Description of the variety Zarechnaya early
The tree is medium-sized .
The crown is not very thick, with weak foliage, shaped like a ball. Small gray lenticels are very noticeable on the crown. The buds are medium-sized , slightly pointed at the ends, and the adhesion to the shoots is weak.
The sheet is above average in size , with a matte surface, deep green in color.
The leaf blade is oval in shape with a pointed tip, almost flat. The leaf surface is leathery and smooth.
The glands are red, very small , 1–2 per leaf petiole. The petiole is strong , thick, of medium length, often with pigmentation. The petals of the flowers are white, medium-sized, touching each other.
The stamens are an order of magnitude shorter than the pistil. When the flowers are in the bud stage, they are green. The calyx of the flower is bell-shaped, greenish.
Growing and caring for trees
Peach plum
For planting, choose spacious sunny places located on the slopes of hills. It is recommended to select light loamy or sandy loam soil with neutral acidity. You cannot plant a hybrid on soil where there is a clay or sand cushion in the lower layers of the earth.
Note: groundwater should pass at a depth of 2-2.5 m from the roots of the plum.
The area chosen for planting should not be blown by the wind. Therefore, trees are planted next to the fence or behind the wall of outbuildings.
When purchasing, seedlings with a length of at least 70-80 cm are selected. They must have developed skeletal branches. The bark on each specimen should not have cracks or signs of rotting. It is better to choose plums with a packed root system. They are produced by most well-known companies, which guarantee high quality hybrids. Select trees with roots that are at least 15-20 cm long.
Growing
The sprouts should not be dry. If after purchasing any specimen has dried out a little, you can bring it back to life by immersing it in a bucket of water for 24 hours.
The best time to plant seedlings in the garden is spring or autumn. Holes for sprouts are made 15-20 days before the selected planting time. They are filled with organic fertilizers (manure, compost), which are mixed with peat, river sand and turf. The diameter of the hole should be 0.6-0.7 m, and the depth should be about 60-80 cm. A stake is driven into the middle of the hole. The seedling is installed 15 cm from it. Fill the hole with earth, make a circular groove with a shaft around the tree (height 40-50 cm). Warm, settled water is poured there (volume 2 or 3 buckets).
Note: the root neck of the sprout should be 2-6 cm from the soil level.
The distance between planted specimens should be at least 4 m, and 4.5 m should be left between rows.
If the work is carried out in the fall, then 2 weeks after installing the plum hybrids in place, they are again watered with the specified amount of water (2-3 buckets). When planting in spring, trees need not be irrigated.
It is recommended to do pruning in autumn or spring. Remove all unwanted shoots, dry or diseased branches. In this case, it is necessary to maintain a distance between fruits of at least 70 mm. Thinning the crown will have to be done all year. This will allow you to obtain stable yields. It is better to remove large shoots than several small branches.
The length of the barrel and stem is reduced by 1/3 each time. These operations are carried out 2-3 times a month. It is necessary to provide supports for branches with fruits. If this is not done, they may break off under the weight of the fruit.
Advice! To eliminate friction, rags or rubber sheets are placed between the support and the tree bark.
It is not recommended to feed seedlings in the first year of planting. Fertilizers begin to be introduced after 24 months from this period:
- in May, add a solution - 2 tbsp. l. urea diluted in a bucket of water;
- in June, feed the trees with a mixture of 3 tbsp. l. nitrophoska per 10 liters of liquid;
- in August, fertilize the plants with superphosphate (2 tablespoons of the substance per 8 liters of water).
The plum tree needs to be watered every 7-12 days. To do this, use warm water that has been left in the sun. Each plant needs 20-30 liters of liquid. Although this variety of plum is an unpretentious species, in extreme heat it is necessary to double the irrigation.
To prevent diseases, the gardener should inspect the hybrids once a month. It is advisable to remove and burn fallen leaves. It is recommended to weed all weeds in the tree trunk ditch. To eliminate the possibility of disease development, trees are sprayed with a 3% solution of Bordeaux mixture in early spring.
Care
If a plant becomes sick with scab, rust, bushiness, or moniliosis, you need to treat the crops with special agents that destroy fungi and bacteria. To choose a particular medicine, it is better to seek help from an experienced farmer or specialist.
To get rid of garden pests, the following work is carried out:
- remove all dry twigs and yellow leaves;
- in the fall they dig up the tree trunk circle;
- plum trunks are whitened with lime;
- In early spring, trees are sprayed with special preparations.
Inta-Vir and similar products are suitable for combating various insects. They destroy not only the parasites themselves, but also their eggs or caterpillars.
Photo
You can see the plum variety “Zarechnaya Rannyaya” in the photo below:
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
- The advantages of the variety are:
- early fruiting;
- excellent taste of plums;
- good transportable properties;
- disease resistance;
- frost resistance.
The disadvantage is the average yield, which is ineffective for industrial cultivation. But for a private garden, this becomes an advantage, since you get enough plums from one tree to meet your daily nutritional needs, and there is no need to worry about processing large volumes of produce.
Video: Zarechnaya early plum variety
Features of the fruit
A distinctive feature of the variety are dark purple fruits , which are covered with a waxy coating. The size of plums is large , from 40 g to 50 g. The shape of the plum is round or oval-round. Subcutaneous points and the abdominal suture are clearly visible on the surface of the fetus.
Other plum varieties with large fruits are Svetlyachok, Vengerka Korneevskaya, Renklod Sovetskiy, Startovaya, Bolkhovchanka.
The fruits have a pleasant taste with a slight sourness. The pulp is dense , transparent yellow. Its structure is very juicy and tender, receiving a tasting rating of 4.5 points. The variety belongs to the table-technical variety .
Chemical composition:
- Dry matter – 16.83%;
- Sugar – 7.84%;
- Acid – 1.57%;
- Ascorbic acid – 3.5 mg/100g;
- P-active substances – 200 mg/100g.
Pollinators
To obtain harvests, the hybrid will need pollinators, which can be other varieties of plums - Etude or Renclod Tambovsky. It is enough to choose one pollinator variety so that the self-sterile variety takes on its qualities.
Etude
Renklod Tambovsky
Characteristics
The yield of this variety is very good . After planting, the tree begins to bear fruit in 3–4 years. The appearance of fruits begins early, towards the end of July. With each subsequent year there is an increase in the yield.
Frost resistance is high both in wood and in buds. Very unpretentious, tolerates any soil. Only very heavy clay soil can cause slight freezing of the roots, which will subsequently affect the yield.
Separability of the stone from the pulp is very good , which allows the fruit to be used in cooking and canning.
REFERENCE! The fruits have excellent transportability and shelf life, but for this they need to be removed from the branch 5–6 days ahead of schedule.
How to care for the crop?
Agricultural technology consists of traditional measures for caring for fruit trees:
Watering . The plant requires weekly watering in the first year after planting. Then on hot days with no rain and in preparation for winter. The rest of the time, the variety is not demanding on the presence of moisture.- Feeding. In the first 2 years, the plum does not need additional nutrition. In the third year, you will need to add urea at the end of spring (60 g per 10 liters of water), nitrophoska at the end of June (90 g per bucket of water), superphosphate in August (80 g per bucket of water).
The large-fruited variety also needs potassium fertilizers. You can spray the crown with potassium humate.
- Pruning is an important stage of care. The variety Zarechnaya early does not form a crown on its own. Even if the gardener does not know the rules for pruning plums, in spring or late autumn you need to remove all dry, damaged branches and those growing inward. For this variety, bowl-shaped pruning is considered optimal. It provides good illumination, which leads to increased productivity.
Preparation for winter is especially necessary for young trees growing in a cool climate zone. The area around the trunk needs to be mulched; in addition, the trunk can be covered. Diseases and pests
The variety is characterized by high immunity to various diseases. To completely eliminate the possibility of infection, it is necessary to carry out preventive treatments with fungicides against coccomycosis, scab, moniliosis, and rust. Also necessary :
- regularly inspect trees;
- remove fallen fruits, weeds and fallen leaves.
- At the beginning of spring, spray with Bordeaux mixture.
Among the pests, plum sawfly, aphids, and plum moths can be annoying. For prevention and control, insecticide treatments are used.
Landing
Despite all the unpretentiousness of the plum, the young tree should be planted in the region for which the variety is zoned. This will ensure the best results in the future.
Plum loves sun and space . Even with slight shade, its fruits become smaller and the leaves turn yellow. Therefore, the landing site should be chosen in accordance with these requirements.
This crop is also wind intolerant . Strong gusts of wind can blow flowers, thereby depriving half of the harvest.
The best place to plant is next to the wall of a house or fence. It is also not suitable to plant plums in lowlands to avoid the accumulation of cold air.
Sandy loam and light porous loamy soils are considered the most favorable environment for growth The groundwater level should not be less than 2 meters from the ground surface. Otherwise, you can make small grooves to drain excess water.
REFERENCE! If there is sand or clay in the lower layers of the soil, then you should not plant plum trees on such soil.
Since “Zarechnaya Rannyaya” is a medium-sized tree, the distance between buildings or neighboring trees should be at least 4 meters.
Considering that the variety is zoned for the Black Earth Region, both autumn and spring may be a favorable time for planting . The hole for planting a tree should be prepared 2-3 weeks in advance. This is done so that the applied organic mineral fertilizers have time to settle.
The depth of the pit is 60 cm, the diameter is the same. Before planting a tree, you need to drive a stake into the middle of the hole, at an approximate distance of 15 cm from the seedling.
Basic landing rules :
- the pit is filled only with earth, without additional fertilizer;
- the root collar should be at least 2–5 cm above the ground;
- After planting, a small trench is made around the tree for effective watering.
Harvest and storage
The taste of plums improves if they ripen on the tree . Press down on the fruit with your finger. The skin should be soft and the flesh elastic. The stalk of a ripe plum is easily separated from the branch. The collected fruits can be placed in a cool room and allowed to ripen.
Unfortunately, plums cannot be stored for long, so you will need to either eat or process the harvest. The best place to store plums is in the refrigerator. The best temperature is 0°C. Relative humidity is about 90–95%. The shelf life under these conditions is 2–4 weeks.
Important! Most plum varieties are harvested at 2
–
3 passes, as the fruits ripen unevenly. Zarechnaya early ripens in 2 batches. When growing plums, keep in mind that pests and diseases are the most destructive to the crop, so apply preventive measures in time, and the trees will delight you with a good harvest.
Care
After the tree is planted, it must be watered well. Three buckets are the optimal amount for one tree.
After two weeks, watering must be repeated. The exception is planting in spring. Given the high soil moisture after the snow melts, watering may be more moderate.
In order for the quality of the fruit to remain at the proper level, you need to monitor the growth of shoots , which grow very actively in the plum tree.
You need to remove unwanted layers several times a month. Remove diseased and dry branches, and also adjust the distance between the fruits, which should be at least 7 cm.
IMPORTANT! To regulate the frequency of fruiting, agronomists advise thinning the branches of the tree in a harvest year.
To prevent the branches from breaking under the weight of the fruit, the plum tree needs special supports to support the heavy branches. When choosing supports, it is important to eliminate friction between them with the bark. To avoid this, place a rag or rubber at the point of contact.
The tree does not need fertilizing in the first years after planting. You just need to water regularly. Watering is carried out once every 7–10 days. In the third year of a young tree’s life, you should start applying various fertilizers according to the following schedule :
- May – 2 tbsp. l. urea per 10 liters of water,
- June – 3 tbsp. l. nitrophoska per 10 liters of water,
- August – 2 tbsp. l. superphosphate per 10 liters of water.
How to propagate?
To save on purchasing seedlings, you can propagate the variety yourself. There are several ways to obtain a new crop.
Cuttings
For rooting, green cuttings 20-30 cm long are prepared in July. Planting material with 2-4 leaves is prepared from them and kept for 12-14 hours in water with the addition of a root growth stimulator.
Planted in the garden in a specially prepared soil mixture of peat and sand, fertilized with superphosphate. The distance between the cuttings should be at least 5 cm. A mini-greenhouse is formed using film and a wire frame. After 20-40 days, their root system will begin to form, then the shelter can be removed. In autumn, the bed is covered with a layer of mulch from peat and dry leaves; in harsh climates, spunbond is additionally used. In spring, the cuttings are transplanted to a permanent place.
Layering method
At the beginning of the season, the side shoot of the plum bends down to the ground and goes deep into a special trench. It is covered with earth, leaving the top of the head, about 20 cm long, outside. The layering is regularly watered to maintain a sufficient level of humidity, you can cover the trench with film. The appearance of green leaves at the top will indicate that the shoot has formed a root system. In the fall, the cuttings are separated and transplanted to another place.
Air layerings are obtained in the spring so that they can be rooted separately in the fall. To do this, select last year's shoot, make an incision at a height of 15-20 cm, fix the moistened fragnum in this place, and wrap it in film. If you keep the fragnum moist, roots will soon appear at the cut site. This part is separated and rooted into the ground along with the substrate for growing.
Trimming
Plum does not have a natural tendency to form a crown naturally, so it especially needs pruning. Typically, dry, diseased, and excess branches that interfere with access to sunlight are removed. Pruning is carried out in autumn or spring before sap flow begins.
REFERENCE! The greatest benefit will come from removing one large branch rather than several small ones.
When pruning, the length of the tree and the trunk must be adjusted.
It has been noticed that caring for compact trees is much easier than for tall ones. Their yield is better, and they tolerate severe frosts more easily.
Small trees are easier to harvest and sunlight penetrates every branch.
Reviews
Anatoly Sergeevich, Chernigov : A really early crop, even the seedling began to bear fruit in the second year after planting. It produces a harvest every year and does not require any special care other than watering. For the winter I cover it with mulch, the wood tolerates frost well, and in the spring I remove a minimum of shoots.
Maxim Aleksandrovich, Taganrog : I chose the variety on the recommendation of my neighbors, Zarechnaya was highly praised, although other plums also grow on the site. Pleases with rather large and regular shaped fruits. The weight corresponds to the description - never less than 40 g. Almost the entire harvest is eaten fresh. During all this time, the tree has not been sick, I try to regularly prune and clean the area, so no problems arise.
Maria, Tver : The most delicious of all that grows in my garden. The tree is beautiful and compact; I planted it behind the house along with others. There are no difficulties in care. From the first year I started shaping the crown, so now even children can harvest.
Diseases and pests
“Zarechnaya early” variety is quite resistant to diseases and is rarely attacked by pests. But preventive measures should still be observed.
The most common plum diseases are : bushiness, clasterosporiosis, moniliosis, gommosis, coccomycosis, rust, scab.
Pests that attack plum : hawthorn, fruit mite, aphid, plum moth, ringed silkworm.
To prevent disease, the following actions are recommended:
- Regularly inspect the tree for diseases.
- Timely cleaning and burning of fallen leaves under the tree.
- Thorough removal of weeds in the tree trunk circle.
- Spraying the tree in early spring with 3% Bordeaux mixture.
Measures to prevent damage to a tree by various parasites:
- Removing weeds and fallen leaves.
- Digging the soil in the tree trunk in the fall.
- Applying lime whitewash to the trunk.
- Spraying the tree with special products in early spring.
The Zarechnaya early plum is a very unpretentious, frost-resistant and easy-to-care variety. Its attractive fruits and lack of defects make the variety increasingly popular among gardeners.
History of selection
Work on breeding the hybrid was carried out at the Research Institute of Genetics and Selection of Fruit Plants named after I.V. Michurina. In 1998 it was included in the State Register. A new fruit-bearing crop appeared thanks to the crossing of equally well-known varieties - Red Dessert, Volga Beauty and Eurasia 21. It adopted the best qualities from the mother plants, so it began to be in high demand among gardeners.
The hybrid is recommended for cultivation in the Central Black Earth region; today it is found in the CIS and Baltic states, and is successfully grown even in the central part of Siberia.
Agrotechnics of cultivation
Regions with a temperate continental climate and mild winters are considered ideal areas for growing Startovaya plums. As experienced gardeners note, this fruit crop is propagated by cuttings or by planting seeds.
When planting a plum seedling, it is recommended to choose loamy soil with a neutral environmental reaction, while the area should be light and well protected from the wind. According to the characteristics of this variety, the Startovaya plum does not require shelter for the winter period. The plant not only tolerates frost well, but also feels good in hot summers.
The fruit tree is fertilized three times a year: in mid-spring, mid-summer and autumn, after harvesting. Superphosphate, wood ash, urea, phosphate and nitrogen fertilizers can be used as fertilizers. In the fall, organic matter is added to the soil.
