One of the most popular crops grown by gardeners in the country is the plum. This tree is not demanding care., but it brings a great harvest.
Choosing a sapling, pay attention not only to the taste of the berries themselves, but also to other factors that will speak about the endurance of the variety and its compatibility with the intended place of growth.
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Description of Plum Candy
Candy tree undersizedin height reaches no more than 2.5 meters. A special charm gives it a rounded crown and elegant, openwork leaves of emerald hue. In the period of flowering white buds appear.
This variety belongs to the early, and you can start collecting fruits at the end of July. With due care from one tree you can get up to 25 kilograms of the crop.
As for the fruits themselves, they have a delicate and sweet taste. Yellow, honey pulp covered with delicate and thin skin. The ripening period occurs when the plums gain a mass of 30-35 grams.
Given the good frost resistance of the treewhich can withstand temperatures up to -20 degrees, it can be grown in areas with a temperate climate or in southern latitudes.
Similar in characteristics varieties - Masha and Dasha
V.P. Yagunov on the basis of the Suzdal gossortuchastka brought varieties, in their characteristics, reminiscent of Candy.
Variety Mashenka - vigorous tree, with a round, pyramidal shape. Enters fructification on 4-5 year of life, bringing at the same time a stable and numerous harvest.The term of fruit ripening is medium.
The plums themselves have a large size, on average, their weight reaches 35-40 grams. The taste is juicy and tender, the skin is thin, dark maroon with a waxy coating, the flesh is yellow.
Given the good frost resistance and unpretentiousness to the composition of the soil, planting such a variety is recommended in the central regions of the country. As well as Candy, Masha needs pollinators neighbors.
Variety Dasha - a tree of medium height with a pyramidal crown. It begins to bear fruit from 4-5 years and brings a stable and high-quality harvest.
The fruit is sweet and sour, weighing 40-50 grams, the color of the skin is pink-red, while there is a gray patina. The flesh is tender and juicy. The ripening period begins in late September, and you can harvest until the beginning of November.
Winter hardiness of the variety is very good, it is zoned for the northern regions of the country. Also requires additional pollination.
Breeding history
Given that the climate in Russia is quite harsh and many varieties of fruit crops simply cannot survive in such conditions, domestic breeders are working on breeding the most stable samples.
One of the best results of the work is considered Candy plum, which was bred by Professor Kursakov G.A. on the basis of the Timiryazin Academy in the Michurinsky garden.
Advantages and disadvantages
The advantages include:
- The tree brings a stable and bountiful harvest, and it begins to bear fruit in the 4th year of life.
- Decorative appearance perfectly fit into any landscape design.
- The taste of the fruit is always at the highest level.
- Candy is unpretentious to the climate and can withstand low temperatures.
- High resistance to the most common diseases of plum.
There are also disadvantages:
- Given the characteristics of the structure of the tree when a large mass, the fruits begin to crumble.
- The crop does not have good transportability and long-term storage.
- This variety requires additional pollinators, so it cannot become the only plum in the garden.
Natural growth region
Candy was bred for cultivation in the Central region. But taking into account the frost resistance and unpretentiousness of a variety, it can be grown in both southern and northern latitudes.
For areas with a cold climate, the tree will have to additionally prepare for wintering, covering the trunk.
Landing rules
First you need to determine the place where you plan to place the tree. In order for a tree to grow, develop and bring a good harvest, need to take into account some of its features:
- Direct sunlight must necessarily fall on the site, because plum belongs to heat-loving plants and for it the presence of maximum illumination is very important. Considering the small growth of the tree, it is preferable to plant it on the south side of other plants.
- Do not plant plums in areas with high groundwater storage.
- Gardeners do not recommend the use of lowland areas where rain and melt water accumulates.
- For this variety, loamy soil or clay is preferable. Wood does not tolerate excessive acidity of the soil. To remedy this situation, lime, ash or dolomite flour are added to the landing pit.
Candy is recommended to move to open ground in early springso that the tree has time to get stronger before the onset of cold weather.
But also you can plant a tree in the autumn. But it will definitely need to be covered with spruce or roofing felt.
Experienced gardeners recommend adhere to the following rules:
- Most often, plums are planted at a distance of 3-4 meters from each other.
- A landing pit for trees, measuring 50 centimeters in depth and 70 wide, is prepared in advance, so that it can stand before work.
- The upper fertile soil layer is mixed with humus, superphosphate and urea. This mixture should fill one third of the pit.
- It is also necessary to immediately install a support, which can serve as a long stick.
- The seedling should be carefully placed in a hole and straighten the roots.
- The root neck should be 3-5 centimeters above ground level.
- In the next stage, the tree will need to sprinkle with fertile soil and lightly tamp it.
- After planting, the plum is watered abundantly, using 20-30 liters of water and mulching to keep the moisture as long as possible.
Peculiarities of care
Next to the trunk, they dig up the soil to a depth of 8 centimeters, as they move to the outer circle, this indicator is increased to 10-12 centimeters.
In order not to damage the root system during the digging process, shovel is recommended to put an edge.
Watering candy should be 5 times for the entire season., but during periods of drought, the intensity of the introduction of moisture increases. An excessive amount of moisture can lead to rotting of the roots, so you need to carefully monitor this indicator.
Plum does not require reinforced podkorok and frequent fertilization:
- Starting at the age of 3 years, during spring digging, 3-5 buckets of humus or slurry, 300 grams of superphosphate and 200 grams of potassium salt should be added;
- also during the growing season nitrogen fertilizers are applied;
- potassium phosphate fertilizing is carried out before flowering.
In the first 1-2 years, the plum is not fertilized, young tree will be enough nutrients introduced during planting.
Not the last role in the process of care also plays soil loosening and mulching. These processes will help the tree to get nutrients faster and retain them for as long as possible.
To avoid the appearance of various diseases or pests., you need to regularly remove the root growth and carry out sanitary pruning, in which they get rid of dry and damaged branches.
It is worth considering that Candy can not self pollinatedtherefore, it is very important for her to have neighbors with a similar flowering period. These include Renkold State Farm and Zarechnaya Early.
Breeding methods
There are several ways of plum breeding:
- Graft - for this, you need to acquire graft, that is, grafts of grafted varieties and rootstock, a tree on which the vaccination will be carried out. For such a procedure is suitable the end of spring - the beginning of summer. The first step is to make the same oblique cuts on the stock and graft, then they need to tightly join and wrap the film. After 4 weeks it can be removed.
- Root offspring - choose a healthy and large escape, which is at a great distance from the mother. It will need to be cut at a distance of 15 centimeters from the root collar, and planted in a new place.
- Root cuttings - it is necessary to prepare such material in the fall. Retreating from the trunk of a tree at 1 meter, the roots are dug out. Among them are selected the strongest and healthiest, they must be cut off. Store cuttings should be either in a dug trench under the sand and peat, or in a cold room. In early May, they are planted under the film, which can be removed in a month. Before the emergence of shoots the place should be shaded and to avoid drought. If several shoots appear, the strongest is selected among them, the rest must be removed.
Diseases and pests
Candy is highly resistant to various diseases and pests. But in order to maximally secure the tree, the following measures should be taken:
- regular sanitary pruning will help prevent insect reproduction. Also, this procedure contributes to the overall improvement of the tree;
- regular whitewashing of a tree trunk in spring and autumn will protect it from sunburn and pest attacks;
- spraying crown and shtamba with fungicides prevents the development of many diseases.
Besides, this variety is unpretentious to soil fertility and is able to endure cold winter temperatures.