You can talk endlessly about the benefits of plums: it can improve gastric secretion, affects blood pressure, can be used as a laxative, and in the form of prunes - to remove cholesterol.
Just endlessly you can talk about varieties of plums. However, today we will try to focus only on the most popular varieties.
Plum - decoration of your garden and table
Many of us love plums not only for their medicinal and other useful properties. For most, it is a very tasty fruit, which is not always possible to enjoy enough.
In the markets during the ripening period, plums are usually ruled by significant amounts of money. Therefore, the best option is to grow a plum at home.
However, today scientists have developed a large variety of varieties, among which it is difficult to choose something suitable. We will try to aim you both at the most popular varieties of plums, and at the most fruitful and tasty, which you can easily grow in the country.
Plum variety "East's Souvenir"
This variety is the result of selection of such well-known in East Asia varieties of plums as "Veniaminova Zarya" and "Giant".
The fruits of this variety are very large, weight their can reach 40 grams. The shape of the plums are round, have a side seam. When entering into a period of technical maturity I get a bright orange color.
In the period of consumer maturity, the fruits of the variety “Souvenir of the East” are of dark maroon color, which makes them especially attractive.
The color of the flesh of ripe plums is yellow-orange. The structure of the pulp is dense, slightly crunchy, with a high content of juice. The flesh is very aromatic, has a sweet-spicy taste with a slight touch of acid. Taste qualities Plums "Souvenir of the East" close to peaches.
Consumer maturity of plums of this class comes in mid-August. Variety refers to the middle, but having waited for their large and incredibly tasty fruits, you will understand that you made the right choice in favor of this variety.
An adult tree reaches an average height of about 2-2.5 meters. Crohn sprawling in shape, the hallmark of the variety is the dark brown color of the bark, which has a slight purple hue. Also, the bark can flake off a lot.
The tree is able to produce very large harvests in one season, even in spite of its average size. From one treewhich actively bears fruit collect about 26-45 kilograms of ripe fruit. Fruits are mainly formed in the form of clusters, but on summer shoots they grow one by one.
The positive qualities of this variety include productivity and high quality of large fruits. Bright and good plums are suitable for sale, suitable only for use raw.
In the spring, the tree can wake up very quickly, as a result of which the bark of the tree disappears and leaves, therefore recommended as shtambov for this grade use hardy trees. The leaves of the tree "Souvenir of the East" are often affected by flatulence.
Plum variety "Svetlana Primorskaya"
The mother of this variety is the Ussuriisk plum, from the seedlings of which this beautiful variety turned out. The variety is zoned for the most part in the Far Eastern region of Russia.
Fruit this variety not one-dimensional in shape: there are plums of both elongated-cylindrical and irregular flat-circular. Fruits are medium (about 27 grams), but there are also very large ones - up to 35 grams. Differ in yellow flower color and rather dense skin.
The flesh is quite dense and crispy in structure. Its color is light yellow. To taste the ripe fruit is sweet and sour, pleasant taste. Tasters taste the plum "Svetlana Primorskaya" rated excellent.
This grade also mid season - ripening plums occurs in the second part of September or even in the first week of September.
The grade differs in the big sizes of a tree. His crown is spreading, in shape - pyramidal. The trunk and branches of the tree is characterized by a light gray color. Fruit tree starts too early - 3-4 years old.
It has a very high yield - in one medium tree more than 40 kilograms of ripe fruits are collected.
The variety is popular as an attractive form of saturated yellow fruits, and their suitability for transportation. In addition, in addition to fresh consumption, the fruits of the variety "Svetlana Primorskaya" are excellent for technical processing.
The variety has a high resistance to various fungal diseases of the tree, as well as to cholesterol and rubella. Resistant to low temperatures and harsh winters This grade is high.
Trees can suffer from moniliosis, which requires special care and spraying of the tree. Nonuniformity of fruits.
Plum variety "Skoroplodnaya": description
Plum was bred by scientists as a result of breeding plum "Ussuri Red" with such American varieties as "Climax."
Fruit this variety is small, total about 20 grams in weight. They are rounded in shape. The color of their main color is yellow. However, on top of them they have a reddish color, which is more intense on the sunny side of the mature fruit.
Plum pulp "Skoroplodnaya" has a yellow color. According to the structure, it is fine-fibrous, medium density. The pulp contains relatively much juice, although for plums it is not the maximum indicator. 100 grams of the pulp of this variety contains about 10.5 mg of ascorbic acid.
Ripen fruits of this variety are roughly in the period from August 7 to 14.
The plum variety Skoroplodnaya has a medium-growth tree. The shape of the crown of the tree fan. Crown is characterized by medium thickness and foliage. The tree begins to bear fruit already at 3 years after planting the sapling. Also, fruit tree can up to 21 years.
A tree of average yield decreases with age (about 16 kilograms of fruit can be harvested from a 16-year-old tree). In addition, the tree may have occasional lean years.
The variety is famous for its rapid entry into fruiting. Fruit at grade very high quality, can be transported over medium distances. The main purpose of skoroplodnaya plum is dessert.
The flower buds of the tree are frost resistant. Also, the variety has a fairly good resistance to cholesterol and fruit rot. The tree has an average resistance to drought.
Unfortunately, but this one the variety is self-infested and requires pollination by other varieties. On the trees "Pruning ripening", burns can occur, which can affect the productivity of fruiting. Stone of the fruit does not lag behind the pulp, which complicates the processing of plums.
It is also interesting to read about the colony varieties of plums.
Plum variety "Ode"
Breeding early ripe variety, which was bred by Ukrainian scientists. To obtain it, the Voloshka plum variety was pollinated with a mixture of such varieties, Kirke, Abat, Arton, Ekaterina, and Hungarian Azhanskaya.
The variety has very large fruits, which at the time of the onset of removable maturity reach up to 45 grams in weight. In shape, they are oval, one-dimensional. The color of plums is purple-brown, but there are also blurry spots of greenish color. The skin of the fetus is dense.
The flesh is yellow in color. The pulp contains a large amount of juice, it tastes very delicate, although dense, sweet and sour, with a distinctively spicy aftertaste. Taste quality plums "Ode" were evaluated by tasters at 4.5 points from 5 possible. The stone of the fruit is small and easily separated from the pulp.
Maturity discharge of this variety is coming about in the middle of August. The fruits ripen at the same time, which does not cause difficulties with breaking them, since the fruits are stored for only 1.5 weeks.
Plum "Ode" has a stunted tree. The crown of the tree has a rounded shape of a medium degree of thickening. It is worth noting that the variety is not very whimsical to the soil for planting, which greatly expands the territory of its zoning. Such parts of the tree as bouquet branches and twigs are fruitful. During the period of fruiting the tree enters 3-4 year after planting.
This variety has a very high yield. About 10 kilograms of ripened fruit can be harvested from a 10-year-old tree.
Besides the fact that the Oda plum is a fast-growing tree, it still brings very abundant and stable yields of large and tasty fruits. Winter frost resistance at grade high. He is also not afraid of fungal diseases. Maturity comes at the same time.
The quality of the fruit is very high and involves their use both directly raw and for processing into jams, compotes and prunes.
Very short storage period drain that only lasts as long as possible 12 days, makes it impossible to sell them. Also the variety is samobesplod. For its pollination, pollen from such varieties of plums as the Volga Beauty or the Climan is most often used.
Plum care
Caring for a plum tree, although not very time consuming, but still a gardener who is going to plant it on his plot should be aware of some important features. For example, drainage can easily grow anywhere and any soil, while very intensively entering into flowering.
However, the fruits may never be formed, since all the pollen can blow off the wind.
Thus, those areas that are protected from the winds are better suited to plums. In addition, the place is to choose a very clarified. But still, we turn to the features of care.
First, pruning
Unlike garden trees such as apple and pear, it is not necessary to form a plum crown. Pruning is carried out only in the first year of growth of a young tree, when all weak and crooked branches are cut, and only the strongest and largest skeletal branches are left for further development.
In subsequent years, pruning is sent only to remove the crown branches growing inward and those that are formed parallel to the trunk of the tree. It is logical that trim regularly in spring those branches that suffered from the winter frosts, were damaged or simply dried up.
Another remarkable point that the gardener needs to know is that pruning should be done in the spring after the first leaves appear on the branches of the tree.
Secondly, fertilizer
Another difference plum from all other fruit trees is that it does not need abundant fertilizer. It is worth holding fertilizer events both in spring and in autumn, but it is recommended to do it periodically.
So, once every three years before the onset of winter frosts, organic fertilizers in the form of humus are introduced into the soil under the plum. On one tree should account for about half a bucket. Also, in the autumn it is important to add fertilizers such as superphosphate and potassium sulfate to the soil. On 1 m2 should be about 50 grams of the first and 20 grams of the second.
Fertilize the plum in the spring need with the help of ammonium nitrate. No more than 20 grams of this fertilizer is applied per 1 m2 of soil around a tree trunk.
It is important to know that you should not overdo it with the amount of fertilizers, as you can cause a completely opposite effect to the one you tried to achieve.
Now about watering
Plum is one of the most moisture-loving trees that grow in the gardens of our latitudes. In this case, watering the tree should be carried out regularly, otherwise you can cause cracking of the fruit. In particular, it is best to choose the following schedule for watering:
- 10-15 days before flowering of a tree, if there is no heavy precipitation at this time; it is especially important to water trees that grow on sandy soils;
- 10-15 days after the tree has burned; but it is also necessary to take into account the degree of precipitation and soil moisture;
- in the second half of June, it is necessary to water the tree in order to positively influence the formation and growth of fruits, as well as the growth of young shoots; during droughts, watering should be carried out regularly throughout the month;
- in the second half of July it is also important to water the plum, but it is watered only in arid regions;
- August and watering in September is especially important. Because these periods of time are especially arid; watering can affect the quality of the fruit;
- if in the autumn the weather is good and warm enough for a long time, then even after the leaves fall from the plum, it is important to water the tree again.
And also about winter care
Even the most winter-hard plums can suffer very much from winter frosts, especially at a young age. Therefore, they need hide under a layer of snow about half a meter, bending the sapling to the ground.
A two or three year old tree is worth preparing for frost otherwise. It is recommended to tie all its branches in one broom, which is tied to the poles installed around it. The near-barrel circle is enclosed with snow, and from above - with hay or reeds.
Around the adult trees just lay a large amount of snow. However, so that during melting it does not damage the plum bark, it is treated with 4% Bordeaux liquid before the onset of winter (3% copper sulphate can also be used).
Plum planting requirements
The best option for planting plums are loamy or well-fertilized clay soils. It is important that they are well hydrated. Even dry air is dangerous for plums.therefore, dryness of the soil should not be allowed in any case. The depth of groundwater should be at least 1.5 meters.
When laying a plum orchard, it should be borne in mind that the distance between the trees in the row should be at least 4 meters, and between the rows - 6. The depth of the pit should be about half a meter.. Its diameter should be similar. It is important to plant a sapling in such a way that its root collar does not fall asleep with earth, and best of all, that it is 2 inches higher than it. Thus, with the settling of the soil, it will automatically fall to the desired level.
Do not forget that for plums very windy places are very dangerous, because they can cause loss of the crop during the flowering period. In addition, the plum is a very light-loving plant.
The best time for planting plums is early spring.
