2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Chinese plum (Latin Prunus salicina) - fruit crop; a representative of the genus Plum of the Pink family. In nature, it grows in the mountainous regions of China. The crop is grown commercially in Japan, Korea, Australia and the United States. In Russia, it is grown only on personal household plots.
Characteristics of culture
Chinese plum is a medium-sized tree up to 12 m high with a densely leafy rounded crown and red-brown or violet-brown bark. Young shoots are glabrous, yellowish-red in color. Leaves are green, shiny, rather large, oblong or obovate, with double serrated edges, up to 12 cm long, equipped with linear glandular stipules.
The flowers are white, up to 2 cm in diameter, collected in umbellate inflorescences of 3-4 pieces. Fruits are conical, heart-shaped, ovate or spherical monocotyledons, up to 5-6 cm in diameter, depending on the variety, they can be green, yellow, red or purple. The pulp is juicy, sweet and sour, aromatic. Chinese plum has a number of advantages, it is frost-resistant, rarely affected by pests and diseases, and is flexible to environmental conditions.
The plum in question is highly decorative, especially during flowering. In Asian countries, the culture is used for landscaping parks, gardens and personal backyards. In Russia, they are grown mainly for obtaining tasty and aromatic fruits. Chinese plum blooms in April-May for 10-12 days, flowers are often damaged by spring frosts. Plants are pollinated by insects. Also cherry plum will perfectly cope with the role of a pollinator.
Care
There are no significant differences in the care of the Chinese plum and other members of the genus. In early spring, plants are fed with rotted manure or humus, diluted in water in a ratio of 1:10, and urea. Immediately after top dressing, the soil is loosened and mulched with peat or sawdust. Mulch will protect the roots from overheating, retain moisture and eliminate the need for weeding. With expected frosts during flowering, smoke heaps are kindled, smoke will prevent damage to the flowers.
With the advent of heat, it is important to provide the plants with an optimal level of moisture. Watering is carried out at the rate of 20-40 liters per 1 adult tree. Stop watering 2 weeks before harvesting the fruits. After flowering, the plants are fed with complex mineral fertilizers, the dosage depends on the fertility of the soil. Formative pruning is carried out in early spring. Weak and thickening shoots are removed from young trees, and annual shoots are shortened. The second procedure will enhance the formation of new shoots. For the winter, the near-trunk zone is mulched, and young trees are wrapped in kraft paper or covered with spruce branches.
Common varieties and their description
* Baikal - the variety is represented by fast-growing trees with a wide spreading medium-leafed crown. Fruits are rather large, weighing up to 25 g, irregularly rounded, with a deep abdominal suture. Skin is dark cherry, thin. The pulp is yellow, sweet, with a semi-lagging oval bone. The variety is drought-resistant, fast-growing. It cannot boast of frost resistance.
* Krasnoselskaya - partially self-fertile variety; represented by medium-sized trees with a spreading medium-leafed crown. Fruits are spherical, without ventral seam, average weight 20 g. The skin is smooth, red, thin. The pulp is yellow, loose, fibrous, sweet, with a weak aroma. The stone is dark brown, easily separated from the pulp. The variety is high-yielding, frost-resistant, fast-growing, unstable against pests and diseases.
* Manchurian beauty - the variety is represented by low-growing trees with a densely leafy rounded crown. Fruits are round, weighing up to 15 g, with an indistinct abdominal suture. The skin is thin, orange, with a maroon blush and a bluish tinge. The pulp is juicy, loose, sweet and sour, yellowish-green, with a semi-lagging oval bone. The variety is relatively drought-resistant, self-fertile, non-resistant, often affected by miniliosis.
* Pioneer is a self-fertile variety; represented by medium-sized trees with a spreading densely leafy crown. Fruits are medium, weighing up to 20 g, oval, with a moderately pronounced abdominal suture. The skin is orange, with a dark red blush and a waxy coating. The pulp is juicy, loose, fibrous, yellow, sweet, aromatic, with an oval bone that comes off easily. The variety is high-yielding, winter-hardy, resistant to drought and pests, practically not affected by diseases.
* Ural golden - partially self-fertile variety; represented by trees with a spreading medium leafy crown. Fruits are round, with an unexpressed abdominal suture, weighing up to 18 g. The skin is yellow, smooth, thin. The pulp is sweet, aromatic, yellow, fibrous, with an easily detachable oval bone. The variety is high-yielding, frost-resistant, fast-growing. Disadvantage - plants are often affected by pests and diseases.
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Diseases And Pests Of Plum: Plum Gall Mite
The plum gall mite causes irreparable harm to the plum with thorns. However, almonds and peaches often suffer from its invasions. Near the bases of the shoots of the first and second years, reddish-brown galls gradually form, subsequently acquiring the same shade as the shoot bark. Gradually growing together, the galls fold into rather large growths, inside which ticks quickly settle. Often, in the habitats of these harmful insects, the yield is halved. And with the secondary