Currently, most gardeners grow fruit trees on their backyard plots in the Moscow region without any problems. Along with apple and pear trees, plums of various varieties are very popular. Plum has a pleasant taste, a whole range of useful substances, and is also well preserved in the form of jam and compotes for the winter. However, good fruiting, and hence a high yield, depends on compliance with planting technology. Fruit tree seedlings can be planted in autumn or spring. In this article, we will analyze how to plant a plum in the spring in the suburbs in order to save the tree and get a good harvest.
Choosing a landing site
So, how to plant a plum in the spring? First you need to decide on the place. The plant can successfully grow on any soil, but the main condition is their fertility and regularloosening. Plum categorically does not tolerate stagnant moisture, so it is necessary that groundwater runs at a depth of one and a half meters. Lighting is also important. In an excessively darkened place, the fruits lose their saturation of taste, develop poorly, the leaves turn pale.
If you are faced with the question of how to plant a plum in the spring on acidic soil, then the answer is very simple. The soil needs to be limed. For this purpose, dolomite flour or ash is suitable. It is applied at the rate of 0.8 kg per square meter.
Thus, the landing site should be sunny, protected from the wind. Plum seedlings are planted on the south side of other trees so that no shade is created.
Proper planting of seedlings
How to plant a plum seedling in spring? It's not difficult at all. Pits for planting are best prepared in the fall, but in extreme cases, they can be made a few weeks before planting. The depth of the pit is 50 centimeters, the width is at least 70 centimeters. In the center of each pit, a landing stake is installed, which is an ordinary straight stick. The filling mixture is then placed in the pit.
Filling mixture consists of top layers of earth, humus, superphosphate, ammonium nitrate, gravel, sand, potassium.
Further, a plum seedling is lowered into the pit, the roots are carefully straightened and covered with earth. The root neck is kept at a height of 4-6 centimeters from ground level. This is done in order to eliminate the possible risk of damage to the cortex. During sprinkling with earth, the seedling needsShake occasionally to ensure there are no voids. The soil is lightly tamped from above.
How to plant a plum seedling in spring correctly? It should be located on the north side of the landing stake and at right angles to the ground. With a rope, it should be lightly tied to a stick.
The distance between the rows of plums should be about 3 meters and the same between the trees themselves.
Planting seeds and grafting
How to plant a plum tree in spring, which way to choose? Plum is usually propagated by grafting, cuttings and root shoots. Propagation by seeds is used extremely rarely and mainly to obtain rootstocks, that is, plants on which cuttings are grafted.
Good he althy seeds are thoroughly washed, de-pulped and soaked for several days, during which the water is changed and the seeds are stirred. Next, the seed material is dried and stored in a glass container. Before planting, the seeds are mixed with wet sand and sawdust and kept for six months at low temperatures down to -10 degrees.
Seeds are sown at the end of April, after frosts to a depth of 70 centimeters. The distance between them is about 10 centimeters.
For successful grafting, the stock must be winter-hardy varieties. Shoots are cut from their trees. The grafting process is carried out in late spring or mid-summer, during the active movement of the juice.
Plum pruning
Every gardener, in addition to how to plant a plum in the spring, should also know how to properly form a crown. For plumThe tree is characterized by a tiered crown about 35-40 centimeters high. The first years after planting, the plum grows strongly, while the branches may grow unevenly. Therefore, sometimes it is necessary to shorten lateral growths, remove tops, thin out branches.
After planting, about 10 main branches are left with equal intervals between them and a growth angle of 45 degrees. Other branches can be deleted. Further, as the tree grows, you should cut off the branches that are not part of the formed crown.
In an adult fruit-bearing tree, branches are cut off from the crown formation zone, the top is shortened, reducing the crown. Also remove low-lying branches and shoots with a lot of knots.
Fertilizer and watering
So, in addition to how to properly plant a plum in the spring, it is important to know how to properly care for it. In the first year after planting, no fertilizer is required.
But from the third year of life, you can apply mineral fertilizers in the fall, be sure to potassium and phosphorus. In the spring, nitrogen fertilizers are applied, which are reused after flowering.
Organic fertilizers are applied in mid-June. Moreover, in young plants, only the near-stem circles are the application zone, and in adults, the entire planting area.
Acidic soils are additionally limed with dolomite flour.
Plum loves moist soil, so regular watering is an essential part of care. Irrigation is considered good, in which the soil is moistened to a depth of 40 centimeters. Importantremember that fruit-bearing trees require increased watering. But do not overfill the plum, as this can lead to the development of fungal diseases and cracked fruits.
In conclusion
Thus, in this article it was considered how to plant a plum in the spring in the suburbs. The most suitable and high-yielding varieties are: Alyonushka, Skoroplodnaya, Bogatyrskaya, Masha, Candy. The last variety also has the most delicious fruits.
If you follow all the recommendations regarding the choice of location, planting technology, care and watering, growing a plum tree will not take much time and effort, and the harvest will please even an experienced gardener.
