Planting plums in the Urals and Siberia

Gardeners in Siberia and the Urals are faced with the fact that the weather there is unpredictable, and you can never know exactly what the summer will be like. In summer, this region can experience snow, constant rain (sometimes with hail), and storms. In spring, floods begin (illustrated). All these conditions can destroy young trees.

The nuances of growing plums in Siberia

Cold and snowy winters are not a problem for many frost-resistant plum species; temperature changes in the spring have a much worse effect on the trees. In trees emerging from suspended animation, swelling of the buds may freeze. To avoid this problem, for planting you need to choose a variety with weakly awakening buds and a long dormant period.

Plum trees are at risk of damping off. Due to the thick layer of snow, cold air does not reach the lower part of the trunk, and the bark and cambium in that zone die off. The problem cannot be solved by removing snow, because then the root system will freeze. The most rational option here is to freeze the soil around the tree trunk.

Which plum is better to plant in Siberia

There is no clear answer to this question. Under the right conditions, any cold-resistant tree can survive the winter and produce a good harvest. The best varieties can be considered the most fruitful, cold-resistant and fungus-resistant; which one to choose is up to everyone to decide.

What is plum grafted for in Siberia?

In Siberia, plums are grafted onto rootstocks, which can be seedlings/offshoots of any of the Ussuri or Canadian plums.As well as seedlings or sand cherry, propagated by green cuttings of the plant.

When does the plum blossom in Siberia?

Depending on the type of plum, the time when the berry is suitable for consumption varies most often from the end of July to the beginning of September.

How many years does a plum bear fruit in Siberia?

The plum begins to bear fruit 3-4 years after planting, and after the next 20 years it grows old and dries out. With proper feeding and pruning, a plum quickly reaches its maximum yield and slows down closer to death.

Plum varieties for Siberia with photos and descriptions

There are some varieties of plums that stand out almost nothing and are self-sterile. Among them:

• "Altai Jubilee" a small berry with a yellow color, a pink blush on the outside and yellow-orange flesh. Ripens in mid-August, self-sterile. Trees of medium height with rounded crowns.
• "Scarlet Dawn" dark red berry with golden-yellow pulp and average weight - 25 grams. This species is resistant to many diseases, but is self-sterile.
• "Admiral Schley" bears fruit in early August. The fruits are small, delicate red, and are propagated by grafting.

Self-fertile plum varieties for Siberia

Breeders have managed to create a variety of plums that can grow in the harsh climate of Siberia. List of plum varieties for Siberia with photos and names:

• "Hungarian" A 6 cm berry of lilac/violet color with golden flesh. Self-fertile, with high yield. The trees are spreading (up to 6 meters).
• "Yellow Khopty" yellow, small plum with yellow-green flesh. It blooms on average 3-meter trees in quantities of 10-12 kilograms per tree at the end of August. Partially self-fertile.
• "Greengage", A 5-centimeter berry of yellow-green and blueberry color with amber pulp. Rarely affected by fungus, it is self-fertile and tolerates temperatures down to -30 degrees. The trees are on average 6 meters high, with a rounded crown.
  
• "Red-cheeked" A 2.5-centimeter plum that is yellow-orange in color with red speckles and light yellow flesh.
• "Dawn of Altai" a small red-orange berry that ripens in early August.
• "Honey" a large greenish-yellow berry with yellow flesh. Tolerates down to -30 degrees, self-fertile.
• "Manor" Canadian small berries of dark burgundy color with a pleasant taste and the ability to be stored for the winter.
• "I'll droop" medium-sized, dark red berry, ripening at the end of August.
• "Peresvet" a small orange berry with a yellowish-orange interior. The variety ripens in early August and is self-fertile.
• "Chemal" The medium berry is light burgundy on the outside and yellow-green on the inside. The berry is self-fertile, frost-resistant.
• "Chemal's Gift" (ill.), a small peach-colored berry, yellow on the inside. Ripens in the second half of August, self-fertile.
• "Pyramid" a small dark red berry with pale yellow flesh. Grows on a tree with a pyramidal crown of high fruitfulness.

The best sweet plum varieties for Siberia

Among the sweetest and most sugar-rich varieties of plums, people most often mention:

• "Yellow Khopta"
• "Manchurian Beauty" fuchsia color with excellent sweet and sour taste
• "Altai Jubilee" pinkish with a pleasant taste.
• "Oyunu" pinkish plum from China.
• "Baikal Amber" orange-amber sweet plum
• "Morning" (illustrated), yellow round plum with medium frost resistance.
• "Entertaining" purple and very fruitful plum.
• "Valor" a large dark burgundy berry with soft yellow flesh. The tree produces 30 kilograms of harvest

These types of plums also received high marks from tasters.

Winter-hardy plum varieties for Siberia

For cold Siberia, you need to choose the plum variety with special attention. Plums need to be prepared for extreme temperatures and temperature changes. The most persistent are:

• "Honey" tolerant to -30 degrees;
• "Skoroplodnaya" tolerates up to -35 degrees. It’s surprising that she came to Siberia from central Russia
• “Bee”, “Manor”, ​​“Chulyma”, “Admiral Schley” And "Amateur" belong to cherry-plum hybrids that can withstand 40-degree frost.
• "Uvelskaya", "Pioneer" And "Yellow Khopty" can withstand frost up to 50 degrees

Bush plum varieties for Siberia

The varieties of bush plums are cherry-plum hybrids, which were already discussed earlier:

• "Bee";
• "Chulyma";
• "Amateur";
• "Admiral Schley";
• "Mainor."

Early varieties of plums for Siberia

Early varieties bear fruit before the second half of August. The most striking examples are:

• "Admiral Schley" beginning of August;
• "Dawn of Altai" beginning of August;
• "Peresvet" early August

The best varieties of Chinese plum for Siberia

Among the varieties from China adapted for the Russian winter, several berries can be distinguished: “Chemalskaya”, “Chemal’s Gift”, “Red-cheeked”, “Yellow Khopty”.

Russian plum varieties for Siberia

Plum varieties have been developed that can grow in Central Russia and Siberia.These are three berries.

• "Skoroplodnaya" plum is a frost-resistant self-fertile variety that bears yellow and red berries. You can collect up to 30 kilograms of harvest from a tree. Plums ripen early and are well tolerated.
  
• "Red Ball" - disease-resistant, self-fertile variety. It bears fruit 3 years after planting, after some time 18-20 kilograms of plums. The berry is red on the outside, yellow on the inside.
• "Yakhontovaya" plum is a vigorous and self-pollinating variety that can withstand -30 degrees. The berries are large, appear at the end of August, and 30 kilograms of them are collected from a tree. In color it can be pale orange and pale green.

The best plum varieties for Western Siberia

You also need to remember that the soil in Western Siberia is wet, and in some places even swampy, so you need to carefully moisten the soil under the plum tree.

Plum in Siberia: planting and care

When to plant plums in Siberia

There is no clearly established time for planting plums; it varies depending on the onset of cold weather. Typically, plum seedlings are planted in Siberia in late spring or autumn. In both cases, when there is no snow.

Place for planting plums in Siberia

The place for planting plums should be well lit, well protected from drafts, and never be in a low area. Areas with groundwater too close to the surface should be avoided (ideally, they should flow at a depth of more than 1.5 meters).

Preferably, the soil should be loose and rich in organic matter, either sandy or sandy loam. It is recommended to fertilize the soil several weeks before planting. Too acidic in composition, waterlogged soils are not suitable for plums.

Planting plums in spring in Siberia

Proper planting of a plum tree in Siberia in the spring involves planting the seedling in a hole in which the roots can be easily distributed and not damaged.

Young cuttings can be grafted onto healthy rootstocks. An established cutting has a high chance of surviving the winter.

How to care for plums in Siberia

Freezing of the soil, which prevents damping off of the bark and cambium, has already been mentioned. To do this, you need to compact the snow in the tree trunk area. It will also be useful to place empty barrels around the trunks.

Trees also need regular pruning and constant removal of root growth. Damaged branches are usually pruned in early spring, and the crown is formed in early summer (in order for the branches to recover faster, the pruning area is covered with garden varnish, and the tree itself is fed). Old trees are pruned to encourage the appearance of new shoots.

Many trees require high-quality watering due to intolerance to drought. This is especially true for cold-resistant plums. Trees also need to be treated with fungicides and insecticides several times a year.

Pruning plum trees in Siberia in spring

In the spring, while the tree is not entirely active, you need to do pruning plum branches, who did not survive the winter.The process must begin at the seedling stage, when the desired crown shape is formed. An unpruned tree, or one whose cut site has not been treated with garden varnish, has a risk of getting diseases and bearing less fruit.

How to prepare plums for winter in Siberia

Frost-resistant plums do not require much effort or expense for preparation for winter. They are only fed and watered abundantly. Berries grown in less snowy areas need shelter. These are spruce branches or agrofibre.

Pests and diseases of plum in Siberia

In order to protect plum trees from pests and diseases, you need to treat them with insecticides and fungicides twice a year, in spring and autumn. But how can you tell if a tree is already sick and what should you do if this is the case?

Gum treatment

Gum bleeding (above in the illustration) is the appearance of resin droplets on the tree trunk. If this problem is not corrected, the tree may become infected.

To eliminate gum deposition, you need to clean the place where the resin appears with a knife, and then disinfect it with a 1% solution of copper sulfate. You can also rub the cut area with sorrel leaves several times, and then treat it with garden varnish.

Dwarfism

In the initial stage, plum leaves become narrow, small, and uneven. As the disease progresses, the leaves become thicker and more fragile.

Fighting this viral disease while trying to save the tree is almost useless. Therefore, the best option would be to uproot the tree and burn it outside the area.

Plum pockets

This disease (illustrated) affects the fruits, making them baggy and then severely deformed, without seeds.

Applying 3% Bordeaux mixture to plants in early spring before or during bud break will help overcome this defect.

Clusterosporiasis

Gray-brown spots appear on the leaves, which soon dry out, creating holes and causing the leaves to fall off faster. Often the disease spreads to the fruits, from which resin is then released. Without treatment, the entire tree may die.

Here again, 1-3% Bordeaux mixture applied to the plant will help, applied to the plant the first and second time, before the buds and buds open, the third time, after flowering, the fourth time, two weeks later, the fifth time, three weeks before harvesting the plums.

Fruit rot

The symptoms of the first stage of this disease are obvious - the branches and shoots look like they are burnt. In the second stage, rotting spots and cushions with fungal spores appear on the fruits (illustrated).

The disease can be prevented with 1% Bordeaux mixture and 1% iron/copper sulfate. Plum trees need to be treated before and after flowering. The affected fruits must be destroyed, after which the trees must be treated with 1% Bordeaux mixture.

Plum pox

Plum pox is spots on the leaves that look like rings and winding lines.

Rust

First, rust-colored spots appear on the leaves, and then, on them, black cushions with fungal spores. The affected leaves fall off and the tree loses its immunity.

Any fungicide or 1% Bordeaux mixture can get rid of mushrooms. Trees should be treated in mid-summer and then every two weeks until three weeks until harvest.

Aphids

Aphids usually live on the underside of leaves, so you should always inspect them for pests.

An effective method against aphids is to spray leaves in the spring with decis or inta-vir.

Growing plums in the Urals

Which plum to plant in the Urals

The weather in the Urals is unpredictable due to the mountains, so you need to choose varieties that are not afraid of temperature changes (almost all are frost-resistant).

When does the plum ripen in the Urals?

In the Urals, plums ripen at the same time as in Siberia - from late July to early September. There are no exceptions here.

The best plum varieties for the Urals with photos

The breeders of the past clearly did their best, because now in the cold Urals the following varieties of plums grow:

• "Pride of the Urals" (illustrated), a large dark pink berry, yellow on the inside. It does not bear fruit every year; it is self-fertile.
  
• "Pearl of the Urals" A medium-sized plum that is fiery on the outside and pale orange on the inside. This self-fertile berry ripens in early August.
• "Snow White" (shown in the illustration), a very frost-resistant (up to -40 degrees) medium-sized plum, yellow in color. The tree is not tall (2.5 meters), but spreading (4 meters).
• "Ural prunes" a cream-colored berry with good frost resistance, blooms in early August, 15 kilograms per tree. The tree is low, up to 2 meters high, but the crown is wide.
• "Chebarkulskaya", The berry is medium in size and dark blue on the outside, yellow-green on the inside, and is recognized as one of the best plums. The height of the tree and spreading are the same - 3.5 meters.
• "Ural Golden" a high-yielding variety, resulting in small sweet and sour berries that received high marks from tasters.
• "Ural Yellow" a small plum with yellow flesh and skin.Ripens in early August (10-15 kilograms per tree), tasters give high marks.
  
• "Cherry plum Early" a variety with yellow and then red fruits, excellent frost resistance and yield (20-25 kilograms per tree). The pulp is yellow and sweet. Grows on a bush 2.5 meters high.
• "Uyskaya" very large dark red fruits from a 2.5-meter tree have a good and pleasant taste and ripen at the end of August. However, plum is not resistant to aphids.
• "Kuyashskaya", These large red fruits from a 3-meter tree have an excellent sweet and sour taste. Ripens in early August.
• "Vesta", a medium purple plum with golden flesh, ripening in late August. Winter hardiness is excellent.

Yellow plum varieties for the Urals

There are not so many yellow varieties of plums in the Urals and you can count them on your fingers:

• "Hungarian" (most often, Moscow);
• "Admiral Schley";
• "Scarlet Dawn" (on illustration).

Self-fertile plum for the Urals

Most plums in the Urals are considered self-fertile. Among them:

• "Pearl of the Urals";
• "Snow White";
• "Chebarkulskaya";
• "Uyskaya" and others.

Varieties of plum-cherry hybrids for the southern Urals

Plum-cherry hybrids in the Urals are almost the same as in Siberia:

• "Mainor";
• "Chulyma";
• "Admiral Schley";
• "Amateur";
• "Shley";
• "Opata" dark pink or orange medium plums.
• "Gem", medium size and plump red plum color.

Columnar plum varieties for the Urals

Advice, columnar plum bushes can be easily distinguished from trees by their thin branches, their upward direction, and smooth bark. They have high frost resistance (up to 30 degrees), they can be planted closely, they are low and early ripening. In the Urals, plums are planted in the spring. These include:

• "Ant" bears a harvest of dark purple berries in August a year after planting.
• "Ruby" (ill.), the berries are very large, red. They gather in early September.
  
• "Russian", plums are large, dark red, ripen at the end of August
• "Honey" The fruits are golden and large. Self-sterile.
• "Commander" the fruits are large, red-violet and self-fertile.
• "Imperial", most popular among farmers. The fruits are large and dark red.
• "Blue Sweet" a very large dark purple berry that ripens in August.
• "Olenka" bright red medium berries, self-sterile.
• "Mirabella" plums are yellow and large, resembling apricots in appearance.
• "Angers" large dark burgundy fruits, the bush tolerates low temperatures well, it is self-fertile.
• "Yellow" The fruit ripens at the end of June and is golden in color.

Plum varieties for the southern Urals

Sun-loving plants are suitable for the southern Urals; it is not necessary to use winter-hardy plum varieties; they are more suitable for the northern regions. This list includes:

• "Opata" (on illustration);
• "Pearl of the Urals";
• "Pride of the Urals";
• "Hungarian";
• "Uyskaya";
• "Chebarkulskaya".

How to plant a plum tree in the spring in the Urals

When to plant plums in the Urals

In the Urals, plums are usually not planted in the spring. There are almost no spring types of berries here. Plum planting in the Urals occurs in the spring, before the onset of cold weather and snow.

Site selection and soil preparation

The factors by which you need to choose a landing site completely coincide with those that apply in Siberia. In the Urals, varieties appear for which, in order to prepare the soil for planting a tree, in the spring you need to dig up the place, removing all weeds.

How to plant plum trees in the Urals

Usually in the Urals plums are planted not in the spring, but in the fall, two people at a time. Next you need to follow the following points:

1. Depending on the size of the root system, you need to dig a hole.In this case, the upper (fertile) soil must be folded in one direction, and the lower one in the other.
2. You need to drive a meter-long stake into the center of the hole.
3. Now you need to prepare the earthen mixture by mixing:
   • Compost, 2 buckets.
   • Superphosphate, 200 grams.
   • Wood ash, 350 grams.
   • Previously deposited topsoil.
     
4. The prepared mixture is poured in a mound around the stake. Moreover, the root collar is 6-8 centimeters above the ground, and the stake should not exceed the height of the trunk (the distance from the ground to the branches).
5. A seedling is placed in the “hill”, north of the stake, and its branches are straightened.
6. After planting, the soil around the seedling is compacted and watered with 1-2 buckets of water.

Caring for plums in spring in the Urals

Caring for plums in the Urals is almost no different from Siberia. The only differences are the start times of the procedures. During their implementation, most of the snow should melt away.

Conclusion

Plum varieties for Siberia and the Urals are incredibly diverse, despite not the best weather conditions. The most joyful thing is that the plums grown here will be in no way inferior in quality and taste to those grown in warm countries.

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