Even experienced gardeners do not know everything about column-shaped plums. Lovingly selecting varieties for their site, most people are guided by the recommendations of friends and neighbors in the country. And those who have heard something about such trees are not in a hurry to plant them in their garden: you never know what conditions they prefer, whether they will bear fruit in your territory, or if they require special labor-intensive care ... It’s better to give preference to proven years and generations gardeners varieties. To dispel any doubts this article should contribute.
Appearance story
Trees with such unusual shapes, including colon-shaped plums, appeared very recently and, one might say, by chance. In the sixties of the past century, that is, a little over half a century ago, a breeder from America noticed on his apple tree an unusual branch growing upwards, abundantly bearing fruit and much thicker than its environment. Two-year attempts to propagate such a successful shoot were successful, and the first columnar apple tree, called the "Leader" , was born. The advantageousness of this form of trees prompted scientists to take up the cultivation of other trees, as a result of which pears first appeared, and then - columnar plums. So we can say that we should not thank breeders and genetic engineers for such successful and convenient trees, but the nature that gave such a mutation and the observation of an individual person.
Features and Benefits
Why are such pyramidal trees attractive, including colon-shaped plums? First of all, they are low, on average grow from one and a half to two meters, which greatly facilitates both the care of plants and the harvest. The second plus is an extremely underdeveloped crown. There are virtually no branches in it. The crown is formed by fruitful rings with spears, which give a very rich harvest: with ripened fruits, the tree is strewn almost close to each other. The weight of fruits collected from one such plum varies from six to 12 kilograms. Moreover, the tree begins to bear fruit from the second year of life, and yields up to seven years every year. For several more years, it stably stays at the achieved level, and upon reaching 13-17 years of age, fruitfulness ceases, although the tree still lives for a long time. The absence of a lush crown is another attractive feature: the compactness of the trees allows them to be planted very close to each other. And an additional bonus can be considered the keeping quality of their fruits: they do not deteriorate during transportation over long distances.
There is only one drawback of column-shaped plums: their seedlings are much more expensive than other varieties. On the other hand, the investment pays off after the first harvest. And if you appreciate the convenience and ease of care, then in fact from the first day.
Colon-shaped plum: varieties
So far, there are very few. The choice for gardeners is very small - too recently appeared plum-shaped plum. Varieties grown in our open spaces have only three items in the list:
- Blue Sweet is a very small tree with a crown diameter of less than a meter, and a height of up to two. Fruits are purple and large, some weigh 70 grams. It has good resistance to cold, average ripening and high productivity. Self-fertility can be mentioned as a drawback: it needs replanting of pollinating trees.
- Imperial plum-shaped plum yields fruits with a more delicate and refined taste. In terms of frost resistance and productivity, it is comparable to Blue Sweet, but needs more abundant and frequent watering. The color of the berries is most often purple-pink, but brownish red are also found. The fruits are larger than ordinary plums, but slightly smaller than Blue Sweet (55 grams on average).
- Mirabel. Less common variety; has yellow fruits ripening late. They make the famous plum brandy and wonderful jam.
How to plant
Planting a columnar plum is primarily determined by its small size. Trees are planted in rows with a distance of one and a half meters between them and 30-40 centimeters between plums in the same row. Before planting, the soil is well fertilized, mainly with organic matter - good fruiting is possible only on rich soils. However, during planting, no top dressing is introduced: the root system of trees is relatively weak, and seedlings cannot cope with excess nutrition. A pit is dug so large that all the roots fit in it freely. For planting, it is better to buy annual trees - they take root quite quickly and confidently. Older seedlings have an already developed root system, accustomed to certain soils, and after planting they get sick for a long time and sometimes die. After planting, the trees are well shed with water with diluted root formation stimulants. It is also recommended to immediately treat them from garden pests and diseases: until the seedlings take root, they are very susceptible to both of them.
When to plant
In the southern regions, trees can be planted in early autumn. If you buy columnar plums for the Moscow Region or even more northern regions, set a time for planting in the spring, when the threat of freezing frost disappears completely so that the young trees have time to get stronger before winter.
Feeding rules
If you decide to have column-shaped plums on the site , planting and caring for them will not differ too much from the same procedures for conventional drains. Trees need to be fed three times a year. The first time this is done after the buds are completely dissolved. Each subsequent time, fertilizers are applied after two weeks. To feed 50 grams of urea (two matchboxes) are dissolved in a 10-liter bucket of water. Two liters pour out under each tree.
Pruning
Due to the peculiarities of its structure, these trees do not need regular pruning in order to form a crown. Sometimes you have to remove broken or otherwise damaged branches, but such cases can be attributed to force majeure. Colon-shaped plum pruning is performed in two cases:
- Damage to the apical kidney on the main shoot. It is cut off, and the side is displayed as central. Sometimes gardeners leave 2-3 shoots to find out which one will develop more successfully. Waste after used for scion.
- Aesthetic intentions: some gardeners prefer bush shapes. Then pruning in the first couple of years will be regular. However, this formation can significantly reduce the fruitfulness of the tree.
Care
Colon-shaped plums are quite unpretentious trees. They need irrigation in the same mode as ordinary "brethren." Pest treatment is also not unlike other trees in the garden. Attention should be paid to three points:
- Young columnar plums planted in the fall often bloom in spring and may even set fruit. However, the undeveloped root system and young age are not yet suitable for crop formation - the tree is greatly depleted, becomes vulnerable to disease, and in the coming years it will be in vain to expect multiplicity from it. Therefore, all the ovaries in the first two years after moving to the site from such plums must be removed.
- The weight of the crop for plum columns is still quite large. Therefore, trees, even adults, need props during fruiting. This is especially true for those in which the fruits are formed mainly on one side (for example, those planted along a fence or wall of a house). Unbound branches can break, and the entire “column” can deform and begin to develop one-sidedly.
- Despite frost resistance, before winter, column-shaped plums need additional care: the land between them is mulched (usually sawdust of conifers), and the trunks are wrapped up from rodents. Strong seedlings need it especially. If they are not provided with such shelter, they may not survive until spring.