From the article you will learn about the varieties of plums, how to plant a tree, fight its pests and get rich yields of juicy fruits.
Features of planting plums
Plum can be planted in spring before bud break or in autumn in September-October. The culture is quite unpretentious, it can grow on almost any soil, the main thing is that they are sufficiently loose and fertile. The only thing that does not like to drain is stagnant water, so the groundwater level should be no higher than one and a half meters from the ground level. You need to choose a place well lit by the sun, where there are no gusty winds.
Place seedlings at a distance of three meters from each other. Dig a hole 70 cm in diameter and 50 cm deep. Drive a planting stake into the center. Pour fertile soil, humus, sand at the bottom of the depression, add 4 tablespoons of nitrophoska to each. After the contents of the pit are ready, you need to spill it with water, and then set the seedling and tie it to a wooden stake. If the seedling has an open root system, its roots can be dipped in a special mixture made from clay mixed with water.
After you put the seedling in the hole, it must be covered with a nutrient mixture consisting of the upper fertile soil layer. Carefully pour it with 1-2 buckets of water, cover the trunk circle with peat.
Plum care rules
Care primarily consists of periodic pruning. As the young seedling grows, some lateral branches may overtake the central trunk in growth. If so, shorten them.
Every year in early spring, it is necessary to cut off diseased and dry branches, remove those that make the crown of the tree too thickened. You also need to promptly remove root shoots, which draws off the nutrients of the main tree.
Although plum is quite hygrophilous, liquid stagnation should not be allowed. Water the tree so that the soil is drenched 40 centimeters deep. In this case, about 5 buckets of water are consumed per tree.
It is necessary to fertilize the plum periodically. Since during planting you filled it with a sufficient amount of organic matter and mineral fertilizers, start feeding it only in the 3rd year. In the spring, it should be nitrogen fertilizers, during the flowering period, the formation of fruits - potassium-phosphorus. Periodically, it is necessary to feed the plum with trace elements, which contain potassium and magnesium.
Plum pests and methods of dealing with them
So that pests do not destroy most of the crop, they need to be dealt with in a timely manner. Start doing this in early spring, then you need to cover the wounds on the tree with garden pitch, cut and burn branches damaged by diseases and pests, and shallowly dig the soil under the tree crowns.
When the buds begin to swell, early in the morning, spread a film or other material under the plum, shake the tree, most of the plum sawer will fall on this litter.
When the leaves bloom on the plum, most of the pests are activated. To get rid of them, the sawer is shaken off again. Against him and leaf-gnawing pests, use an infusion of garlic, tobacco broth.
During the flowering period, chemical agents cannot be used, as they can scare away bees. To attract these beneficial insects, prepare a top dressing. Putting 100 grams of honey in 10 liters of water, add a tablet of micronutrient fertilizers, mix the agent, apply foliar dressing by spraying the leaves of the trees.
After a month, dig up the near-trunk circles, this will help fight the sawer larvae, which at this time goes into the soil. If a green aphid has settled on the plum, spraying with mustard or tobacco infusion will help.
After harvesting, it is also recommended to spray the tree with a garlic or mustard solution, adding 1 tablet of micronutrient fertilizer per 10 liters of solution to it. In late autumn, whitewash the trees, tie the trunks with roofing material, spruce branches or roofing felt or a light transparent film. This will help prevent damage to the stem by mice, and it is better for the plum to overwinter.
Watch a video about planting a plum:
To grow a sturdy tree and reap a good harvest every year, do not ignore our advice.
