All fruit trees need a lot of nutrients, and plum is no exception. Growing sweet, fleshy fruits is an extremely costly process. Therefore, if you are counting on a large crop, then you must definitely think about how to feed the plum in the fall. Novice gardeners sometimes have doubts about the appropriateness of such a procedure. In their opinion, this is not such a moody tree to give him so much attention. But in this case, do not complain if the plums will be small or the tree will simply throw off the entire ovary.
Keep balance
It is logical to assume that the plant needs a full range of nutrients. If you overfeed with one element and do not finish the other, then all the work is down the drain. Therefore, you need to observe the fruit trees throughout the summer season. The plant needs mineral and organic fertilizers constantly, but it is quite possible that right now it lacks one thing.
Signs of deficiency
If there is not enough phosphorus, then the leaves become grayish. The tree as a whole grows well, but the fruits look rather miserable. If you notice such changes, you already know how to feed the plum in the fall. As in appearance, you can understand what the tree needs especially urgently:
- Magnesium deficiency can be determined by the brown border of the leaves.
- Potassium deficiency slows down shoot growth.
- In the absence of nitrogen, premature falling of leaves and ovaries is observed.
If you carefully examine your plantings, you will be able to understand for one reason or another how to feed the plum in the fall. But this does not exclude the need for complex fertilizer.
Fertilizing during planting
A tender seedling needs a large amount of nutrients in order to quickly grow the root system and become a full-fledged tree. The gardener should know how to feed the plum in the fall, that is, fill the planting pit. You will need a bucket of organics, it can be compost or humus. To improve the soil, a bucket of peat is recommended. Take 300 g of superphosphate and 500 g of wood ash as a source of essential substances. The last point is very important because the culture adores a slightly alkaline environment.
Another fertilizer application
The amount of nutrients that were introduced during planting is enough to ensure that the tree is well rooted and begins to grow. In the next two years, nothing extra will be required. Therefore, the next time the question of how to feed the plum in the fall will arise only after two years. The seedling at this time is already large, but still rather weak. That he wintered well and the next year pleased you with fruits, he must receive a dose of urea. How to feed a young plum in the fall? For these purposes, urea is excellent at the rate of 20 g per m 2 , introduced in the form of a solution into the soil.
Third year of life
A young tree begins to bloom, which spends its strength. Therefore, it is important to provide him with additional nutrition. From the third year, it is recommended to start fertilizing three times a year. The first time this procedure is performed at the very beginning of the season, upon awakening from winter sleep. Urea is perfect for these purposes. Add two tablespoons of urea to the bucket. The second time you need to support his defenses in the formation of fruits. A bucket of water will require three tablespoons.
Topping plums in the fall involves making a complex of nutrients. In mid-September, a solution of superphosphate and potassium sulfate is used. Add 2 tablespoons of fertilizer to the bucket. An average of two to three buckets of mortar per tree.
Adult tree care
Just at this time it enters the time of fruiting. That is why top dressing in spring and autumn becomes very relevant. Plum is very responsive to such procedures. Now annually it will be required to perform such manipulations:
- The earth around the trunk needs to be dug to a depth of 20-30 cm.
- In the spring, you must definitely add organic matter. This may be an infusion of manure. One m 2 will require 10-15 kg of organic fertilizer. Overripe manure can be combined with peat and urea, superphosphate and wood ash.
- In the summer, a period of active growth of the plant itself begins, as well as the formation of fruits. At this time, it is especially important to pay attention to the introduction of nitrogen and limestone, which helps to normalize the acidity of the soil.
- With the onset of September, the tree is at rest. Now, top-dressing of wood ash and sand, which is introduced into the soil previously dug around the trunk, is becoming relevant.
These measures make it possible not only to provide regular tree care, but also to prevent the occurrence of phyto-diseases and damage by rodents. In the future, this will provide a large crop of large plums in the next season.
Complex preparations
A good tree usually gives a lot of ripe and tasty plums. But this is an extremely energy-consuming process, so now the plant requires real care. An excellent choice would be the Yagodka complex fertilizer. It is bred in proportions of 300 g per 10 liters of water. It can be brought into the soil at the stage of flowering and the formation of the ovary.
After that, when the fruits are poured, the “Berry giant” complex fertilizer goes very well. In fact, it is an analogue of a mixture of urea and nitrophoska. But during fruit ripening, chemistry is not used. Of organics, it is preferable to use a solution of chicken manure. 1 part of it accounts for 20 parts of water.
Folk dressing
How to feed the plum in the fall, if there are no professional preparations at hand? At this time, she experiences an acute shortage of minerals, as the tree is depleted during the summer season. Make a bread mash of bread. It is used to increase the likelihood of fruit setting. You will need to fill a third of the bucket with bread crusts and fill with water. Collect eggshells and drunk tea, it will also come in handy. Add half the spade of wood ash to the bread. If it is not, then you can take chicken droppings. Leave to roam for a week. Now dilute the concentrate 1:10 with water. In the basal circle, you need to pour out the shell and tea leaves, and then pour them over with the talker. Lightly mulch on top.
Foliar top dressing
If you are looking for something to feed the plum in the fall, after harvesting, then pay attention to this effective method. Potassium sulfate and superphosphate can be added by spraying. Two tablespoons are used per bucket of water. But keep in mind that this must be done before the leaves fall. That is, for late-ripening varieties this method is no longer suitable, since the sap flow in the trunk practically ceases by mid-September. But the roots grow all year round, so fertilizing will be carried out directly in the trunk circle.
And one moment. Novice gardeners do not always comply with the fertilizer schedule, considering it unnecessary. In fact, consistency is a very important component of a good harvest. Starting in spring, make a plan of how you will water fruit plants. It is necessary to take into account the effect of substances introduced into the soil. In autumn, fertilizing plums with fertilizers is designed to increase its resistance to frost and contributes to the laying of fruit buds. The future crop will be formed from them. Since the tree itself is already at rest, it does not need nitrogen. It activates the growth of branches and leaves, which is not a priority now.
Proper watering and hardening
With the onset of autumn, gardeners stop watering fruit plants, believing that they no longer need water. This is wrong, since autumn watering helps to harden the plum. The optimal period is the third decade of September. At this time, the irrigation rate increases. Each tree will require 18-24 buckets of water. If the autumn is very rainy, it is recommended to abandon watering, since excessive humidity leads to insufficient aging of the wood. This greatly affects winter hardiness. In the rainy season, you need to make bypass grooves or cover the trunk circle with a dense film.
Forms a crown
Cutting and top dressing of plums in autumn is done in order to get an excellent result next year. For the proper development of the tree, it is necessary to form its crown. The crown should be moderately thick, the height of the tree is no more than 2.5 meters. After reaching this size, the central conductor needs to be bent, tied to the lower branch. Branches growing inside the crown are cut “into a ring”, removing all shoots that form an acute angle. Annual shoots longer than 70 cm are shortened by 1/3. All the rest are left unchanged. Too pruning can prevent the tree from producing a good crop because too few fruit buds will be planted.
Instead of a conclusion
Plum - in general, the plant is not too whimsical, but every gardener should know the basics of caring for it. You can limit yourself to making compost during planting, but be prepared for the fact that there will be much less fruit than we would like. In addition, a tree weakened during the summer season can not tolerate winter well, as a result of which a significant part of the fruit branches will have to be cut. In this case, it will be possible to get a good harvest only next year, when the branches grow back.