Description of the Mara cherry plum variety, pollinators, planting and care, harvesting and storage

Cherry plum is a garden tree, has delicious sweet fruits, there are several types and varieties - one of the most common is Mara. It produces a lot of fruit, is resistant to many diseases and pests, and does not require much effort to care for. The second name for 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 cherry plum grows quickly, especially while young. By 3-4 years of age it reaches a height of 3-4 meters. The crown is spreading, spherical, the branches are densely spaced. The bark is brown on the stem and old branches; young shoots have a burgundy tint.

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

Advantages and disadvantages of Mara cherry plum

Russian plum has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantages include:

• winter hardiness;
• high productivity;
• resistance to klyasterosporiosis;
• the fruits have a pleasant taste;
• large drupe, small stone;
• fast growing tree.

Disadvantages include:

• self-sterile variety, requires nearby pollinators;
• the seeds are difficult to separate from the pulp;
• may die in frost.

Features of growing a tree

To obtain a large number of fruits, it is necessary to observe several growing features, choose the right planting site, select suitable soil, and observe the period of transfer to open ground.

When to plant

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

Choosing a landing site

Cherry plum produces 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 harvest decreases in quantity, the fruits lose their taste. The tree does not tolerate drafts well, so choose places protected from them.

Planting process

Dig a hole of the required depth. Water with warm water and allow time to absorb. Apply mineral or organic fertilizers. Transfer the seedling to a hole and sprinkle 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! It is prohibited to apply nitrogen-containing fertilizers at this stage.

Does it need pollinators?

Cherry plum Mara needs a pollinating neighbor. For this, wild cherry plum species or the 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

Cherry plum Mara is not a very fastidious tree, but it requires compliance with the watering regime, the formation of the crown, pruning of weak branches and the application of fertilizers.

Watering rules

Russian plums love water and need to be watered twice a day. They choose early morning and evening after sunset for this. One watering requires 10-20 liters of water. When the ovaries appear and during the fruiting period, the watering regime is increased.

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

Fertilizer application

Fertilizer application occurs in several stages:

• Before flowering begins, fertilizing is necessary; for this, urea and potassium sulfate are used.
• During the period of fruit formation, when they fill. For this purpose, potassium sulfate and superphosphate are used.
• After harvesting the first crop, potassium sulfate and superphosphate are reapplied.
• In early spring or late autumn, feed with organic or mineral fertilizers, without nitrogen content.

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

Trimming

When pruned correctly, the Russian plum produces more fruit and suffers less disease. At each stage of cherry plum development, pruning is done. There are several rules:

• A third of the branches of a young seedling are cut off to form a crown, immediately after being transferred to the soil.
• Pruning is carried out before the formation of buds.
• Branches that have sunk to the ground must be removed.
• Pruning is carried out gradually; if a large number of branches are cut at one time, Mara will react poorly to this.
• After reaching a height of 2-2.5 meters, cut off the top of the tree.
• When the yield decreases, the branch is reduced to older wood.
• The tree periodically appears basal shoots, they are completely cut off.
• After trimming, the cut areas 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 by one third. Pruning should be done in the spring, not in the fall, to avoid damage to the tree by 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 thinned out.

Before the beginning of autumn, sanitary pruning of the 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 does not tolerate severe frosts. To protect it, they mulch with horse humus.It is distributed around the trunk and 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 affect her. They manifest themselves with certain signs that you definitely need to pay attention to. Diseases include:

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

The tree is also affected by insect pests:

• Centipede. A beetle whose larvae get into the seed of the fruit and eat it from the inside. The drupes fall off.
• Plum sawyer. The larvae of this beetle penetrate cherry plum flowers, damaging the ovary and the fruits themselves.
• Plum moth. Eggs are laid by butterflies, penetrate inside the drupe and completely eat it away from the inside.

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

Harvest and storage

The fruits are collected as they ripen, which lasts about 21 days. If there are a large number of fruits, some are removed unripe and left in a cool place, but exposed to light, so that they ripen. Also, the branches, heavy with weight, are propped up. Store the harvested crop in a cool place. It does not spoil for about 30 days.