Plum is one of the crops that man has been cultivating for centuries. It's all about its fruits, which have an excellent taste and the most beneficial effect on the human body. In the article we will talk about varieties of plums, descriptions of varieties.
What is a plum and what does it look like
Plum is a fruit crop that every gardener loves. It has a wide area of distribution and growth. As a rule, it is a tree or shrub, reaching up to 12 meters, however, care and timely pruning can keep the tree from growing uncontrollably.
Plum fruits are very juicy, their size varies from medium to large, and weight - from a few grams to hundreds. A distinctive feature of plum varieties is its size, which is one to three centimeters in diameter and one and a half times longer. The ossicle is flat and long. The taste of a plum, depending on the variety, can be sweet or sour, but it will always be juicy. Today, more than 250 varieties of plums are known.
Top 7 best varieties
Among the huge variety of varieties, the largestsome varieties of plums are popular. Description of varieties of this group:
- Plum, known as the "Early Fruiting". Its peculiarity lies in the fact that it tolerates low temperatures, low humidity and has high rates of resistance to many diseases. Also, it is not subject to fruit rot.
- Plum "Yakhontovaya" is interesting in that it is resistant to both low and high temperatures, as well as to diseases and pests. At the same time, the tree bears fruit already in the third year after planting.
- Less resistant to temperatures, but just as interesting plum - "Tula black". This variety is immune-resistant, suitable for various types of blanks.
- Variety "Chinese". The reason for the popularity is good indicators of frost resistance and resistance to pests, while the fruits reach a size of 70 g.
- Plum "Blue Gift" can also be noted as a very resistant tree, however, its fruits are smaller, rather, even smaller than average, but late ripening makes the fruit in demand.
- Variety "Giant". Due to its excellent appearance and taste characteristics, it can also be considered a popular variety, despite the poor tolerance of extreme conditions, pests and diseases.
- Overseasian grade "Stanley". Reviews and descriptions of the plum variety indicate that it has long been known and still remains a very popular species, and all thanks to its large fruits and taste characteristics. Plum is suitable not only for consumption in its raw form, but also for various preparations. Gardenersnote the special taste properties and the possibility of wide use: drying and preparation of blanks.
The best varieties of plums, according to gardeners, have earned their title due to their special properties and taste. It is these varieties of fruits that summer residents often choose for planting.
Early varieties
Among the variety of plum varieties, there are those that ripen from July to the first half of August. These varieties bring the largest yield, and distinguish them into early and early ripening varieties. Among the early varieties can be distinguished:
- Plum with excellent taste characteristics, reminiscent of a peach, the fruits of which ripen in groups, and very impressive in size with a characteristic yellow color. The variety of this plum is called the "Golden Ball" - it is not difficult to guess the reason for this choice of name. The tree bears fruit already in the third year after planting.
- "Red ball". In this variety, the trees reach small sizes, and the fruits have a pronounced reddish-amber hue. The tree reaches 2.5 meters in height. Ripening occurs at the end of June.
- One of the best varieties, especially for home growing, is "Record". The tree of this variety is characterized by high resistance to low temperatures and high quality blue or purple fruits, as well as high yields.
Mid-ripening varieties of plums
Trees, the harvest of which belongs to the second half of the last month of summer and to the group of the average ripening period. Such fruits have a pronounced taste and aroma. These include:
- "Masha". It is resistant to cold temperatures, unpretentious and very productive. The fruits are quite large, have a purple color, as for the taste - it is juicy and sweet.
- "Souvenir of the East". A variety that came from the East, whose tree has a low growth and good yield. The disadvantage of the variety lies in the instability to low temperatures, which makes it impossible for its wide distribution. But the taste characteristics, the size of the fruit and its appearance can partly compensate for other shortcomings.
Late varieties
The last group is late varieties and very late. The fruits of these trees ripen from late August to mid-September. Such fruits tolerate low temperatures better and are most often suitable for winter harvesting. What are the varieties of plums called? The main ones from this group include:
- Variety "Bogatyrskaya Plum" is a very unpretentious tree, resistant to cold and diseases of various kinds, and also high-yielding. The fruits of this variety are often used for harvesting prunes, as they have a pronounced taste with sourness.
- The "President" variety is called a universal variety. The reason for this is the characteristics of both the tree itself and its fruits. Like any late variety, it is resistant to cold, and the fruits have such properties that they can be used not only for drying, but also for other types of preparations.
Yellow plum
Among the different varieties of plums, yellow plums can be distinguished separately. As a rule, they have a special aroma and taste. Below we will consider varieties of plums with photos and descriptions:
- Yellow "Honey". From the name it is already clear that it has a unique taste and aroma. Due to its unpretentiousness, it can be planted everywhere, although its disadvantage is its strong spreading. The fruits are sweet and sour. Ripening occurs in July.
- "Golden large", refers to late-ripening varieties. It tolerates low temperatures well, bears fruit regularly and has an attractive appearance, along with the highest taste characteristics.
Whatever the variety, all yellow plums share the same characteristic. This is that they are obtained as a result of selection, and for their effective fruiting it is necessary to select another variety for planting next to the purpose of pollination. Otherwise, the harvest may not wait.
Chinese plum
Representatives of plums with Chinese roots can be distinguished into a separate group. They all come from the Chinese culture that existed in the Yangtze Valley. All varieties of plums (photo below) of this group are different:
- high resistance to cold;
- fast growth;
- very early flowering.
At the same time, the yield of the variety only increases from year to year. The fruits of Chinese varieties can reach very large sizes, while varieties,intended for sale, endure transportation very well, without losing either in presentation or in taste.
Examples of varieties: "Yubileynaya", "Krasnomyasaya", "Seedling Shiro" and others.
Other varieties of plums
There are also other varieties that are not included in the described groups. Some of them:
- "Top hit". It is a mid-season variety with large fruits. Differs in tasty juicy pulp with sourness.
- "General's" plum is frost-resistant. Has a technical purpose. A feature is the presence of very tender pulp, which makes the variety non-transportable.
- "Alyonushka" is a descendant of the Chinese plum. The fruits have a sweet taste, their color is dark pink, and the stone is difficult to separate.
- "Blue Gift" is one of the most productive varieties. Belongs to the group of mid-season. Juicy dark purple fruits are great for preservation.
- "Masha". This variety is early maturing. Trees are medium. And the fruits of dark pink color with yellow flesh are distinguished by a dessert taste.
- "Angelica". This variety is similar to cherry plum, the taste is sour. Begins to bear fruit 3 years after planting.
- "Kabardinka". This variety ripens by mid-August. The pulp has a sweet taste, and the fruits are medium in weight and round in shape.
- Burbank Giant. A frost-resistant plum variety that is not afraid of the disease - moniliosis. Its berries are large and sweet, and have a red-yellow color.
- "Damascene". This variety is distinguished by fruits of different colors: they can be red, blue, black and white.
Reviews of plum varieties say that each of them is suitable for a certain soil, weather conditions. If a summer resident chooses a plum for planting, then first you should decide on the color: blue, white, red, yellow. Each variety differs in taste, fruit ripening period and yield.
Results
The benefits of plums have been proven by many years of observations. First of all, it improves digestion, normalizing it and, as a result, improving the body as a whole, since all harmful substances are removed from the body by the well-established work of the intestines. And the content in the plum in a sufficient amount of carbohydrates, pectin and other vitamins and minerals can make it an assistant when following a diet. Even when dried, it remains a valuable product, as it retains most of the nutrients.
