Cherry plum has been growing in the southern latitudes for thousands of years. She strikes a glance at the time of flowering. Its fruits, usually sour, are used to prepare various spicy dishes. But breeders, having worked on this southern beauty with interspecific crossbreeding methods, bred new varieties of cherry plum. Some of them can withstand frosts up to 35, and even up to 40 degrees. And in terms of taste, plums can envy these varieties.
History
Cherry plum is able to interbreed with different types of plums and not only with it.
First, it was crossed with Chinese plum and received varieties with large and tasty berries. Their weight reached 30 grams. But this did not affect the frost resistance of the tree.
At the end of the last millennium, the Crimean scientist G. Eremin crossed the already existing hybrid cherry plum with various frost-resistant varieties and types of trees. It turned out many wonderful varieties, called "cherry plum". Varieties for the middle band perfectly tolerate frosts above 20 degrees. They are as productive as the ancestress-cherry plum. In taste and size, these varieties are more likely to resemble southern plums. Hybrids of this group are called "Russian plum". Now there are more than three dozen.
Description
Usually cherry plum is a tree of short stature with a rounded, slightly flat crown. Branches grow quite rarely. Hence another name - "plum spread wide."
If frosts in the region often exceed 30 degrees, then the plant needs to be protected from frost. Then by spring, cherry plum will be well preserved. Varieties for the middle lane do not prey under the cover of snow or various covering materials.
The fruits of cherry plum and differ from plum trees in that they hold well on the tree and do not fall when ripened. And since the tree is not tall, picking them up does not cause much difficulty. If you remove the fruits of cherry plum before ripening and acquiring color, then they ripen well and acquire their characteristic color. This makes it possible to transport them and keep them in a cool place for a long time.
How is cherry plum different from plum
- Very tasty.
- Fruits annually.
- Gives a high yield.
- It begins to bear fruit before.
- More resistant to diseases and pests.
- It tolerates drought more easily.
Bedding
Cherry plum should be planted before its buds have blossomed. This usually happens in April. The plum tree planted in the spring takes root worse. Varieties for the middle lane can be damaged by frost in conditions of snowy winters.
You need to find a place protected from the wind for landing cherry plum. She feels good in front of the south wall. It is better to plant several varieties of this tree nearby, because many of them are self-fertile and require a neighbor for pollination. This is melon, Chinese plum. If there is no extra space, you can plant a pollinator in the crown of an existing tree.
The soil should be well-drained, loamy. Cherry plum does not grow well on heavy soils. Peat and sand are added to clay soil. If the ground is sandy, then mixed with turf. Cherry plum grows better in neutral soil. If it is acidic, then before planting, cherry plums lime it with chalk, if alkaline, then gypsum is applied.
Ground water should not be closer than a meter from the surface. If they lie closer, then cherry plum is planted on a loose flower bed. The depth of the location of the roots is 0.4 meters.
Pits for planting are best prepared in the fall. They dig them in the form of a cube with a side of 60 cm. For several plants, the distance between them is equal to the estimated height of the tree. If it is stunted, then it is 3.5 m. For tall, this distance increases to 6 m. Humus, potash and phosphorus fertilizers are placed at the bottom of the pit , mixed with nutritious loose earth.
In the spring, take a seedling and place the roots so that they lie on a mound of prepared soil. The landing height is calculated so that the root neck does not fall underground.
They fill up the pit, carefully tamping the ground. Leave a hole for watering so that the vaccination site does not fall into the water. Water and mulch with a layer of straw, hay, leaves with a thickness of 5 cm. Over time, mowed grass can be added to the trunk circle.
If the seedling is sold with an earthen pot, then it is also watered before planting and after it.
After the tree has taken root, the cherry plum branches begin to grow rapidly. Their length can reach two meters. But leave them like that. One-year-olds need to be shortened to 50 cm. In short, no need to cut. This will enhance the growth of tops.
The first fruits can be obtained three years after planting an annual seedling.
The earth around the tree is constantly loosened and mulched. Watering should be done only during severe drought. This is done three times: after flowering, when the shoots stop growing, and after the fruits acquire their characteristic color.
Crown formation
To get a tree with a compact crown, leave three skeletal branches, the angles between which are 110˚. The lower one is at a height of 60 cm from the ground. They grow back quickly. Therefore, they can be shortened in the summer, leaving 50 cm. From the buds located near the place of cut, new branches will grow in the same year. Bouquet branches up to a centimeter long are formed.
Most fruits are formed on spurs. So-called annual branches up to half a meter long.
If it was not possible to cut in the summer, then they do it in the spring. But here some problems arise: a large number of strong shoots will grow near the place of cut. Thinning out is difficult, as they grow very closely together. And you can’t leave either. We cut again, and again we get the growth of the same branches.
The following year, the conductor above the third skeletal branch is removed. The tree stops growing up. All the forces go to the formation of lateral skeletal trunks. This form of trimming allows you to form a crown tier shape.
You can grow cherry plum tree like a bush. In this case, only thin out the crown and shorten the young branches. Explorer is not removed.
If the tree is weakened and has few branches, it can be “cheered up” by strong pruning. As a result, well-branched branches cut a little, and weak ones are stronger.
Every spring in the spring, before buds open, sanitary cutting of branches is carried out. Usually this is the end of March-April. With a later operation, sap flow will begin, and pruning wounds will heal worse. Damaged and broken are removed, those that rub against each other are intertwined. They make sure that each of the skeletal branches does not have a conductor.
The shape of the crown is regulated by circumcision, given where the cherry plum grows. The description of the varieties indicates the direction of their branches. If they go vertically, they are cut off, leaving the outer kidneys. Varieties that are similar to willow leave internal ones.
In old trees, the growth of branches decreases. When it reaches 30 cm, rejuvenation can be performed.
Effect of crown illumination
If the tree is not cut or done incorrectly, then the branches are worse illuminated by the sun. The crown becomes thickened, the fruits are small. Their color changes. Particularly affected by this is frost-resistant cherry plum (varieties for the middle lane).
Breeding
Inoculating elite varieties of cherry plum on the turn gives good results. You can plant them in the crown of winter-hardy varieties of cherry plum. This is done by budding or T-shaped. Inoculation gives good results. Its easier to do.
It is better to instill in the plum more than one variety. Next year will be the first fruits. And in a few years your tree will acquire a fabulous appearance, covered with fruits of different colors. In addition, it will remain frost-resistant.
The disadvantage of grafted trees is low frost resistance.
Cherry plum is well propagated by lignified and green cuttings. Trees obtained from rooted cuttings tolerate frosts much better, recover faster after damage and bear fruit again in a couple of years.
Varieties of cherry plum
In order to get a cherry plum crop in the middle lane, frost-resistant varieties are needed. At the same time, they should be tasty and as little as possible be affected by diseases and insects.
Varieties of cherry plum for central Russia. Description:
- "Gift to St. Petersburg." A low tree shaped like a willow. Has small yellow fruits. The variety is appreciated for its high frost resistance.
- "Kuban comet" (or cherry plum "comet"). Description of the variety: low tree, with red or purple fruits. The pulp is yellow, fragrant. The variety is self-fertile. Ripens early - at the end of July.
- "Found." It looks like a "comet", but matures seven days later (second week of August).
- "Gold of the Scythians." As the name implies, the fruits of this variety are yellow. They are sweet and juicy. The variety ripens early. The tree is not high. The yield of this variety is average. Frost resistance is high, which brought "Scythian gold" popularity.
- Cleopatra Matures relatively late. The tree has medium height and a rare crown. This allows the fruit to receive the right amount of light and turns purple. The pulp of the fetus is red.
- "Nesmeyana." The tree is tall. The fruits are large, pink in color. They taste good. Productivity can be high, but under adverse weather conditions and disease damage is reduced.
- "Maara." Tree of medium height. Fruits are yellow, slightly oval. Productivity is average. Not affected by diseases and low temperatures. Variety of Belarusian selection.
Cherry plum varieties for central Russia have buds with slower development. As a result, the trees later bloom and are practically not damaged by spring return frosts.
Cherry plum (winter-hardy varieties) from the point of view of the ripening dates can be early, middle and late:
- The first to ripen light pink "yarilo", yellow "monomakh".
- A little later - pink "not laughed at," yellow "gold of the Scythians."
- Later - "Cleopatra".
Varieties of cherry plum for central Russia can be high, up to six meters. Medium-sized ones are represented as follows: “Scythian gold”, light purple “Chuk”, yellow “geck”, red “traveler”, purple “cleopatra”, yellow “gift to St. Petersburg”. Their height is from three to five meters.
Undersized, up to three meters, is the cherry plum variety (photo) "Kuban" (purple). Also here can be attributed varieties "comet" and "tent".
In the variety of cherry plum (photo) with the name "Anastasia", the bone is well separated.
Partially separated from the yellow "Scythian gold", purple "Cleopatra", red "traveler", light pink "yaryl". In connection with this indicator, this is a more popular cherry plum.
Varieties for the middle strip with a photo
- "Yarilo." The tree is not tall. Fruit weight - 35 g. The pulp is yellow, dense. Matures very early. The taste is pleasant, sweet-sour.
- "Traveler". The tree is not tall. The fruit is 30 mm in size and weighs 28 g. The skin has a red-violet color. His pulp is yellow.
- "Ariadne". The tree is not tall. Fruits are red, with a noticeable waxy coating. The weight of one is 31 g. The pulp is red.
Self-made varieties
Self-fertile cherry plum varieties for the middle lane - purple "comet", the same "cleopatra", red-purple "traveler", purple "vetraz". True, most of them are self-fertile partially. All of them bear fruit better if trees of a different variety grow nearby. The best pollinators are "pramen", "maara", "a gift to St. Petersburg." The latter blooms for a long time, two weeks. He pollinates both early and late varieties.
Rules for choosing cherry plum for landing
A plum tree of the same variety on the site will not give complete information about a wide range of tastes and colors. But you need to start with something. And then in your garden there will be the best varieties of cherry plum for the middle lane.
Gardeners are advised to choose:
- Strong seedling of the zoned variety.
- Early-growing variety (comes into bearing in a couple of years).
- A self-made variety, unless another grows nearby.
Top dressing
After planting, cherry plum is not fed until the fruiting begins. After all, a sufficient amount of fertilizer was introduced during planting.
Further, cherry plum is fed two to three times a year. The first time is before flowering. To do this, two tablespoons of azofoski are bred in a bucket of water. After flowering, they are fed with three spoons of "Agricole" for berry crops and 5 tablespoons of liquid organic fertilizer "Effekton I", diluted in a bucket of water. Humus is introduced in the fall. Do it every two or three years.
If you fertilize too often and abundantly, then sprouts rather than fruits will begin to grow stronger.
Using
Cherry plum can be consumed fresh, prepared from it compotes for the winter. You can use it as a filling for pies, cook jam, jam, jams. Grated with sugar in a ratio of 1: 3, it is well stored all winter in the refrigerator.
Cherry plum has medicinal properties. The presence of a large number of pectins and vitamins makes it possible to use it for violations of the gastrointestinal tract. In chronic heartburn, cherry plum is used in combination with a diet.
Cherry plum - a great early honey plant. In order to attract insects to the tree in cloudy weather, trees are sprayed with a solution of honey.
Cherry plum - a beautiful plant. During flowering, it resembles sakura. Decorative forms with different colors of leaves and crowns are created. There are red-leaved, with variegated leaves. In shape - pyramidal and weeping.
From cherry plum you can create a hedge. If the tree is properly looked after, then you can collect up to forty kilograms of fruit from it. And it bears fruit for 20-25 years.