Planting and caring for plums in the Leningrad region, which variety to choose

The Leningrad region is a region of our country with a cold, changeable climate. It is possible to grow fruit orchards here; it is important to choose the right varieties and types of fruit trees. Plum is a stone fruit tree adapted to the weather conditions of the northern regions. To get a decent harvest, you need to know the nuances of growing plums in the Leningrad region: the planting system, zoned varieties and rules for caring for plum orchards in the north.

Difficulties in growing plums in the Leningrad region

The Northwestern region has a specific climate and peculiar soils. Of the fruit trees in the Leningrad region, only cold-resistant, zoned varieties take root. The work of breeders is continuous, and every year new and improved types of plums are created.

The best varieties suitable for a given region

Many varieties have been bred for the Leningrad region. The same varieties take root well in the Urals in the Volga region, they are resistant to temperature changes, prolonged cold snaps and winter hardiness. The best plum varieties for the Leningrad region are popular among gardeners in other regions.

Ochakovskaya yellow

A tasty plum variety, characterized by increased care requirements. Productivity is average, it tolerates frosts and temperature changes with difficulty, prefers the southern climate. The fruits are prone to cracking and fall off in windy weather. Ochakovskaya yellow is not grown for commercial purposes; the crop requires pollination from neighboring plum trees. It does not bear fruit every year.

Despite all its shortcomings, Ochakovskaya yellow is loved by gardeners in the Leningrad region for the extraordinary juicy sweet taste of ripe fruits; trees are easily propagated by cuttings.

Collective farm farmhouse

A variety that has been proven for decades and has not lost popularity among gardeners in the Leningrad region. The collective farm Renklod was created by Ivan Vladimirovich Michurin by crossing sloe (wild plum) with green Renklod. As a result, the plum inherited excellent frost resistance and resistance to temperature fluctuations.

Stable yield and early ripening are the distinctive features of the collective farm Renklod.The only drawback is the shedding of fruits when the plum is overripe.

Gift to St. Petersburg

Hybrid cherry plum, zoned for cultivation in the Leningrad region in the late nineties. The genetic advantages of the Gift to St. Petersburg include high productivity, disease resistance, and frost resistance. Wood can quickly recover from mechanical damage.

The main disadvantage is the inability to self-pollinate.

Etude

An improved mid-early plum variety, characterized by increased winter hardiness. The plum garden will bear its first harvest in the fourth year of life of the young seedlings. Etude refers to self-sterile varieties of fruit trees.

The purpose of the variety is for table use and is excellent for growing on personal plots. Does not require special additional shelters in winter. Resistant to fungal diseases and pests.

Red early ripening

Grown in the Leningrad region since the late forties. Red early ripening is a beautiful variety of plum trees; a small, neat tree adorns the landscape of personal plots. Withstands frosts down to -38 ⁰C, the variety is self-fertile, unpretentious, and withstands both drought and waterlogging.

Early ripening round

The variety belongs to the Leningrad selection and was bred specifically for this region. The advantages of Skorospolka round include early ripening and high taste qualities of ripe fruits. Tolerance to frost and temperature changes is average; in severe winters trees can freeze completely. Companions are required for pollination. Skorospolka round is a self-sterile variety.

Emma Lepperman

A plum variety of German selection, popular in the Baltic states and Poland, where it is grown for commercial purposes.Emma Lepperman has taken root well in the North-West region of our country, requires cross-pollination, and has high productivity. A nuance of care - trees need systematic pruning. In the West, the variety is considered one of the most profitable.

Edinburgh

High-yielding English winter-hardy columnar plum variety. The tree is genetically resistant to clasterosporiosis and self-fertile. The taste of ripe fruits is sweet and sour. Suitable for growing in the Leningrad region.

Oryol dream

A representative of the Far Eastern selection is the Chinese garden plum. Young seedlings bear fruit in the third year of life. The variety is partially self-fertile, frost-resistant, and drought-tolerant. Disadvantages include gradual crushing of the fruit.

The popular name for the Oryol dream is three-flowered, due to the characteristics of the flowering of plum trees.

Volga beauty

The Samara variety is grown everywhere: in Central Russia, the Volga region, the Leningrad region and other regions. The greatest yield can be achieved in the southern growing regions; the tree is heat-loving and demanding of light. It tolerates drought well and produces a good harvest. Plum trees are most vulnerable to frost during the flowering period.

If there is excess moisture, the fruits crack, and the fresh shelf life of the crop is limited.

Alyonushka

Chinese plum of Oryol selection. The plant's winter hardiness is average, but the trees are able to tolerate temperature fluctuations in the spring and autumn. The yield is small, but the tree bears fruit every year. The variety is genetically resistant to hole spot and moniliosis.

The disadvantages of Alyonushka include the predisposition of trees to aphids.

Landing rules

The Leningrad region is the northernmost region of our country where it is allowed to grow orchards of stone fruit crops.

It is recommended to plant young seedlings in early spring. Preparatory work is carried out in advance:

• Choose a sunny place without drafts.
• The soil is carefully dug up within a radius of one meter based on the width of the hole being 90 centimeters.
• Dig a hole 60 centimeters deep and apply a mineral-organic fertilizer complex.

As a top dressing, add a mixture of humus, peat, sand and wood ash, mixed in equal proportions; you can add a handful of urea.

Next, they begin planting seedlings. The planting pattern for different varieties of plums will be different: from 1.5 meters between plants to 3 meters. The distance between rows in the orchard will be 5-6 meters.

The roots of the young tree must be carefully straightened and pressed with your hand, the hole must be evenly filled with soil and pressed, then the plum tree must be watered and the tree trunk circle must be mulched. You can use sawdust or freshly cut grass.

On a note! For some varieties of plums, you can use additional support in the form of a peg located on the north side at a distance of 15-20 centimeters from the tree trunk.

Features of care

Orchard care includes:

• Irrigation system.
• Regular feeding.
• Treatment against diseases and pests.
• Pruning branches (for some varieties).

Most varieties of plums do not like excess moisture and easily tolerate drought. But prolonged drying out of the soil can affect the taste of the fruit and the health of the plant itself. When hot weather persists for a long time, it is recommended to water fruit plantings at the rate of 50 liters of water per plant.

Note: By the appearance of the fruits, you can tell about the level of soil moisture: if the fruits are cracked, the plum lacks moisture, if the leaves of the tree are actively turning yellow and the top is dying off, then water stagnation could form at the roots of the plant.

Excess moisture is especially destructive for plants during the growing season; if there is a lot of rain during this period, special moisture drainage grooves are made in the tree trunk circle.

As for fertilizers, plum trees require additional feeding with phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium. Superphosphate or urea mixed with organic fertilizers is a necessary fertilizer for trees at various stages of growth.

When caring for plum plantings, you need to pay attention to the nuances of a certain variety: some trees need pollinating companions, require pruning or additional shelters for the winter.

The first plum pruning is carried out in early spring; this thinning is called sanitary thinning. The main task is to remove frost-damaged and diseased branches. During the summer, the root shoots of the plum are removed, taking away the strength of the tree. Places of cut branches are covered with garden pitch or clay.

Diseases and pests

In the Leningrad region, plum orchards are vulnerable to the following diseases and pests:

1. Moniliosis. A fungal disease that affects flowers, buds, branches and trunks of plums. Gray growths form on the bark of trees, shoots turn brown and look burnt, leaves turn black and fall off.
2. Formation of gum on the trunks and branches of plants. Fruits may become infected. Peculiar caked droplets resembling resin appear on plums.
3. Rust is a fungal disease that appears as brown spots with a yellow border; the plant loses strength and growth slows down.
4. Clusterosporiosis or hole spot - plum fruits are strewn with black and gray spots, and over time the trees begin to develop gum.
5. Aphids are parasitic insects that live off trees and feed on its sap. Colonies can completely destroy a crop.
6. Gall mite - lives on tree leaves and feeds on tree sap. Affected leaves turn yellow and fall off, all metabolic processes are suspended.

To combat insect pests, insecticidal agents are used: “Aktellik”, “Aktofit”, “Iskra”, “Aktara”. Fungicides are used against fungal diseases, damaged parts are removed and burned.

For better resistance of fruit trees to diseases, it is recommended to select zoned, genetically resistant varieties to infections of plum diseases.

As a preventive measure against infections, it is recommended to bleach the trunks with lime at a distance of 1.5 meters from the root of the plant.

It is impossible to treat with insecticides and fungicides during the fruiting period. The fruits will be unsuitable for food. The main stages of processing: early spring (the period of bud set), set of buds, flowering, autumn processing (after fruiting).

The Leningrad region is a northern region with a changeable climate, but it is possible to grow orchards here. When growing plums, gardeners must provide proper systematic care for the plants, choose available, proven, zoned varieties, and spray the trees against pests and diseases. Some varieties of plums need additional shelter for the winter.