How to plant a plum in spring: the subtleties and tricks of agricultural technology

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The first thing you need to know when growing plums is the timing of its planting. Choosing the right time for landing is half the success. Plums should be planted in the spring. And it needs to be done early. At the same time, you can plant a seedling in the fall. This is done approximately 1,5-2 months before the soil freezes.

Also, the time when it is possible and necessary to plant a tree is determined by the climatic conditions of the place of growth. In the middle lane, it is recommended to plant a plum in the spring, but autumn is more suitable for the southern regions. Also, slight variations in planting time are possible, based on the type of tree.

But still, experienced gardeners consider spring to be the best time to plant plum seedlings. It is in the spring that the survival rate of seedlings is maximum. The best period for planting is the end of April (20th days) and before the beginning of May (the first 10 days). During the spring planting of seedlings, their roots fall into the heated soil. As a result, the aerial part of the young tree develops normally. In addition, the plum becomes resistant to the conditions of the winter period of growth.

Video “Growing a plum in the garden”

Tips for planting

The most important aspect to consider is the choice of a quality and viable seedling. If the seedling is chosen correctly, then the planting will be effective, and in the future you will get a high-quality and plentiful harvest of delicious plums. As you know, you need to plant a plum only with high-quality planting material. A good seedling can be selected based on the following selection criteria:

• absence of defects and various types of damage on seedlings;
• no broken branches;
• the presence of a powerful root system. The seedling should have 3-5 strong roots, the size of which should be from 25 cm.

Such seedlings can not only be planted in the spring in a suitable place in your backyard, but also later transplanted to a new one. When choosing planting material, you should know that plum happens:

• grafted;
• own-rooted. In the event of freezing, they can recover on their own.

Trees can also be

• self-fertile;
• self-infertile. Such a plum should be planted only in combination with self-fertile trees.

To properly plant or transplant a plum, you need to know certain nuances. Tips for planting and caring for a tree include:

• plum is a fairly demanding tree in terms of moisture, heat and location. Therefore, the optimal site on which to plant a plum is a place with sufficient access to light and little access to wind. The tree needs full protection from the western and northern winds. The best choice would be a site near buildings or a fence;
• the depth of the landing pit should be approximately 0.5 m, and the width should be more than one meter;
• if the soil is poor in nutrients, then planting pits should be dug deep from 40 to 60 cm and expanded to 100-120 cm. Such dimensions allow creating optimal conditions for soil nutrition of seedlings;
• the best site for planting a plum would be the southwest, southeast or east direction. Do not take away the southern slopes for landing sites. Otherwise, the plum can get a fairly severe degree of sunburn;
• it is worth avoiding low places in which the tree will rot, and when flowering, the negative impact of spring frosts is possible;
• in terms of soil selection, preference should be given to loamy soils that have a soil solution close to neutral. Soil pH should be in the range of 6,8-7,2. Swampy places with a gley horizon are considered unsuitable for planting. In addition, soils with abundant gravel and gravel are not suitable. Here the plant will suffer from desiccation or excess moisture;
• the dug hole is 2/3 filled with the top layer of soil, which is mixed with fertilizers. About 15 kg of compost, 400 g of wood ash, 300-400 g of superphosphate, 40-60 g of potassium chloride are placed in the pit;
• the seedling should be planted so that the root neck is located about 5 cm higher than the existing ground level. The same condition holds if the tree needs to be replanted;
• the distance between seedlings is determined based on the type of tree acquired. For sprawling and wide plums, this figure is approximately three meters. With a small crown, the distance can be reduced to 1,5 meters;
• so that the young tree grows evenly, the seedling is propped up with a peg on the north side.

If the seedlings were purchased in the fall, they should be buried for the winter in a trench specially dug for this. The trees are placed in it at an angle and sprinkled with earth on top. Young trees need to be covered with earth for about half the bole. Podzolic soils are typical for our country in most cases. Therefore, in this situation, it is necessary to carry out the liming procedure in order to end up with a strong and healthy tree, as well as a high-quality and tasty harvest.

Correct liming can be carried out according to the following scheme:

1. at a soil pH of 5,2-5,6 – peat – 400 g / m², podzolic soil – 450 g / m²;
2. with a soil pH of 4,5-5,0 – peat soil – 600 g / m², podzolic soil – 650 g / m².

In addition, before planting, in the presence of loamy and podzolic soils, pre-planting soil fertilizer is carried out. The following fertilizers should be applied here:

• humus – most of all (about 15-20 kg);
• superphosphate – noticeably less (no more than 200-400 g);
• potassium chloride – quite a bit (about 40-50 g).

The fertilizer application scheme changes somewhat in the presence of peaty soils. In this situation, preplant fertilizer includes the application of:

• a small amount of superphosphate (about 300-400 g);
• potassium chloride in small volumes (up to 50 g).

In the presence of dressing chernozems, this scheme involves the introduction of:

• humus – 10 kg less;
• superphosphate – about 100-200 g;
• potassium chloride – even less than for loamy and podzolic soils (only 20-30 g).

In this amount, fertilizer should be applied to one pit.

Many gardeners recommend planting together. This will allow for a better planting, since one person will keep the seedling in a level position, and the second will cover it with fertile soil. Taking into account the above tips, you can plant a plum according to all the rules.

Care after

After the plum has been planted, the important point is to properly care for it. The most important thing is to create the necessary water regime. The water regime for plums in the post-planting period looks like this:

• after a direct landing under a tree, two buckets of water are poured;
• during the season, the planted plant is watered 2-4 times (here based on the existing climatic conditions);
• during hot periods, watering is increased according to the needs of the plant.

After watering, the ground around the plant is mulched, sprinkled with peat chips and fertilized. You can also sprinkle the ground with fallen leaves.

Also, a prerequisite for care is the application of fertilizers. Top dressing scheme:

• the first year – fertilizer is not recommended;
• subsequent years – contribute to 1 m² about 20 g of urea;
• during the fruiting period – by 1 m² near the trunk, you need to add manure / compost (up to 10 kg), a little superphosphate (about 60 g), even less urea (no more than 25 g) and very little potassium chloride (only 20 g). Potassium can also be replaced with 200 g of wood ash;
• spring top dressing – consists of urea;
• autumn top dressing – includes potash and phosphorus supplements;
• spring and autumn top dressing – compost and manure.

In addition, after disembarkation, it is necessary to organize the crown trimming procedure by about 1/3. Be sure to cut the lower branches with a larger grip than the upper ones. Leave extensions on the shoot up to 20-30 cm above the upper side branch.

As you can see, planting and caring for a plum is not a difficult task. Here you just need to follow the recommendations listed above, and everything will work out for you as it should.

Video “How to plant a plum”

It would seem that planting a plum is a very simple and easy process. However, it has its own subtleties and tricks, the observance of which will help you grow a healthy and prolific tree.