Plum - selection of plum varieties and cultivation features

Plum variety

Plum is an excellent horticultural crop. It is undeniably beautiful during flowering, yielding delicious, sweet fruits that are so healthy. Plum is not a very whimsical plant, but you need to know about some growing rules. We will tell you how to plant, care, form a crown, choose plum varieties in this material.

Groups of plum varieties and their characteristics

Based on the shape, appearance, quality properties, all varieties can be divided into four main groups.

Plum variety Hungarian

Usually plum varieties Hungarian give plums of dark color shades, medium in size, elongated in shape. There is a lot of sugar in these plums. The fruits have a rather elastic flesh inside. High taste, dessert. As a rule, these varieties are self-fertile. They winter well in the south. But if the frosts are too strong and prolonged, there is a risk that the plants will freeze out.

Plum variety Renclode

The fruits are greenish in color with different shades. The fruit is round in shape. The inside of the plum is very juicy, sweet and sweet to the taste. Fruits are not too suitable for drying due to excessive juice secretion. As a rule, these varieties are used for harvesting, and fresh consumption. Remember, these varieties need pollinators, they are not self-fertile! The varieties of this group do not have high frost resistance. For this reason, as a rule, such a plum is suitable for cultivation in the southern regions.

Plum variety Egg

Based on the name of the group of varieties, these fruits have a corresponding shape - the shape of an egg. Plums are usually yellow in color, have different shades. Not so long ago, varieties with bluish tints began to appear. Inside, the fruits are not too juicy, in moderation. They tolerate winters well, are self-fertile. However, they are not very resistant to diseases and pests. The trees are tall. More about the variety here.

Plum variety Mirabelle

The yield of such varieties is not high (like cherry plum). The plum is sourish to taste or with sweetmeat. Gardeners rarely choose such varieties for their plots. Most often they can be found in the manufacture of blanks.

How to choose the right plum variety

Before buying seedlings, take a good look at the varieties of plums that are right for your region. Before buying, carefully study the information on the Internet, consult on the forums or ask specialist gardeners. Do not buy planting material from dubious individuals, there is a risk of being deceived. It is better to choose specialized stores or nurseries. So you can choose high-quality seedlings and get expert advice from specialists.

When buying planting material, carefully study the so-called accompanying note. It should contain information about the name of the variety / hybrid, in which regions it is necessary to grow, the need for pollination, the timing of ripening, and yield. Also, there should be information about what year the plum variety bears fruit, how hard it is, whether the variety is resistant to diseases and harmful insects. Information about the degree of keeping quality and how well the bone is separated will not be superfluous.

It is recommended to grow varieties of different ripening periods on the site. This way you will have a stable harvest throughout the season.

Early ripening plum varieties

As a rule, the ripening period for such plums falls on the second half of July to the first half of August. Usually these varieties give a good, bountiful harvest. Not so long ago, such varieties as Opal, Morning... They have a high yield and have an excellent taste Record, Cooperative, Fast-growing.

Medium ripening varieties

Such varieties are usually brewed in the second half of August - the first half of September. Such plums have excellent taste and aroma properties. Perfect for a wide variety of preforms and drinks. The recently appeared varieties Sukhanovskaya have shown themselves well, Blue gift. Of the gardeners tested by experience, one can name Romain, Mashenka, Souvenir of the East.

Late ripening varieties

Ripening of such plums occurs at the end of August - the second half of September. They are very hardy. As a rule, these varieties are used for conservation. Such varieties as Svetlana, Bogatyrskaya, President, Renklod Tambovskiy are in demand.

Choosing a place for planting plums

The best time to plant plums is in spring. Plum roots are skeletal branches of the first and second order. They act as conductors, transferring nutrients to the trees. They are not very deep, about 40 centimeters deep. The trees that are planted in April have good time to get used to the climatic conditions, as well as root properly. If you still prefer an autumn planting, then be prepared for the plant to freeze and not adapt.

There are several factors to consider when choosing where to plant your plums. The groundwater must not be too close to the plants. A level of one and a half meters is a guaranteed death of the plant.

If it so happens that underground waters are still close and there is no other place to be found, then fill a hill for planting. You can use, for example, willow twigs. It is necessary to cover a three-meter platform with them, the height should be up to one meter. Drainage with pebbles mixed with rubble - ten to fifteen centimeters. Then add a mixture of local soil. The acidity should be at a neutral level. Remember that the soil structure does not have to be heavy. If the soil is still heavy, then mix it with humus, high-moor peat.

When filling planting pits, keep in mind that in the presence of heavy soil, you need to fill the pits with mixtures of light soil (sand, humus, horse peat). The dimensions of the pit are one meter by one meter in diameter. Be sure to make sure that the surface of the pit itself (at the bottom and sides), as it were, separates your plant from soils with a heavy structure.

If your level of acidity on the ground is increased, then apply lime to the soil.

We plant the plum correctly

As a rule, a place for planting plums is prepared in autumn. When the snow has melted, you need to prepare the holes for planting. The distance between them should be about two and a half to three meters. As for the depth of the holes, here you look at the structure of the root system of the plant. The surface layer of soil must be mixed with one or two buckets of organic matter, and also three hundred to four hundred grams of nitrophosphate must be added. Then mix everything well. Set the stake in the center of the hole. A young plant will subsequently be tied to it. The partially made mixture is poured into the hole, forming a mound. Next, you need to straighten the root system of the seedling and pour the rest of the soil. Pour with water, half a bucket will be enough, fill the hole with soil and compact it lightly.

The seedling should be placed so that the distance from the ground to the root collar is three to five centimeters. At the edges of the hole, build something like a roller and pour it again (half a bucket of water).When the water is gone, mulch the soil with peat or other organic matter. Don't use pine needles. Do not forget to tie the seedling to the peg using the "eight" method.

How to fertilize and water plums correctly

The first feeding of your trees can be started three years after planting. Even before your plum begins to bear fruit, one year later, before the buds begin to bloom, make the introduction of humus and nitrophoska with a solution (25 - 35 grams per tree). When the plum has already begun to bear fruit, it needs to be fed twice during the growing season. In the spring (late April - early May), you need to dig grooves around the perimeter of the tree crowns and add nitrogen-containing fertilizing to them. After that, close the fertilizer with loosened soil, then pour water over it and lay mulch on top. The second time feeding is applied in the period from September to October. You need to dig one or two grooves with a distance of ten to twenty centimeters along the edges of the tree crowns. And according to the same scheme, fertilizer is applied, grooves are sealed with loose soil, watered and mulched.

As for watering, you don't need much here, about three to four times for the whole season will be enough. But you need to provide trees with enough water.

The first time the plums are watered before budding in dry, hot weather. If it rains, you don't need to water.

The second time the trees are watered when the growth of the ovaries begins, this is necessary so that the ovary does not drain from the lack of moisture.

A couple or three weeks before harvesting the fruits, you need to water the plums for the third time. The plums should be fully ripe by this time. When the fruits are just pouring, watering is not necessary, otherwise they will be too sour.

When you apply fall fertilizer, water the trees one last time for winter.

How to properly form the crown of a plum for 1 and 2 years of life

After planting, no pruning is required until spring the following year.

In the first year of the life of the trees, two prunings need to be carried out: in the spring and in the summer.

In the spring, you need to prune trees during the period of bud swelling. Measure 40-50 centimeters from the ground. And at this distance, you need to get rid of the side shoots.

Summer pruning takes place in July, at the end of the month. At 20 - 25 cm, you need to cut off the side branches that grow from the main shoot. The branches belonging to the second order on the lateral shoots should be shortened by 15 cm. The kidney needs to look down.

In the second year of tree life in the spring (when the buds begin to awaken), you need to shorten the central conductor by two-thirds. This must be done on the bud, which is located opposite from the last year's pruning.

In July, you need to form side branches. The shoots that have grown in the current year need to be cut to twenty centimeters. The branches of the second order, which are on the branches of the first order (fifteen centimeters were left for them last season), you need to cut off the adherent part again by 15 cm. Thus, the second order of branches in length will be about thirty centimeters. The kidney at the edge should look down.

Plum variety photo