Plum Mara: variety description and pollinators, planting and care, crop storage with photo

Plum plum - a garden tree, has delicious sweet fruits, there are several types and varieties - one of the most common is Mara. It produces many fruits, is resistant to many diseases and pests, and does not require much effort to care for. The second name of cherry plum is Russian plum. It is often planted in Belarus and Russia in all climatic zones where warm air temperatures last for more than three months.

General information about the variety

According to the description, Mara plum grows quickly, especially when young. By 3-4 years of age reaches a height of 3-4 meters. The crown is spreading, spherical, the branches are densely arranged. The bark is brown on the stem and old branches, young shoots are burgundy.

The tree has large yellow fruits, slightly flattened, one fruit weighs about 20 grams. The skin is dense, the pulp inside is loose, juicy. The stone is small, poorly separated from the pulp. The fruit has a sweet and sour taste similar to grapes. One tree gives up to 40 kilograms of drupes. Full maturation occurs at the end of August. At normal temperature, the fruits are stored for several weeks.

Advantages and disadvantages of Mara cherry plum

Russian plum has its advantages and disadvantages. Benefits include:

• winter hardiness;
• high yield;
• resistance to clasterosporiosis;
• fruits taste good;
• drupe is large, the stone is small;
• fast growing tree.

Disadvantages include:

• self-infertile variety, requires pollinators nearby;
• bones are poorly separated from the pulp;
• may die in cold weather.

Features of growing a tree

To obtain a large number of fruits, it is necessary to observe several cultivation features, choose the right landing site, choose the right soil, observe the period of transfer to open ground.

When to plant

If the root system is poorly developed - naked, then the seedlings are transferred to the soil from the end of spring. For a tree grown in a pot, the planting period is longer: from late spring to early October.

Choosing a landing site

Plum gives a lot of fruit and grows well in sunny areas. Choose a place with sufficient lighting near the house or outbuildings.If there is not enough light, the yield decreases in quantity, the fruits lose their taste. The tree does not tolerate drafts, so they choose places protected from them.

Boarding process

Dig a hole of the required depth. Pour warm water, give time to soak. Apply mineral or organic fertilizers. The seedling is transferred to the hole, sprinkled with soil on top. There is no need to clean the roots before planting. The end of the root should rise slightly above the ground, 4-5 centimeters.

Important! Nitrogen-containing fertilizers are prohibited at this stage.

Does she need pollinators?

Plum Mara needs a pollinator neighbor. For this, wild-growing species of cherry plum or Vitba variety are suitable. Mara is also an excellent pollinator for other trees. If there are not enough trees planted nearby, then artificial pollinators are purchased, which are sold in specialized stores.

Plant care

Plum Mara is not a very whimsical tree, but it requires compliance with the watering regime, crown formation, pruning of weak branches and fertilization.

Irrigation Rules

Russian plum loves water, it needs to be watered twice a day. Choose for this early morning and evening after sunset. One watering requires 10-20 liters of water. When ovaries appear and during the fruiting period, the watering regimen is increased.

If the tree grows in very wet soils, reduce watering and organize drainage near the roots.

Fertilizing

Fertilization occurs in several stages:

• Before flowering, be sure to carry out top dressing, for this they use urea and potassium sulfate.
• During the formation of fruits, when they are poured. For this purpose, potassium sulfate and superphosphate are used.
• After the first harvest, potassium sulfate and superphosphate are reapplied.
• In early spring or late autumn feed with organic or mineral fertilizers, without nitrogen content.

Important! Poor soils fertilize every year, while rich soils do not need frequent fertilization.

Cutting

With proper pruning, Russian plum gives more fruit, less sick. At each stage of cherry plum development, pruning is carried out. There are several rules:

• A third of the branch of a young seedling is pruned to form a crown, immediately after being transferred to the soil.
• Pruning is done before bud formation begins.
• Branches that have fallen to the ground must be removed.
• Pruning is carried out gradually, if you cut a large number of branches at a time, Mara will react badly to this.
• After reaching a height of 2-2.5 meters, cut off the top of the tree.
• When the yield is reduced, the branch is reduced to older wood.
• The tree periodically has basal shoots, they are completely cut off.
• After trimming, the cut points are treated with oil paint.

Crown formation

The crown begins to form immediately after planting the plant in the ground. The central branch of the seedling is cut off by one third. Pruning should be done in spring, not autumn, so as not to damage the tree with frost. With further development, it is important to ensure that the branches do not intertwine with each other and do not interfere with growth. They are also being thinned out.

Before the beginning of autumn, sanitary pruning of branches is carried out: all small, dry, damaged ones are removed. Mature trees have 4-5 main branches. All other branches are thinned out every 3 years.

Frost protection

The plant is hard to tolerate severe frosts. To protect it, mulching with horse humus is carried out. It is distributed around the trunk, wrapped with insulating material. This event is held before the onset of winter, when the summer season ends, approximately in late autumn.

Diseases and pests of cherry plum

Mara is considered resistant to pests and fungi. But some diseases afflict her. They show certain signs that you need to pay attention to. Diseases include:

• Polystigmosis. This is a fungus that infects the leaves of the plant. They turn brown and fall off. The taste of the fruit changes for the worse. Fungicides are used to control the fungus.
• Gommoz. Manifested in places of damage to the cortex. A large amount of gum is released at the injection site. To prevent the disease, the damaged area is cleaned, treated with copper sulphate, and covered with garden pitch on top.
• Moniliosis. Gray formations appear on the trunks and branches, the color of the bark changes, a grayish tint appears. A fungal coating of gray color is formed on the fruits. Damaged branches are pruned. For prevention and control, the tree is sprayed with a solution of Bordeaux mixture.
• Milky shine. The most dangerous disease for the Russian plum. The leaves lighten, become almost white. For treatment, the affected branch is completely cut off.

The tree is also affected by pests:

• Tolstopodka. A beetle, the larvae of which enter the bone of the fetus, it eats it from the inside. The drupes are falling.
• Plum sawfly. The larvae of this beetle penetrate the cherry plum flowers, damage the ovary and the fruits themselves.
• Plum codling moth. Eggs are laid by butterflies, penetrate into the drupe and completely eat it from the inside.

For prevention and control, before the start of the ovary, it is recommended to treat the plum with insecticides.

Harvest and storage of crops

Fruits are harvested as they ripen, it lasts about 21 days. With a large number of fruits, some are removed unripe, left in a cool place, but with light entering, so that they ripen. The branches, heavy from weight, are also propped up. Store the harvested crop in a cool place. It does not spoil for about 30 days.

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