Cherry plum belongs to the genus Plum, which is why its second name is connected - plum spread wide. And, despite the fact that on the basis of the species varieties of home plum were bred, the nutritional and medicinal value of the initial form of fruit culture is much higher.

Cherry plum: types, varieties and nuances of growing

Cherry plum species includes 4 subspecies:

  1. Cherry plum is large-fruited - a subspecies represented in the culture that has become the basis for obtaining many varieties of different maturity dates.
  2. Cherry plum is hybrid - diploid plum became the initial form of this subspecies.
  3. Typical cherry plum - wild forms, the habitat of which is the mountainous regions of the Balkans and the Caucasus.
  4. Cherry plum eastern - wild varieties growing in Asia are more common.

Cherry plum varieties are divided based on various parameters:

  • ripening dates (early, mid-ripening and late varieties);
  • tree height (tall, medium and stunted);
  • pollination method (self- and sterile varieties).

The following representatives are most popular for the garden:

  • “Yarilo” - a variety of early ripening with red, medium-sized fruits that have a sweet and sour taste of half-separated yellow flesh.
  • “Monomakh” is an early ripening, high-yielding variety with a juicy, easily separated pulp of a fibrous structure.
  • "Sigma" is a productive variety of medium maturity with good winter hardiness.
  • Cherry plum "Kolonovidnaya" - a late hybrid, characterized by frost resistance and large fruits with pink flesh.

Cherry plum landing in the open ground

In order for the plant to take root and begin to bear fruit as early as possible, it is necessary to properly carry out planting work.

Selection of seedlings

For planting, annual planting material, zoned in the agro-climatic conditions of the region, is used.

When choosing it is worth paying attention to:

  • the appearance of the seedling and the presence of damaged shoots;
  • root system - in case of open roots, seedlings should be planted immediately to prevent them from drying out.

Location and soil requirements

For landing, sunny areas are selected with protection from the winds, which allows you to get larger and juicy fruits. Cherry plum demonstrates good development on fertile soils with a loose structure and deep bedding of groundwater, which otherwise can lead to rotting of roots located underground 40 cm from the surface.

Landing technology

In areas with a warm climate, seedlings are planted in early autumn, while in the northern regions with severe winters, spring planting is preferred until the buds awaken.

Regardless of the selected season, the procedure is carried out according to the following scheme:

  1. A landing pit is excavated with a depth of 50 cm and a width of 70-100 cm.
  2. ⅔ pits are filled with fertile substrate of humus, peat and sand in equal parts with the addition of 1 kg of azofoska.
  3. Sapling roots are immersed in a clay mash with the addition of a growth stimulator that accelerates root formation.
  4. Then a tree is placed in the pit and filled with soil so that the root neck is flush with the ground.
  5. The trunk circle is compacted, moistened and, after drying, mulched.

Important! When planting several seedlings nearby, the optimal distance varies from 2 to 4 m, depending on the variety.

Care for cherry plum in the open ground

To obtain stable and good yields, a delicate culture needs systematic care, which provides for a number of mandatory measures.

Watering

Depending on the season and the amount of snow cover in the winter, water procedures are carried out as follows:

  1. In the spring after a snowy winter, a groove is dug around the perimeter of the trunk circle to drain excess water to prevent the development of rot.
  2. With a little snowy winter, abundant watering is carried out in the second half of spring, followed by mulching, to make a certain reserve of soil moisture.
  3. In the summer, the tree is watered three times (after flowering, after stopping the development of shoots, during the period of technical ripeness) at the rate of 20 liters of water per instance for each session.
  4. In mid-autumn, watering is carried out to recharge.

Top dressing

For the full development of cherry plum, fertilizing with both organic and mineral fertilizers is required.

  1. The near-stem circle is enriched with organic matter to preserve the fertile layer every three goals with a rate of 10 kg fertilizer per 1 m2.
  2. Root dressing with mineral agrochemicals is carried out with nitrogen fertilizers with a consumption rate of 20 g per 1 m2 before flowering and phosphorus-potash in the flowering phase at a flow rate of 30 g per 1 m2.
  3. Foliar top dressing with a solution of microelements is carried out in May, as well as in June, with the addition of two macroelements - phosphorus and potassium.

Cherry plum pruning

Pruning is carried out in early spring before the swelling of the kidneys.

Depending on the purpose, there are several types of cropping:

  1. Formative - the crown is formed in the form of a bowl, while in the first year only 3 skeletal branches are left at an angle of 45 ° from the trunk and 120 ° to each other. The next two years, another 6-7 shoots with the same parameters are added, after which the formation of the crown is completed.
  2. Thinning - pruning, in which shoots thickening the crown are removed, developing inwards.
  3. Sanitary - removal of damaged, diseased and dried branches can be carried out throughout the growing season.
  4. Anti-aging - with this type of haircut, old branches are replaced on time, which allows you to extend the life of the tree.

Disease and Pest Treatment

The following treatments are carried out as preventive protective measures:

  • In April, the tree is freed from dried bark and sprayed with copper and iron sulfate from the wintering supply of the pest and the various nature of the disease.
  • In preparation for winter, the tree is re-sprayed with copper-containing preparations, which allows to destroy pathogens and larvae of the pest in the bark and near-trunk zone.

Methods of reproduction of cherry plum

The most popular breeding methods available to beginners in the horticultural business are vegetative.

Root cuttings

The procedure is carried out in the second half of spring, when:

  1. At a distance of 1 to 1.5 m, the roots of an adult specimen are excavated, from which cuttings with a diameter of 5-15 mm and a length of about 15 cm are cut.
  2. Cuttings are buried in the soil with a loose structure so that the upper part is underground at a depth of 3 cm.
  3. The distance between the cuttings is maintained at 10 cm.
  4. Landings are covered with a film, under which the ground should constantly remain slightly moistened.
  5. After a month, the film is removed, and the seedlings are grown for another two years.

Sprout

The most simple technique to perform, in which:

  1. In early spring, a sprout is selected away from the maternal specimen.
  2. At a distance of 20 cm from the shoots in the direction of the adult tree, the rhizome is dug out and chopped off.
  3. The cut point is treated with garden var.
  4. Escape landed in a permanent place.

Harvesting

The timing of the harvest depends on the variety of cherry plum, however, there are a number of general recommendations:

  1. If you intend to use fresh cherry plum, transport it or use it for making compotes, then the collection is carried out in the phase of technical ripeness, when the fruits acquire a characteristic color, but remain stiff.
  2. To prepare mashed potatoes and various sauces, it is necessary to collect fruits after full ripening.

Attention! To obtain a quality crop, the collection is carried out manually. Shaking is only permissible if the fruit is processed immediately.

The best varieties for Moscow region

Good results when cultivated in the Moscow region demonstrate the following varieties:

  • “Nesmeyana” is a tall, frost-resistant variety with a spreading crown and quickly provoking fruits.
  • "Cleopatra" is a frost-resistant variety with rather large fruits of a purple color of late ripening.
  • “Scythian Gold” is a productive variety, distinguished by high indicators of frost resistance.
  • “Mara” is a mid-season variety of Belarusian selection with yellow fruits that have a sweet taste.

Thus, thanks to the continuous work of breeders, cherry plum can be grown even in rather harsh climatic regions and enjoy the sweet and sour taste of southern fruits without leaving the garden plot.

Similar:More from the author: