Description and characteristics of plum variety Morning, cultivation and care

The Morning plum variety is a fast-ripening species that produces sweet and aromatic fruits of sunny yellow color. If a gardener takes proper care of trees of this variety, then after four years he will reap a rich harvest of tasty plums. So how to care for plum trees?

General information about the variety

This variety was bred by three gardeners, scientists Kh. K. Enikeev, V. S. Simonov and S. N. Satarova. They crossed the Renclad Ullens variety with the Red early ripening variety. The Morning plum tree lives for about 21 years. It produces its first harvest four years after planting.

The height of the tree reaches an average of 3.5 meters. The fruits are yellow-green in color, and on the side exposed to sunlight, the fruit has a slightly pinkish tint.

This variety blooms from mid to late May. The fruits are ready for harvest in the tenth of August. The Morning plum can be described as a juicy, moderately sweet fruit. It is recommended to grow this variety in the central part of Russia.

Resistance to diseases and pests

The Morning variety is, in principle, considered quite resistant to various diseases and pests, but there are also weaknesses:

• Scab is a fungal disease that causes deformation of leaves and spoilage of plum fruits. To prevent such a disease, it is enough to spray the trees with one percent Bordeaux mixture. If the disease is already present, treatment should be done after harvesting.
• Another type of fungus is moniliosis or fruit rot. It is enough to remove garbage in time, collect spoiled fruits from the tree and around it and feed the soil in time with fertilizers containing potassium and phosphorus, and this disease will never bother you. If this fungus is present, the plant must be treated during flowering.
• Are there orange spots on the leaves that are starting to grow and become more red? This is another type of fungal infection - red spot. For prevention, spray with a solution of copper sulfate (1%). Various solutions are used to treat the plant after plum blossoms.
• The plum mite is capable of destroying more than half of the crop.The tree begins to wither and eventually dies. The only measure to protect the plum is to plant it away from almonds, peaches and other fruits, which are also affected by this mite.
• Plum sawfly. To prevent the appearance of such a pest, you should dig up the ground under the trunk in the fall, and in the spring, before flowering, treat with special preparations.

Productivity

The yield of this variety ranges from fifteen to thirty kilograms per tree. A decrease in volumes occurs only once every four years, because at such an interval the plum rests. The first harvest after planting is usually obtained from the fourth to sixth year of life. On the 21st year from the moment of planting, the plum tree stops producing fruit.

Frost resistance

The main disadvantage is its high sensitivity to winter frosts; the plum suffers greatly from this, so it is not grown in places where winter conditions are harsh.

But it is worth noting that the Morning plum variety recovers quite quickly. When cold weather sets in in spring, the plum tree does not suffer from this.

Drought resistance

Watering should be done regularly, otherwise the fruits will fall ahead of schedule due to lack of moisture, and therefore the yield will decrease.

Pollination

Morning is a completely self-fertile variety. No additional pollinators are needed. Interestingly, such a plum perfectly increases the yield of neighboring trees, thereby being a pollinator itself.

Positive and negative sides of plum Morning

Advantages:

• High and stable yield level.
• The appearance of plums promotes quick sales.
• Quite high resistance to parasites and diseases.
• Sweet fruits.
• Does not require pollination.

Flaws:

• The only important disadvantage is that it does not tolerate winter cold well.

Subtleties of growing a tree

It is important to follow all recommendations for planting crops.

Timing and choice of landing site

In terms of disembarkation times, everything is simple:

• It is recommended to plant a seedling with a closed root system in the spring or in the first two months of the autumn season.
• In the case when the roots are open, planting should be done in the spring, before the buds open.

When choosing a location, you should pay attention to the soil. It should be quite loose, and not hard like a rock.

The location should be:

• not shady, but well accessible to sunlight;
• windless;
• on a flat surface so that moisture does not accumulate in large quantities.

When the conditions are right, the harvest will be rich and large.

The process and scheme of planting seedlings

Planting is recommended in spring. The hole and soil for the seedling should be prepared in the fall. If this is not possible, you should wait about 20 days between preparing the hole and planting the seedling.

If the ground is very wet, you need to raise the hole by half a meter, maybe more. The size of the hole should be 60 by 60 cm.

If the soil contains a large amount of sand or clay, it should be fertilized with nutrients. For acidic soil, add lime. Humus, potassium, and wood ash are added to the first 20 cm of excavated soil, then this mixture is added back to the hole, filling it 2/3.

It is better to purchase a seedling that is one to two years old without visible damage to the trunk and rhizome. It is more favorable to plant a seedling with closed roots, so it receives less stress, and this can be done both in autumn and spring. If the roots are open, then before planting in the soil they are immersed in water for up to a day.

Further actions:

• Next, a piece of wood is driven into the prepared hole from the south, which will support the young tree and protect it from burns.
• Then the seedling is placed. The root system must be evenly distributed in the soil.
• The roots are carefully covered with earth, which must be compacted so that there are no air voids.
• Small sides are made around the trunk for convenient watering.
• The seedling is tied to a piece of wood only with soft cloth.
• Water generously. When the water is absorbed, add compost on top.

Nuances of crop care

If planting is carried out in the autumn, care is postponed until spring. Spring seedlings need extra care.

Regularity of watering

Water the tree weekly in sufficient quantities. If there has been heavy rain, it is better to postpone irrigation to avoid rotting of the roots. You cannot water with cold water, only with water warmed in the sun.

In an adult tree, the number of moistenings decreases. In any case, regardless of the age of the tree, the soil must not be allowed to dry out. If the ground is too damp or water has not been absorbed near the tree, you should refuse watering. After irrigation, sawdust or freshly cut grass is added on top.

Fertilizer application

Feeding is good, but in moderation. When using various fertilizers during the planting process, you do not need to add anything else for the next two years.

After two years, fertilization should be regular:

• When flowering, add fertilizers with urea and potassium of about 40 g.
• When fruits appear, 30 grams of urea and nitrophoska are added.
• After collecting the fruits, it is better to fertilize the tree with potassium and superphosphate.

Before winter, it is better to fertilize the fruit tree with organic fertilizers. The most common among them is manure. It’s good to add wood ash and superphosphate there.

Pruning rules

When planting in spring, the top of a young seedling is cut off.And young trees are pruned to form a crown in spring and winter.

You need to remove branches with a sharp knife or saw. The cut areas are treated with garden solution. When pruning, you should form a round crown. At the same time, branches damaged after wintering, that is, frostbitten or broken, are removed.

There should be no stumps left after cutting. The growth near the roots must be removed all summer so that it does not take away nutrients from the tree. Branches growing inward and upward are cut off.

Wintering plum

The young plant is covered with warm material, and the trunk must be protected with a net from rodents. Considering that the Morning plum does not tolerate frost well, trees at any age must be carefully wrapped in warm material. And excess snow should be shaken off young trees to avoid breaking branches.

How to protect a plant from diseases and pests

Despite the fact that the Morning variety is resistant to parasites and diseases, the plant can still get sick.

Prevention measures:

• Digging the earth around the trunk.
• Cleaning affected branches and fruits.
• Timely processing of trees

More information about medications for treatment is written above.

Harvesting and storage rules

Fruits located at the top should be removed using a stepladder. Branches should not be bent to avoid breaks and cracks in the shoots.

Collecting fruits by shaking the tree is not recommended. This will lead to the formation of cracks in ripe fruits, which will cause them to lose their presentation and spoil faster.

If plums are intended to be used directly for eating or processing into jam or preserves, you need to pick the ripe fruits. If you plan to transport plums, then collect unripe fruits. But such fruits are stored in the refrigerator for two weeks, after which the sweetness is lost and the plum becomes soft.