Honey Plum: variety description, pollinators, planting and care with photo

Medovaya plum won its popularity due to its excellent taste qualities - honey aftertaste, and resistance to adverse environmental factors. This fruity variety is also known among gardeners as a high-yielding and hardy plant with lush flowering. To grow honey plum, you must adhere to the basic rules of agricultural technology and choose only he althy seedlings.

The history of the origin of the variety

Medovka, also called honey plum, was obtained as a result of breeding work in the early 50s on the basis of the Donetsk branch of the Institute of Horticulture UAAS.Its author was Lilia Ivanovna Taranenko, who has already bred over 50 varieties of fruit crops. The American large-fruited Jefferson, from which resistance to frost and diseases was obtained, and the Western European Peach, which gave it early ripeness and high productivity indicators, became the parent pair of the Honey plum.

Often, the Honey Yellow Plum is also called the Honey White Plum, but it is more correct to call it Early Renklod. Initially, this variety was adapted to the climate of the steppe zone of Ukraine, but due to its sufficient frost resistance, it was also planted in other areas. Medovka normally grows and develops in the middle latitudes of Russia, but the variety is not listed in the State Register of this country.

Description and characteristics of honey yellow plum

A distinguishing feature of the honey plum is its tall stature, the tree grows up to 7 meters and has a spreading crown, which implies a large area for its cultivation. The crown is almost 5 meters in diameter, but the plant has no tendency to thicken.According to the description of the variety, the honey yellow plum forms fruits weighing 55 grams. They are distinguished by a spherical shape, a waxy coating, as they mature, their color changes from white to yellow with an amber tint.

Plum pulp is quite sweet, juicy, there is a slight sourness. Fully ripe fruits have a pronounced plum flavor. Tasting score of the variety 4.5 points out of 5.

Pros and cons

Among the positive characteristics of the Honey plum variety, experienced gardeners distinguish:

• Undemanding plants to growing conditions.
• Sufficient level of frost resistance (up to -30 degrees) and return spring frosts.
• Resistant to dry weather, heat.
• High yields (35-40 kilograms of fruit can be harvested from one tree).
• Begins to bear fruit 3-4 years after planting in a permanent place.
• Excellent consumer and commercial qualities.
• Crop is not afraid of long-distance transportation.
• Fruits have a universal purpose.
• Resistance to moniliosis.

Because of the ability to produce a stable and abundant harvest, Honey plum needs props, otherwise its trunk may split.

Pollinators for variety

Honey Yellow Plum is a self-fertile plant, without additional pollination it is unlikely to get the maximum possible yield. Its effective pollinators are such varieties of plums as Hungarian Donetsk early, Hungarian Donetsk, Renklod Karbysheva. If the area is small, then it is possible to achieve the desired effect by grafting specific cuttings. Alternatively, in the region of 50-60 meters, you can plant other varieties of plums with an early flowering period.

Growing a tree

Properly carried out planting work increases the chances of obtaining high yields.

Select and time of landing site

Planting honey plum is optimal in early spring - in March, when warm weather sets in. It is propagated by seedlings. Preparatory activities are carried out in October. In the southern regions, plums can be planted in the fall, most importantly, fertilize the site with humus and lime two weeks before the day of planting.

Honey Plum grows better and bears fruit in well-lit and protected from through winds glades, where groundwater is low. The soil for planting honey plum can be both clay and sandy. In order for the fruits to be sweet and juicy, and the tree not to hurt, it is necessary to maintain a distance of 3-5 meters between neighboring plantations and this variety.

Place honey plum effectively near elderberry, which protects it from small aphids, also neighbors can be: cherry, sweet cherry, peach, apricot and apple tree. But currant bushes, pear, birch, walnut and coniferous trees do not get along with honey plum.

Preparing the seedling

It is recommended to buy honey plum in nurseries or specialized outlets. When choosing seedlings, you should pay attention to the root system, it should be well developed, without traces of mold and disease.

The trunk should not contain any damage, live fruit buds should be present on the branches. The height of a young honey plum should be no more than 1.5 meters.

If you plant high seedlings, then the process of adaptation, rooting will be slow and painful for the plant. When buying plums with a closed root system, they are planted together with an earthen clod.It is recommended to treat open roots with Kornevin's solution before planting, keeping them in it for 2-3 hours.

Fitting technology

The algorithm of actions regarding the planting of the honey plum to a permanent place provides for:

• Digging a pit. The top layer of soil 30 centimeters thick is removed to the side, and the rest is removed completely, it is not suitable for draining. The dimensions of the pit are 60 × 60 centimeters.
• Installing a wooden peg in the pit for garter plum Honey, if its roots are open.
• Laying a drainage layer of brick battle, crushed stone. Moisture should not stagnate in the ground.
• Introduction of nutrient composition from fertile soil, cow manure (2 buckets), wood ash (500 grams), superphosphate (100 grams) and potassium chloride (85 grams).
• Placing the seedling in the center of the pit. If the underground part is open, then the roots should be spread to the sides.
• Sprinkling plum roots Honey. It is not worth deepening the root neck, it should be 5 centimeters above the soil level. To avoid voids, the soil is carefully tamped.
• Irrigation using 2 buckets of water.

To preserve moisture in the trunk circle and from weeds, the soil is mulched with peat.

Rules of care

In order for a garden plantation not to get sick and bear fruit steadily, it is necessary to provide it with appropriate care.

Irrigation and fertilization

Plum needs to moisten the soil after the completion of the flowering phase, at the stage of ovary formation, fruit ripening and before wintering. The consumption for each adult plantation is 5 buckets of water, the soil should be moistened 40 centimeters deep. The frequency of watering depends on weather conditions, if there is little precipitation, then the procedures are done more often.

The first time honey plum is fed a year after planting. In the spring, urea is added (180 grams per 30 liters of water), in the summer, Nitrophoska working fluid (200 grams per 30 liters of water). And in the fall, a mixture of superphosphate and potassium sulfate (50 grams of each product).

For a fruiting plum Honey feeding procedure is done before the flowering phase, using urea (180 grams), potassium sulfate (180 grams) and water (30 liters). The second manipulation is performed during the period of fruit ripening, using a mixture of urea (180 grams), Nitrophoska (220 grams) and water (30 liters).

Cutting process

The first pruning of the honey plum is made one year after the determination for a permanent place. All incompetent parts of the crown are subject to removal. Such manipulations are performed 3 times a year. Pruning of young plants is carried out in early spring, before the start of sap flow.

The central conductor of an annual plant is shortened to 1.5 meters, and the side branches, located at a level of 50 centimeters from the ground, are completely removed. The summer procedure for crown formation involves trimming the side branches by 20 centimeters. Before wintering, fruiting and damaged branches are cut off. Anti-aging manipulation is performed when the plum reaches the age of 15.

Preparing for winter season

Before wintering, it is necessary to make water-charging irrigation, cover the soil with a mulch layer of 15 centimeters, using peat or manure for this purpose. Preparatory measures also include whitewashing not only the trunk of the tree, but also its skeletal branches. Protect the plant from freezing temperatures will help paper and burlap, which is wrapped around the plum trunk.

Treatment from diseases and pests

Honey Plum, although it is distinguished by increased immunity to major diseases and harmful insects, should still be treated with special preparations.For preventive purposes, it is effective to use a solution of Karbofos, Nitrafen, Chlorophos against the sawfly, scale insects, small aphids and weevil. And for rust, fungal infections, perforated spotting, preparations such as copper sulfate and Bordeaux mixture work well.

Harvesting and storage of crops

The fruits of honey plums are harvested in mid-July to early August. Harvest in the evening and in dry weather, starting from the lower tiers. The fruits are placed in wooden boxes and stored indoors at a temperature of 0-1 degrees and an air humidity of 86-90%. Shelf life under these conditions is 2 months.

Honey Plum is an excellent solution for regions with severe frosts. Growing a profusely fruiting tree is not that difficult if you follow the basic recommendations for planting and caring.

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