The best plum varieties
Of all the varieties that are listed in the State Register, there are few truly hardy ones, and we counted only five such that other qualities are on top. We evaluated the best plum varieties according to three main indicators: winter hardiness, disease resistance, and taste – excellent or very good.

People say: “Plum does not praise itself, but the path to it is always trodden.” However, not all varieties are as good as we would like: either the fruits are sour, or the winter hardiness is low, or they are severely affected by diseases. And yet there are almost perfect ones.

TOP-5 varieties according to KP

The main thing to pay attention to when choosing the best plum varieties for the middle lane, and especially the northern regions, is winter hardiness. It would seem that the plum is a primordially tree, but nevertheless it is significantly inferior in this indicator to apple trees and even cherries. And an even greater threat to her are winter thaws and subsequent cold snaps that kill the kidneys.

Bogatyrskaya

The name of the variety fully reflects its essence. The fruits are large (30 – 40 g), dark purple, with a wax coating (1). The flesh is greenish-yellow, tender, juicy, with a good sour-sweet taste (tasting score 4,5 points out of 5 possible). This variety does not need pollinators; even without them, it gives an excellent yield – 60 – 80 kg per tree (2). The fruits ripen in the second half of August. The transportation is excellent. The first plums can be tasted 4-5 years after planting.

It is very weakly damaged by diseases and pests. Winter hardiness is high.

– The only problem of this variety, oddly enough, is a high yield: branches can break from the abundance of fruits. So under them it is necessary to put props, – advises agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mihailova.

Hungarian Korneevskaya

Her fruits are also large, weighing 30 – 35 g, purple-brown, with a strong wax coating. The pulp is yellow, juicy, good sweet taste (4,5 points). Does not require pollinators (1). Productivity – 25 – 30 kg per tree (2). Fruiting begins at 3-4 years.

The variety is drought-resistant, winter-hardy (only in very severe winters can its flower buds freeze slightly). It is weakly affected by diseases and pests.

The problem with Hungarian Korneevskaya is the same: with a plentiful harvest, the branches can break.

Volgogradskaya

The variety can please even the most demanding summer resident. Plums are large, weighing 40 – 50 g, yellow, with a dark crimson blush, which occupies most of the fruit, with a slight wax coating (1). The pulp is orange, juicy, sweet and sour (4,5 points). Five-year-old trees produce up to 50 kg per tree, and adults up to 150 kg (2). Fruiting begins at 4 years.

The variety is drought-resistant, tolerates harsh winters (even the buds do not freeze slightly), is almost not damaged by pests and diseases.

– There is only one difficulty: Volgogradskaya requires good care, – says Svetlana Mikhailova. Otherwise, the plums will be small.

Zarechnaya early

This beauty is exceptionally delightful. Its fruits are very attractive – dark purple, with a strong wax coating (1), amber pulp, tender, juicy, sweet and sour (4,5 points). They weigh an average of 40 g, but there are up to 50 – this is one of the largest plums. Productivity is high (about 50 kg). Ripens early, already at the end of July. Fruiting begins at 3-4 years (2).

It tolerates winter frosts very well. Resistant to diseases and pests.

Peace

Its fruits are quite large (about 30 g), dark purple, with yellow-green, tender, juicy, sweet and sour pulp (1). Of the winter-hardy plums, this one is the most delicious: it is rated 4,8 points. The harvest is quite decent – 25 – 40 kg per tree (2), ripens in mid-August. The first plums appear at 4-5 years.

The variety is drought-resistant (but when watered, the fruits are tastier and juicier), very winter-hardy, resistant to pests and diseases.

“Mirna has only one drawback: the fruits ripen unevenly,” says Svetlana Mikhailova. – It’s good if plums are used for food, but it’s bad if you make jam from them – you have to boil it in several passes as it ripens.

What is a tasting assessment

The taste of the fruit is evaluated by professional tasters – they try each new variety and give points from 1 to 5. This is the so-called tasting assessment. According to it, all fruits are divided into 5 groups:

  • inedible – up to 3 points;
  • mediocre – 3 – 3,7 points;
  • good – 3,8 – 4,3 points;
  • very good – 4,4 – 4,7 points;
  • excellent – 4,8 – 5 points.

Popular questions and answers

We talked about plum varieties with agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mikhailova – asked her the most popular questions of summer residents.

How to choose a plum variety?

Oddly enough, but plums are quite sensitive to winter frosts, so when choosing a variety, it is important to pay attention to which regions it is zoned. If it is recommended to grow it in the southern regions, it will not work for the north. These data can be found in the State Register of Breeding Achievements.

What varieties of plums are suitable for prunes?

It is important that their fruits are small (30 – 40 g), with a small bone, dark blue in color, with a dense skin and a wax coating. They should have a lot of dry matter (about 20%) and sugar over 12%.

 

2 varieties are best suited for prunes: Hungarian Korneevskaya and Blue Bird.

When is the best time to plant plums?

Now seedlings are mainly sold in containers, so they can be planted throughout the warm season – from mid-April to mid-October. But plants with bare roots are best planted in the spring. When planting in the autumn, it is likely that the seedlings will freeze slightly, or even die altogether.

Sources of

  1. State Register of Breeding Achievements https://reestr.gossortrf.ru/
  2. Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution All- Scientific Research Institute of Fruit Crops Breeding // Catalog of varieties https://vniispk.ru/species/

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