Plum is a crop that does not require special growing conditions. This explains its popularity among summer residents. Among the most common varieties, the first place is occupied by Candy Plum. It is capable of producing an excellent harvest, and also has a high immunity to disease and pest infestations.

Plum Candy: description of the variety and characteristics

Gardeners prefer this variety, focusing not only on the taste of its fruits, but also on characteristics that indicate the endurance and high survival rate of trees. The variety was bred by breeders from the team of I.V. Michurin. The properties of the crop allow it to be grown in regions with harsh climatic conditions.

The height of the tree does not exceed 3 m. It has an attractive decorative appearance and will be a wonderful decoration for any site. The crown of the tree is graceful and has a rounded shape. Small ovoid leaves are distinguished by jagged edges and dark green color.

Important! Due to their excellent winter hardiness, trees are able to withstand frosts down to -30 ° C, at which neither flower buds nor the root system suffer.

The seedling turns into a mature tree in a short time and is ready to bear fruit. From 1 tree, you can get up to 30 kg of plums, which have a low keeping rate. Already in the middle of summer, you can pick plums, tasty like candy, hence the name of the variety.

A characteristic feature of the plum is its juicy honey pulp. Drupes are burgundy. Their skin is covered with a bluish waxy coating.

Plum Candy (external fork grade)

If we talk about the shortcomings, we can say that this variety of plums is self-fertile. This means that in order to get the desired result, you need to provide additional pollination. Among the most commonly used pollinator varieties, one can name such as Zarechnaya and Renklod collective farm.

Features of growing and caring for a plum garden

Plum Peach

The plum will feel great in a well-lit sunny area, where groundwater does not occur more than 2 m from the soil surface. To grow Candy Plum, it is better to give preference to loamy or clayey soils, which have a high level of water and air permeability, as well as neutral acidity.

Important! If it is not possible to achieve such a pH indicator, it is recommended to add lime, wood ash or dolomite flour to the planting pit.

When planting several trees of this variety on a site, it is necessary that the distance between them be at least 4 m. This is due to the fact that the root system of the Candy plum has the ability to grow 5 - 6 m from the main trunk.

Choosing the right plum sapling is half the battle. In this case, it is recommended to pay attention to its trunk. It should be even, with evenly colored bark. The root system of the planting material should not have any damage or dry areas. If any, they must be removed by using a secateurs.

Important! Experienced gardeners recommend starting planting seedlings at the very beginning of spring. The reason for such an early planting is that a young tree needs to settle down in a new place and get stronger before the onset of cold weather.

The possibility of planting seedlings in the fall is also possible.In this case, they will endure the winter much easier if their bole is covered with a special material: spruce branches or roofing material.

It is worth starting to prepare the landing pit in advance. Its dimensions can be within 70 X 100 cm. The soil, which is removed when digging a hole, must be mixed with such components: humus, superphosphate, urea.

Planting pit preparation

Next, you should fill the third part of the dug hole with the prepared soil mixture, and dig into its central part a wooden stake, the height of which can vary between 50 - 100 cm. It will be used as a support for a young seedling.

The seedling is placed in the center of the planting pit, and its roots are gently straightened. Then you need to fill the roots of a plum tree with a ready-made planting mixture and tamp it.

Important! The root collar should be at a height of 5 - 7 cm from the ground level.

After that, you need to tie the trunk of the tree to the peg. Thanks to this, he will be able to quickly get stronger in a new place. Now is the time to water the seedling with 2 - 3 buckets of water. Watering is carried out in a sprinkler roller located along the diameter of the trunk at a distance of 50 - 70 cm from it. After watering, the soil must be mulched with sawdust, dry grass or hay. This will prevent rapid evaporation of their soil moisture.

With the onset of spring, the soil under the tree is dug to a depth of 8 cm, around the crown circumference - 10 - 14 cm, and in row spacing - 20 - 26 cm. Thanks to this, it will be possible to preserve the maximum amount of moisture from the melted snow.

Important! It is worth digging up the soil very carefully so as not to damage the roots located close to the surface. For this, experienced gardeners recommend placing a shovel bayonet with an edge.

The plum is watered 3 to 5 times throughout the season. Moisture is especially important during flowering and ovary formation. Watering is carried out more frequently in dry summers.

The first feeding can be carried out only 3 years after planting. This is due to the fact that in the first years in a new place, the tree has enough nutrients that were laid in the planting hole during the planting of the seedling.

For 3 years, the trunk circle should be sprinkled with humus in the amount of 4 buckets and dug up. For the same purpose, you can use other fertilizers: superphosphate, potassium salts. Plum is fed with nitrogen fertilizers (phosphorus-potassium) before flowering.

A procedure such as pruning is also important. It must be done in spring and autumn. In the first year after planting, it is recommended to cut off a third of the stem, and also remove young shoots. Large branches are cut to a height of 50 - 60 cm.

Important! During the second pruning, which is carried out in the fall, all side shoots can be removed. This is necessary so that severe frosts do not damage weak and thin branches. In this state, the tree has every chance to endure the winter well and easily.

Reproduction

Plum Ussuriyskaya

Plum Candy can be propagated in several ways:

  • Graft. To do this, you need to have a scion (cuttings of the variety that will be grafted) and a stock (the tree on which grafting will be carried out). This procedure can be carried out from late spring to early summer. For this, cuts are made at an angle on the rootstock and scion. They are connected to each other and tightly tied with a special film. It can be removed after 5 weeks. In order to increase the chances of grafting, experienced gardeners recommend performing this manipulation in several places on the same tree.
  • With the help of root suckers. To do this, you need to select a plum shoot located as far as possible from the trunk. It is cut at a height of 15 - 20 cm from the root collar and planted in a new place.
  • Cuttings. To carry out this breeding method, the stalk must be prepared in the fall. At a distance of 1 - 1.5 m from the trunk, a part of a young healthy root is dug out. To store them, you can use trenches in the ground, covered with sand and snow. They can also be stored in the cellar.In May, cuttings are planted in open ground and covered with a transparent film, which already loses its relevance after 30 - 40 days. Planted cuttings should be watered as the soil dries out.

Preparing for winter

Despite the fact that this variety of plum tolerates winter well, it will not be possible to avoid measures to prepare for wintering. If we are talking about an adult tree, it will timely and correctly perform pruning, remove old bark and moss from the trunk and branches, whitewash the tree with lime or copper sulfate, fertilize the soil near the tree with mineral fertilizers for digging.

Plum Eurasia

As for the young tree, in addition to the above measures, it is also recommended to wrap its trunk and the lower part of the branches with insulation or burlap.

Important! It will not be superfluous to protect trees from rodents for the winter. To do this, the barrel is carefully wrapped in several turns of barbed wire. Instead, you can use branches of thorny shrubs, such as roses or rose hips.

Pests and diseases

This variety of plum is characterized by high resistance to disease and pest infestation. Nevertheless, it is recommended to carry out some preventive measures:

  • regular pruning of the crown of the tree, which prevents the spread of insects from diseased branches to healthy ones;
  • barrel treatment with copper sulfate or lime solution;
  • use for spraying the crown of fungicides.

Plum Candy is extremely popular among gardeners throughout Russia. This is due to the positive characteristics of the variety, high yield and its winter hardiness. It is also important that it can be grown on clay and loamy soils. If everything is done correctly, the harvest will not be long in coming!