You can expand the number of fruit plantations in the garden by buying ready-made seedlings. Only this is an expensive pleasure and not for everyone on a budget. The most affordable option is to propagate the plum yourself. The easiest way to propagate it is root shoots. Although there are other, no less effective methods.
Plum Reproduction
In the process of cultivating fruit crops, several effective methods for propagating plums have been developed. The plant is quite pliable and easily rooted, giving multiple shoots. It should be disposed of in a timely manner so as not to impede the full development of plantings. How to do it right and usefully will tell the article.
Of all the propagation methods of plums, vegetative ones are the most popular:
- vaccination;
- cuttings;
- layering;
- germination of the bone;
- root growth.
The first two types of reproduction of plums are artificial, the last three are natural.
Propagation of plums by layering
When plums are propagated by air layering, the original varietal characteristics can be completely preserved. To do this, it is enough to select developed shoots with several live buds on the surface. Then you need to root a plum branch next to the mother bush.
The favorable period for the procedure is spring, and in the fall it can be separated and transplanted to its place. All this time, you should create comfortable conditions for rooting layering.
Reproduction of plum by cuttings
This method of plum propagation has become popular with amateur gardeners, although it was previously used only in industrial production. Its advantage is the high survival rate of plantings and the preservation of valuable varietal qualities. The result depends on a number of factors:
- varieties;
- equipment used;
- the state of the planting material and the mother plant;
- fertilizers;
- timing of cuttings.
It is recommended to root plum cuttings in spring.
Reproduction by green cuttings
Suitable for dark varieties. A lignified shoot is cut from the mother bush and divided into several parts of 20–25 cm each. Each should have 2–3 leaves. After 12–13 hours of settling them in a special solution (growth stimulator), they are planted in the ground.
Cover with foil, put in a warm place and moisten regularly. After 14–20 days, young plum roots appear.
Propagation of plum shoots
Propagation of plums by root shoots is a favorite method among gardeners, due to its simplicity and efficiency. Suitable for varieties with a fairly developed root system. They tend to give offspring in large numbers, with which you can experiment in the future.
With proper work and proper care, the plum from the shoots will begin to bear fruit almost the next year, after a maximum of 2 years.
Bone reproduction
Another option for propagating plum culture, but not very popular. With it, it will not be possible to maintain the original qualities of the mother plant.
The bones are kept in the cold for half a year (from autumn to spring), wrapped in damp gauze. Then planted in a regular flower pot. They take care of the germinated material, like any houseplant:
- watered regularly;
- fertilize;
- carry out preventive treatment against pests.
In the fall, when the process is sufficiently extended, they are transplanted to the garden plot. But first, growing in a greenhouse or in a garden bed, under a film, is required. And in the next season, if the plant has successfully survived the winter, they are moved to a permanent place of residence.
Inoculation of plum
To preserve the varietal properties of the plant, this method is the most successful. A shoot grown from seeds is grafted onto a stock (base). The bud is cut off along with the bark, a deep transverse incision is made and a scion split is inserted into it. Fix the structure with polyethylene.
Water abundantly to activate juice production. After 2-3 weeks, the film is removed.
How to propagate plum shoots
It is easier and faster to propagate plums with measles than in other ways. Every year, the culture produces many shoots, and it is important to constantly remove them so as not to weaken the development of the plant.
Is it possible to grow plum from shoots
Plum shoots retain their varietal qualities if taken from own-rooted crops – not grafted. Not all varieties are suitable for this. The most acceptable hybrids:
- Hungarian Moscow;
- Tula black;
- Local yellow;
- Rapid red.
Otherwise, the processes will differ from the source in appearance.
You can plant shoots from healthy plum trees with high productivity. It is recommended to take offspring located at a distance from the mother bush.
Will a plum grown from shoots bear fruit
Despite all the advantages of propagation by root shoots, even externally strong seedlings are less durable and productive than those propagated using other technology. Coppice trees bear fruit in different ways.
How to plant a plum shoot
Most often, shoots are transplanted to a separate area in the fall, in September – early October. A spring transplant is also possible, before the start of sap flow (until the buds open).
As a source for seedlings, plantings aged 2–3 years are chosen. They should be healthy, tall, abundantly fruiting and with a developed root system. Such specimens usually grow where there is a lot of light and not far from mother trees.
The sequence of steps for propagation by shoots:
- Carefully dig out the main root, which lies in a horizontal plane and away from the trunk. Cut off a part.
- If the root is deprived of processes, then for some time it is grown separately in a greenhouse. Just before that, they are soaked in a solution of “Kornevin” (growth stimulator). This happens when the seedling grew close to the mother tree.
- If there is enough overgrowth, then holes are made nearby, fertilizers are applied there and root shoots are planted.
- The soil is carefully compacted and watered abundantly.
- The next year, with the first spring warmth, young seedlings can be transplanted to a permanent place of residence.
It is possible to improve the condition of the roots with the help of advance preparation. Since autumn, the root ball of an adult plant is cut around the perimeter using a shovel. In the spring, they dig up and separate the shoots of plums.
A similar procedure can be carried out in early spring. Throughout the warm season, the root space is moistened, loosened and weeded, fed. As a result, many lateral processes are formed by autumn.
What year does a plum grown from shoots bear fruit
If you correctly approach the process, then plum shoots will bear fruit in the second or third year.
How to grow plums from cuttings
Plums can be propagated by cuttings if the goal is to produce healthy and consistently fruiting trees. The stalk, rooted in accordance with all the rules of agricultural technology, in a few years will turn into a full-fledged root-bearing fruit plant. You can grow a plum from a lignified or green cutting.
Is it possible to plant a plum cuttings
Not all varieties of plums can be cuttings in the spring. Only those that give abundant root shoots are suitable. These include:
- Red dessert;
- Renklod Tambov;
- Volga beauty;
- purple;
- Resin;
- Hungarian;
- The memory of Timiryazev.
The survival rate of the plant during cuttings is about 45–50%.
Plum cuttings: in spring, summer and autumn (terms, nuances, benefits)
A less labor-intensive method of propagation is considered to be plum cuttings with lignified cuttings in the spring, during the dormant period of the plant. If the use of green cuttings is implied, then harvesting is best done in the summer: in the regions of the middle lane, this is the beginning of June. It is at this time that active vegetative growth takes place.
In summer, the tops of the shoots are still quite vulnerable, and the bottom has time to become woody. It is advisable to take green cuttings from young trees: the older the plant, the less likely it is to successfully root.
It is recommended to root the plum cuttings in the spring so that it can fully adapt over the summer and endure the winter painlessly.
Rooting cuttings of plum
Propagation by cuttings is usually carried out in a greenhouse structure, which should be done in advance. As a substrate, a mixture of river sand and peat is taken in equal quantities. It is poured into a greenhouse, and a sandy layer 1–1,5 cm thick is laid on top. Immediately before planting, it is watered abundantly.
For propagation by cuttings, long shoots are chosen, at least 30 cm. Live eyes must be present on them. Plum slices are immersed in water for several hours. Do the same with cuttings that have been kept cool since autumn.
More often they are sprayed and, as soon as the first leaves hatch, the branch is cut into several plots of 7–10 cm long. Use a sharp knife for this. Each requires 1-2 internodes.
You can grow a tree from a plum cutting if you follow a certain sequence of actions:
- An oblique incision is made on the handle from below, directly above the last leaf.
- They are treated with a growth stimulator according to the instructions on the package: dissolve it in water and put the cuts in the solution for 6-7 hours.
- The soil is thoroughly moistened beforehand.
- Properly harvested cuttings are planted on a separate bed with loose soil, in a greenhouse or mobile boxes at home. It is advisable to dig them in at a slight slope to the depth of the cut. The optimal interval between plantings is 5-7 cm.
- Additionally, a peat-sand mixture is scattered over the surface.
- Water well and cover with white covering material. Remove it as soon as the plum cuttings take root and young shoots hatch.
Growing plum cuttings
Germination of cuttings of plums implies elementary care:
- maintaining the optimal temperature regime in the greenhouse – 24 … 30 ° C;
- watering – 2-3 times a day;
- spraying.
As soon as the first roots form, the film cover must be removed for a short time daily for ventilation. A month after planting, they are fed with mineral supplements. For the winter, young seedlings are insulated with a layer of peat and dry foliage.
When can rooted plum cuttings be transplanted?
Regardless of how the plum is propagated by cuttings: at home or in a greenhouse, planting in open ground is carried out after it is warmed up – in early spring. The air temperature should be stable and not lower than 8…12 °C.
Additional information on the propagation of plums by cuttings will be given by the video:
Conclusion
Reproduction of plums is a simple process, but it requires patience and certain knowledge. If you initially competently and responsibly approach the plum breeding procedure, the shoots from it will bear fruit no worse than the mother tree. This will require proper care at all stages of growth.