Despite the fact that Chinese plum is frost-resistant and easily adapts to the agro-climatic conditions of the cultivation area, in our gardens it is an original fruit breed. To obtain lush flowering and stably large yields, the main agrotechnical recommendations for plum tree cultivation should be taken into account.
Material Content:
Description of popular varieties
Among the many common varieties, the most suitable for cultivation in the middle lane are:
- "Beauty of the Oryol Region" is a technical variety represented by low trees up to 3 m in height with yellow fruits, which are to be harvested in late summer and early September.
- Chinese plum Alyonushka is an early ripening variety characterized by medium-sized trees up to 2.5 m in height and early ripening of fruits with high taste and marketability.
- "Red ball" - a table variety of early ripening. The fruiting phase begins in the second half of July, when you can enjoy quite flat fruits with juicy yellow flesh and excellent taste. Due to its resistance to clasterosporiosis, it demonstrates good yield.
- "Nezhenka" is a winter-hardy variety with round red fruits ripening in late summer, the disadvantage of which is rapid shedding after ripening.
- Ussuri Plum is a winter-hardy variety with an extended fruiting period, during which sweet, spherical fruits that cannot be transported are collected.
- Chinese plum "Skoroplodnaya" - a highly productive hybrid of early ripening is distinguished by multi-colored fruits on the same tree with a sweet-sour taste.
How Chinese plum differs from other types
The genus Plum includes more than 250 species, among which Chinese plum deserves special attention.
Distinctive features of the variety are as follows:
- Height - in the gardens of the middle lane, Chinese plum trees, as a rule, do not exceed 2 m.
- The shape of the crown - the spherical crown of the fruit crop consists of spreading shoots.
- Bark - the branches of Chinese plum are smooth, unlike other subspecies in which they are covered with a light fluff.
- Leaves - oblong leaf plates differ from the rounded leaves of garden plums.
- Flowering - the phase begins before leaf buds bloom and is characterized by a high intensity of flowering of white-pink fragrant inflorescences.
- Fruiting - the phase begins already 3 years after planting the crop in open ground.
Planting a plant
In order for the Chinese plum to develop well and demonstrate high productivity, it is necessary to properly lay the garden.
Where and when is it best to plant Chinese plum
For the Chinese plum, sunny, windproof areas with a light, fertile, alkaline soil are selected. Since the tree has a core rhizome, the occurrence of groundwater should be deeper than 1.5 m. A site is being prepared for planting planting material in 2-3 years. The territory is dug up to a depth of 70 cm with the addition of compost, sand and dolomite flour, if the soil is acidic. Unlike other plum trees, this species is planted in the fall, which allows the root system to better adapt during the winter period.
Landing process and layout
When disembarking:
- For 3 weeks, landing pits with dimensions of 70x70 cm are prepared.
- A distance of 1.5 m is maintained between the wells, and 2.5 m between the rows.
- On the day of planting, damaged roots and dried shoots are removed from the seedlings.
- A fertile substrate is prepared from the top layer of the extracted earth, peat, sand and phosphorus-potash mineral fertilizers.
- A knoll is made at the bottom of the pit, into which a peg is driven so that it protrudes 70 cm above the ground.
- Planting material is lowered into pits with straightened roots and filled up to half with a prepared substrate.
- After compaction and watering, the pit is refilled so that the root neck protrudes 7 cm.
- The trunk circle is re-watered and mulched.
- The seedling is tied.
Attention! On the site, different varieties of Chinese plum should be planted, which in the future will ensure good pollination of trees and a stable harvest.
Outdoor cultivation and care
Chinese plum in order to realize its potential requires the implementation of certain agricultural techniques for cultivation.
Watering
The culture is able to cope with a short drought. During periods of intense heat, it is recommended to water the trees at the rate of 10 liters of water per 1 m2 of the crown projection.
Soil treatment
So that the root neck does not fry, which is very common in the middle lane, an earthen mound of 40 cm around the trunk should be made. After irrigation or rainfall, the near-stem circle loosens, providing free air circulation. Do not forget about mulching with sawdust or peat, which will prevent the rapid evaporation of moisture and the formation of a crust.
Top dressing
During the season, Chinese plum is recommended to be fed 4 times:
- At the beginning of the growing season, trees are fed with nitrogen agrochemicals - ammonium nitrate, urea.
- Twice during the summer, phosphorus and potassium are introduced into the trunk circle.
- With the advent of autumn, in order for the culture to prepare for winter, it is worth enriching the soil with potassium.
Pruning
They begin to form a crown immediately after planting, when the seedling is shortened by half the height.The next spring, another shaping pruning is carried out, in which shoots that are strongly broken up and growing in the middle are removed. In the future, with the arrival of spring heat, a sanitary haircut is carried out.
Winter rules for Chinese plum
After the first frost, all fallen leaves are collected and burned behind the site. Young trees under the age of 3 years are wrapped in burlap, which protects the seedlings from freezing.
Disease and Pest Prevention
Among the diseases affecting the fruit crop, kleasterosporiasis and moniliosis stand out, from which spring treatment with a 3% solution of Bordeaux mixture will help protect the trees. Of insects, plum moth can cause harm. To prevent the laying of eggs by a butterfly, from the beginning of flowering during periods of intense flight, preventive treatment with an insecticidal preparation should be carried out. Pheromone traps are used to determine the intensity.
Breeding methods
Culture is propagated by seed, which is suitable only for the type species. To maintain varietal qualities, it is necessary to resort to vaccination of reproduction.
With a bone
To obtain the seeds, ripened fruits that are fallen from the tree are selected. When the plums are caked, the bones are freed from the pulp and dried in the air, and then transferred to a dark place for curing. In the fall, seed is buried in open ground, where the crops are mulched.
Vaccinated
The method is rarely used at home by novice gardeners because of the complexity of execution and the need for certain skills and equipment.
Thus, when choosing a Chinese plum, the care of which is quite simple, the gardener should still be prepared that there is a risk of freezing of flower buds due to the early flowering of the crop.
