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Blue Free plum is an American variety that has average characteristics in terms of transportability and harvest time. The medium-sized fruits are sweet, dense, and will appeal to a summer resident or farmer. The care of Blue Free is especially emphasized - the older the tree, the more care there is with it.
History of variety selection
American selectors created an amazing plum variety, BlueFree, which was the result of crossing Stanley and President. At the end of the last century, the Blue Free plum began to be imported into the CIS countries, after which it was included in the Register of Varieties of Ukraine in 1994. It is permissible to grow BlueFree plums in the Central Black Earth region, where there is a lot of groundwater, moisture and heat.
This plum variety is resistant to heat, but not very resistant to frost. It tolerates the cold of mid-latitudes quite well, but the crop cannot be stored for a long time. This makes the demand for Blue Free small, since it is impossible to create conditions for transportation.
For private plum owners, Blue Free is suitable as an orchard tree. She loves calm weather, is immune to serious diseases, and does not require much attention and care.
Description of the Blue Free plum variety
The BlueFree plum variety has a rare crown type. It is oval in shape; the height of an adult Blue Free plum reaches almost 2 meters. Self-fertile, needs only one of the pollinating varieties. BlueFree fruits ripen quickly, which is an advantage for many gardeners. The harvest begins to be produced by the age of 3-4 years, although every year there is only more and more of it. Blue Free plum varieties are not afraid of cold weather.
Plums weigh 80 g, which is considered a fairly large fruit. They are oval in shape, but quite wide, and the color includes purple and black shades. There are also subcutaneous points that are scattered throughout the fruit in a chaotic manner. The wax coating is very dense - to get rid of it, you need to wash the fruit several times, rubbing it well.
Inside, the BlueFree plum variety has a soft and delicate filling - sweet, juicy and very tasty. For this, both adults and children love her. In the open air, the color practically does not change, which indicates the absence of acids and metals. The seed is small and comes off easily from the pulp. At the beginning of autumn you can expect the first fruits, which ripen until the end of September. BlueFree plum is resistant to diseases and pests, as well as frost or drought. There are no diseases of bark or wood. Fungal infections never appear on the BlueFree variety.
From one Blue Free tree you can harvest about 100 kg of harvest - not very much, since the fruits themselves are large and massive. Although the shape is asymmetrical, the score for the variety was 4.6 points.The dessert taste of the BlueFree variety attracts not only domestic summer residents, but also citizens of overseas countries. There is a kind of sourness. Most often you can find it in countries with temperate climates. The Blue Free plum grows better in the middle zone, although it is not susceptible to cold.
Characteristics of the variety
Gardeners love the BlueFree plum variety for its benefits and ease of care. Of course, there are pitfalls, since the difficulty lies in preserving the plum variety. At the moment of fruiting, the crown weakens. And so that it continues to bear fruit, farmers prune the branches so that two-year-old shoots remain. Additionally, for a larger harvest, summer residents plant plum varieties Opal, President, Stanley or Anna Shpet.
Where the summer is hot and there is minimal rain, the plum ripens quickly - within a week, but the main thing is that the harvest does not spoil the branches. The BlueFree plum will also grow well in the Moscow region, especially on the south side. The winds are not terrible, but it is better to avoid them.
Drought resistance, frost resistance
The BlueFree plum variety has good commercial qualities. For transportation, it is enough to create a comfortable temperature. It will keep in the refrigerator for several months without spoiling. It is advisable to place it on the bottom shelf.
It is preferable to choose warm areas in the garden for growing, but the BlueFree variety will not freeze in winter. It does not require additional insulation during frosts, which is convenient for mass planting.
Plum pollinators
The BlueFree variety is self-fertile, so next to the plum you need to plant the Vision, President, Opal, Stanley, Empress, Roush or Verita variety. The more pollinators, the higher the harvest will be next year.
Productivity and fruiting
The yield of BlueFree depends on the time of planting and pollinators. The more of them there are next to the Blue Free plum, the greater the chance of getting a big harvest. Homemade plum BlueFree loves feeding.
Area of application of berries
Blue Free is a plum variety that is suitable for the production of prunes, dried plums, and canned goods. Transportation and storage are allowed. This is a universal variety that is convenient to use for home purposes (compotes, jams, freezing) and industrial purposes - products canned in their own juice, dried fruits and preparations.
Resistance to diseases and pests
Homemade plum variety Blue Free never gets sick, but prevention is required to protect against weed and rodents. There is also a need for fertilizing so that the yield is better in terms of characteristics.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
Among the disadvantages of Blue Free, one can highlight the need for constant pruning of the crown to increase the growth of new branches and yield, respectively. The advantages here are obvious - large, sweet fruits of high quality, unpretentiousness to weather conditions.
Planting and caring for BlueFree plum
Blue Free plum needs care before and after planting. To carry out the planting process correctly, you need to follow the rules. Then you can hope for a better result in at least 3 years.
Recommended timing
It is best to plant BlueFree plum in the fall, when October arrives, but there is no frost yet. If cold weather sets in, planting is postponed until spring, when the thaw period has passed.
Choosing a suitable location
The soil for Blue Free must be fertile and have groundwater. This is a feature of Blue Free plums.The rootstock is necessary for the growth of the tree, as it tolerates both heat and cold. The feeding zone is in the range of 4-6 m for mature trees, and for semi-dwarf trees it is enough to create a 3-4 m area.
What crops can and cannot be planted nearby?
It is advisable to avoid plum varieties other than pollinators near Blue Free. You can limit yourself to only two varieties, if desired.
Selection and preparation of planting material
If the holes are not prepared in the fall, the digging algorithm is carried out in the spring. To do this you need:
- Clear the ground of weeds.
- Fill the bottoms of the holes with warm earth to warm them up.
- The dimensions of each place are 60 x 70 cm.
- Infertile land requires preparation.
You can fertilize the soil for Blue Free using wood ash, humus, and compost. It is allowed to mix all substances to uniformly feed the tree. Substitute elements are considered to be superphosphates and potassium salt in a 1:1 ratio in the amount of 1-2 spoons. This will be enough for the seedling for 4 years.
Landing algorithm
After planting the Blue Free plum seedlings, the ditch is filled with soil. Damaged branches and roots are trimmed to prevent them from getting burned. After this, you need to trample the ground with your foot so that the toe points towards the standard. Next, a hole is formed from “rollers” of earth into which water is poured. You need to prepare about 50 liters of water, 3-4 buckets for each tree. The hole should be mulched, that is, covered with peat or humus. A layer of up to 12 cm is quite acceptable for BlueFree plums.
This way the soil will not dry out in the heat, and the tree will not need additional watering. If trees are grafted, the location should be 15 cm above the soil level.
Aftercare for plums
In winter, seedlings do not need to be watered, just pruned. It is carried out without fail by removing unwanted branches. The shoots become damaged or deteriorate – they need to be removed from the tree. In the spring, the soil is loosened - the area around the seedlings is dug up for the next 2 years. Weeding is also necessary.
Formation of the crown of the Blue Free plum
The crown of young trees is formed within 2-3 years. This event is held every season, especially in the spring. It is necessary to carefully remove dry shoots from the BlueFree plum variety and create a round crown. If the temperature in spring (in May) is below +10 0C, sap flow stops, which means a transplant is required.
Diseases and pests, methods of control and prevention
The BlueFree plum variety is immune to diseases and pests. There is no need to treat the tree with drugs or protect it from rodents and pests in the garden.
Conclusion
Blue Free plum is a combination of unpretentiousness and quality of fruits, which become more and more abundant with each fruit-bearing year. If you water the trees correctly, the Blue Free variety will not only produce a stable harvest, but will also increase the size of the fruit by 10-20%.
