieties or crops. Like any other plant, they have both pros and cons.

Advantages of hybrids:

1. The appearance of the fruits of such plants is close to ideal, most often they have the same shape and size. Hybrid fruits and vegetables are pleasing to the eye and appetizing. This is due to the fact that varieties are bred by trial and error, choosing the best samples.
2. The yield will always remain high.
3. Good resistance to various diseases and pests compared to pure varieties.
4. Plants are self-pollinated, so they can be grown without worrying about carrying out this procedure.
5. In addition, hybrids have an unusual combination of flavors, and eating them can significantly replenish the food supply.

Disadvantages of hybrids:

1. You cannot get seeds from hybrid crops.
2. Such plants are very capricious to growing conditions.
3. They can grow only in fertile soil, it follows that the plants will require a large number of different dressings.
4. Hybrid plants are very capricious to watering, do not tolerate both drought and excessive soil moisture.
5. Strong temperature changes can completely destroy the cultivated crop.
6. Another disadvantage will be the cost of seeds and seedlings, hybrids are much more expensive than pure varieties and crops.

Features of planting and care

When planting hybrids, you need to pay attention on the individual characteristics of specific crops and varieties. But also, between all of them there are several similar preferences and features that make it possible to generalize such plants.

How and when to plant

Landing takes place in several stages. The soil must be fertile, loose, groundwater should be at a distance of at least 1.5 meters from the surface of the earth.

When choosing a site should give preference to flat heights, on which precipitation and melted snow will not accumulate.

About a week before planting, you need to dig a hole proportional in size to the root system of the plant being planted. For hybrid trees, the pit should be 80 centimeters wide and deep.

Then you need to dig it up, while applying fertilizers consisting of:

• 2 buckets of humus or compost;
• 70 grams of superphosphate;
• 40 grams of potash fertilizers.

Considering that hybrids prefer neutral or alkaline soil, with an increased level of acidity, the earth is lime with 0.3 kilograms of lime per square meter.

The roots of the seedling are placed in a hole and gently straightened, after which they are sprinkled with fertile soil.

After the plant is planted, it needs water and mulch abundantlyto avoid rapid evaporation of moisture on sunny days.

Growing

Given that hybrid plants are quite capricious to care for, the following measures should be taken when growing them.

Top dressing - hybrids are very demanding on the composition and quality of the soil, so they should be fertilized in a timely manner and thoroughly:

• in early spring, as soon as all the snow melts, nitrogen fertilizers such as urea or ammonium nitrate are applied to the soil. Their consumption is 25 grams per 1 square meter;
• immediately after flowering, foliar dressing is applied, most often micronutrient fertilizers are used, for example, the drug "Kemira-universal". This procedure is repeated 3 times with an interval of 10-15 days;
• in the fall, the soil around the plant is dug up and two buckets of humus, compost or slurry are introduced.

Pest control - resistance of hybrids to attacks of various diseases or insects allows not to carry out additional preventive procedures. It will be enough to carry out sanitary pruning and whitewashing of hybrid trees in time.

Hybrid plants do not tolerate both aridity and excessive soil moisture, therefore, an optimal irrigation scheme should be developed, taking into account the peculiarities of the climate, the abundance of precipitation, air humidity and other factors.

Many are mistaken, confusing hybrid plants with genetically modified ones. Hybrid fruits and vegetables do not harm the body and are the result of crossing two crops in a natural way.

Such fruits are distinguished by good taste and attractive appearance, but, unfortunately, they are very capricious and picky about the care and composition of the soil.