Many gardeners have fruit and berry bushes on their plots: cherry plum, plum, apricot, cherry. The main aspect of proper cultivation and care of such plantings is pruning. Cherry plum is capable of producing up to three hundred kilograms of berries from one tree. But in order to obtain such volumes, it is important to follow the rules for watering, fertilizing and pruning the plant. In this article we will tell you why pruning cherry plums is important and how to do it correctly.
When is it recommended to prune cherry plum?
The optimal time for pruning cherry plums in the country is early spring. The procedure should be carried out before the start of sap flow, from the end of April to the beginning of May. When pruning during this period, the tree recovers faster, and the procedure does not in any way affect its fruiting.
This cannot be said when pruning cherry plums at the end of spring. Such events may cause the fruiting period to shift to a later date. As a result, the plums simply will not have time to ripen until autumn.
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In the autumn, you can also prune dry, non-fruit-bearing and diseased branches so that the plant does not waste energy in winter on maintaining life in them. Autumn pruning makes it easier to winter cherry plums.
In winter, pruning is not recommended, since during this period the branches become weak, the plant’s resistance to environmental factors decreases, and healing takes longer. The last resort is to perform sanitary pruning at the end of winter, when the frosts are no longer so severe.
Another unfavorable time for the procedure is summer. Such manipulations can cause inhibition of plant growth and a shift in fruiting dates. In addition, sap flow is active in the summer months, therefore, after pruning, the cherry plum may simply bleed gum, which leads to disease and death.
How to plant a fruit tree correctly?
The general sequence of actions when planting a Kuban Comet seedling includes the following steps :
- Dig a planting hole measuring 80x80x80 centimeters.
- Place a small amount of soil at the bottom of the hole.
- Drive in a peg (preferably made of wood).
- Lower the seedling into the prepared hole, ensuring that the root ball rises 6 centimeters above the surface.
- Fill the hole with soil and compact it.
- Carefully tie the seedling to the stake.
- Water the seedling with 2 buckets of water.
Finally, all that remains is to mulch the soil with wood shavings.
In order for the planting and development of the plant to proceed without problems, you need to take into account a number of important rules. The seedling must be selected according to the following characteristics :
- closed branched root system with a large number of small roots;
- height – up to 120 centimeters;
- kidneys - swollen;
- the cut is moist, yellow-green.
It is recommended to buy a seedling 2 years old. This plant favorably tolerates changes in its growing zone.
The correct choice of landing site is also important.:
sunny side of the site;- closed from strong winds;
- the soil is not clayey or loamy. The best choice is sandy and fertile soil with neutral acidity;
- ground level - up to 1 meter.
Cherry plum should be planted near buildings, when on one side the plant is covered with a solid wall.
In addition, it is important to consider the following rules:
- the soil obtained by digging a planting hole must be mixed with humus (10 kg), superphosphate (200 grams), potassium sulfide (40 grams);
- When planting in spring, the hole should be prepared two to three weeks in advance, without adding humus or nitrogen fertilizers to the mixture.
It is best to plant Comet in early spring, without waiting for the sap to start flowing.
Types of pruning cherry plum in spring
Depending on the purpose, the following types of pruning are distinguished:
- shaping, the purpose of which is to give the crown of young seedlings the correct shape - carried out for plants under the age of 3-4 years;
- sanitary is aimed at removing dry, weakened and diseased branches;
- anti-aging pruning is indicated for mature trees and is aimed at renewing the plant and creating new shoots;
- Thinning is necessary for overly thickened crowns, which reduces the yield of cherry plum. During this pruning, non-fruit-bearing branches that darken the sun are removed.
In any case, it turns out that pruning is aimed at forming the correct crown, removing excess, dry and non-fruit-bearing branches, as well as renewing the adult plant. All this allows you to increase the yield of cherry plum, obtaining larger and tastier fruits. Most of these types of pruning are performed simultaneously, that is, sanitary pruning can coincide with thinning and rejuvenating.
The history of the Russian plum variety Kuban Comet
A new variety of hybrid cherry plum appeared at the Crimean experimental breeding station of the All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources named after. N. I. Vavilova. Scientists G.V. Eremin and S.N. Zabrodina crossed the Chinese Skoroplodnaya plum, characterized by tolerance to low temperatures, early fruitfulness, productivity and good taste, with the Pioneer cherry plum.
The Chinese plum Skoroplodnaya is the parent form of many varieties of Russian plums of domestic selection.
In 1977, cherry plum was submitted for variety testing; after its completion in 1987, it was zoned in the North-Western, Central, North Caucasus and Lower Volga regions. Russian plum varieties are included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements of the Russian Federation under the generic name “cherry plum”. The Kuban comet adapts well to various growing conditions: it has proven itself well when grown in territories from Transcaucasia to the Non-Black Earth Region, in the Southern Urals, as well as in the south of Primorye.
Tools for pruning cherry plum in spring
Required set of tools:
- pruner;
- gardening scissors;
- garden saw;
- gloves;
- loppers;
- garden hacksaw.
All tools that are planned to be used to trim cherry plum branches must be sharpened in advance. For cutting, use only sharply sharpened tools that do not leave creases on the branches.
The timing of pruning is determined depending on the type of work. Basically, the main procedures for removing cherry plum branches are carried out in spring and autumn. In summer, only rejuvenation work is carried out.
The most favorable period for carrying out crown pruning work is early spring, when sap flow has not yet begun in the cherry plum tree. Formative pruning is carried out before buds open in March-April.
Thinning cherry plum branches in spring
The scheme for pruning cherry plum in summer is useful if the branches of cherry plum are being thinned. Thinning is necessary for mature trees with a well-developed crown. The procedure is carried out on plants that are more than three years old.
How to properly thin out:
- If two stems grow in the same plane, then one is cut off.
- If a crooked stem grows that interferes with everything else, it is also removed.
They also cut down all weak and underdeveloped branches that do not bear fruit, but at the same time the tree spends nutrients on them.
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Category: “Questions and answers”
Question number 1 . How to choose the right cherry plum pruning?
The formation of the crown depends on the variety and climatic features of the area.
Question number 2 . Why prune cherry plum in summer?
In the first years, cherry plum produces a powerful increase in green mass. If adjustments are not made, then next year there will be no flower buds on these branches, but only leaf buds will form.
Question number 3 . Did summer pruning damage the cherry plum tree?
It will only do good. Cherry plum tolerates pruning so well that it is used for trimmed hedges.
Question number 4 . Is it possible to cut an old cherry plum in half?
If this is done at once, the tree may die. This “procedure” must be carried out in three stages, cutting off one third in the spring of each year.
Rules for cutting stem branches on cherry plum
How to properly cut stem branches of cherry plum:
- It is not recommended to leave stumps during cutting; sooty fungus may appear on them, which will subsequently spread to the entire tree.
- Large diameter cuts must be lubricated with garden varnish. Small ones can overgrow on their own.
- During the thinning process, cherry plums are cut off from the branches growing inside the crown.
It is also recommended to remove all diseased, deformed and crooked branches.
Pollinators of the Kuban Comet variety
Partial ability to self-pollinate means that without additional sources of pollen only 15–20% of flowers will be fertilized; in self-fertile plants this figure can reach 40%. For full fruiting, the Kuban comet needs pollinators. Hybrid cherry plum does not cross-pollinate with domestic plum, since these types of crops have a different chromosome set: in Russian plum it is diploid (2x=16), in domestic plum it is tetraploid (4x=48). Cherry plums also have earlier flowering periods. Russian plums are well pollinated by close relatives or Chinese plums, which have a similar chromosome composition. For the Kuban Comet, hybrid cherry plum Mara, Traveler or Chinese plum Skoroplodnaya are recommended as the best sources of pollen.
Chinese plum Skoroplodnaya is a good pollinator for cherry plum Kuban Comet, and it is also one of the parent varieties
Pruning young cherry plum seedlings in spring
In the spring, the crowns of young plants are formed, combining them in 2-4 years with sanitary pruning, thinning, and shortening annual growths of branches so that the crown becomes more compact.
Formative pruning, which promotes the rapid formation of a crown capable of beginning to bear fruit, is not carried out immediately after planting a young seedling. It is necessary to wait some time for it to take root well, gain nutrients, and come into effect.
If planting was carried out in the autumn, it is recommended to begin the formation of cherry plums in the spring of next year. When planting in spring, it is advisable to wait a year until next spring. Making a crown in the form of a bush The crowns of young seedlings are formed, usually in the form of a bush or bowl. It is recommended to form trees with reduced cold resistance in the form of a bush. In the first year, the seedling should have 3 skeletal branches at a distance of 15-20 cm from each other. At the end of the process of creating a crown, the cherry plum should have 5-7 main branches at an angle to the trunk of 45-60 cm. Do the work in this order:
- Trim the branches of the tree to a distance of 15-30 cm from the ground.
- Shorten the remaining shoots on the shortened branches (there will be approximately 5-6 of them) to half a meter.
- Using guy ropes, spread the branches almost horizontally. There should be an angle of about 120 degrees between the branches.
This formation, according to experts, will most effectively protect the tree from frost.
In some regions, it is recommended to form a tree crown with a height of 80-120 cm. Experienced gardeners have noticed that during winter snowfalls, snow settling and melting in the spring, the branches of low trunks break and become deformed.
The formation of a young seedling is completed in 2-3 years. The top of the stem branch is cut to the level with the third skeletal branch.
Landing Features
Planting the Kuban Comet on your site can be done in the spring, before the buds swell and the flowering period, or in early autumn (September). In the northern regions, it is advisable to do this in the spring, so that frost does not catch the tree while it has not yet had time to take root properly.
Choosing a place for a plum
Despite its high frost resistance, the Kuban comet is still a heat-loving and light-loving plant. To plant it, it is better to choose the most illuminated place on the site, and it is advisable to protect it from the winds, thereby creating more suitable conditions. A tree that grows and bears fruit with sufficient sunlight and heat will delight with large, juicy and sweet fruits.
Pruning old cherry plum seedlings in spring
Adult cherry plums are pruned for sanitary and hygienic purposes - dry and barren branches are removed.
In addition, it is necessary to cut off all branches growing outside the well-thought-out crown pattern:
- growing downwards;
- intertwined with other branches;
- tree crowns growing inward.
The cherry plum crown formed after planting has 4 or 5 skeletal branches on which many shoots grow. Make sure that the distance between the tiers does not exceed half a meter. When pruning, the main shoots should be shortened by a third of their length, and the side branches should be shortened to 5-7 buds on them.
Every 5-6 years it is necessary to prune the cherry plum for rejuvenating purposes. Using a sharp tool, shorten the branches according to the following calculation: the older the tree, the shorter. After pruning, treat the cuts with garden varnish or oil paint.
Pruning an adult plant is aimed at increasing the yield of cherry plum and improving the quality of its fruits. Pay attention to the condition of the tree after winter: if many fruit buds have frozen out, then the old plant should be pruned vigorously, while a young tree in the same situation should be pruned less.
