Plum belongs to the ancient fruit trees, the importance of which is huge for humans. The culture is characterized by early maturity, regular and generous fruiting, valuable dietary and medicinal properties. Ussuri plum also has such a valuable quality as frost resistance, and therefore it is actively cultivated in the northern regions, where the temperature can drop to forty degrees.
What kind of species
The origin of the Ussuri plum variety is associated with Chinese, therefore, these crops are similar in genetics, but differ in morphological and biological properties, history and distribution. Ussuri plum does not grow in the nature of the Far East and China. It was discovered by Russian immigrants on the ruins of the ancient village of Primorsky Krai. The tree was carefully moved to the garden and began to work on reproduction.
Over time, the Ussuri plum, the photo of which is posted below, began to be cultivated in the gardens of the Far East. And Northern China was engaged in the supply of high-quality forms of Chinese plum. Planted on one site, these species pollinated and as a result hybrids appeared, which were distinguished by higher adaptability to the local climate.
Today, the Ussuri plum is represented by a self-sufficient hybrid species, the varieties and species of which have distinctive characteristics. The biological value of the culture is characterized by a high level of adaptation, which allows it to be cultivated in the harsh climate of the northern regions.
Appearance Features
Ussuri plum trees cannot be called dwarf trees. They grow three meters tall and have high fruiting rates - in fruitful years, one tree can produce about twenty kilograms of fruit.
The crown of the tree is formed by thin flexible branches, but despite their fragility, the shoots well retain abundant crops. Depending on the branching, two types of tree are distinguished: with a sparse and thickened crown, which can have a spherical, paniculate, or cupped shape.
Plums with a thickened crown are characterized by the shape of a wide pyramid, panicle or cylinder, which is characteristic of plants with wild roots. More domesticated crops are vase-shaped, bushy or vague.
The trunks and skeletal branches are covered with brown or gray bark with different shades, initially shiny and smooth, and rough with age, because scales of dying cells form on the cortex. The bark of annual shoots has a light brown color with a red-burgundy hue and lighter subcutaneous impregnations.
The tree bears fruit on fruit twigs, shortened bouquet branches and spurs. Fruit buds are crowded on two or three year old shoots.
Leaflets have different sizes and shapes, painted in light green shades. The sheet plate is smooth glossy with curved edges. Plum blossoms occur when the leaves have not yet blossomed, and the timing depends on the weather and variety variety. Flowers have predominantly whitish petals and small sizes.
The Ussuri plum, the description of which indicates the inability of inter-varietal pollination, needs pollinating neighbors. The grafted tree begins to bear fruit in the third or fourth year of life, and seedlings in the fifth or sixth. The duration of fruiting depends on the conditions of care and can be 20 years.
Fruit characterization
Fruit plum Ussuriysk gives different sizes. Depending on the variety variety, they differ in form, color, taste and ripening. The smallest fruits do not exceed a weight of 2-3 grams, and the largest specimens reach 15-25 grams. The fruits are roundly elongated, have a pointed apex and a longitudinal seam, which can be weakly expressed or clearly noticeable.
The color of the fruit also depends on the variety and can vary from bright yellow to deep burgundy. Variegated fruits can often be found when various reddish-burgundy shades blush on the main yellow or green color. The peel of the fruit is covered with copious wax coating.
Plum flesh is characterized by coloring and juiciness, sweet or sweet and sour taste. In the peel and pulp adjacent to the bone, a pronounced bitterness is felt, giving a light sour-astringent taste.
In the center of the pulp is a medium-sized bone, repeating the shape of the fetus. It is often poorly separated from the pulp. The ripening of fruits depends on the region of growth and ranges from the second half of July to September.
In order to improve the quality characteristics, the Ussuri plum variety was constantly cross-bred with other species. As a result, its new varietal species were born.
Ussuriysk holiday
Plum Ussuriysk holiday is the most frost-resistant. Thanks to selected genotypes, even after forty-degree frosts, shoots practically do not freeze and fruiting continues. The peculiarity of Ussuri plums is that the higher the frost resistance, the finer the fruits.
Ussuriysk holiday plum, the description of the variety of which indicates high frost resistance, reaches fruitful age by four to five years. Also, the tree is characterized by abundant fruiting and can produce up to 20 kg of crop. Plum Ussuriyskaya Festive, the flowering of which influenced the name of the variety, forms small whitish flowers with a pleasant aroma. Flowering is so plentiful that often no branches can be seen behind the flowers and the tree takes on an elegant fabulous look.
But to a greater extent the name of the plum Ussuriysk holiday is due to spectacular fruits, the bright yellow main coloring of which spreads a red one-sided blush. The variety forms fruits weighing up to 25 grams with bright orange tender, juicy and tasty pulp. They recommend picking fruits slightly immature, because when ripe, the fruits fall off.
Ural Prune
The variety was obtained by crossing Ussuri plum and the plum hybrid P-31. Plum Ussuri Ural prune is represented by a wide, spreading tree, growing up to two meters with good frost resistance.
The variety gives good yields of smooth ellipsoidal fruits, the weight of which varies from 12 to 16 grams. The color of the fruit is black with a reddish tinge in the seam area. A medium thick elastic peel covered with a wax coating, as well as a bone, can easily be separated from the pulp, which has a creamy color, sweet taste and a fine-grained medium-dense juicy texture.
Taste is rated by experts at 4.6 points. It blooms at the same time as the Ussuri plums, through which pollination occurs. The best pollinator is the Ural Red variety.
Prune early
Belongs to early ripening frost-resistant varieties. Plum Ussuri early prune is represented by a medium-tall tree with a medium thickened crown. It forms fast-ripening fruits of a blue-black color with a reddish tint. The size of the fruit is average. The pulp is fine-grained, medium density, from which the bone is easily separated. The variety is ideal for drying, which turns out to be soft and elastic with a pronounced aroma and good taste. Drying is appreciated for a number of useful properties, including normalization of the hemoglobin level in the blood and a mild laxative effect, which make it indispensable for dietetic nutrition, including for weight loss.
Ussuri early plum is in demand by farmers, because early harvest has a high competitive ability in the market and allows you to get good profit.
Yellow hopts
It is distinguished by good adaptability to climatic conditions and good yield. The tree is quite tall, capable of growing up to two and a half meters and above and has a sparse crown with a rounded flattened apex. Spreading branches covered with smooth gray bark.
Fruits are formed in medium sizes from 15 to 20 grams. Color varies from light to saturated yellow with a pronounced whitish waxy coating. The fruits have a rounded slightly flattened shape with a clear abdominal suture. The flesh of greenish-yellow color has a loose texture and good juiciness. The skin is thin; bitterness is present in the taste. The stone is large enough and easily separable from the pulp.
Ural yellow
Ussuri yellow early plum is represented by a high spreading bush. It is often called Ural yellow, because the variety is suitable for the climatic conditions of the Urals and is often cultivated in regions with a harsh climate.
Fruits are rounded bright yellow weighing up to 16 grams. The flesh is yellow, quite sugary slightly fibrous texture. The skin is thin elastic without bitterness. The stone is small and easily leaves the pulp. Harvesting occurs in early August.
Optimal conditions for cultivation
When cultivating frost-resistant plums, some species preferences should be taken into account.
- Selection of a place for landing.
Plum Ussuriysk, whose description of the variety indicates adaptability to regions with a harsh climate, is successfully growing on the southern and southeastern slopes with plenty of sunlight. When planting trees in a lowland or in a valley, flower buds and skeletal branches can freeze. The best place for planting a crop would be a site protected from northerly winds.
- The chemical composition of the soil.
Ussuri plum grows well on fertile neutral soils. With increased acidity, the tree feels a lack of minerals, which affects its growth, development and fruiting. With excessive peat content, the tree discards unripe fruits. Experienced gardeners recommend that a year before planting, lime be added to the soil in an amount of 150-200 grams per square meter.
- The principles of irrigation.
When growing Ussuri plums, it should be borne in mind that the culture does not tolerate drought and is quite demanding on moisture. In areas with arid climates, irrigation should be carried out once a week and a half. The norm of the introduced water per square meter is 9-10 liters. After harvesting, irrigation is less frequent so that the shoots mature better.
- Prevention of hazardous pests.
Plum Ussuriysk, reviews on the quality of the fruit of which are very positive, can nevertheless be affected by pests and diseases. Most often, fruit moths attack the trees, which can cause significant harm to the entire garden. Chemical treatments, which are carried out at the end of June, help fight pests. Mechanical traps, which should be installed when butterflies fly, have also shown good efficiency, around the end of spring.
The period of flowering and fruiting
Flowering Ussuri plums portends frost. This does not threaten the plant itself and does not affect fruiting. Small fragrant flowers are dispersed throughout the tree in large numbers. They open before the leaves appear.
In order for fruiting to be plentiful and regular in the vicinity of Ussuri plums, other varieties must be planted that have the same flowering time. It is also known that plums are well pollinated by sand cherry.
It is important not to miss the timing of the harvest, because when fully ripened, the fruits fall. Harvesting begins at a time when the fruits begin to turn a little yellow. The collected fruits are stacked in clean, dry boxes in several rows, where they reach full maturity in a few days.
Landing principles
When planting the Ussuri plum, it should be remembered that the culture does not tolerate spring diaper rash of the roots. This often happens due to an unsuccessful landing site in which snow has been lying for a long time, and it can also be hollows or the north side of the garden.
To prevent such a phenomenon, the drain should not be planted in an ordinary hole, but in special loose mounds, the heights of which should be enough to accommodate the roots and at the same time they should be above the ground. After rooting, the tree itself will deepen as it needs to and will give good harvests of tasty and healthy fruits.
Possible threats
A significant drawback of all plum trees is a weak immunity against diseases. Plum orchards are subject to:
- kleasterosporiosis (hole blotch);
- moniliosis (gray rot);
- coccomycosis;
- soot fungus;
- root cancer;
- marsupial disease;
- milky shine.
Plum can also affect diseases inherent in all stone fruits:
- gummosis (gum disease);
- rust;
- fruit rot.
Kleasterosporiosis
The people call the disease holey spotting. This disease causes a fungus that affects all parts of the plant. Symptoms of the disease appear as brown spotting on the leaves, which eventually turn into holes. Affected fruits are unsuitable for food. The disease contributes to increased humidity.
Monoliosis
Gray rot is a fungal disease that damages not only the leaves and buds, but also the fruits themselves. As a result, the plums become a soft consistency and acquire an uneven gray color with grayish tubercles in which there are spores. Humidity contributes to the rapid spread of the disease.
Coccomycosis
The most dangerous fungal disease, which manifests itself as brown or reddish spots on the leaves, which over time affects the entire leaf plate, and on the inner side a pink coating forms from the spores of the fungus. The disease leads to a decrease in frost resistance, the leaves turn yellow and fall, and the fruits stop in development and dry out.
Soot fungus
It appears black plaque in the form of soot on the leaves. Such formations are easily erased, but its presence prevents the flow of oxygen into plant cells.
Marsupial disease
Destroys the crop, because the affected fruits begin to grow, do not form seeds, and are covered with a gray coating.
Root cancer
On the root system, growths are formed due to the activity of pathogens living in the soil, which penetrate the tissues through damage. An adult tree stops developing, and seedlings die. Such a disease contributes to drought and neutral soils. Therefore, it is very important to prevent drying out of the soil and roots of the Ussuri plum.
Milky shine
It can affect not only plums, but also other fruit crops. The development of an ailment often leads to the death of a tree. The leaves become silver and begin to die. The bark takes on darker shades. Trees most affected by winter frosts.
Conclusion
Ussuri plum is well adapted to the cold climate. Her vegetation begins in late spring. First, flowers begin to bloom, which keep the color for about ten days. After flowering, shoots begin to grow actively.
Providing the necessary conditions for the cultivation of Ussuri plum, you can achieve the normal development of trees and abundant regular fruiting. Plum gratefully responds to the care with delicious and healthy fruits, which are rich in vitamins and minerals necessary for the functioning of the human body.