Apricot flowers: Meaning, how to plant and care for apricot flowers
Apricot flowers: Meaning, how to plant and care for apricot flowers
Information of apricot tree
Origin of apricot flowers
In English, apricot flowers are Apricot Flowers and have the scientific name Ochna integerrima. In addition, the apricot tree also has another name, the apricot tree. The tree belongs to the Apricot family (Ochnaceae) and is very popular. The origin of apricot flowers is from China, they appeared in this country more than 3000 years ago. Thanks to the beauty of apricot blossoms, since ancient times, Chinese people have loved apricot blossoms. Apricot blossoms, along with Tung and Chrysanthemums, are not only considered the group of “Tue Han Tam Huu” but are also respected as the national flower of China.
Apricot flowers were originally wild plants. The tree adapts well to tropical climate conditions and has good growth and development ability. People find that if apricot trees are carefully cared for, the flowers will bloom beautifully and the tree will have a long life. Thanks to the characteristic of losing its leaves at the end of winter and blooming in early spring, apricot trees are often grown as ornamental plants for Lunar New Year in Asia.
Characteristics of the yellow apricot tree
Shape and roots
The apricot tree has a noble appearance and is a perennial tree, meaning it can live and grow well for more than a hundred years. The yellow apricot tree is a woody tree, so the trunk is sturdy, the branches are a bit brittle but can still be bent to shape the tree. The tree trunk is rough and has many branches. The canopy has sparse leaves. If left to grow freely, the tree grown from seed can reach a maximum height of 20 – 30m. The tree stump is quite large, and the roots of the yellow apricot tree are convex and can penetrate up to 2 – 3 meters deep.
Apricot leaves
Apricot leaves are simple leaves, growing alternately, with oblong egg-shaped leaf blades. The leaves are green but the underside of the leaves is slightly yellow.
Apricot flowers
Apricot flowers are bisexual flowers. Flowers grow from the leaf axils and form clusters. Initially, the flowers grow into female flowers, then the female flowers will burst open to form clusters of young green buds. In about a week, the flower buds will bloom into bright yellow apricot petals. The structure of apricot flowers usually has 5 small and fragile petals, but there are also special flowers with up to 9 – 10 petals. Apricot flowers usually bloom within 3 days and then wither.
Hatching time
Although apricot flowers usually bloom in the spring, due to weather changes, flowering is also erratic, leading to the phenomenon of apricot trees blooming early or apricot flowers blooming out of season. Not all flowers can bear fruit. If a flower buds, after it withers, the flower’s ovary will swell. After a while, it will form seeds.
How to plant apricot trees
Breeding techniques for yellow apricot trees
Apricot trees can be propagated in many ways, the most common of which are sowing seeds and cutting branches. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages for apricot trees as follows:
• Sowing method: When sowing seeds, you will have a large number of young apricot trees. They can live for 30 – 40 years if allowed to grow freely, helping to save effort and time. However, the downside is that the new apricot tree will not carry the good characteristics of the mother tree such as: Fewer branches, small flowers and leaves, different colors,…
• Branching method: The advantage of this method is that it retains the good characteristics of the original seedling. When extracting, you need to choose small, healthy branches and then cut the bark into 3-4cm long pieces, making sure not to cut into the wood. Use a soil mixture mixed with coconut fiber, decomposed manure, etc. to bundle around the cut. Then regularly water and take care of it until about 3 months later, when the pot of soil has many roots, then you can cut the branch away from the mother plant.
Techniques for growing yellow apricot trees
When planting apricot trees, you need to ensure that the planting density and spacing are wide enough for the tree to fully develop. The beginning of the rainy season is the most ideal time to plant apricot trees. Soil is also a very important factor, you need to prepare the soil with enough moisture, humus and nutrients by mixing it with coconut fiber, rice husk ash, peat and decomposed manure,… Yellow apricot is a drought-resistant plant, so you can water it twice a day in the morning and evening with an appropriate amount, ensuring the plant does not wilt or become waterlogged.
During the planting process, you must combine fertilizers with types that are rich in nitrogen and phosphorus for plants instead of potassium. You can use NPK fertilizer in appropriate amounts, apply it far away from the base of the tree and fertilize it about 2-3 times/month. Fertilizing during the rainy season will be more effective. In addition, after changing the soil for the plants about 3-4 months, you can add manure, chicken and duck manure to the plants. Remember to regularly remove weeds, cultivate the roots and catch pests. Or my advice is to kill weeds before the rainy season for tomorrow.
How to care for apricot trees
Techniques for pruning apricot trees
You need to prune branches appropriately depending on the original shape and size of the tree. Normally, ⅓ of the branches will be cut off or the top branches will be trimmed shorter than the bottom row, similar to the shape of a pine tree.
Cleaning apricot trees
You can use a hose to spray strong water on the tree to remove moss and mold from the tree trunk. Or another way is to use concentrated urea fertilizer and spray it on the tree (do not let it flow down to the base), wait 10 minutes and then dislodge the mold by using a brush to scrub vigorously on the tree.
Yellow apricot is always a decoration choice during Tet, expressing sustainability, faith and peace of life, wishing for a new year full of happiness, prosperity and luck.
