Such a fruit crop, like plum, finds its place in any household plot. If you select the right variety, then it can be grown in many regions of our country. Breeders created a huge number of winter-hardy species and hybrids, which are zoned to prolonged frosts. Plum red, yellow and its other varieties is a relatively early crop, so a few years after planting, the gardener can get his first significant harvest.
general information
A variety of varieties that produce fruits of different colors and have different ripening periods, as well as easy care, made this tree one of the most common crops in summer cottages. According to experts, red plum is best suited for gardens in central Russia . Description of varieties, conditions for their cultivation and care are presented in this article. Plum is considered one of the most common fruit trees in our country. It is grown as often as an apple tree, pear, apricot, cherry.
Description of red plum varieties
The best choice for landing in areas of the middle zone of our country is red plum. Varieties of this species are distinguished by a characteristic color. The most common of these is Chinese plum. It is more juicy and soft compared to other domestic varieties. "Red Ball" is the second name of the culture.
Another variety - "mirabelle red" - has small oval fruits. In the Central Black Earth region of our country, the "Soviet greengage" is very popular. This variety is characterized by high yield and disease resistance.
Plum red "joy" has an average maturity. Its fruits have a dark red color and a sweet and sour pleasant taste. The juicy flesh also has a variety of "early" with a small bone. Varieties "alyonushka", "Zhiguli", "souvenir of the East", "president", "general", "candy" and many other actively cultivated varieties are also widespread in our gardens.
Taste qualities
Almost all types of red plums have a smooth thin skin. They are used both fresh and in billets. Depending on the type of plum, red may have a sweet or sour taste. One hundred grams of fruit contains about forty-six kcal. Red plum in its composition has about eighty percent of the water, eleven - carbohydrates, mono - and disaccharides, and the rest are vitamins, fiber and trace elements. In terms of potassium, iron and folic acid, this fruit is superior to many equally popular garden crops.
Ripe fruits differ primarily in skin color. Due to its unique chemical composition, red plum has excellent dietary and even healing properties. Its regular use in food leads to the normalization of the gastrointestinal tract, the rapid removal of excess salt and water from the body.
"Red ball": grade description
The first plum tree appeared in West Asia. It was here that the cherry plum and the thorns were spontaneously crossed. Chinese plum is very popular in the gardens of the Moscow Region due to its taste and versatility. It is possible to recycle and use it fresh. The main advantage, because of which this red plum has become so common, is a small growth. If other varieties can grow up to fifteen meters, then the low "Chinese woman" is very convenient in terms of harvesting. Its tree grows to a maximum of two and a half meters, has sprawling branches and a not too dense crown.
Tasting qualities of the fruits of the “red ball" experts evaluate at four out of five possible points. Its fruits stick very tightly to the branches, sometimes even hiding the leaves. This feature of the culture leads to its high productivity. Subject to agronomic standards, one tree of "Chinese plum" can produce up to eighteen kilograms of delicious fruit. The ripening variety is early ripening. The fact is that this plum blooms before the rest. Therefore, by August you can harvest.
Description of "quick" plums
This is another very popular variety in our country that was bred by Chinese breeders. With proper observance of the agrotechnics of plum cultivation, “early ripening” red brings an excellent harvest. Her tree is not tall, with a spreading spherical crown. The fruits have a regular ball shape. They have a fragrant sweet taste and a bright orange flesh. The advantages of this variety are a relatively long shelf life - up to twenty-five days, winter hardiness, unpretentiousness and low susceptibility to pests and diseases.
Nutritional value of the Alyonushka variety
This red plum gives the fruit a perfectly round shape. "Alyonushka" is a medium-tall tree with a spherical crown. The variety is not demanding in care, so it is recommended for cultivation for beginner gardeners. Even a person who is far from gardening will be able to get a good harvest of delicious berries.
Alyonushka plum is one of the low-calorie fruit crops. One hundred grams of the pulp of its fruits contains on average only forty-nine kilocalories. It is great for canning, and for fresh consumption. However, housewives should remember that its energy value in dried form is much higher - up to 240 kcal.
Plum flesh of the “Alyonushka” variety with regular use in food reduces the level of acidity in the body, so the variety is very useful for gastritis or heartburn. Doctors recommend eating her and hypertensive patients, as she fights well with high blood pressure.
General information about the "general" plum
This variety has taken root well under the clip-like conditions of the middle zone of our country and even beyond the Urals. "General" plum red is considered one of the most delicious fruits ripening in the summer. Its fruits can be consumed both fresh and canned. A tree of this variety tolerates frosts. The culture is pollinated. It is best to plant it next to the "Ural" red plum.
It was the excellent taste that served as the reason for such an original variety name. The fruits of the "general" plum are quite large in size and have soft soft flesh. They make incredibly tasty jams, compotes and jams. The tree is notable for its low growth and ability to withstand frost. The weight of one fruit can reach forty to fifty grams. This plum blooms in late May for three weeks. The crop gives the first crop in the fourth year after planting. Depending on the region of cultivation, the fruits can be painted in various colors, ranging from orange-pink to bright red. On the palate they are soft-sweet with sour notes. They contain almost all the vitamins of the C group, a lot of calcium, iron and manganese. One hundred grams of the pulp of this fruit contains the daily norm of a trace element such as zinc.
Japanese plum
This variety is distinguished by decorativeness and high productivity. In general, the red "Japanese" plum is undemanding in care. The variety is frost-resistant and able to bear fruit well even with minimal observance of the rules of cultivation. Today it is ubiquitous in Russian gardens. In addition, the culture is widely used by landscape designers as it grows very fast.
The pioneer of the variety was Luther Burbank, who is also called "American Michurin." It was he who at the beginning of the twentieth century introduced in the United States from the Far East and from Japan many native types of plums. After breeding with them, crossing them with other varieties and cherry plum, he received quite interesting hybrids.
The leaves of the "Japanese" plum are elongated, more like peach. The variety has bright shoots on which large buds appear on thick pads. This plum is unusually quick: it will yield a crop the very next year after planting. Fruits are round, red, with short stalks. The pulp practically does not separate from the seeds. By weight, its fruits are considered the largest in the world. In addition, they are incredibly tasty. In addition to fast and large-fruited "Japanese" plum is characterized by regular and abundant fruiting. The tree needs annual cyclic pruning so that the crown can rejuvenate.
Kuban Plum: General Description
The variety is precocious. The fruits are medium in size and painted bright red. "Kuban" plum was bred in the eighties of the last century. Due to its taste characteristics, it is very popular among Russian gardeners. The variety is distinguished by rapid growth. The first crop can be obtained already in the fourth year after the cuttings. The fruits are quite large. Subject to all agricultural standards, they can reach a weight of up to forty grams. The skin of plum fruits of this variety is strong, but thin, and the flesh is painted in a juicy yellowish color.
"Spread"
This plum can be attributed to shrubs. The variety is distinguished by its excellent decorative properties, so in many household plots the "spread" plum is an element of decoration in landscape design. When choosing this variety, it should be remembered that even in the conditions of central Russia, a tree can freeze in winter. As a result, it will die or, at best, for decades will restore its green mass. Therefore, even despite its good taste, this red plum is more used for decorating garden plots.
Krasnoselskaya
She is the result of Chinese breeding. The variety is excellent for growing in Siberian or Far Eastern climates. Outwardly, the “Krasnoselskaya” plum is a stunted tree with a spreading crown, on which, during fruiting, small, completely round, red fruits are formed. With proper care, even a novice gardener will be able to get a plentiful harvest. The fruits of this variety have a weight of about twenty grams, there is practically no seam on them. The skin is red, smooth, and the pulp is fibrous, yellow.
Sugar content of this plum is high with medium aroma and low acidity. The flowering period of this variety is average, and ripening later. The tree bears fruit only in the fourth year. The variety is partially self-fertile with high productivity and moderate drought tolerance.