Plum Lama: variety description and pollinators, planting and care, yield and fruiting

Plum variety Lama is an unpretentious, stable variety of fruit trees. The plant is famous for its resistance to adverse weather conditions, diseases and pests. They grow a resident of the mountain valleys of the North Caucasus in any regions of Russia for sale or for personal consumption. In order to safely plant a tree, properly care for it, it is important to familiarize yourself with the information below.

History of breeding cherry plum Lama

The culture was bred by a breeder from Belarus V. Avksentevich in 2003. This is a semi-dwarf variety obtained by crossing cherry plum and Ussuri plum.The scientist managed to achieve an almost perfect variety. The tree is extremely resistant to weather conditions, easily takes root in a new area, rarely gets sick. The hybrid subspecies is famous for its rich taste, it is popular in all countries of the former USSR. Abroad, the variety is called Russian plum. Marvelous color, unpretentiousness in care makes cherry plum a real "star" of gardening. It is grown by experienced agronomists and beginner gardeners.

External description of tree and fruits

The main feature of the semi-dwarf cherry plum is survival in all weather conditions. Trees grow up to 1.3 to 2 meters high, which makes it easy to carry out agrotechnical work and collect fruits. The bark is reddish brown, darkening as it ages.

The crown is flat, rounded, tends to thicken. It is easy to form. The leaves grow up to 18 centimeters long, lanceolate in shape, slightly tapering at the base, green-burgundy in color.The flowers are miniature, up to 35 millimeters in diameter, white-pink, collected in bunches of 4 pieces.

Fruits include up to 10% sugar, malic and citric acids, pectins, vitamin elements of groups A, B, PP, C, potassium and iron.

Culture characteristics

Plum plum Lama is characterized by the following features:

• fruit weight from 14 to 42 grams;
• skin dark red or deep burgundy, almost black in early September;
• taste and smell almond, sweet and sour;
• color of the fruit is purple, the pulp is juicy.

Fruits ripen by mid-August, the pulp is easily separated.

Resistant to low temperatures and drought

Variety of cherry plum shows strong resistance to drought, withstands up to 40 degrees below zero.Water the plant only during prolonged heat. For a tree, only sharp drops with warming and cold are detrimental. The rest period is 45 days, late winter jumps in temperature indicators can adversely affect the kidneys. Flowers withstand cold down to -7 degrees.

Resist to diseases and pests

Plum plum Lama is able to independently resist fungal infections, subject to pruning every year, the formation of bushes. In the form of prevention of beetle attacks, they resort to standard garden care. In rare cases, cherry plum is affected by fruit rot, the treatment consists in the use of special aerosols. They are sold in garden shops, in the market.

Pollinator varieties

Cherry plum blossoms in mid-May. The variety is not able to pollinate itself on its own, other related plants should be planted next to it. It is advisable to choose East Asian plums or wild cherry plums.European subspecies and turn are not suitable for the neighborhood. The following varieties are considered the best pollinators:

• Mara;
• Vitba;
• Asaloda.

Plum is planted according to the scheme 53 meters. The fruits will ripen by mid-August.

Productivity fruiting

You can harvest the variety from August 12-16, when the fruits turn red. During storage, their shade becomes darker. Cherry plum should be plucked 3-5 days after ripening. It does not hold firmly on the footboards, with strong wind, rain, falls off.

Many gardeners plant clover next to the variety so that when fruits fall, they are not so injured, and the culture is fed with vitamins and microelements due to the favorable neighborhood. For 2 years after planting, the tree brings up to 30 kg of cherry plum with a pleasant, sweet taste. After 10-15 years, summer residents harvest up to 300 kilograms of crops.

You can store the fruits for 1 month if you place them in a wooden box, put them in a room with a low temperature. The basement is well suited for such purposes.

Where plums are used

Lama fruits can be consumed fresh as they contain many vitamins. Jams, marmalades, jams, juices, sauces and wine are also prepared from them. The collection and storage of cherry plum is a fundamental factor in its preservation. With the right picking of fruits, keeping them in a cool place, they will retain their original appearance for a long time. Cherry plums are widely used to decorate desserts, cut fresh in a convenient way.

Pros and Cons of Llama

The variety of cherry plum Lama has a lot of positive aspects, but there are also a number of negative features.

Good yieldPruning required every yearPrecocity Ripe crops fall off quicklyTransportabilityDisease ResistanceBlossom Bloom

Pros	Cons
All weather endurance	Self-fertile variety
Rich, sweet taste

Planting a plant in the area

Plum can be planted in a private garden or on industrial plantations. Subject to the prescribed techniques, the variety will take root in a new place immediately.

It is important to choose the right location in the garden, the right time for planting, prepare the soil in advance. It is also necessary to buy a suitable, not wild-growing seedling.

Auspicious time to plant a variety

In the South, it is desirable to plant a variety in the fall, in mid-October. Some summer residents recommend planting when warming in winter. In the steppe regions, the northern regions, the tree will take root faster if planted in April or early May. The air temperature should warm up to 12 degrees Celsius. When the bayonet of a shovel freely enters the ground, it is a sign of fertile soil.

Choose the best seat

It is recommended to plant a hybrid variety of cherry plum on the western slopes, with a bias towards southern or northern latitudes. The variety takes root in the lowlands, but the yield is reduced. The location of groundwater should be no higher than 1.5 meters with neutral acidity.

When disembarking, a layer of drainage is required. The soil under the plum is sown with grass crops so that the fruits are not damaged when shedding.

Favorable and contraindicated neighborhood for a variety

Cherry plum Lamu can be planted next to an apple tree, blackcurrant, thyme. Bushes located next to the tree prevent the growth of weeds. You can also plant tulips and primrose near the cherry plum. They bloom before plums, do not take useful microelements from the soil from it.

Don't plant cherry plum next to walnut, hazel, fir, poplar, pear and birch. These crops release components harmful to the variety, compete with plum for nutrients from the soil.

Preparing seedlings for planting

It is worth choosing planting material of cherry plum variety Lama in local nurseries, dig in on the plot in a semi-horizontal position.During transportation, the rhizome should be wrapped with a damp cloth, wrapped with cling film on top. For planting use 1 or 2-year-old shoots. It is advisable to buy seedlings with an open rhizome, without curvature and thickening. Such planting materials should be planted in the soil before bud break.

Saplings with a closed root system can be planted in summer, in late May or early July. Before planting, soak them in an earthen mash. For 10 liters of water, add the soil until a creamy mixture is obtained and 2 tablets of 0.1 grams of Heteroauxin Root Feed. The event will enhance the growth of the rhizome, its formation.

Work technology

10 days before planting Lama cherry plum, dig a hole 50 centimeters deep and 80 cm in diameter. Fill 50% with a mixture of excavated soil and dressings - 400-600 grams of superphosphate and nitrophoska, also 15-20 kilograms of humus.Stir the combination so that the roots do not burn from strong concentration. For 10 days, the earth will sink in the hole.

1. Place planting holes 1-1.5 meters apart, leaving 1.5-2 meters between rows.
2. Dig a wooden stick 100 centimeters high into the prepared ground.
3. Spread the rhizome of the Lama variety carefully along the diameter of the hole.
4. Sprinkle the seedling with the remaining fertile soil, compact a little.
5. Tie a tree to a stick to form a strong and straight trunk.
6. Place the root collar 2-3 cm below the surface. With late spring frosts, the seedling is able to regenerate due to the root growth, which develops under the freezing level.
7. Lama planting material cut to 1/3 of the length to stimulate the growth of side branches.
8. Water the seedling gradually with 3 buckets of water.

Mulch the area around the trunk of the Lama variety with dry earth or a 10 cm layer of grass.

How to care for a variety

Adult Lama cherry plum does not need special care. It consists of the following:

• timely watering;
• fertilize the soil;
• weeding;
• cropping;
• protection from bugs, diseases;
• timely harvest.

With such supervision, the cherry plum will thank you with delicious fruits.

Irrigation and fertilization

Water a young tree abundantly once every 2 weeks. Its root must receive enough water. Adults, who are 2 years old, irrigate only during dry periods. If the ground becomes oversaturated with fertilizer or water, aphids may become infested.Shoots will ripen weakly, rot. During the summer, cherry plum is watered 2-3 times. It is not worth irrigating the tree for the winter.

Before bud break, spray Lama's cherry plum with a urea-based solution. The procedure will protect against damage by harmful insects, diseases, and will become a good foliar nourishment. Be sure to make nitrogen compounds for the first time 3 years of plant life, this will improve the degree of its survival, accelerate the growth of the variety. Cherry plums are also fertilized with compost and humus.

Shaping and trimming the crown

Adult cherry plum variety Lama needs periodic pruning. The procedure enhances its fertility. For proper bush formation, prune up to 10 skeletal branches. Shoots require pruning every year. A sparse crown should be formed, deadwood, crossed branches should not be allowed, since cherry plum has a tendency to thicken the bush.

Caring for the trunk circle

In dry periods, the trunk circle of the cherry plum variety is covered with mulch. Where there is a lot of moisture, carry out the procedure for the first time 2 years of the tree's life. It is better to pour a layer of humus, peat, 10 centimeters high around it. When changing mulch, bury the previous layer into the ground with a shovel to a depth of 5 centimeters. This will help prevent damage to nearby Lama cherry plum roots.

Preventive work

So that the variety is not attacked by diseases, Bordeaux liquid 1% is used. Irrigate the plant with it in March. To consolidate the result, repeat the manipulation after pollen and 21 days before fruit ripening.

Shelter of a tree for the winter

It is advisable to prepare the cherry plum of the Lama variety for wintering by whitewashing the trunks, this will prevent sunburn in early spring. Put a woolen casing on the trunk, cover it with a sheet of iron with a diameter of 40 cm. Bury the end into the soil by 10 cm.

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