How to feed a plum in the spring

Feeding plums in the spring is essential. This part of agrotechnical work is needed both for the tree itself and for the future harvest. The result of the entire annual cycle of agricultural work depends on how effective it will be.

Plum care secrets in spring

After the snow cover has practically disappeared in the garden, you can begin the spring cycle of plum care work. The activities carried out at this time are aimed at ensuring that the plant quickly enters the growing season, blooms and sets a maximum of fruits.

Care of the plum

The whole complex of measures for plum care in the spring consists of the following parts:

• Sanitary pruning.
• Preventive spraying against diseases and pests.
• A whiter print.
• Cleaning, loosening and mulching of tree trunks.
• The introduction of fertilizers.

If the spring is dry and sunny, the tree may need to be watered. In most cases, precipitation is sufficient.

Care for plum seedlings

Immediately after planting, you need to start pruning the plum, starting to form its crown. Its lateral branches are cut off completely, while the central conductor is shortened to 0,6 m. Feeding of seedlings in the first 2-3 years is not carried out, since the tree is quite satisfied with the fertilizers that were laid in the planting hole during planting.

Caring for an adult plum tree

At the age of 5–6, when the crown of the tree is fully formed and the first harvest is obtained, the plum can be considered an adult. Spring care for her at this time will consist of preventive spraying from diseases and pests, sanitary pruning, as well as top dressing.

At this time, the roots of the tree will begin to give abundant root shoots, you need to carefully get rid of it.

Caring for an old plum tree in spring

If the fruits have become small, and annual growths do not exceed 10–15 cm, then it is time for the tree to do rejuvenating pruning. It is carried out in several stages and is usually divided into 4 years, in each of which the fourth part of the crown is rejuvenated. Part of the old wood, side branches, sagging, diseased and dry branches are removed. The crown is shortened and lightened by removing the old branches that thicken its center.

After pruning, all cuts should be covered with garden pitch, and the plant should be fed to stimulate the development of young shoots.

Plum blossom care

During the flowering period, no work is usually carried out with the tree. At this time, return frosts are the greatest danger to plum blossoms. Smoke piles are lit to protect the trees when the temperature drops. This reduces the heat transfer of the soil. In addition to smoke protection, tree watering and crown irrigation are also used. It also prevents the flowers from dying from frost.

Plum care after flowering

After flowering, the plums are re-treated from pests by spraying. In addition, after flowering, 40 g of nitrophoska and 30 g of urea are root fed, spreading them in a bucket of water. 3 buckets are poured under each tree. This top dressing is done only for mature trees.

Spring plum care: advice from experienced gardeners

Before the spring planting of plum seedlings, experienced gardeners recommend digging up the place of future planting to a depth of at least 0,7 m in the fall. This will significantly increase the air content in the soil and improve the survival rate of seedlings.

Basal shoots, formed in excess by plums, must be removed below soil level. Otherwise, the situation will worsen and there will be even more shoots.

By the way, root shoots can be used as ready-made seedlings. The exception here is grafted plums. If the plum was grafted, most likely, a wild game will grow from the basal shoot. It can also be used as a rootstock, subsequently planting a cultivar on it.

Spring pruning can be combined with cuttings for plum propagation. This will save a lot of time. If the tree is not grafted, cuttings can also be harvested from root shoots.

Purposes and Importance of Feeding Plums in Spring

The main purpose of top dressing plums in the spring is to create conditions for maximum fruiting. In spring, the most active sap flow occurs, at which time nutrients are carried throughout the tree. Their lack will lead to weak growth of leaves and shoots, the tree will gain strength for a long time, and flowering and fruiting will slow down, will be more stretched and belated. Yields will decrease and fruit quality will deteriorate.

Feeding methods

Plants can be fertilized using bark, adding nutrients to the soil. From there, they will be absorbed by the root system of the tree and spread throughout the periphery of the plant. For root dressings, dry and wet methods are used, which mean applying fertilizer to the soil in dry form or in the form of an aqueous solution.

In early spring, when the ground is still quite wet, groundbait is applied dry, often by simply spreading granular fertilizer right over the last snow. The fertilizer will dissolve and gradually go into the ground along with melt water. When the soil dries out, it becomes more appropriate to use the wet method. The fertilizer here is already in dissolved form and does not require additional watering for normal absorption by plants.

Nutrients can be absorbed not only by roots, but also by other parts of plants. This is the basis of the method of foliar feeding. Trees are simply sprayed with an aqueous solution of fertilizer, and its absorption occurs through leaves and shoots. The method of foliar feeding is able to repeatedly enhance the vegetation and growth of green mass, and therefore it is applied only after the appearance of leaves.

What loves plum from fertilizers

Plum is not particularly demanding on fertilizers. From organic matter, you can use rotted manure, humus, chicken manure. Plum can also be fed with mineral fertilizers, such as nitrophoska, ammonium nitrate, monophosphate and potassium sulfate, urea and superphosphate. Be sure to use fertilizers containing magnesium.

Fertilizers when planting plums in spring

When planting, a plum seedling is covered with nutrient soil, which consists of equal parts of humus and soddy soil with peat. To fill the need for calcium, chalk or eggshells are additionally added to it, and to increase nutritional value – superphosphate (200–250 g per tree), as well as 3 tbsp. spoons of urea and potassium sulfate.

Be sure to add 0,5 kg of wood ash, if it is not available – lime or dolomite flour, since the plum loves slightly alkaline soil.

How to feed a plum in the spring before flowering

Before flowering, the trees are fed with an aqueous solution of potassium sulfate and urea. For 10 liters of water, 2 tbsp. spoons of each of the fertilizers. Under each fruit-bearing tree, you need to pour 3 buckets of such a nutrient solution, evenly irrigating the entire near-trunk circle or pouring fertilizer into holes dug at a distance of half a meter from the trunk.

How to feed a plum during flowering

During the flowering period, plants do not need to be fed. Enough of those fertilizers that were introduced earlier.

How to feed a yellow plum in spring

Yellow plum in care is no different from the usual. Therefore, all stages of spring tree care will be fair for her, including the timing and composition of spring dressings.

Feeding plums after flowering 

After the end of flowering, it is recommended to feed the plum with nitrogen-containing fertilizers in order to stimulate the growth of green mass and shoots, as well as speed up and intensify the process of fruit ripening. They do it in the root way, introducing an aqueous solution of urea and nitrophoska into the root zone (2 and 3 tablespoons per bucket of water, respectively).

How to fertilize plums in the spring to increase the yield 

To increase yields, many experienced gardeners use the following:

1. Yeast nutrition. 20 g of yeast is diluted per liter of water and allowed to brew for about a week. After that, the infusion is diluted with a bucket of water and brought into the root zone.
2. Eggshell. Enriches the soil with calcium, and at the same time slightly deoxidizes it. Before applying, it must be crushed into powder and scattered around the trunk circle.
3. Bread crusts. They are soaked in a bucket of water and infused for a week. After that, the infusion is shaken, diluted with 3 buckets of water and applied in a root way. You can add some whey.

Feeding plums depending on the age of the tree

In the first two years after planting, top dressing, as a rule, is not produced. The seedling has enough nutrients that were introduced into the planting hole during planting. As the age of the tree increases, the composition of the bait also changes.

How to feed a young plum in the spring 

From the third year of life, plum trees need to be fed. This is done at the beginning of May. For top dressing, an aqueous solution of urea is used (2 tablespoons per bucket of water). Under each tree, 2-3 buckets of mortar are introduced.

How to feed an old plum in spring

Before flowering, an adult plum is fed with a solution of urea and potassium sulfate. To prepare it, add 2 tbsp to a bucket of water. spoons of each of the components. Many gardeners replace these two preparations with the Berry complex fertilizer, which requires 250–300 g per bucket of water.

After flowering, the trees are fed with an aqueous solution of urea and nitrophoska (2 and 3 tablespoons per bucket of water, respectively). You can replace such a fertilizer with a complex fertilizer containing the same components, for example, “Berry Giant”.

How often to water a plum

Plum is quite a moisture-loving plant. However, precipitation is usually enough for her. Watering may be required only during dry periods. This can be determined by the twisting of the leaves and the drying out of the fruits, so the tree reflexively tries to reduce the evaporation area and reduce moisture loss.

When to Water Plum Trees in Spring

In spring, the air humidity is quite high, so plum watering is not required. An exception is made only in drought, then at the end of May, abundant watering should be done for each tree to stimulate fruit set and shoot growth.

Can plum blossoms be watered?

Plum blossoms do not need to be watered. High humidity during this period adversely affects the pollination of flowers.

How to water plums in summer

During the summer, 3-4 waterings of plum trees are done. The amount may vary depending on the weather; in rainy summers, watering may not be necessary at all. If atmospheric moisture is clearly not enough, watering is done about 1 time in 2-3 weeks. 5-8 buckets are poured under each tree, depending on its age. During fruiting, the plum should be watered with care, an excessive amount of water can lead to cracking of the fruit.

Watering plums in the summer after fruiting

After harvesting, the plums are watered only during dry periods. The last time this is done after the leaves fall, this is the so-called moisture-charging watering. After that, they completely stop watering the trees.

Plum pruning in spring

In the spring, before the start of sap flow, the trees are pruned. It is produced for the following purposes:

1. Formative. The first 4 years of a tree’s life are done, forming its crown in one way or another (sparse-tiered, bowl-shaped, etc.).
2. Sanitary. It is done twice a season (the second time after leaf fall). All broken, dry, damaged and diseased branches are removed. At the same time, thinning of the crown is done and root shoots are removed.
3. Anti-aging. It is done for old trees to rejuvenate the crown and extend the period of active plum fruiting.

Proper pruning can significantly extend the life of a tree and protect it from many diseases.

Mulching

Mulching near-trunk circles performs a number of functions. First of all, it retains moisture in the soil. In spring, mulch is an additional heat-insulating layer that heats up easily and retains heat in the soil. Peat or humus is most often used as mulch, so the soil is additionally enriched with nutrients.

How to avoid mistakes in the process of caring for plums in the spring

For plums, both insufficient and excessive care is dangerous. Therefore, an excessive amount of both watering and fertilizing will lead to problems rather than help the tree. It is necessary to strictly observe the timing and dosage of fertilizing.

When loosening the soil, you can’t dig deep, since most plum roots lie at a depth of no more than 0,5 m. For the same reason, fertilizers containing chlorine should not be used for plums.

Conclusion

Feeding plums in the spring is certainly necessary. However, when carrying out it, it is necessary to take into account the composition of the soil, as well as strictly adhere to the type of fertilizer, the indicated dosages and the timing of application. Otherwise, it will not bring any benefit. At best, these will be extra material costs, at worst, the tree itself will die.