Fruit

Plum Red Ball: description of the variety and characteristics, methods of cultivation and care with a photo

Anonim

To create a fruit-bearing garden, the Red Ball plum is an excellent option. It does not require large areas, its compact size allows you to harvest a bountiful harvest even in small areas, summer cottages. It is especially valued for its unpretentiousness to growing conditions, but due to its poor resistance to frost, it must be additionally protected in winter. In order for the Red Ball plum to grow and develop normally, it is necessary to become more familiar with its strengths and weaknesses, the intricacies of planting and care.

History of Red Shar plum breeding

Raspberry Ball, also called the Red Ball plum, appeared as a result of crossing two varietal varieties: Burbank and Ussuri red.We worked on breeding a high-yielding hybrid H.K. Enikeev and S.N. Satarova (Moscow city). It was entered into the State Register in 1989. Plum Red Shar is valued for large and incredibly tasty fruits, the color of which changes to rich red as it ripens.

Description and distinguishing features

The Red Ball Plum is easy to place in the garden and grows up to 2.5 meters. Such a small size of the plant makes the process of caring for it quite comfortable. The color of the trunk and main branches is brown, there is no pubescence, the surface is smooth. Spreading branches form a rounded, medium degree of foliage crown. The ovaries are located mainly on annuals and bouquet branches. The leaf plates are large, green in color and have a matte surface. The flowering phase of the Red Ball plum occurs before they appear, there are 2-3 flowers in one bud. The mass of fruits reaches 40 grams.

The pulp has a loose, slightly fibrous structure, dense skin with an almost imperceptible seam. The fruits are distinguished by a rich aroma, sweet harmonious taste. The easy-to-separate stone is another advantage of the Red Ball plum.

Harvesting must be done on time, if the fruits are on the tree for a long time, they will lose their integrity, and, consequently, their presentation.

Characteristics of the variety

To obtain high productivity rates, you need to know the main characteristics of the Krasny Shar plum variety.

Drought resistance, frost resistance

The stone fruit culture is not afraid of sub-zero temperatures, it is not afraid of drops to -35 degrees. Due to sufficient frost resistance, Red Shar plum can be actively grown in regions with severe frosts. The plant can freeze slightly only with return spring frosts. Resistance to dry weather is satisfactory, but a long absence of moisture or, on the contrary, an excess of it negatively affects both the tree itself and its ability to bear fruit.

Susceptibility to diseases and pests

Chinese plum varieties Red Ball have increased immunity to perforated spotting (clusterosporiosis), monilial burn and other fungal infections.

Pollinator varieties

Given that the Red Shar plum belongs to self-fertile plants, it needs additional pollination for effective fruiting. For these purposes, fruit varieties such as:

  • Plum plum Kuban comet;
  • cherry plum Gold of the Scythians;
  • plum Sissy;
  • Chinese plum;
  • Plum Early-fruiting.

But homemade plum (ordinary) as a pollinator is not suitable. In order for the fruits to be large in size, it is necessary to normalize with ovaries in the first 2 years after planting, removing flowers.

Yield and fruiting

Plum Red Ball stands out for its precocity, the first harvest can be harvested within 2-3 years after planting. Fruit is harvested in August. The yield of the variety is almost 18 kilograms of large red balls with a pleasant taste.

How to store and use fruits

Since the Red Shar plum belongs to the category of table varieties, its fruits have a universal purpose. They can also be used for making jams, desserts, compotes, juices, and also consumed fresh. The variety is excellent for making wine.

Good and bad sides

Among the undeniable benefits of the Red Ball plum, experienced gardeners highlight:

  • precocity;
  • large-fruited;
  • high productivity;
  • frost resistance;
  • drought tolerance;
  • fruits are not afraid of transportation over long distances;
  • good keeping quality of the crop;
  • medium crown thickening;
  • excellent consumer and product characteristics;
  • universal use of fruits;
  • sufficient immunity to major diseases.

But, despite the whole list of advantages, the Red Ball plum has its weaknesses:

  • need for pollinator varieties;
  • early flowering;
  • root collar rots in spring.

Nuances of planting crops

In order for the Red Ball plum to bear fruit stably and abundantly, it is necessary to adhere to certain planting rules.

Optimal timing

Recommended time for planting in the areas of the middle lane - spring (April). In regions with a warm climate, planting seedlings is allowed in the fall - in the last days of September - in early October. If it is impossible to plant a garden planting during the specified period, it can be buried in an inclined position before the arrival of heat.

Selection of a suitable site and soil preparation

Plum Red Ball grows well and develops in clearings with a sufficient level of illumination - on the southeast or west side of the plot. The soil should be fertile, saturated with nutrients. It is recommended to plant a plant on an elevated territory, or a drainage layer of broken brick, crushed stone is placed in the pit. Plum Red Ball is very sensitive to high humidity in the soil, cold winds, so you can protect trees from drafts if you place them near buildings, shrubs.

What can be planted next to a plum tree

Good neighbors: apple tree, currant bushes, black elderberry. Walnut, hazel, pear, birch, fir and poplar - not in the best way affect the Raspberry Ball plum. If the plot is small, then the neighborhood of this crop and pear is possible, but only at a distance of 3-4 meters.

Preparing a seedling

As a planting material, it is recommended to choose annual seedlings, in which the number of skeletal branches is 3-4 pieces, their length is 40 centimeters. The bark should not contain any ulcers, signs of disease, mechanical damage. The root system should consist of three branches 20 centimeters long, and be also he althy, without traces of rot, moistened.

Technological process of planting

The algorithm of actions regarding the planting of the Red Ball plum at a permanent place provides for:

  • Preparatory work. 2-3 weeks before planting day, you need to dig a hole 60 centimeters deep and 70-80 centimeters wide. The extracted soil is combined with compost, humus or manure (10-15 kilograms), double superphosphate (100 grams) and wood ash (500 grams).
  • Filling the hole with a nutrient soil mixture in the form of a mound and placing a wooden peg 15-20 centimeters from the center. Its height above the ground should be 70-80 centimeters.
  • Placing the seedling, straightening its roots and sprinkling with soil. To avoid voids in the pit, the earth is carefully tamped.
  • Forming a groove in a circle at a distance of 30 centimeters from the seedling. Watering (40 liters per plant).
  • Mulching the land with peat or humus, garter to a peg.

It is not worth deepening the root neck much, it should be 5 centimeters above the ground level.

Organize tree care

The Red Ball Plum is not a capricious plant, among the main manipulations for caring for it are: irrigation, loosening the soil, removing weeds, applying nutrients and preventing diseases and pests.

Watering plum trees

Chinese plum does not tolerate stagnation of moisture in the soil, as well as its lack, which provokes the withering of the vegetative mass. The best option is moderately moist and loose soil in the trunk circle. Since the underground part of the plant is not too deep, it is enough to use 10 liters of water per 1 square meter of crown projection. The soil should be wet 40 centimeters deep.

The drip irrigation system will prevent the appearance of negative consequences in the form of putrefactive processes on the root system. A tree is especially in need of watering at the stage of fruit ripening and the laying of fruit buds.

Fertilizers and top dressings

Adding nutrient mixtures to the soil will not only increase the immunity of the Red Shar plum, but also its yield. It is not worth fertilizing every year, it is enough to do it once every 3-4 years, using organic compounds and mineral complexes. Natural dressings are used when digging the soil, and industrial ones - in the form of a working fluid after irrigating the land. Feeding procedures are recommended to be done in the fall, in the spring it is enough just to add nitrogen-containing compounds.

Pruning and crown shaping

Due to the average thickening of the crown, caring for the tree does not cause serious problems. For the Red Ball plum, prophylactic and sanitary pruning is enough. All incapacitated branches, dry and damaged by frost, are subject to removal. The rest are shortened by ¼ of the entire length. Manipulations are performed in the spring, before the start of sap flow.

To prevent the development of various kinds of diseases, it is necessary to work only with well-sharpened and disinfected tools.

To disinfect it, use 70% alcohol or household bleach diluted with water in a ratio of 1:9.

Loosening and mulching the trunk circle

It is recommended to loosen the soil after each irrigation, rain, in order to exclude oxygen starvation of the roots. Also, along with this, it is necessary to remove weeds, which take away nutrients and are a favorable habitat for parasitic individuals, pathogenic microorganisms. Organics are used as mulch.

How to help a tree to winter

Despite the high resistance of the plum to sub-zero temperatures, it can suffer during sudden changes in weather conditions, after thaws.Additional protection in the form of laying a mulch layer and wrapping the trunk with burlap will also help save the plant from the invasion of rodents. It is not advisable to use polyethylene material or roofing material, the stone fruit culture has a tendency to rot the root neck.

When growing Red Shar plum, the main thing is to choose the right planting material and observe agricultural practices. Only an integrated approach makes it possible to collect not only a quantitative, but also a qualitative harvest.