History of variety selection
The variety was developed by crossing the Volzhskaya Krasavitsa plum variety and the Eurasia 21 plum variety. Both have unique characteristics. The variety was bred in the second half of the 20th century in the USSR by breeder G. Kursakov at the Research Institute named after. Michurina.
Thus, in 1985, the plum variety Etude was included in the state register for the Central Black Earth region. The species quickly became popular not only among professional plant growers, but also among amateur gardeners.
Description of the plum variety Etude
The variety turned out to be universal. It feels great in both the southern, northern and western regions. It is unpretentious in care and growing conditions. It has high resistance to drought and severe frost. It is also immune to many diseases and pests.
This is a mid-early variety. Has the following characteristics:
- The plum grows no more than 2-2.5 m in height. Harvesting is very convenient.
- The tree has a strong root system that can extract water even during the dry period of summer.
- The crown has the shape of a ball.
- The bark is gray-brown.
- It blooms with flowers with oval-shaped petals that form beautiful inflorescences.
The plums are quite large. The pulp is juicy and sweet. Weight reaches 30 g. The shape of the fruit is oval, the peel is covered with a dense waxy coating, thick and hard.
The stone is easily separated from the pulp, small. Plums are suitable both for fresh consumption and for canning in jam, plum jam, compotes, etc.
Characteristics of plum Etude
This table-technical variety has appealed to many gardeners. It has a number of characteristics that make it ideal for growing in the garden.
Tree dimensions
The tree grows compact. It usually grows about two meters or slightly higher. Such a low height is convenient for harvesting and is not dangerous for winter; the branches do not break from snow.
Ripening time and harvest
The variety is considered early ripening. Flowering occurs at the end of May, and the fruits reach ripeness in August. The tree bears fruit every year, and constantly increases the amount of harvest. Usually you can get up to 50 kg of plums from one tree.
Plum pollinator varieties Etude
Plum Etude is considered a partially self-fertile variety. Therefore, for fruiting to occur, it is necessary to plant other pollinating varieties nearby. These include Zarechnaya Early, Volga Beauty, Renklod Tambovsky.
Drought resistance, frost resistance
The variety is not afraid of frost and drought. It can withstand frosts down to -25-30 degrees and feels great in hot and dry weather. The tree does not freeze, so it is not covered for the winter. And the strong crown can withstand heavy snowfall. In summer it tolerates temperatures up to +30-35 degrees. The variety is also not afraid of high or low humidity.
Productivity and fruiting
Fruiting begins already in the fourth year after planting. Plum gives a rich harvest: depending on the quality of care, you can harvest from 20 to 60 kg. Every year the amount of harvest increases by about three kilograms.
Resistance to diseases and pests
This is one of the most disease and pest resistant varieties. Even rodents rarely feast on its bark. Therefore, with proper care, plums do not cause trouble for gardeners. There is no need to wrap it in burlap, paper or tarpaulin for the winter. The plant can even grow independently without additional care all year round.
Characteristics of the variety
Since the height of the Etude plum tree is small, the variety can bear up to 60 kg of ripe fruit. The habitual flowering in early spring produces fruits in late season or early summer. The table-technical variety is loved by many farmers and owners of personal plots. The home plum variety Etude is ideal for growing.
Drought resistance, frost resistance
This is a truly unique variety of domestic plum that grows in almost any soil at different latitudes of the planet. Also, the humidity parameter, which varies in Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus, is not fundamental.
Plum pollinators
The home plum variety Etude is considered partially self-fertile, so for pollination it is necessary to plant pollinating trees nearby. A good solution would be to plant the varieties Zarechnaya Rannyaya, Volzhskaya Krasavitsa and Renklod Tambovsky.
Advice! It is desirable that all varieties of plums be present on the site.
Productivity and fruiting
The Etude plum blossoms quickly from the end of May. The domestic plum tree produces fruit in a short period of time, and the ripening period is average. Therefore, you will be able to enjoy delicious fruits only in August.
Fruiting is annual, but is characterized by a stable increase - approximately 2-3 kg with each subsequent season. Home plum Etude can yield either 20 kg or 60. It all depends on how mature the tree is. The seedlings are already bearing fruit in their 4th year, so you won’t have to wait long for the harvest.
Area of application of berries
The home sketch is very easy to transport. Plums are stored in containers and industrial refrigeration chambers, where they do not lose their appearance and taste for 2-2.5 months. Used for winter preparation and fresh consumption.
Resistance to diseases and pests
Advantages and disadvantages of plum Etude
It blooms quickly and produces large fruits - this is what is valued in the Etude plum variety. The pickiness of the tree is its peculiarity.
Important! The only disadvantage we can highlight is that the seedlings are self-sterile and therefore require pollinators of several varieties.
Advantages and disadvantages of plum Etude
Plum Etude has become popular and loved by gardeners due to its advantages, and a small number of disadvantages, like any plant. Among the advantages of this type of plum are:
- excellent taste;
- keeping quality and transportability;
- resistance to diseases and pests;
- resistance to adverse conditions: heat, drought and frost;
- relatively early maturation;
- a large amount of harvest.
This is a picky variety that is distinguished by tasty and large fruits. The only drawback is considered to be self-sterility, so instead of one tree you will have to plant several or take into account the plantings of neighbors.
Features of harvesting and storage rules
The fruits of the Etude variety can be picked from the trees at the end of August or at the beginning of September, when they reach full maturity. When collecting, try not to pull out the tails of the plums or peel off the skins, otherwise long-term storage and transportation of the crop will be impossible.
Only dry and whole fruits should be placed in wooden or plastic vegetable boxes, covering each layer with thick paper. In a basement or other cool and dark place, such plums can only be stored for 2 months, and after this period they will begin to wither and deteriorate. For longer storage, it is recommended to dry, freeze or can the crop.
The Etude variety is an excellent option for those summer residents who do not have the opportunity to spend a lot of time on the site. High ease of care, resistance to adverse factors and a tasty harvest are the main characteristics for which gardeners love this plant.
Features of planting plums
As a rule, there are not many problems with planting the Etude plum either. The most important thing is to properly prepare the soil, as it does not like acidity. Otherwise there are no difficulties.
Recommended timing
You can plant Etude at almost any time, but autumn is best. Especially in the southern regions.
Choosing a suitable location
Despite the fact that Etude has a developed and powerful root system, he loves air- and water-permeable soil. Therefore, it does well on loamy lands.
The soil pH should be alkaline or neutral. It is also advisable that the place be protected from strong winds and excessive sun. However, you should not greatly improve the selected area.
What crops can and cannot be planted next to the Etude
Pay special attention to the vicinity of this variety.
First of all, these must be pollinators, so as not to get hybrids or lose the harvest.
You should not plant flowers, fruits and vegetables nearby.
Choose an area remote from the main garden for the Study.
Selection and preparation of planting material
Start preparing the planting hole in advance. Its dimensions must be at least 0.7 m wide and 0.5-0.6 m deep. Pour rotted humus or compost or nitrophoska into the bottom. Mix all this with the excavated soil and partially, about ⅔, pour it back into the hole. Then sprinkle the remaining soil over the plantings.
As for seedlings, it is worth buying them in gardening, and not from hand. The plant must have a strong root system, few branches and leaves, so that it has the strength to take root. There should be no visible signs of disease.
Rules for planting plums Etude
To ensure that the young tree holds well, place a peg in the middle of the hole. If possible, the root system should be closed; if it is open, then powder it with clay mash and a growth activator; ash will also work. See how to use ash for garden plants correctly.
The following is the procedure:
- Place the tree in the hole next to the stake.
- Distribute the roots over the surface of the soil.
- Fill in the remaining excavated soil, spreading it evenly over the roots.
- As you fall asleep, be sure to shake the tree so that the soil is evenly distributed between the roots. But handle carefully, as Etude's roots are quite delicate and brittle.
- Afterwards, crush or trample the earth around and water it well so that the earth settles properly.
It is also important to remember that the constant presence of excess moisture will not benefit the tree. Therefore, if the site is close to groundwater, prepare a hole one meter higher so that the plant does not flood in the spring or after rains.
Landing
Plum planting should be done in the autumn after the end of the growing season . In apathetic state, the plum tree remarkably tolerates the stress caused by planting or transplanting the cutting to another place.
It is better to buy seedlings in special nurseries. Good planting material reduces the likelihood of disease and will produce a stable harvest in the future.
Plum is a heat-loving plant. Therefore, when choosing a planting area, you should choose well-lit, windproof areas, without stagnation of cold air.
Holes for cuttings should be prepared in advance. The minimum width of the hole should be about 65-75 centimeters, the depth from 55 to 65 centimeters.
Fertile soil and manure humus are placed at the bottom. If the soil is too acidic, add a small amount of lime.
The roots of the seedling carefully straightened and dug into the ground. Next, the soil is trampled down, and a peg is stuck in the middle of the hole, to which the plant is tied.
The final procedure is to water the cuttings abundantly with water at room temperature.
This variety of plum prefers moisture-absorbing loams with excellent air permeability and a neutral reaction of the environment.
Plum care
This is one of the truly unpretentious varieties. If you meet the requirements for soil acidity, then it is enough to water and trim old branches. The sketch is suitable for those who are just starting to garden or do not have the opportunity to spend a lot of time in the garden.
How to water correctly
The tree is not afraid of drought and heat. Therefore, at normal temperatures, additional watering is not required or can be watered once.
If the weather is dry, then irrigation is needed 2-3 times a week. Each time the tree should receive up to 20 liters of water. Water with warm, settled water. In this case, it is possible to obtain up to 30 kg of harvest.
To keep moisture in the soil longer, mulch the tree trunk circle. To do this, use pine needles, peat, sawdust, and dry grass. What else can be used as mulch, read here.
How to feed the Etude variety
This is one of the most unpretentious varieties. The fertilizer applied during planting is enough for him. During the first years, no additional feeding is required. Next, during the autumn preparation for winter, you can add a little rotted manure. You can also do foliar feeding with a solution of ash or complex fertilizers.
Pruning plum
Caring for the Etude variety includes regular pruning. Do it in spring and autumn.
First of all, sanitary pruning of old, dry and damaged shoots is necessary. Also remove branches that grow incorrectly inside the crown or that interfere with neighboring trees. Large cuts should be treated with garden varnish to avoid infection. Find out how to use garden varnish and what you can replace it with.
Plum transplant Study
If necessary, only young trees up to 10 years old can be replanted. This is done by transferring it together with an earthen lump. First, they dig around the trunk circle, then dig up the roots and remove the plant. Transfer to a prepared place for planting. If planting is not planned immediately, then the roots are placed in a damp cloth. The plant can be stored in this form for no more than a day.
Features of cultivation and care
The end of the growing season (autumn) is suitable for planting the Etude variety.
The best soil for planting seedlings of the Etude variety is breathable, moisture-absorbing loam. The reaction of the acidic environment in the soil should be neutral. Plum easily takes root on the site. The variety is unpretentious and does not require special knowledge to grow it.
For planting, an area is selected on the south side of the garden. This may be a hill, flat terrain or a slight slope. The ground is cleared of old leaves, grass and debris. The distance from trees is calculated to be 3 meters.
A planting hole is dug in the middle with a pattern of 70 by 50 and by 60. The top layer of soil is mixed with humus and nitrophoska. The resulting mixture is mixed in a pit and formed into a hill. The total volume of the mixture should be 2/3 of the total volume of the pit.
If the roots of the planted tree are not covered, a clay mash is made and the seedling is placed in it for 1 hour.
- A support stake is driven into the middle of the slide.
- A tree is planted next to the stake.
- Then the roots are distributed and buried in the nutrient mixture.
- The tree is shaken a little to better penetrate the soil between the roots.
- The earth is trampled down a little and the hole is completely filled with earth.
- The seedling is watered and trampled down again.
If the site has a high level of groundwater, before the formation of a hole, a half-meter elevation is artificially increased on the site.
Further care consists of digging up the circle around the trunk in spring and autumn, watering, weeding and removing debris, root growth and weeds, mulching and pruning.
The depth of the shovel when digging the soil around the tree should be about 8 centimeters.
The tree is winter-hardy and can withstand frost without additional shelter for the winter.
Drought does not harm the variety and improves the taste of plums, making them sweeter.
Watering is done 1 - 2 times a week. In case of drought, the amount of watering increases up to 3 times.
When watering twice a week, the tree should receive 20 liters of water. During drought, the number of irrigations and the volume of water increases.
Pine needles, mowed dry small grass, cereal straw, peat, humus, and sawdust can be used as mulch.
Pruning the crown of a plum tree is done in spring and autumn. Thickening and incorrectly located shoots are removed. If there are dry and damaged branches, they are pruned. Areas of extensive cuts are treated with garden varnish.
The plum tree is not susceptible to insect attack or disease, and preventive spraying is not required in this case.
Diseases and pests, methods of control and prevention
Etude has a strong immunity to diseases and is rarely affected by pests. Therefore, preventive measures are not carried out.
When planting, no special antifungal drugs are applied. But if you notice damaged leaves or shoots, you need to remove them and treat the plant with fungicides.
In most cases, the use of traditional methods is sufficient. The best prevention and protection is timely weeding in the tree trunk circle and removal of plant debris such as fallen leaves and branches.
Plum propagation Study
The plant propagates by cuttings or root shoots.
Cuttings are prepared from woody shoots. They are cut in the fall and stored in a damp cloth in the refrigerator until spring. Then, they are planted in moist soil or sand until roots appear. At the end of spring, the young plant is transplanted into open ground. After a year, the young tree can be transplanted to a permanent place of growth.
The plum also produces basal shoots. It is separated from the mother tree and transplanted to a permanent place of growth. Do this in the fall before the plants go into hibernation.
