Contents
Plum variety “President” has been known for over 100 years. Most often it is found in Western Europe. It is grown both in ordinary small gardens and in industrial ones. President is a fairly popular variety that has a lot of advantages, ranging from high yields to drought tolerance.
History of variety breeding
Слива домашняя «Президент» относится к плодовым деревьям позднего созревания. Была выведена в 19 веке в Великобритании (Хартфордшир).
Since 1901, the popularity of the variety began to rise rapidly. Gardeners paid attention to its intensive growth, a large number of fruits and the possibility of transportation over long distances. These properties brought the variety far beyond its “homeland”.
Description of the plum variety “President”
Plums “President” are medium in size. In most cases, their weight reaches 50 g. There are fruits that are slightly larger (maximum 70 g). They are round in shape with a slight indentation at the base.
The skin is not thick, smooth. It looks like it’s covered in wax. Separating the skin and pulp is difficult.
Ripe plums “President” are usually green, and ripe bright blue, sometimes even purple. Elastic pulp of a yellow-green shade.
Due to the small size of the stalk, the fruits of this variety are easy to pick from the tree.
Inside each plum “President” is a medium-sized stone. It is oval with sharp tips on both sides. Getting it out is pretty easy.
Plums “President” have excellent taste. Their flesh is tender and very juicy. She is sweet but sour. 100 g contains 6.12 mg of ascorbic acid and 8.5% sugars. Its juice is colorless.
The plum tree “President” reaches a maximum height of 3 m. It has a round-oval and not very dense crown. At first, the branches grow upwards, but after the plum is ready to bear fruit, they take a position parallel to the ground.
The leaves of the President have a dark green hue, a round shape and a pointed tip. They are matte and wrinkled. Petioles in representatives of the variety are small.
Plum inflorescences of the “President” variety have two or three flowers. They are large, white, slightly shaped like a rose.
Характеристики сливы «Президент»
As mentioned above, the President variety is primarily known for its properties and characteristics. There are several.
Drought resistance, frost resistance
The plant is not afraid of either drought or frost. It copes well with any bad weather. This was tested during the winters of 1968-1969 and 1978-1979, when the air temperature dropped to -35-40°C.
Pollinators
Plums “President” are self-fertile varieties. They do not need additional pollination.
Но если рядом высадить другие сорта слив, урожайность в несколько раз повысится.
As pollinators are used:
- plum “Peace”;
- Early ripening red;
- Stanley;
- variety “Renclod Altana”;
- Тернослива куйбышевская;
- Амерс;
- Seen;
- Hermann;
- plum variety Joyo;
- Kabardian early;
- Катинка;
- Ренклод Храмовых;
- Rush Gestetter;
- plum “Rival”.
При наличии опылителей и без них Президент начинает цвести в середине мая. Однако плоды созревают ближе к середине сентября. И то, при условии, что лето было теплым. Если же летние месяцы выдались прохладными, урожай слив стоит ждать ближе к концу сентября или даже в октябре.
Yield and fruiting
The plum of the “President” variety begins to bear fruit at the age of 5-6 years. And he does it every year. Ripe fruits keep well on the branches, falling off only in case of overripe.
But don’t rush. Unripe plums of this variety are usually hard, rough and tasteless. They also have the same characteristics under adverse weather conditions: drought, low air temperature.
Plums of the “President” variety are considered high-yielding. The amount of harvest depends on the age of the plant:
- 6-8 years – 15-20 kg;
- 9-12 years – 25-40 kg;
- from 12 years – up to 70 kg.
Максимальное количество слив дают только здоровые деревья.
Scope of berries
Plums of this variety are used both as an independent product and as part of various dishes. They are used to prepare preparations for the winter, jam, marshmallow, marmalade, compote and even wine.
Disease and pest resistance
The plant of the “President” variety does not have innate protection against any diseases. However, he is not afraid of fungus and scab. Timely top dressing and additional treatments will protect against other diseases.
According to information from experienced gardeners, President plums can be affected by moniliosis. The disease usually affects 0.2% of the tree. Plum codling moth can spoil 0.5% of the area of the whole plant. Comedy treatment practically does not occur. Pollinated aphids pose a threat to some extent. However, to cause damage to it, specific conditions for growing plums are needed.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
The advantages of the “President” plum variety include several points:
- annual plentiful (up to 70 kg) harvest;
- the level of frost resistance of the tree;
- high score plum flavor;
- resistance of the “President” variety to adverse weather conditions;
- precocity (even young plum seedlings give fruits);
- хорошая сохранность плодов при транспортировке.
There are only two shortcomings of the President:
- from time to time a tree of this variety needs to be fed, since it has no protection against diseases;
- branches require additional support, because under the weight of the fruit they can break.
You can easily get rid of the shortcomings if you properly care for the plum.
Planting and caring for the “President” plum
Health, fertility and productivity of a plum tree of this variety depends on many factors. Proper posture is one of them.
Recommended dates
Autumn and spring are considered the ideal time for planting seedlings of the “President” variety.
Of the autumn months, gardeners prefer the end of September and October. In the spring, it is better to engage in planting work in March and April. The main thing is that the earth has already thawed and warmed up. The temperature must be at least 12°C.
Choosing the right place
There are several requirements for the place in which the plum of this variety will grow. The first concerns access to sunlight. The yield depends on their quantity. And that is not all. The sun determines how sweet the plums themselves will be.
The second requirement concerns the space around the tree. He should be free. It is necessary that it is not covered and not obscured by neighboring plants. The abundance of free space will provide air access, which will protect the plum from fungus and high humidity.
Do not forget about the quality of the soil. It must be even. If necessary, the surface is leveled immediately before planting. The ideal option for the “President” variety is the soil in which groundwater occurs (depth is about 2 m).
What crops can or cannot be planted nearby
Plum “President” does not like the neighborhood of any fruit trees, except for the apple tree. It does not matter what they will be: stone fruit or pome. But next to it you can plant shrubs. The best option is blackcurrant. Gooseberries and raspberries are also suitable.
Selection and preparation of planting material
Choosing plum seedlings “President” is advised in the fall. It was at this time that they had already shed their foliage, opening up the opportunity to see damaged bark, rotten roots and other imperfections. It is better if it is a specialized nursery or familiar gardeners. Trees bought in this way are used to the local climate and weather, so they will be easier to transport and plant.
Landing algorithm
The process of planting trees of the “President” variety begins with the preparation of a hole with dimensions of 40-50 by 80 cm (depth and width, respectively). It is necessary to insert a meter stake into it. Its end should be singeed, thereby preventing decay.
Next, you need to take the following actions:
- insert the seedling into the hole so that it is perpendicular to the ground;
- straighten the roots;
- spread the ground evenly;
- tie the tree to the stake so that the latter is on the north side;
- water the seedling with 30-40 liters of clean water.
The last step is mulching. The earth around the plum “President” at a distance of 50-80 cm must be covered with sawdust or dried grass.
Plum Aftercare
The yield and health of a tree as a whole directly depends on the correct care of it. It includes several items:
- watering;
- top dressing;
- pruning;
- защита от грызунов;
- preparing the tree for the winter.
There are no special instructions regarding watering, since the President variety plum is able to withstand even high temperatures. In view of this, it is enough to water it a couple of times a month. The volume of water is about 40 liters.
In the second half of summer, the amount of water should be reduced. This will help slow down the growth of the plum after it has been harvested.
Top dressing of trees “President” is carried out in spring and autumn. The substances used differ depending on the age of the plant:
- 2-5 years – 20 g of urea or 20 g of saltpeter per 1 m2;
- from 5 years in the spring 10 kg of compost / manure, 25 g of urea, 60 g of superphosphate, 20 g of potassium chloride;
- from 5 years in autumn – 70-80 g of superphosphate, 30-45 g of potassium salt, 0,3-0,4 kg of wood ash.
After spring top dressing, the soil must be loosened 8 cm deep, and in the fall, using a pitchfork, dig up 20 cm.
In the care of the “President” plum, 3 types of pruning are carried out. In the first few years it is formative. The branches must be cut to 15-20 cm, so that by the third year a crown is formed in 2 tiers.
After the crop is harvested, the plum needs to be rejuvenated pruned. It affects mature or too dense trees. The central shoot should be reduced by a third of the length, and the side ones by two thirds.
Sanitary pruning of “President” plums should be carried out as needed.
With protection against rodents, the situation is a little more complicated. In winter, hares can eat branches, and field mice can eat the root system. There are several ways to prevent tree damage.
The first way is familiar to everyone. This is the whitewashing of the tree in autumn. The bark becomes bitter and no longer attracts pests.
Whitewash can be replaced with glass wool or roofing material. Cane, pine or juniper branches are also suitable. They must be left until March.
A fence made of fine metal mesh will also be a good protection. It will protect the plum from large rodents.
Стоит отметить, что побелка является главным этапом подготовки сливы «Президент» к зиме. Она не только защитит ее от грызунов и вредных насекомых, но и предотвратит прение.
Diseases and pests, methods of control and prevention
Of the serious diseases that can affect the plum, moniliosis, dwarfism and gum disease are distinguished. With moniliosis, the tree should be sprayed with a 3% solution of the special Horus preparation. Enough 3-4 liters per plant. A plum affected by dwarfism must be burned.
It is much easier to deal with gum disease. It is enough to carry out all the provided top dressing on time.
Of the pests, pollinated aphids, shoot moths and plum codling moth are considered the most dangerous for a tree. It’s easy to fight them.
Pollinated aphids are afraid of mineral oil preparations, for example, copper sulfate. A coniferous concentrate (4 tablespoons per 10 liters of water), a 0.3% solution of Karbofos (3-4 liters per plant) will cope with the codling moth. Chlorophos will help get rid of moths. The drug is applied to the tree in the spring during bud break.
Чтобы слива «Президент» не пострадала от вредителей, необходимо предпринять несколько профилактических мероприятий:
- loosen the ground in early autumn;
- remove old bark from a tree;
- обрезать поврежденные ветви;
- do not forget to destroy the carrion;
- remove root shoots;
- clean the trunk circle from fallen leaves and branches;
- with the onset of summer, loosen the soil between the rows of plums and in the trunk circle.
And, of course, we must not forget about whitewashing.
Plum variety “President” is known for its excellent taste and undemanding. It grows well in all weather and climate conditions. This is her main advantage. The main thing is to take all necessary protective and preventive measures in time. Only in this case, you can count on good yields and fertility.
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