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The White Honey Plum actually bears yellow fruits, but that’s how they become when they ripen. Gardeners fell in love with the fruit because of the well-separated stone and honey pulp. Growing a plum on your site is not difficult, you just need to follow the simple rules of agricultural technology.
History of variety breeding
Ukraine is the birthplace of the white plum. The authorship belongs to the talented scientist Taranenko L.I. Due to the amber color of the fruit, they also call the plum Honey yellow early, and there is also such a name as White Ukrainian. When registering, the breeder designated the culture as Honey White. Other names are considered folk. The plum spread throughout all the republics of the former Soviet Union and took root in the private plots of gardeners.
The video tells about the White Honey variety:
Description of the plum variety White Honey
There is a home plum Medovaya in all the republics of the post-Soviet space. Most culture is grown:
- Farms throughout Ukraine. The yellow plum Honey has taken root even in Transcarpathia.
- Orchards of white plums are common in the Central Chernozem zone.
- Suitable plum Honey white for the Moscow region, has taken root in the Belgorod, as well as the Kaluga region.
The variety can be characterized by the following features:
- The main difference is the crown size. The maximum height of the honey plum tree can reach from 4 to 7 m. The culture is vigorous with a spreading crown.
- Yellow plums require a large area to grow. The crown grows in diameter up to 5 m. However, the tree does not experience thickening. The branches of the yellow plum grow in moderation, there is nothing superfluous.
- The fruits are large. The mass of one yellow plum reaches 55 g. The fruit is spherical and even in shape. The skin and flesh are white when unripe. A fruit is considered fully ripe when it turns yellow with an amber tint. The taste of the pulp is sweet. Slightly acidic. Ripe yellow flesh is saturated with a delicate plum aroma. According to the tasting score, out of 5,0 points, the yellow plum received 4,5.
To make the description of the White plum variety complete, let’s look at other features of the culture.
Characteristics of a variety
In all descriptions of the White plum, the unpretentiousness of the variety and resistance to bad weather conditions are emphasized.
Plum winter hardiness Honey
The variety of yellow plum has good winter hardiness. Drought resistance can also be added to this quality. Regardless of climatic conditions, the yield and taste of fruits do not change.
Plum Pollinators White Honey
Blossoming plum yellow honey begins early in the spring. In the south, the fruit ripens in July. Residents of the northern regions harvest in August. The variety is considered self-infertile. Pollinators are needed to produce crops. The best variety is Hungarian and Renklod Kuibyshevsky. Ukrainian gardeners often call white plums Honey Artemovskaya. For pollination of the crop, any related plum trees are planted nearby.
Yield and fruiting
On average, Honey plum begins to bear fruit in the fourth year from the date of planting. It all depends on compliance with the rules of agricultural technology, climatic conditions. Up to 35 kg of crop is harvested from a tree. Wood is considered the weak point of the white plum. With a plentiful harvest, branches break. It may even split the trunk. Supports made of sticks help save the crown.
Scope of berries
White and yellow fruits are considered universal. The fruit can be frozen, eaten fresh, used for all types of processing. Because of the beauty of the yellow pulp and the dessert taste, plums decorate banquet tables for a celebration.
Disease and pest resistance
Numerous reviews of the White Honey plum say that the variety is not afraid of moniliosis. A great danger to the culture is perforated spotting, rust, as well as fungi that cause fruit rot. Preventive spraying with fungicides helps prevent the spread of diseases.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
The honey plum variety was bred during a difficult period, when the inhabitants of the country were in dire need of vitamin foods. These were the post-war years. Breeders have tried to make the variety productive under any growing conditions.
Among the advantages are the following points:
- The variety is not afraid of temperature changes. The yield indicator is maintained in case of transferring the return frosts or drought.
- The variety of yellow plum adapts to almost all weather conditions of the republics of the post-Soviet space.
- Early ripening of fruits, delicate dessert taste of pulp. The yellow fruit of universal use is suitable for preparing desserts, preservation, and endures long-term transportation.
- It is considered a big advantage that when pollinated by other varieties of plums, the quality of the fruits does not change at White Honey.
The only drawback is the large size of the crown. To limit growth, gardeners resort to frequent pruning. Folk breeders are trying to cross the White Honey with dwarf varieties to get a small tree, but not at the expense of the quality of the fruit.
Planting and caring for honey yellow plum
You do not need to have special knowledge to grow Honey White Plum. However, even a seedling planted on the site may not bring the desired harvest. To get a good fruit tree, you must follow the simple rules of agricultural technology.
Recommended dates
It is better to propagate the early honey plum by seedlings. The best time for planting is considered to be early spring, starting from March. The plot has been prepared since October. Gardeners in the southern regions prefer autumn plantings of plums. The plot is prepared at least two weeks in advance. The procedure consists of spilling lime and humus, followed by digging the soil.
Choosing the right place
Early Honey Plum grows well in a sunny location with clay or sandy soil. The main requirement is the presence of a large free space. Neighboring trees should be at a distance of at least 3 m, and it is better to withstand 5 m. The yellow plum variety does not like swampy areas.
What crops can and cannot be planted nearby
Variety White honey gets along well with cherry plums and other plums. In addition, they are pollinators. Gardeners in cold regions recommend planting the Honey White plum with the Opal plum due to the similarity of some characteristics. Both cultures are frost-resistant, tall, have a spreading crown. The Opal variety is self-fertile and is a good pollinator for the White Honey Plum.
The culture coexists well with cherries, cherries, apple trees, apricots, peaches. The elderberry growing nearby will protect the plum from aphids.
Bad neighbors include all types of currants, birch, pear, walnut. The proximity of coniferous trees is undesirable.
Selection and preparation of planting material
Experienced gardeners categorically recommend buying white plum seedlings only in a nursery. The main requirement for good planting material is a developed root system, an even trunk with intact bark. Be sure to have live fruit buds. It is better to buy yellow honey plum seedlings up to 1,5 m high. Taller trees will not take root well. A seedling with a closed root system is planted along with a clod of earth. If a white plum with open roots was bought, before planting they are soaked for a couple of hours in a bucket of water, adding Kornevin.
Landing algorithm
Numerous reviews of summer residents about the Medovaya plum say that the landing is carried out according to generally accepted rules. You need to do the following:
- They begin to dig a hole from the removal of fertile soil about 30 cm thick. It is laid aside. The rest of the infertile soil is removed from the pit. In the future, it will not be useful. The size of the hole depends on the root system of the seedling. Usually 60 cm of depth and width is enough.
- If the honey plum seedling is with open roots, a wooden peg is driven into the bottom in the center of the hole. This will be the support for the tree.
- Chernozem and clay are characterized by poor drainage. If the site is heavy soil, the bottom of the hole is covered with a small stone.
- A nutrient mixture is prepared from the fertile soil set aside. The earth is mixed with 2 buckets of cow dung and 500 g of ash. From fertilizers add 100 g of superphosphate, 85 g of potassium chloride.
- A thin layer of the finished fertile mixture is poured at the bottom of the pit. The seedling is carefully lowered into the hole. If the root system is open, it is carefully spread along the bottom.
- Backfilling is carried out with a fertile mixture. The root neck is left about 5 cm not covered with earth. The seedling is watered abundantly. After subsidence of the soil, the earth is filled up. The trunk is tied with a rope to a peg.
The final planting is the mulching of the trunk circle. Better to use peat. Mulch will retain moisture, creating favorable conditions for rooting.
The video tells about the rules for planting plums:
Plum Aftercare
The variety is considered drought-resistant, but will not refuse plum water. Frequent watering is needed for the seedling until it takes root. Further, it all depends on the weather. Gardeners usually make sure to water the white plum in the spring after the tree has finished blooming and during fruiting. If the weather is dry, further watering is carried out every 20 days. After harvesting, 2 buckets of water are poured under the tree. The last watering is carried out in October. 8 buckets of water are poured under the tree.
Young seedlings do not feed. Nutrients are enough of those that were introduced during planting. At the age of 4, Plum Honey is fed with 20 kg of manure. From fertilizers, 100 g of superphosphate, 80 g of saltpeter, 50 g of potassium are added. For older trees, the amount of organic matter is increased to 30 kg. Minerals are added by 40-50 g more. In autumn, Plum must be fed with phosphorus-potassium fertilizer.
Pruning to a young seedling is done to form a crown. From the second year of life, the extra branches that create thickening are cut off from the seedling, and the elongated growth shoots are shortened by one ring.
On old trees, rejuvenating pruning is done. Remove all growths older than 5 years. Variety Honey white gives a lot of shoots. It is removed at least 5 times per season. The launched growth will pull juices from the tree.
Preparing for winter begins with moisture-charging irrigation. The near-trunk circle is covered with dry manure 15 cm thick. The bark in the lower part of the trunk is cleaned of lichens, whitewashed with lime. Branches of coniferous trees or special nets are used as protection against rodents. The protection is tied with wire, securely wrapping the lower part of the trunk.
Diseases and pests, methods of control and prevention
According to the description, honey plum resists diseases and pests well. However, sawflies, aphids, scale insects, weevil love to feast on the culture. For the prevention and control of pests, Nitrafin, Chlorophos and Karbofos are used.
Of the diseases, the variety is occasionally affected by rust, fungus, perforated spotting. Bordeaux liquid or a solution of pure copper sulphate is considered the best drug for prevention and treatment.
Conclusion
Plum White honey is able to take root in any area. You just need to plant the right tree. Most old gardeners leave only positive feedback about the Medovaya plum, considering it the best domestic variety. Many even close their eyes to the high growth of the tree.