Sharafuga: description, varieties, photos, frost resistance, pollinators, gardener reviews, video

Sharafuga is an exotic hybrid of apricot, peach and plum, the large, juicy fruits of which are widely used for making compotes, jams and preserves. The tree is resistant to adverse meteorological conditions and is suitable for cultivation in regions with temperate climates. In order to reap rich harvests of ripe fruit in the future, before planting a seedling, it is advisable to study the description of sharafuga and become familiar with the features of its cultivation.

Sharafuga: what kind of fruit is it?

Sharafuga is a hybrid that has inherited many of the characteristics of its “parental” crops.From the plum she took the thorns on the branches, the texture of the skin and the structure of the fruit pulp, from the apricot - the shade of the bark, the shape and size of the leaves, and from the peach - a specific pattern on the seeds.

The taste of sharafuga is also similar to the parent species; unripe fruits resemble plums, ripe fruits resemble apricots

When and how was sharafuga bred?

Floyd Zeiger, who was dubbed the “father of exotic fruits,” was involved in obtaining a hybrid of apricot, peach and plum for 30 years. The American biologist was sure that due to the fact that all three plants are representatives of the Plum subfamily, they could interbreed with each other, and pollinated the trees manually using a cosmetic brush.

A hybrid of apricot, peach and plum has an alternative name - nectacotum

Description and characteristics of sharafuga

A hybrid of apricot, peach and plum is characterized by compact size and carries the best qualities of its ancestors. Despite its close relationship with heat-loving southern crops, it is resistant to low temperatures and is suitable for cultivation in central Russia.

Sharafuga is characterized by high productivity. A minimum of 25 kg of fruit is collected from each tree per season. At the peak of fruiting, the yield increases to 35-40 kg.

Important! A hybrid of apricot, peach and plum retains the ability to bear fruit for 40-50 years. But when growing in one place for more than 15-20 years, it significantly loses in yield.

What does sharafuga look like?

The hybrid of apricot, peach and plum belongs to the group of medium-sized trees and grows up to 3-5 m in height. It has a spreading, moderately thickened crown and looks like a plum with some characteristics of an apricot.The branches of the hybrid are covered with thorns, and the leaves have a characteristic curl.

Sharafuga shoots lengthen by 50-70 cm annually

Winter hardiness of sharafuga

The hybrid of apricot, peach and plum is characterized by high frost resistance and can easily withstand temperature drops down to -25-30 ⁰C. If you believe the reviews of gardeners, sharafuga grows even in the Urals.

Attention! If small shoots freeze slightly in the spring, the tree will easily recover and continue to develop after pruning.

What pollinator does sharafuga need?

The hybrid of apricot, peach and plum is a self-fertile tree and does not require pollinators. To form an ovary, it only needs pollination between its own flowers. But to significantly increase the number of fruits set, any of its close relatives - apricot or plum with similar flowering periods - are often planted next to the sharafuga.

What year does sharafuga bear fruit?

A hybrid of apricot, peach and plum begins to bear fruit at 3-4 years of age. The maximum yield is observed in an 8-10 year old tree. Fruits reach consumer ripeness from mid-August to early September. They are quite large in size and reach 7-8 cm in diameter.

The color of the skin of the fruit of a hybrid of apricot, peach and plum depends on the variety and can be purple or orange.

The pit looks like a peach, it has a recognizable texture and is easily separated from the sweet juicy pulp

The best varieties of sharafuga with photos and descriptions

The hybrid of apricot, peach and plum does not differ in varietal diversity and is represented by only four varieties. Only two of them are the most popular:

Bella Gold.It is a three-meter tree with a spherical crown, thorny branches and curly leaves and is valued for its large sweet fruits, the taste of which contains notes of apricot and plum.
The yellow skin of the Bella Gold sharafuga fruit is strewn with orange-red dots
Velvet Sunrise. A tree with a moderately spreading, dense, semi-oval crown grows up to 3.5-4 m high and is covered with smooth reddish bark. The thorny branches of the plant are leafy with dark green lanceolate leaves, the edges of which are curved, like peach leaves. Sharafuga variety Velvet Sunrise produces large, sweet and sour fruits covered with purple skin.
Velvet Sunrise fruits are large in size and weigh up to 150 g

The two remaining varieties - Bella Cerise and Bella Royale - are not grown at home and are used exclusively for commercial sales.

Advantages and disadvantages

Sharafuga is characterized by high frost resistance and good yield. It is valued for its immunity to most diseases and the excellent taste of the fruit.

The fruits of a hybrid of apricot, peach and plum are not prone to shedding, tolerate transportation well and are tasty even when unripe.

Pros:

frost resistance;
high productivity;
early fruiting;
excellent taste;
good keeping quality and transportability.

Minuses:

high cost of seedlings;
need for abundant watering;
demands on soil quality;
impossibility of propagation by seeds.

How to plant sharafuga

Other hybrids of apricot and plum are often sold under the guise of sharafuga. Therefore, it is better to buy seedlings for planting from trusted nurseries.The tree takes root well in the regions of the middle zone and in Siberia; windless, sunny, flat or elevated areas with fertile air- and water-permeable soils are optimal for all varieties of sharafuga.

Warning! When planting in lowlands, conditions are created that are favorable for the development of fungal diseases.

Landing dates

For successful rooting of sharafuga, planting dates are determined taking into account the meteorological characteristics of a particular area. In the southern regions this is done both in spring and autumn. When growing sharafuga in the Moscow region and other areas with a harsher climate, spring planting is practiced. Otherwise, the seedlings of the hybrid of apricot, peach and plum will not have time to adapt before the onset of cold weather.

Site preparation

The place for planting a hybrid of apricot, peach and plum is prepared in advance. The selected area is weeded from weeds and carefully dug up. Then humus or compost is incorporated into the soil. Some gardeners additionally fertilize the soil with any suitable potash fertilizer (40 g/m²) and superphosphate (70 g/m²).

If the soil in the area allocated for planting sharafuga is too acidic, add a small amount of dolomite flour to it

Landing rules

Planting a hybrid of apricot, peach and plum is carried out following the following algorithm:

A planting hole is dug in the prepared area, the dimensions of which are approximately 80x80x80 cm.
A layer of broken brick, crushed stone or pebbles is poured onto the bottom of the hole. Sometimes a little clean sand is mixed into the drainage.
The soil removed from the hole is supplemented with humus and peat and carefully placed into the hole so that a low mound is formed. A long wooden stake is installed in the center, which will become a support for the young tree.
A seedling of a hybrid of apricot, peach and plum is immersed in the hole and the roots are carefully straightened, making sure that they do not bend. The root system of the tree is sprinkled with soil, slightly compacting it.

At the final stage, the sharafuga is carefully tied to a support and watered generously with non-cold, settled water.

The soil in the tree trunk circle is mulched with organic matter to improve its structure and slow down the evaporation of moisture

Caring for sharafuga in open ground

In order for a hybrid of apricot, peach and plum to consistently produce a generous harvest, it needs proper care. The list of basic agrotechnical manipulations includes regular watering, fertilizing, pruning and forming a sharafuga.

Although the hybrid of apricot, peach and plum is classified as frost-resistant, it is being prepared for winter. In autumn, the tree trunk circle is cleared of debris and loosened. The bark of old trees is carefully processed with a metal scraper or knife, removing only the easily removable layer. Then the trunk and lower fragments of the branches are whitened.

Important! In reviews of sharafuga from gardeners from the Leningrad region and other regions with a cool climate, there is often a recommendation to additionally hill up and mulch the tree trunk circle, and then cover it with fallen snow.

Watering

To make work easier, small grooves about 10-15 cm deep are made around the tree, into which water should be poured. This must be done slowly and very carefully. Approximately 10-15 liters of water are poured under each tree. In hot weather, the amount of moisture consumed increases. During the spring rains, sharafuga does not need to be watered.

When watering sharafuga, it is important not to allow liquid to stagnate in the tree trunk; excess moisture in the soil can cause root rot.

Important! To saturate the soil with oxygen and make it lighter, it is loosened to a shallow depth after each rain or watering.

Top dressing

To increase the yield and improve the growth of the tree, fertilizers are added to the soil underneath it several times a season. In the spring, before the buds appear, the hybrid of apricot, peach and plum is fed with organic matter. At the stage of bud formation, sharafugu is fertilized with a nitrogen mixture and ammonium nitrate, which stimulates the growth of green mass. During the period of bud setting, the tree is fed with potassium compounds and superphosphate. And to activate the ripening of fruits, calcium, potassium, selenium and manganese are added to the soil.

Shaping and trimming sharafuga

A hybrid of apricot, peach and plum has a high growth rate and requires regular pruning. Before the start of spring sap flow, the branches of the sharafuga are shortened by half with a sharply sharpened and disinfected tool. Usually this procedure is combined with sanitary pruning, during which all diseased, frozen, thickening and broken shoots are removed. The cuts must be covered with garden varnish. If they are extensive, they are first disinfected with a solution of copper sulfate.

In the first years of life, the hybrid of apricot, peach and plum is subjected to formative pruning. To begin with, leave a couple of main branches at a distance of about 30 cm from each other. The remaining shoots are removed to the ring. In subsequent years, carefully form other tiers of branches, not forgetting to shorten the central trunk a little. After each pruning, the tree is watered generously with non-cold, settled water for a speedy recovery after the procedure.

When growing sharafuga, it is important not to allow the crown to become too thick, otherwise the tree will suffer from a lack of nutrients.

Diseases and pests

Although the hybrid of apricot, peach and plum is characterized by good immunity, under unfavorable conditions it becomes susceptible to leaf curl. This disease is accompanied by deformation of the plates and the formation of small white-green spots on them, which become darker over time and become covered with a waxy coating. The disease affects mainly young greenery; adult leaves are affected much less frequently. If the infection is severe, the sharafuga quickly weakens and stops bearing fruit. You can save a hybrid of apricot, peach and plum by getting rid of all damaged fragments and destroying them. After pruning, the plant is treated with fungicides.

To prevent leaf curl, sharafugu is sprayed with fungicides several times a season, the interval between preventive treatments is 14 days.

Of the pests, the greatest danger to sharafugi is:

Sawflies. Small winged insects usually attack flowering fruit trees. To combat them, use an ash solution prepared from a bucket of hot water, 3 kg of sifted ash, 70 g of baking soda and a small amount of liquid soap.
The most reliable method of exterminating sawflies is considered to be spraying the plantings with insecticides.
Codling moths. They eat fruit pulp, worsening the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the crop. To kill insects, use Lepidocide or Batrider.
To combat small populations of codling moths, a concentrated decoction of wormwood is used

How to propagate sharafugu

Due to the impossibility of obtaining seeds, the hybrid of apricot, peach and plum is propagated by cuttings. Planting material is harvested in the fall.Cut cuttings 15-20 cm long are carefully cleaned of unnecessary leaves, leaving a few healthy buds, and soaked in a growth stimulator for a day. The cuttings prepared in this way are planted at a slight angle in containers with fertile soil and put in a cool room, not forgetting to regularly water and feed them. In spring, rooted seedlings are transferred to a permanent place.

Some gardeners try to propagate sharafuga by grafting onto cherry plums or plums.

Harvest and storage

Depending on the variety, sharafuga fruits ripen at the end of July or in the second half of August. Ripe fruits hold firmly on the branches and are not prone to shedding. To keep them longer, they are plucked from the trees by hand. If you harvest by shaking the sharafugu, the fruit may be damaged when dropped and will quickly spoil.

The fruits of a hybrid of apricot, peach and plum need to be picked on time, otherwise they will become easy prey for jays and other birds

Attention! Thanks to its dense pulp and durable skin, sharafuga does not spoil within 10-14 days after harvesting and can easily withstand long-distance transportation without losing its presentation.

Conclusion

The description of sharafuga does not give a complete idea of the taste and aroma of its fruits. To form your own opinion about the hybrid of apricot, peach and plum, it is better to try it yourself.

Reviews from gardeners about sharafuga

Natalia Mironova, Krasnodar

My father really loves exotic fruits and, having learned about the existence of sharafuga, planted it on our site. Of course, he worked a lot, but his labors were not in vain. The trees adapted perfectly and in the fourth year pleased us with tasty and sweet fruits.

Lyudmila Krasnova, Moscow region

The first time I bought a sharafuga, they deceived me; instead of a hybrid of apricot, peach and plum, they slipped me who knows what. The deception was revealed when the tree began to bear fruit and produced tasteless small fruits with hard-to-separate seeds. Last year I purchased seedlings from a well-known nursery and am looking forward to the first harvest.