How to plant and grow a healthy and high-yielding plum?

Plum is a very tasty fruit, represented by a huge number of varieties and, accordingly, of various tastes. Many gardeners happy to plant it in their area. However, not every one of them can boast that the plant takes root easily. And then gardeners face a number of pressing issues. Why does the tree die? Which landing method for plum is the right one? How can you grow a high-yielding fruit tree, even in the harsh Russian climate, so that it pleases its owners for many years? Let's try to answer all these questions in our article.

The best time to plant this garden crop is from late April to early May. At this time, the earth warms up in the best way, and the roots of a plum seedling, getting into the nutrient soil, take root well. The advantage of planting at this time of the year is that the plum will root well and therefore will endure the winter cold without much difficulty.

If for some reason you did not have time to land in the spring, an alternative way would be to do it in September. During this period, the root system of seedlings is strong, because over the summer it has strengthened perfectly. In addition, autumn plums are not afraid of damage to the roots. But there is one drawback of such a planting - this is a high probability that the plums can freeze out in extreme cold. Therefore, the bush must be securely covered in advance and protected from freezing.

When planting seedlings in the ground, you must also take into account the climatic conditions of the region where the gardener lives. Experienced experts recommend that residents of central Russia and more northern regions plant a plum only in spring. Those who live in the south of the country, can embark on its landing in the autumn, and in the spring. But residents of the north and Siberia, such a heat-loving plant is not recommended to plant or, with a strong desire of summer residents to feast on their own plums, choose only frost-resistant varieties. They will settle down better if they are planted in the spring, so that the roots are well entrenched in the ground and are able to withstand severe frosts.

To have a general idea of ​​what year plum will begin to bear fruit, it is necessary to take into account all the features of the acquired seedling. All its varieties can be divided into several groups.

The fastest growing varieties such as "Canadian" or "American" plum. They form many sprouts, buds, and hence mature plums. For such varieties, it is important to feed the plant, because it is due to this that the appearance of the first fruits will be greatly accelerated. This can happen in the third year after planting.

These include domestic plums, bred in the west and south of Europe. These can be varieties such as "Hungarian" or "Peach". However, when caring for these plants, you need to make sure that their crown is not too thick, as this will delay the start time of fruiting. The first harvest with proper care can be obtained in 3, maximum after 5 years.

These varieties can be on the annual growth or on perennial sprigs. These include such varieties as "Hungarian Moscow" or "Volga Beauty". However, to obtain early fruits, it is necessary to take good care of them, not to allow the crown to be thickened, as well as to support the growth of shoots and to make the correct pruning. The plant will begin to give fruit when a certain number of buds appear on the sprouts.

To speed up this process, many gardeners form a crown so that the number of main shoots is small. It is also important to provide the tree with regular abundant watering and necessary fertilizing. This is done so that the first fruits do not crumble. If this happens, then the tree does not have enough nutrients. It can also serve as a sign of infection with an infectious disease that needs to be treated if you want to see the harvest.

This process occurs more often by the vegetative method, and with the help of bones - quite rarely. It is worth considering all methods of reproduction in more detail.

You can grow seedlings for stock. To do this, you need to select the most delicious and ripe plums, thoroughly rinse them from dirt and clean them from the pulp. Then the bones should be soaked for 4 days, but you need to change the water every day. After this, the seeds must be dried, and before they are planted, the bones must be mixed with wetted sawdust or sand and kept for about half a year. The temperature should be approximately 10 degrees below zero. You also need to ensure that the seeds were in a humid environment, otherwise the shoots will die. It is possible to sow such planting material both in spring and in autumn.

An excellent breeding method is the root growth method. It's all very simple. In the normal development of the tree around the trunk of the plum, a greater number of young shoots appear, growing vertically. They will be used for plant reproduction. You need to choose those shoots that are located a little further from the trunk. These sprouts in the future should have good roots. To do this, in early September, you need to chop the plum root, which connects the finished processes with the tree. Already at the end of April it will be possible to plant them on the place that is intended for the future fruit tree on the site.

Another method is reproduction by root cuttings. To do this, dig up the roots at a distance of 150 centimeters from the main trunk. If the plant is still young, then you need to dig it at a distance of 100 centimeters. The roots should be up to 15 centimeters long and about 1 centimeter thick. If the roots were dug out in the autumn, they must be kept in a pit, the depth of which should be about 45 centimeters. From above they are covered with sand, it is also allowed to store them in wet sawdust.

Planting cuttings should be carried out in the spring, in a pre-prepared soil, and for faster growth is better to do it under the film. The soil for cuttings should consist of peat and sand. They should be planted at a distance of 5 centimeters from each other, and in a vertical position they are covered with earth to a layer of up to 5 centimeters. Then they should be well watered. The ends, which are at the top, also need to prikopat 3 centimeters.

Plum - very picky tree, if you compare it with the others. Even with abundant flowering, it may not give the proper yield. Culture can grow on almost any loose soil. Since the plum does not like the abundance of water, therefore, it is better to plant it away from the groundwater. It is better if it is elevated terrain, where there is loamy soil or black soil. For planting trees, you must choose a place where there is a lot of light. At the same time, it should be fairly well protected from the wind. You also need to make sure that other trees do not shade it. It is necessary to take into account the fact that the planting should occur even before the juice begins to move.

If the land is very sour, then we must produce it, and also add about 800 grams of ash per square meter. m. Between seedlings will be enough to leave 3 meters, so that their root system can fully develop in the future. The place for a sapling is prepared in advance, somewhere in 14 days. This is done so that the ground has time to settle down a little after digging up the ground. Ideally, the pit is excavated with a diameter of 70 centimeters, and up to half a meter in depth.

In its center it is necessary to put a planting stake, and then fill it with a filling mixture, which consists of the following elements:

• top layers of soil;
• saltpeter and superphosphate;
• a little bit of humus;
• potassium;
• sand and some gravel.

After the expiration of the exposure can proceed to landing. The tree is carefully placed in a hole, positioning it on the north side of the peg. Then the trunk line and covered with earth. After that, everything is well tamped. That the tree did not fall from the wind, it is necessary to tie it to the stake. Then you need to water the tree with four buckets of water.

A step-by-step guide when buying a sapling even helps a novice gardener to cope with difficulties. When buying a plum, one must take care that the seedling does not have loose buds. After all, this means that he has been with the seller for quite a long time, which means that he will most likely get acclimated poorly. Also, the root system must be quite powerful and consist of no less than 3 roots up to 25 centimeters long. In addition, it is important that the branches were not broken off.

Also, after the purchase it is important to immediately learn about how to care for this plant after it is planted in the ground. Ways to care in different regions are slightly different. If you grow plums in Siberia, then this difficult process will have to spend a lot of strength and energy. Plum can withstand frosts up to 40 degrees, but cold winds can lead to the fact that the bark dries out in very young seedlings.

Also, temperature fluctuations can lead to the death of fruiting buds. Siberian plums are sometimes subject to decay. Since snow covers more than half of the tree in winter, the root zone, as well as some thick branches, may rot. In such cases, in order to avoid this, it is necessary to clean the snow so that the drifts are no more than half a meter.

Now many breeders are trying to bring such varieties of plums that could withstand all these misfortunes. In this case, it will be possible to grow fruits without any problems in any corner of our vast country. But for now you have to deal with simple plums that need very thorough care. It can be divided into several stages, among which the main are considered to be the observance of proper watering, feeding trees and compulsory pruning.

Since the plum prefers a moist environment, the land around it needs to be watered regularly. This is especially true after planting in the spring, because at this time the earth dries out quickly, and the young seedling may simply die. If the weather is too dry, watering should be done once a week so that the soil is soaked to 40 centimeters. So, for young saplings the volume of water should be about 40 liters, and for full-grown trees - 60 liters. In winter weather, you need to look to the level of snow does not exceed 60 centimeters, otherwise the surplus will have to be removed.

Fertilize young trees need to start after 2 years. Feeding scheme depends on the time of year. In the spring, it is necessary to feed the trees with a solution of litter in proportions of 1 to 20. You can also make mineral fertilizers, such as urea.In the autumn, this can be done with potash fertilizers. If the plant lacks potassium, the leaves turn brown.

This process is considered the most important in plum care. After all, in the first years it grows quite quickly, so the formation of the crown is so important. The tree should be cut immediately after planting. In the first year, pruning is done so that the seedling is not more than a meter high. In the second year, the largest branches shorten to 30 centimeters. In the third year, all the upper shoots are cut by 30 centimeters, and those that go on the sides, shortened by 15 centimeters.

When the crown is fully formed, it should have up to six strong branches, which are located at an angle of up to 50 degrees. If pruning spring, then it must be done before flowering. Annually it is necessary to remove the shoots that make the crown thick. Also, all damaged, diseased and dried branches require removal. They can either be broken off or cut off.

Caring for a tree is necessary throughout the season. After each heavy rain, the ground around the plant should be loosened. This is done so that the air reaches the roots, so the drain will grow much faster.

To prevent the growth of weeds, as well as to avoid evaporation of moisture from the ground, it is necessary to do mulching with the help of humus. It will also protect the root system from freezing. In addition, organic matter for a long time will feed the soil.

Since the sapling, planted in the autumn, not strong enough to make it easier to transfer the winter cold, the plant must be covered. Straw or hay is suitable for this. From above, you can cover all the sheets of slate, and wrap the trunk with burlap or any other material more tightly.

For vaccination, it is necessary to grow seeds, stocks of winter varieties, which in a year can be planted. Shoots for this are most often cut from the “native” tree. Inoculation is usually done at the end of spring or at the beginning of summer, when the most active movement of sap occurs along the stem of a plant. Spring vaccination is done by cuttings, and summer - by the kidney.

Novice gardeners will be easier to cope with grafting cuttings. In addition, there will be less likelihood that the graft does not take root. With the kidneys this happens more often. Vaccination by cutting requires long preparation. Cuttings should be cut and germinate in advance. In the spring you need to do their pinning to the tree trunk. It makes a neat oblique incision, where the cutting is inserted. It is tightly attached to the barrel with tape, and then on top of everything is covered with a layer of sealant. The condition of the grafted tree must be closely monitored for several more days.

Any diseases and pests are dangerous for plums. If time does not hold events to protect the sapling, then you can get a bad harvest, or just stay without it. All preventive work should be carried out with the development of the plant itself, because the stages of its growth completely coincide with the appearance of various pests.

To begin to carry out preventive work on the protection of plums should be early in the spring, before the buds bloom. The first thing is to remove all the nests of pests that overwinter, and burn them. The same must be done with the remaining fruits.After that it is necessary to spray all the crown. It should not take a lot of time. If you choose a quality tool in the store, then most of the pests can be forgotten. The list of insects that no longer bother with the treated plum includes aphid, mites, caterpillars, fruit moth, Californian scythe and many other parasites. Spraying also helps protect the tree from many fungal diseases.

It begins when buds bloom and ends after flowering. Spray the tree with any insecticide. It can be aktar, alatars or any other toxic substances. This treatment is done to remove ticks, aphids and many other pests. In order to prevent diseases, you can add 100 grams of sulfur to these solutions.

It is held in the summer. At this time, it is necessary to carry out immediately 3 or 4 spraying, while making an interval of 2 weeks. You can use drugs such as fitoverm or chorus. Dosage information can be found on the packaging.

It is the final stage and falls on the autumn time. It is necessary to collect all dried and fallen fruits, leaves and burn them. Do the same with nests of different parasites in the crowns of a tree. If you follow all these processing rules and take good care of the trees, you can get a rather rich harvest of plums.

Having decided to plant a plum, the summer resident must pay particular attention to the choice of material for planting.

Any seedling should be selected according to the following criteria:

• have at least a small stock;
• the plant should not have dry branches, and the root system - signs of rotting;
• if the plant is of the first variety, then its height should be not less than 140 centimeters, and the diameter should be at least 1.3 centimeters;
• for the second grade, the seedling height is up to 110 centimeters, the diameter should be at least a centimeter;
• on the seedling itself there should be no traces of cut branches and damaged areas.

A very important point is the preparation of plums for the winter. Since the root system of this plant is very close to the surface of the earth, it is worth protecting it from both frost and rodents. To do this, in the fall of November, it is necessary to wrap the root zone with moss. When the appearance of the first snow you need to trample it around the circle. If there was no mulching in the spring, then it should be done in the autumn. However, for mulch is to choose more durable materials that will definitely be too tough for rodents.

If there is no need for root growth, then you need to get rid of it. After all, it takes a lot of moisture and power from the tree, which greatly affects the harvest. Regular tenderloin in this case will not help, because the growth will appear again and again. For this, it is necessary to treat it with a 10% solution of urea in especially hot weather. All shoots will burn, and new ones will appear less and less.

To make the cuttings healthy, they need to be cut at the moment when they change their color to red. They should be cut only from the uterine tree. The length of the cuttings should not exceed 35 centimeters. It is also good if there are leaves on them. Shoots immediately need to be placed in water. After 1.5 weeks they must be placed in the ground. If, before planting, it was found that the roots of the seedling are chapped, they must be kept in water for several days. Water at the same time need to be changed every day.

Each plum variety has its own time of development, fruiting, as well as special rules for planting. However, it is considered important for everyone that the landing should be done before the tree awakens. Otherwise, one cannot avoid “stress”, which in the end result will have a bad effect on the growth and yield of the fruit tree. To properly plant and grow a healthy and high-yielding plum, it is necessary to exert maximum effort. After all, such a plant requires special care and some skills from gardeners. However, if you strictly follow all the recommendations of experienced gardeners and follow the rules for the care of this plant, without missing the most important steps, you can get a good harvest even in the northern regions of our country.

In the next video, see helpful tips on how to grow a good plum crop.