Fruit trees grow on every summer cottage. Many people like to plant apples, pears and plums, as these fruits make delicious jams, compotes and juices. Today we will describe the President plum variety. What is remarkable about these fruits and why gardeners are so fond of them?
History of Creation
Plum President has been popular for more than a hundred years, she has received her well-deserved place in many suburban areas. The variety was bred by amateur breeders from England at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The plum turned out to be excellent and immediately became famous for its taste, unpretentiousness in care. Gardeners have noted its resistance to many root diseases, from which many garden trees die. Good growth, adaptability to the climate of the forest-steppe belt, high transportable qualities were also noted. Soon the variety spread far beyond England.
Plum variety description President
The distinguishing feature of the tree immediately catches the eye. It is not columnar, but annually produces many side shoots, therefore, in order to receivea stable harvest and good, large fruits, the tree must be thinned out, removing new and too old shoots.
The culture is vigorous, and an adult plant can grow up to 3.5 meters. The seedling quickly adapts to its place and begins to develop actively, its growth per year can be up to forty centimeters. A young tree has a pyramidal shape, but over time, its branches spread out, forming a dense crown ball. The foliage is dark green, large, slightly concave at the base. The glossy sheen of the foliage shimmers beautifully in the sun, eventually becoming covered with a wax coating. The back of the sheets does not fluff, it is smooth.
In spring, the tree is covered with inflorescences collected in umbrellas. It smells very nice, spreading the fragrance over many square meters.
Fruit characteristics
Oval-shaped fruits, quite large on young trees, weighing one hundred grams. On mature ones, they are smaller - up to 65 grams. Plum President, the description of which you are reading, has a dense skin. It has a purple-violet saturated color and is covered with a waxy bloom of a bluish tint, there are small cover dots on the surface. Plum pulp is homogeneous, very juicy, has a yellow or green-yellow color. The taste is excellent, sweet, the tasting score is quite high, 4 points out of five possible. The juice is colorless and sweet. The fruit has an oblong bone, it is easily separated from the juicy pulp.
Pros and cons
Plum variety President has a lot of advantages. Anda few shortcomings are completely covered by them. As always, let's start with positive qualities:
- cultivation is possible in any region, as the tree is frost-resistant, withstands winters with temperatures as low as -30 degrees;
- greatly adapted to drought;
- resistance to various biological aggressions;
- begins bearing relatively early - in the fifth year of life;
- stable and high yields, from 20 to 75 kilograms of fruit can be harvested from one tree, depending on the age of the tree;
- fruits of excellent quality, with a pleasant taste, dietary value (43 kilocalories per hundred grams);
- Plum President is perfectly transported and stored.
Flaws:
- annually and during the season thickens, it is necessary to thin out the branches;
- possibility of tree infection with monoliosis, pollinated aphids and plum codling moth;
- prone to gum flow.
Fit features
If you decide to have this wonderful tree on your site, then prepare a vast space for it, as the branches will scatter, and they need enough space for full development.
You can plant in spring, in late March or early April, also in autumn, from late September to mid-October. But still, the spring period is more preferable. At this time, the young seedling will not be attacked by the first frosts, it will begin to actively grow and develop. As practice has shown, trees planted in autumnbegin to bear fruit a year later, only on the sixth.
When planting, the air temperature is important, it should not be lower than +12 degrees. Also pay special attention to the soil, it should be soft and loose, so that the shovel enters freely.
Ground
Plum President is not too demanding on the condition of the soil, it will take root almost everywhere, but if you want to get a good harvest, then pay attention to the following characteristics of the ideal soil for this crop.
In loamy, breathable and moisture-intensive soils, the yield is always higher. If the land is strongly acidified (easily recognizable by well-growing sorrel, plantain and oxalis) or swampy, it must be limed. This procedure should be carried out directly in the spring, before digging the site. If you have never limed the soil, then use our recommendation: you need to use fluff lime (you can replace it with shale ash, chalk or dolomite flour) and scatter it on the ground with the calculation of half a kilo per square meter. After that, you can dig up the ground.
Lime is very useful for the crop, it normalizes the structure of the soil, making it more moisture and breathable. It also activates the vital activity of only beneficial microorganisms living in the earth, enriches the soil with calcium, magnesium and other trace elements.
If you decide to use wood ash to reduce the acidity of the earth, then take it with the calculation of 1-2 buckets per ten square meters. This way will helpneutralize the harmful effects of heavy metals such as aluminum and iron on plants.
Planting
Plum President will take root and avoid many diseases without problems in a well-ventilated and sunny area. The ground must be leveled so that there is no stagnation of moisture or its runoff. The seedling should be prepared: if the roots are dry, then soak them in water for two days, and immediately before planting, dip them in a mud or clay "talker", this will protect against burns that are possible when in contact with fertilizers (manure, superphosphate and compost, which are mixed with the ground in which the seedling will be immersed).
The planting hole should be half a meter deep, eighty centimeters wide. If several trees are planted, then the distance between the rows should be at least four meters, and between the trees - two and a half meters. Seedlings are planted so that the root collar remains on the surface. Watered with forty liters of water as the soil dries up.
Plum variety President: reviews
Gardeners really liked the variety. They write that the President's plum bears excellent fruit, and every year the yield only increases. Summer residents of the northern regions note its frost resistance. In the south, they are praised for their resistance to drought and heat. Large farmers also fell in love with the President plum. Feedback from fishermen is also the most positive. They especially appreciate the variety for the rapid growth of the tree, abundant harvest, high tolerancetransportation and excellent taste.
