We grow one of the most resistant fruit trees in the garden - cherry plum
Cherry plum for a garden is a tree almost irreplaceable, especially if it is located in the middle zone of the country, where it is quite frosty in winter, and spring is often prolonged and cold. Unlike thermophilic apricots, cherry plum tolerates low temperatures much easier and is not affected by recurrent frosts. This allows you to harvest every year, and also a very tasty harvest. After all, cultivated varieties sometimes bypass their relative plum in size and taste, and care for cherry plum is minimal.
The fruits of cherry plum do not ripen all at once, but in waves, which allows them to be gradually processed, and fruiting occurs already at 2-3 years of age.
Landing
Spring is most suitable for planting cherry plum. A young seedling will have time to get stronger by the fall and will endure the winter more easily.
Prepare the landing pit:
- dig a recess about 1 m with a width of 50 cm;
- pour humus in such a way that its amount is equal to half the amount of soil with which the seedling will be covered;
- add two liter jars of wood ash;
- mix;
- water abundantly.
Place the seedling in the center of the hole, spread the roots and cover it with earth.
Watering
If upon landing cherry plum water well, it does not require a lot of moisture. In general, the tree is very drought-resistant and even tolerates hot dry summers without losses. However, in the absence of precipitation, some of the fruits can be thrown off. In total, until the end of autumn, it will be enough to water the tree three times (taking into account the natural moisture as a result of rain).
If the branches are abundantly strewn with fruits, and there is no rain at all, in order to avoid losing the harvest, the cherry plum should be watered at least once a week.
But when watering is simply necessary, it is just before the very beginning of the first frost. It will allow the tree to survive the winter well.
The cherry plum root system has the property of self-healing, and even in case of frostbite it quickly grows new roots, which is the reason for its high winter hardiness.
Top dressing
There is no need to fertilize the planted young cherry plum in the spring, because it received the necessary supply of nutrients during planting. But with the onset of autumn, additional feeding will be very useful. This will allow the tree to prepare for the dormant period.
To do this, you need to add to the periosteal circle:
- 0.5 buckets of humus;
- 1 kg of wood ash.
Carefully dig up the soil so as not to touch the roots. It is enough to go 15 cm deep.
Features of feeding adult cherry plum
The feeding regime for an adult tree that bears fruit is slightly different. He will need to do more intermediate feeding during the ripening period of the crop. When the fruits begin to pour, you need to pour the cherry plum infusion of wood ash:
- Ash in the amount of 1 kg, pour a bucket of water.
- Day to insist.
- Dilute with 3 buckets of water.
Pruning
By its nature, cherry plum has a shrub type and does not require a special approach to pruning. In a young tree, it is enough to remove dry branches and those that grow deep into the crown or vertically upward.
At 5-6 years of life, the crown thickens very much, and more radical methods are already needed. To lighten it and unload the tree, you need to cut out all weak, poorly developed, broken shoots.