Plum in Siberia: planting and care, which varieties are better to grow, preparation for winter

Nuances of growing plums in Siberia

Cold and snowy winters are not a problem for many frost-hardy plum species; the temperature fluctuations in spring affect the trees much worse. In trees emerging from suspended animation, swelling buds may freeze. To avoid this problem, for planting, you need to choose a variety with weakly awakening buds with a long dormant period.

Plum trees have a risk of damping out. Due to the thick layer of snow, cold air does not enter the lower part of the trunk, and the crust with cambium in that zone die off. The problem cannot be solved by removing the snow, because then the root system will freeze. The most rational option here is to freeze the soil of the trunk circle.

Advice! Considering all these problems, it can be said that it is best to grow plums in the steppe regions or other areas with little snow (in the picture).

What plum is better to plant in Siberia

There is no definite answer to this question. Under the right conditions, any cold-resistant tree can survive the winter and delight in harvest. The best varieties can be considered the most fertile, cold-resistant and fungal-resistant, which one to choose is up to everyone.

What plums are planted on in Siberia

Plums in Siberia are grafted onto rootstocks, which can be seedlings / offspring of any of the Ussuriysk, Canadian plums. And also seedlings or sand cherries, propagated by green cuttings of the plant.

When the plum blooms in Siberia

Depending on the type of plum, the time when the berry is suitable for consumption varies most often from the end of July to the beginning of September.

Attention! The planted trees will begin to bear fruit after three years on average. However, after each wintering, you need to cut off the dead branches, otherwise there is a risk of infection of the tree and a significant decrease in the number of fruits.

How many years does plum bear fruit in Siberia

Plum begins to bear fruit from 3-4 years after planting, and after the next 20 years it grows old and dries up. Plum, with proper feeding, haircut, quickly reaches its maximum in yield and slows down the pace closer to death.

Features of the variety

When choosing a plum variety for growing in a cold region, there are a number of criteria to consider. Do not rely solely on the flavor of the fruit and the appearance of the tree. To grow a fruit plant in Siberia, the following indicators are required:

resistance to winter frosts and spring frosts;
selection of varieties with high yields;
fruiting should be gradual;
disease and insect resistance;
pollination: self-fertile plums will allow harvesting even in bad weather conditions, which prevented the pollination of bees;
cultivating varieties that require cross-pollination involves planting a pollinator nearby.

Plum in Siberia: planting and care

When to plant a plum in Siberia

There is no clearly established planting time for plums, it varies depending on the onset of cold weather. Plum plants in Siberia are usually planted with seedlings in late spring or autumn. In both cases, when there is no snow.

Place for planting plums in Siberia

The plum planting site should be well lit, well protected from drafts, and never in a low area.Avoid areas with groundwater too close to the surface (ideally, they should flow at a depth of more than 1.5 meters).

Preferably, the soil should be loose and rich in organic matter, either sandy or sandy loam. It is recommended to fertilize the soil a few weeks before planting. Too acidic in composition, swampy soils are not suitable for plums.

Attention! The distance between seedlings depends on the type of tree: if it is tall and has a voluminous crown, the distance taken should be at least 4 meters (in the illustration), for smaller varieties - at least 1.5 meters. If the plum is self-fertile, then it is imperative to plant a plum of the same type close.

Plum planting in spring in Siberia

The correct planting of plums in Siberia in the spring means planting a seedling in a hole in which the roots are calmly distributed and not damaged.

Young cuttings can be grafted onto healthy rootstocks. An established stalk has a high chance of survival in winter.

How to care for plums in Siberia

Freezing of the soil has already been mentioned, which prevents the bark and cambium from damping out. For her, you need to compact the snow in the area of the trunk circle. It will also be useful to place empty barrels around the barrels.

Trees also need regular pruning and constant root growth. In early spring, damaged branches are usually pruned, at the beginning of summer they form a crown (in order for the branches to recover faster, the pruning site is covered with garden pitch, and the tree itself is fed). Old trees are pruned to encourage new shoots to emerge.

Many trees need quality watering due to drought intolerance. This is especially true for cold-resistant drains. Also, several times a year, trees need to be treated with fungicides and insecticides.

Pruning plums in Siberia in spring

In the spring, while the tree is not quite active, you need to prune plum branches that have not survived the winter. You need to start the process at the seedling stage, when the desired crown shape is formed. An uncut tree, or one in which the cut site is not treated with garden pitch, has a risk of getting diseases and less fruit.

How to prepare a plum for winter in Siberia

Frost-resistant plums do not require much effort and cost to prepare for winter. They are only fed and watered abundantly. Berries grown in less snowy areas need shelter. These are spruce branches or agrofibre.

Plum pests and diseases in Siberia

In order to protect plum trees from pests and diseases, you need to treat it with insecticides and fungicides twice a year, in spring and autumn. But how to understand that the tree is already sick and what needs to be done if this is so?

Gum therapy

Gum flow (above in Fig.) Is the appearance of resin droplets on the tree trunk. If this problem is not corrected, then the tree can pick up the infection.

To eliminate gum removal, it is necessary to clean the place where the resin appears with a knife, and then disinfect it with a 1% solution of copper sulfate. You can also rub the cut area several times with sorrel leaves, and then treat it with garden varnish.

Dwarfism

In the initial stage, the plum leaves become narrow, small, and uneven. With the progression of the disease, the leaves become thicker and more fragile.

Fighting this viral disease by trying to save the tree is almost useless. Therefore, the best option would be to uproot the tree and burn it behind the site.

Plum pockets

This disease (pictured) affects the fruits, making them baggy, and then severely deformed, pitted.

To overcome this defect will help the application of 3% Bordeaux liquid to plants in early spring before or during bud break.

Comment! If the treatment takes place after the end of flowering, then the concentration should be 1%.

Clasterosporium disease

Gray-brown spots appear on the leaves, which soon dry up, creating holes and causing the leaves to fall off faster. Often, the disease spreads to the fruit, from which resin is then released. Without treatment, the entire tree may die.

Here again, 1-3% Bordeaux liquid will help, applied to the plant the first and second time, before the buds and buds bloom, the third, after flowering, the fourth, two weeks later, the fifth, three weeks before collecting the plums.

Fruit rot

The symptoms of the first stage of this disease are obvious - branches and shoots look like burnt. In the second stage, rotting spots and cushions with mushroom spores appear on the fruits (in the picture).

The disease can be prevented with 1% Bordeaux liquid and 1% iron / copper sulfate. Plum must be processed before and after flowering. The affected fruits must be destroyed, after which the trees must be treated with 1% Bordeaux liquid.

Smallpox plum

Plum pox are spots on the leaves that look like rings and twisting lines.

Important! This disease has a viral nature, so it is best to destroy the plant by site.

Rust

First, rusty spots appear on the leaves, and then, on them, black pillows with mushroom spores. The affected leaves fall off, and the tree loses its immunity.

Any fungicide or 1% Bordeaux liquid can get rid of mushrooms. Trees should be cultivated in mid-summer, and then every two weeks until three weeks before harvest.

Aphids

Aphids usually settle on the underside of the leaf, so you should always inspect them for pests.

An effective method against aphids is considered to be spraying the leaves in spring with decis or inta-vir.

The best varieties of plums for the Urals with a photo

Breeders of the past have clearly tried their best, because now in the cold Urals, plum varieties such as:

“Pride of the Urals” (pictured), a large dark pink berry, yellow from the inside. It does not bear fruit every year, it is self-fertile.
"Pearl of the Urals", medium-sized fiery plum on the outside and pale orange on the inside. This self-fertile berry ripens in early August.
"Snow White" (pictured), a very frost-resistant (up to -40 degrees) plum of medium size, yellow in color. The tree is not tall (2.5 meters), but spreading (4 meters).
"Ural Prune", a cream-colored berry with good frost resistance, blooms in early August at 15 kilograms per tree. The tree is low, up to 2 meters high, but the crown is wide.
"Chebarkulskaya", a medium-sized berry with a dark blue color on the outside, yellow-green on the inside, is recognized as one of the best plums. The height of the tree and the spreading are the same - 3.5 meters.
"Uralskaya Zolotistaya", a high-yielding variety, as a result, small sweet and sour berries are obtained, which received high marks from tasters.
"Uralskaya Zheltaya", a small plum with yellow flesh and skin. It ripens at the beginning of August (10-15 kilograms per tree), the tasters' marks are high.
"Cherry plum Early", a variety with yellow, and then red fruits, excellent frost resistance and productivity (20-25 kilograms per tree). The pulp is yellow and sweet. Grows on a bush 2.5 meters high.
"Uyskaya", very large dark red fruits from a 2.5-meter tree, have a good and pleasant taste and ripen at the end of August. However, the plum is not resistant to aphids.
"Kuyashskaya", these red large fruits from a 3-meter tree have an excellent sweet and sour taste. Ripens in early August.
Vesta, a medium purple plum with golden flesh, ripening at the end of August. Winter hardiness is excellent.

Yellow plum varieties for the Urals

There are not so many yellow varieties of plums in the Urals and you can count them on your fingers:

"Hungarian" (most often, Moscow);
Admiral Shley;
"Scarlet Dawn" (pictured).

Self-fertile plum for the Urals

Most plums in the Urals are considered self-fertile. Among them:

"Pearl of the Urals";
"Snow White";
Chebarkulskaya;
"Uiskaya" and others.

Varieties of plum-cherry hybrids for the southern Urals

Plum-cherry hybrids in the Urals are almost the same as in Siberia:

"Manor";
Chulyma;
Admiral Shley;
"Amateur";
"Shley";
Opata, dark pink or orange medium plums.
"Gem", medium-sized and liquid plum red.

Columnar plum varieties for the Urals

Tip, columnar plum bushes can be easily distinguished from trees by their thin branches, their upward direction, smooth bark. They have high frost resistance (up to 30 degrees), they can be planted close, they are low, early ripening. In the Urals, the plum is planted in the spring. These include:

"Muravushka", produces a harvest of dark purple berries in August one year after planting.
“Ruby” (on the picture), the berries are very large, red in color. Harvested in early September.
"Russian", large dark red plums, ripen at the end of August
"Honey", the fruits are golden and large. Self-infertile.
"Commander", fruits are large, red-violet and self-fertile.
Imperial, the most popular among farmers. The fruits are large and dark red.
Blue Sweet, a very large dark purple berry that ripens in August.
"Olenka", bright red medium berries, self-fertile.
"Mirabella", yellow and large plums, resemble apricots in appearance.
"Angers", large maroon fruits, the bush tolerates low temperatures well, it is self-fertile.
“Yellow”, golden-colored fruit ripening at the end of June.

Plum varieties for the southern Urals

For the southern Urals, sun-loving plants are suitable, it is not necessary to use winter-hardy varieties of plums, they are more suitable for the northern regions. This list includes:

"Opata" (pictured);
"Pearl of the Urals";
"Pride of the Urals";
"Hungarian";
"Uyskaya";
Chebarkulskaya.

How to plant a plum in the spring in the Urals

When to plant a plum in the Urals

In the Urals, plums are usually not planted in spring. There are almost no spring types of berries here. Plum planting in the Urals occurs in the spring, before the onset of cold weather and snow.

Site selection and soil preparation

The factors by which you need to choose a landing site completely coincide with those that operate in Siberia. In the Urals, varieties appear, for which, in order to prepare the soil for planting a tree, in the spring it is necessary to dig up a place, removing all weeds.

How to properly plant a plum in the Urals

Usually in the Urals, plums are planted not in spring, but in autumn, two people at a time. Then you need to follow the following points:

Depending on the size of the root system, you need to dig a hole. In this case, the upper (fertile) soil must be folded in one direction, and the lower in the other.
You need to drive a meter stake into the center of the pit.
Now you need to prepare an earthen mixture by mixing:
Superphosphate, 200 grams.
Wood ash, 350 grams.
Previously deposited topsoil.
The prepared mixture is poured in a mound around the stake. Moreover, the root collar is 6-8 centimeters above the ground, and the stake should not exceed the height of the trunk (the distance from the ground to the branches).
A seedling is placed in the "hill" to the north of the stake, from which the branches are straightened.
After planting, the ground around the seedling is compacted and watered with 1-2 buckets of water

Plum tree care in the Urals in spring

Plum care in the Urals is almost the same as in Siberia. The only differences are the start times of the procedures. During these tests, most of the snow should have melted.

Proper preparation for winter

Preparatory measures before wintering are carried out in advance, about 2-3 weeks before the onset of cold weather.

fertilization;
inspection of trees;
cleaning of near-trunk circles;
loosening of soil and hilling of drains;
whitewashing the trunk;
shelter.

Potash and phosphorus fertilizers are applied as top dressing (20-30 grams of superphosphate, potassium sulfate). Fallen leaves are removed, burned away from plantings. They carefully examine tree branches, bark, cleaning off damaged areas and covering them with pitch.

To protect against pests, the trunks are whitewashed with a special composition:

All components are taken in equal proportions, a thick putty is kneaded. For greater protection, add about 25-30 grams of copper sulfate (per liter of composition).

Before the cold weather, the plum is insulated by tying the stems with straw and burlap. For small seedlings, they arrange "houses" made of burlap or spruce branches. Practical for protecting agrofiber. In the spring, with the onset of heat, the materials are gradually removed.

It is not so difficult to grow tasty and sweet plums in harsh Siberia. And even if the weather conditions are not the best in this region, with full care and attention, the harvest will come out great!