This variety was developed in the late 19th - early 20th centuries by English breeders and immediately gained its popularity among gardeners in Western Europe, however, domestic breeders also prefer this variety because of its taste and unpretentiousness in care.
plum variety "President"
plum "President" has a lot of advantages, ranging from high yields to drought tolerance
"President" has an excellent taste
Grade description
This plum variety attracts attention with its features:
- adapt to the conditions of the forest-steppe;
- fast growth;
- resistant to infections;
- transportable.
Wood
The "President" has a significant distinguishing feature - his crown is not a columnar shape. His side shoots are very large. This variety is considered medium-sized, as an adult tree can reach a height of up to 3.5 m. After planting, the seedling quickly adapts and grows to 40 cm per year. Initially, the crown of the tree is similar to a pyramid, but with age it grows to the sides, thereby forming a dense ball of the crown.
Also, “The President has the following tree characteristics:
- the color of the bark of the stem and branches is gray-green;
- plum shoots are straight and not very thick;
- shoot color red-brown;
- petiole size - medium, color - white;
- leaf color - dark green;
- the shape of the leaves is large and slightly concave at the base;
- sheets over time can be covered with a wax coating;
- the foliage is smooth on the back
- inflorescences appear in the spring, which gather in umbrellas.
Fruit
The fruits of the variety differ in the following features:
- weight - from 50 to 70 g;
- the shape is round;
- the skin color of the unripe plum is green, and the ripe color is deep blue;
- peel of medium thickness with a wax coating;
- at the base of the fetus there is a depression with a wide fossa;
- the stem is of average thickness and length, which facilitates the process of plucking the plum from the tree;
- the color of the pulp is yellow or greenish-yellow;
- stone of medium size, oval, tip elongated;
- the taste is sweet, you can feel an admixture of sourness;
- colorless and sweet juice;
- plum contains ascorbic acid, potassium, protein, carbohydrates and organic fibers, which positively affect blood vessels and pressure;
- a plum can retain its beneficial properties even after processing.
Characteristics of the "President"
"President" has characteristics that distinguish it from other varieties of trees. Therefore, pay attention to the characteristics so that there are no problems during the harvest.
The gardener provided an overview of the “President” plum in his video below:
Productivity
The “President" is distinguished by a rather early fruiting period - 5-6 years from the moment of planting. From this age and up to about 10 years, the harvest can be 17 kg of fruit, and after that - up to 40 kg of fruit can be harvested from one tree, which is quite a lot. If you pay maximum attention to the health and condition of the tree, then the yield can increase to 70 kg.
Winter hardiness and drought tolerance
The “President" is considered extremely resistant to both cold winters and very hot summers. For example, in the harsh winter of 1968-1969, the trees froze by one point, and in the winter of 1978-1979. - by 3.3 points, that is, the average degree of freezing is 2 points, which is quite a bit.
Pollination
Pollination of fruit trees is the key to a good harvest, but before you plant different species next to each other, you should find out which varieties will have a beneficial effect and whether the maximum yield can be obtained.
"President" is a highly self-fertile tree, however, it can also be combined with certain varieties, which include:
- Stanley;
- Thorny Kuibyshevskaya;
- Joyo
- Peaceful;
- Rival
- The early red is;
- Greengage Altana;
- Amers;
- Katinka;
- Vision
- Kabardian early;
- Greengage temple;
- Rush Gestetter;
- Rival
Ripening time
In mid-May, flowers already appear on the trees, but the fruits ripen quite late - during the hot summer, the dates fall in the second decade of September. With a cool summer, fruits can ripen by the end of September or, even, by early October.
Transportability and shelf life
Dense fruits with a strong skin can perfectly tolerate transportation. During transportation, neither their quality nor their appearance suffers, even if the fruits are still unripe, which is why many people use this variety for sale - the presentation of the fruit is not lost. If you harvest in early September, then it can be safely transported over the longest distances.
Not fully ripened plums can be stored in cellars or in warehouses for 14 days. If the fruits were ripened, then the shelf life in the refrigerator is 5-7 days.
Disease and pest resistance
This variety does not have immunity from diseases, so the tree needs additional processing and care. It has medium resistance to the following diseases:
- Moniliosis - is a fungal disease. Spores winter on the bark of a tree or are carried downwind. Plum becomes infected with moniliosis during the flowering period - the leaves turn brown, fall off, and the fruits soften and become covered with white rot, after which they begin to mummify. To prevent this, treat the tree with a 3% solution of Chorus before the tree blooms or 15-20 days after. As a preventative measure, do regular pruning, collect and burn infected fruits on time, and clear the trunk of dead bark and whitewash.
- Gum detection - sticky sticky streaks, cracks appear on the plum trunk, and the bark becomes thin. In this case, use fertilizers that will strengthen the stability of the tree. Use according to the fertilizer schedule. And as a preventative measure, treat slices after pruning with garden var or oil red.
- Dwarf plum - a fungal disease by which the plum becomes infected during the seedling inoculation. The essence of the disease is to slow the growth, fragility and thinning of the leaves, and the possible premature death of the plum. The disease is not treated - the plum needs to be uprooted and burned. Carefully examine the planting material and purchase it only from experienced gardeners in nurseries, so as not to encounter this disease.
Parasites harmful to the tree:
- Plum shoot moth - a butterfly that lays eggs at the base of the kidneys and pupation occurs in early June-July. Ovaries fade on the tree, leaves become gnawed and shriveled, buds and tops of shoots are wrapped in a spider web. Chlorophos treatment helps against plum moth, carry out the procedure in late April - May, when the buds open. As preventive measures, loosening of row-spacings and areas of the trunk circle in early summer helps.
- Plum dusted aphids - slows down the growth of seedlings and prevents the formation of new buds. The ovaries begin to dry out and wither, the fruits do not pour, remain small and wrinkled. Mineral oil preparations help (0.2-0.3 liters per 1 sq. M). Treat in early spring before sap flow. As a preventative measure, remove root growth, dead bark on the trunk and skeletal branches, and also whiten the trees every year.
- Plum moth - damages the petioles, gnaws the fruits. Because of this, the plums do not pour, but prematurely ripen, rot and fall. You can fight with the moth with the help of coniferous concentrate (2-4 tablespoons per 10 liters of water). Processing occurs during the growing season, if necessary. As preventive measures, loosen the earth in the area of the near-trunk circle, clean the stem and skeletal branches of the old bark, cut off the damaged shoots and burn the scavenger.
What else are the diseases of plums, you can read in this article.
Features
As a fairly old and reliable variety, the "President" has its own characteristics, thanks to which he is so fond of people.
Climate and cultivation regions
The “President” feels great in various parts of the country - from the South to the Far East. It can be found in Siberia and the Urals. In other CIS countries, this plum is similarly popular - especially in Ukraine and Moldova.
Scope of berries
First of all, plum can be consumed fresh, however, the huge advantage of the “President” is that it can be used for all types of processing:
- compotes;
- jam;
- mashed potatoes and soups;
- jelly;
- marmalade;
- plum juice.
Plums can also pickle and dry. The dietary properties of plums are also highly appreciated - the product is low-calorie and is part of anti-obesity diets. And canned plums are recommended in the presence of cardiovascular diseases and gastrointestinal disorders.
Planting and Plum Care President
Any variety needs proper care in order to get an excellent result in the form of a rich harvest.
Landing time
For planting, choose between spring (March - early April) and autumn (late September - October) planting seedlings. The condition of the soil helps to determine - it must be friable, loose, and the shovel freely passes into the ground - and the air temperature - not lower than 12 degrees.
Most often, gardeners opt for a spring planting due to the fact that this way the seedling will take root more quickly and grow. In addition, if trees were planted in the northern regions, then they will not be afraid of night frosts. If the plant was planted in the spring, then fruiting begins a year earlier.
Priming
"President" is a fairly versatile variety, as it is not picky about the soil and is able to take root on almost any soil. However, if you have a goal to get the maximum yield, then pay special attention to the choice of soil.
Choose among loamy, breathable and water-intensive soils, since there the crop is always higher. With an increased level of acidity in the soil (which is easy to determine if a lot of plantain, sour acid or sorrel grows in the selected area) or bogging is present, then it should be liming. Do this procedure in the spring, before digging the site.
In order to lime the soil, take fluff, chalk, shale ash or wood ash and scatter it on the ground at the rate of a pound per square meter, after which you can start digging.
To put in order the structure of the soil, liming can be carried out - this will make the earth more air- and moisture-permeable, activate the vital activity of beneficial microorganisms that are in the soil, and also enrich it with calcium and magnesium.
When choosing wood ash as a liming material, take 1-2 buckets per 10 square meters to neutralize the effects of aluminum and iron.
Seat selection
Plum is planted on an open and sunny flat surface - this way the tree will be able to receive a sufficient amount of sunlight, which is necessary for the sugar content of the fruit.
Also, with a lot of sun, such a thickened tree as the President Plum will dry quickly even after very heavy and heavy rains and morning fogs.
The openness of the site is important for the factor of air circulation, since constant ventilation reduces the risk of infection with fungal diseases, which like the increased humidity necessary for their reproduction and vital functions.
Since the tree is drought tolerant, places with a groundwater level of up to 1.5-2 m are well suited, as wetlands will lead to rotten roots and weaken the tree.
Planting material
Pick seedlings in the autumn time period, because at that time they no longer have deciduous cover and all the flaws, such as rotten roots, spoiled bark, can be easily considered.
Buy seedlings only from those local gardeners you know, or whose quality of planting material you are sure of. You need to buy directly from local breeders because such trees are already adapted to the local climate, so they can transfer transportation without problems and take root more quickly.
When spring comes, carefully examine the seedlings - if you find that their roots have dried up, then put them in water for 1-2 days, and cut off all damaged or slightly rotten roots with a pruner.
To protect the roots, dip them in the clay mash before planting. This is necessary so that burns do not occur due to contact with fertilizers. The talker also happens earthen.
Site preparation
If the seedling can be purchased in the fall, then the hole must be prepared in the spring about 2 weeks before planting. Mix the extracted soil with 15-20 kg of organic fertilizers and 400-600 g of superphosphate, and then half-fill the hole with this mixture. Also add a layer of gravel or sand to the bottom so that the soil warms up faster - this positively affects the formation of the root system.
Step-by-step landing process
In general, the process of planting a plum seedling is as follows:
- Dig a hole with a depth of 40-50 cm and a width of 80 cm. All holes should be at a distance of 2-2.5 m from each other, and the rows are separated 3-4.5 m of free space.
- Singe the end of a wooden stake so that it does not rot over time.
- Set in the hole count.
- Plant a seedling.
- Spread the roots so that they lay the whole hole.
- To evenly distribute the soil, shake the roots of the seedling.
- Place the seedling so that the root neck is 2-3 cm below the surface of the earth.
- Tie a seedling to a stake and do not remove it for 3-4 years. Place the stake on the north side.
- Pour the plum with 30-40 liters of water.
- Mulch the area of the trunk circle (50-80 cm) using sawdust, dry grass or earth. The layer should be 10-15 cm thick.
Watering
As noted earlier, this variety is resistant to drought, which means that it does not need constant watering even at very high air temperatures. But it’s still necessary and important to water the “President” - especially this should be done during the growing season.
For irrigation, you can use drip irrigation, because this method has certain advantages, making the irrigation procedure convenient:
- You may not be present on an ongoing basis;
- Strait no more than twice a month;
- Since water is supplied directly to the root zone, there is a resource saving of up to 60-80%;
- favorable conditions are created for the development of the root system, because there are no more conditions for oxygen deficiency in the soil;
- You can combine both watering and top dressing at the same time;
- the system works even at low pressure;
- yield increases by 1.8-3.5 times, because the plant immediately responds to the appearance of a favorable climate in the region of its root zone;
- the spread of disease is reduced because the leaves and stems remain dry.
Previously, for the best effect, you can dig special grooves around the trunk, a depth of not more than 10 cm.
In the last month of summer, reduce the amount of watering so that the tree stops growing, is at rest in winter, and next year gives a good harvest.
Top dressing
To improve the quality of the crop and the sustainability of the tree, the necessary organic and mineral fertilizers should be added on time and on an ongoing basis. In order for the fertilizers to really work, you should know when and in what quantities you need to fertilize the soil under the drain.
- Fertilize a two-year-old tree only in spring, using 20 g of urea or 25 g of ammonium nitrate for this.An alternative to nitrate is 60 g of ammonium sulfate.
- Fertilize in this way until the fifth anniversary of the tree, after which you can make changes to the feeding scheme.
- For adult plums, continue to use urea, but in a larger dosage - 25 g.
- As an alternative to urea, treat the soil with superphosphate in a dosage of 60 g. The dosage when using double superphosphate should be half as much.
- Add 20 g of potassium chloride or take wood ash, which will need a larger amount - 200 g.
- For adult plums, take up to 10 kg of organic fertilizers per year.
- In the fall, use either superphosphate or double superphosphate - 75 and 40 g, respectively. You can still fertilize with potassium salt - from 30 to 40 g or wood ash - 350 g.
Pruning
The gardener needs to trim and form a crown so that it does not thicken - during fruiting, the branches fall under the weight of the fruits and as a result the crown becomes wide and spreading.
You can trim a tree in three ways:
- Formative - used in the first three years of plum in early summer. Shorten the length of the lateral and all tall shoots by 20 cm. If you regularly carry out such pruning, then in the fourth year the plum will form as a two-tier structure, in which there will be about 6 skeletal branches. If the pruning is done correctly, the branches attached to the central shoot will grow at an angle of 45 degrees.
- Anti-aging pruning - It is carried out only on mature trees, an exception can only be for a very dense crown. Reduce the length of the central shoot by 1/3, and the length of the skeletal branches and side shoots by 2/3. If the trees grow in southern areas with warm nights, then this type of pruning should be carried out immediately after fruiting. If in the northern or central regions, then pruning is better to transfer to the first month of spring.
- Sanitary - Helps maintain branches in a healthy state. Cut out all broken, frozen or diseased branches to prevent the spread of infection. Then, the cut branch can grow again. Produce this procedure in the growing season.
Winter preparations
Despite your good resistance to frost, carry out certain activities.
Rodent protection
Since the “President” is growing in the forest-steppe zone, this means that in winter, large-scale invasions of rodents in orchards are possible. They begin to gnaw at the skeletal branches, which are located below, the stem of the tree, and spoil the part of the tree that is located underground. The following measures help solve this problem:
- Whiten the trees in autumn so that the bark has a bitter taste.
- Protect the area around the perimeter using a fine metal mesh.
- Rub the trunks with fat mixed with tar.
- Damp peat chips soaked in kerosene or creole around adult trees.
- Before the onset of frost, wrap the trunks with glass wool. Use spruce and juniper branches for the same purpose. But before the onset of spring, when sunny days begin to make themselves felt more and more often, be sure to remove all protective ammunition.
- Wrap the tree stock with synthetic stockings.
- Trample the snow around the plum several times, compact the soil in the tree circle.
Whitewash
A tree is usually whitened in late autumn, before frosts come. You need to whitewash the boles and skeletal branches, as this helps:
- disinfect bark and exterminate all fungal colonies or eggs of harmful insects;
- adds a bitter taste to the bark, because of which it ceases to be interesting to rodents;
- increases the overall stability and vitality of the tree;
- Helps to recover after warming.
Buy aniline paint or water-based paint for whitewashing - 0.7-1 l is enough for one tree. Such paints can last on wood for up to one year.
You can also prepare a solution for whitewashing yourself - add 2-3 kg of lime, 300 g of copper sulfate and 1 kg of clay to a bucket of water. If you need to whiten an adult tree, then for stability add another 1 liter of stationery glue. And very young trees are better to be chalked.
If you find cracked bark or diseases in early spring, be sure to walk along the trees with whitewash.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
After we have fully considered all the properties of the President plum, we can share its advantages and disadvantages:
Advantages:
- the tree shows excellent frost resistance, as it is able to withstand cold up to -30 degrees;
- high drought tolerance;
- early fruiting begins - in the 5th year of life;
- stable and rich harvest - from a tree you can collect from 20 to 40 kg of fruits;
- self-fertility - a tree is able to produce crops without additional pollinators;
- trouble-free transportation and storage of fruits;
- the relatively small size of the tree makes it possible to plant compactly and in large numbers in one garden;
- excellent resistance to biological aggression.
disadvantages:
- it is necessary to additionally fertilize the tree, since it does not have immunity to diseases;
- Needs frequent pruning of branches, as they thicken very quickly;
- the branches are not very strong, which can lead to breakage under the weight of the fruit;
- prone to gum disease;
- Harvest must be done on time, as heavily ripe plums fall off, and unripe plums have worse taste.
Plum President is a great variety for breeding because of its impressive characteristics. Resistance to cold, high productivity and other advantages of this species make it a favorite among farmers and gardeners. The President is especially appreciated for his rapid growth and excellent taste.
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