What is the peculiarity of the Russian plum or hybrid cherry plum
Despite the variety of varieties of fruit trees, breeders are constantly working to improve them. One of these results is hybrid cherry plum, which was obtained by crossing the best varieties of cherry plum with some types of plums, in particular with Chinese and Ussuri. It is so different from the parent varieties that modern scientists single out the hybrid into a separate species, proudly called the Russian plum.
Hybrid benefits
The resulting crop was a worthy competitor to even the best varieties of cherry plum and plum. Among the main advantages of hybrid cherry plum are:
- Fruit taste and weight... Almost all varieties of Russian plum are larger than cherry plum and simple plum. There are even hybrids with fruits weighing up to 100 g. As for the taste, mainly sweet and sour juicy pulp prevails.
- Yield... Up to 80 kg of fruit can be harvested from an adult hybrid tree.
- Early maturity... For most varieties, the first harvest ripens in the second year after planting.
- High winter hardiness. Among the varieties Russian plum there are also those that are successfully grown in the northern regions. They tolerate frosty winters better than cherry plum. Even in the case of frostbite, the tree recovers quickly.
- High drought tolerance. Hybrids can grow in any soil with minimal maintenance. They are not demanding for watering, and the prolonged absence of precipitation does not affect the general condition of the tree.
- Disease resistance. Unlike a simple plum, hybrid cherry plum practically does not get sick, only sometimes pests such as aphids appear on it.
Russian plum is beautiful during flowering, and some of its varieties are a real decoration of the garden thanks to the interesting color of the leaves, which can be variegated or red.
Another important advantage of hybrid cherry plum is the high germination of seeds, which allows you to grow it as a stock for other fruit trees.
Some disadvantages of a hybrid
Along with the advantages, hybrid cherry plum still has several disadvantages:
- in contrast to plums, in hybrid varieties, the bone is hardly separated from the pulp;
- when growing trees in the middle lane, it is possible to underpin the bark;
- there are varieties in which self-fertility is partial;
- Due to the early awakening of the flower buds of the hybrids, they sometimes suffer from recurrent frosts.
In addition, hybrid varieties of cherry plum and plum are very difficult to form. They require a lot of space as they are bush trees in shape. However, even with these small nuances, Russian plum is in many ways superior to its parents and is grown by gardeners both in the southern and cooler regions of the country.