The Royal Rosa apricot tree is a fruit that is very sweet and great-tasting. It is a popular apricot for lots of different uses for anyone who loves its sweetness and juiciness.
It’s also an easy tree to grow. If you want to be able to harvest these low-acid fruits for yourself, the Royal Rosa apricot tree may be just right for you. Read on to see how easy it is to raise these trees and get a bumper crop of sweet apricots.
History of the Royal Rosa Apricot / Royal Rosa Apricot Tree
Apricots have been enjoyed since ancient times. Their name comes from the original Latin word that meant “early-ripening peach.” It then spread to the ancient Greeks, the Arabic world, into Spain and France and then to England. The apricot itself was a common fruit in the region of the Chinese-Russian border around 3,000 BC. Apricots were traded along the Silk Road that went through this region and all the way to the Middle East.
The Royal Rosa apricot is popular all over the world, and the variety is thought to have been developed in Siberia. Because it has a short growing season and ripens relatively early, it was a good crop for that region of the world. Today it is enjoyed in New Zealand, Eastern Europe, the US, and everywhere else that it will grow.
Royal Rosa Apricot Tree / Royal Rosa Apricot Characteristics
The Royal Rosa apricot has great color with its golden-yellow base color that has a medium-red blush over part of the fruit. It’s a very sweet apricot type, and many say it has a flavor like honey or candy. Its size makes it perfect as a backyard fruit tree, and there are dwarf varieties for those who want them even smaller and easier to care for.
The Royal Rosa apricot tree has attractive green foliage and grows to a height of between 20′ and 25′ tall, though most growers prune them to keep them at about 15′. It is highly resistant to disease, more so than most other apricot types, making it an easy tree to grow. The fruit is a freestone type, meaning that the pit in the center is not firmly attached to the flesh.
Planting Zones
The Royal Rosa Apricot Tree can be planted in zones 7 through 9. This keeps it in the areas that don’t get too hot and that have acceptable winter temperatures so that the trees aren’t damaged in the cold.
Size and Spacing
While these apricot trees often get to 20′ to 25′ in the wild, it’s common to prune them to keep them smaller. This allows for much easier harvesting of the fruit as well as easier care for the tree. And if you should want to put bird netting over the tree, pruning it to keep it around 10′ to 15′ tall is ideal. The trees should be planted about 8′ to 10′ apart from each other if you prune them for size. If you leave them natural, they often need to be about 15′ apart from the center of the trees.
Pollination
The Royal Rosa apricot is self-pollinating. It does not need to have a pollination partner, but it can serve as a helpful partner to other trees, including the flavorella plumcot.
Royal Rosa Apricot Tree Care
The Royal Rosa apricot tree is hardy and relatively easy to care for. It grows wild throughout the Mediterranean area, but it may need a little care for you to grow them in your own yard. The trees are generally very vigorous and hardy.
Sunlight
These trees need to be planted in full sun. They won’t thrive in dappled sunlight or partial shade, so plant them far from taller trees.
Watering
These trees need a moderate amount of water. They don’t need to be watered often, and they don’t need large amounts of water all at once. If it rains once or twice a week, that should be sufficient for your tree.
If you’re going through a drought, water your tree at least once a week. The soil does not have to be kept moist in between waterings. If you use a sprinkler system, turning it on for 15 to 20 minutes is long enough.
When you do water the tree, water it deeply so that the water is able to reach the roots. The soil the tree is planted in must have good drainage so that the tree doesn’t sit in water for too long. When a tree is becoming established, water it about twice a week in the spring when the tree is growing.
When the summer begins, water new trees two to three times a week throughout the season. In the fall, watering it once a week is sufficient. In the winter, don’t water the tree at all. The tree will be dormant during the coldest months.
Pruning
While there may be 25′-tall Royal Rosa apricot trees in the wild, it isn’t very practical to harvest their fruit. To keep your tree at a more manageable size, it needs to be pruned regularly. When the winter comes, it’s time to prune your Royal Rosa apricot tree.
Cutting it during this time of year allows you to get in front of the new growth and to control how much of it there is. This is very important for keeping your tree a size that is easily manageable. And as the early spring begins, the cuts will heal quickly.
Remove any branches that are growing straight vertically. The best branches will grow both out and up. Throughout the year, if a branch should die or become broken, it’s best to cut away that branch to prevent pests from getting into it.
Cut it as close as you can to the thickened part of the branch that attaches it to the tree’s trunk. If any branches grow that are 1.5′ from the ground or even lower, cut them away. Each year, prune the main branches from the year before so that they are about 30″ long.
You can also prune the fruit to thin the amount of them on the tree. This results in bigger fruit and not as much weight being held by the branches. It can also lead to better-quality fruit.
Fertilizer
It’s helpful to fertilize your Royal Rosa apricot trees when spring arrives. Use a fruit tree fertilizer that is balanced, such as 1-1-1 or 5-5-5. You can also use a 1-2-2 or a 1-4-4. If you live in a cool climate, you can also apply manure to provide nutrients to the soil and the tree.
If you want to fertilize it during the summer, you can do this with a growth fertilizer. However, never fertilize it in the fall. The growth has slowed during that time, and it is preparing to go dormant for the winter.
Common Uses for the Royal Rosa Apricot
The Royal Rosa apricot is as sweet as honey and makes a perfect dessert with its candy-sweet taste. It has a small amount of sourness that mixes perfectly with the sweetness. They are perfect for eating raw as well as being used in a variety of recipes.
They go into many types of stuffing for Thanksgiving. They also can be cooked into fresh breads and used in sweet sauces. They can also be sliced and used in fruit salads. Because this variety is freestone, it is simple to cut it open and to slice it up.
These apricots are low acid and highly sweet. They are perfect for using in preserves or for canning to eat at any time of the year. They can also be dried to make convenient snacks. They also freeze well for later use. This comes in handy, as this fruit is an early one for harvest. In many areas, the apricots will be ripe in May.
Check out all our different fruit recipes.
Health Benefits of the Royal Rosa Apricot
Royal Rosa apricots have a small amount of fat and protein in each fruit. They are filled with a number of important vitamins and other nutrients. They have a large variety of B vitamins as well as vitamins K, A, C and E. The high level of vitamin C helps the body’s immune system.
The level of copper benefits many different systems in the body. The vitamins include antioxidants that can help the body to repair itself as well as those that help support good eyesight. It is also often used on the skin in the form of an apricot scrub to help get rid of acne.
Where To Buy the Royal Rosa Apricot
You can find Royal Apricot Trees for sale online at Nature Hills Nursery.
To find these fruits in stores, look in the produce section of a grocery store that carries a large supply of fruit, especially in the late spring and early fall. You can also check packages of dried apricots to find one that is made from the Royal Rosa apricot.
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