Content
Red Ball plum is a popular variety loved by gardeners. They choose Chinese women for their tasty fruits and short stature. Unlike standard varieties, Red Ball is easy to care for.
History of variety selection
Breeding work is aimed at creating varieties that best meet the needs of gardeners. The Chinese plum Red Ball combines the characteristics of the American Burbank variety and the Russian Ussuri Red plum. The authors were Kh. K. Enikeev and S. N. Satarova. Work on crossing species was carried out in the laboratory of the Moscow All-Russian Selection and Technological Institute of Horticulture and Nursery Growing. The variety was included in the State Register in 1989. This plum variety has a second name: Raspberry Ball.
Description of plum Red Ball
The tree is very convenient for growing in the garden. Plum Shar Red attracts with the parameters of not only the fruit, but also the tree.An adult plant reaches a height of no more than 2.5 m, which makes care, as well as harvesting, very comfortable.
The bark is smooth and brown in color. There are very few branches on the tree, they are spreading. Therefore, the crown cannot be called thickened. The variety forms ovaries on annual shoots and bouquet branches, which must be taken into account when pruning. The leaves are large, green, matte in color, with a serrated edge. The plum blossoms before the leaves appear. One bud produces 2-3 flowers, so the tree looks like a huge flower. But not every flower produces ovaries. The fruits are the pride of the plum. Large balls, justifying the name of the variety, reach a weight of 40 g each.
The pulp is loose, slightly fibrous, the skin is dense with an invisible side seam. The juice is very aromatic, sweet in taste, tasty and healthy. The bone comes off easily.
According to the recommendations of the originators of the variety, it is best to grow the Red Shar plum in the regions of the Central region.
Characteristics of the variety
To get the desired result, you need to be familiar with the characteristics of plums. In this case, the entire algorithm for caring for the variety becomes clear.
Drought resistance, frost resistance
The frost resistance of the Red Ball is very high. Even prolonged frosts down to -35OC and temperature fluctuations do not affect the condition of the tree or its yield. This characteristic of the Red Ball plum variety allows the fruit to be grown in areas with cold winters. But sudden return frosts are not very desirable; the tree may freeze.
Pollinators of plum Red Ball
For good plum fruiting, it is necessary to plant other varieties. The Crimson Ball is a self-sterile species.The best pollinating varieties for the Red Ball plum are plants that bloom in one period:
- Chinese plum;
- plum Nezhenka;
- Skoroplodnaya plum;
- cherry plum Kuban comet;
- cherry plum Gold of the Scythians.
Red Ball blooms very early, 2 weeks earlier than other varieties. The number of ovaries should be normalized, and flowers should be removed in the first two years after planting. Otherwise, the fruits will be small and the ripening of the crop will be delayed.
Productivity and fruiting
The plum begins to bear fruit quickly; the first harvest can be harvested 2-3 years after planting. The fruits ripen in August. The flowering feature (the number of flowers from one bud) allows you to collect up to 18 kg of large “plum balls” from one tree.
Area of application of berries
Plum Raspberry Ball is a table variety. Therefore, the fruits are equally good both fresh and prepared. They are used to prepare plum jam, preserves, marmalade, compotes, and juices. A very popular variety for making table wine.
Resistance to diseases and pests
Chinese plum variety Red Ball is highly resistant to hole spot (clasterosporia), monilial blight and other fungal infections.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
The description of the Raspberry Ball plum and reviews from practicing gardeners make it possible to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of the variety. The advantages include:
- versatility of use, taste and commercial qualities of fruits;
- high productivity;
- early ripening;
- good transportability;
- precociousness;
- frost resistance;
- convenient tree size, medium crown density.
Gardeners consider the disadvantages of this variety to be:
- early flowering period, which may coincide with the period of return frosts;
- self-sterility, need for additional pollination;
- warming up the root collar in the spring.
Landing Features
Planting the Raspberry Ball variety is no different from other plums. But the further development and growth of the seedling depends on the quality and timeliness of the event.
Recommended timing
In the regions of the middle zone, the Red Ball plum is planted in the spring, preferably in April. For the southern regions, autumn planting is recommended: at the end of September or beginning of October. If the seedling is purchased at a later date, it is buried in an inclined position until spring.
Choosing a suitable location
For the Red Ball variety, the optimal location would be a plot on the south-eastern or western side of the garden with fertile soil. Plum trees do not tolerate stagnant water, so they plant the tree on a hill or provide good drainage. The second nuance is protection from drafts. This role can be played by the wall of a building or bushes.
Important! Plums should not be planted in close proximity to nightshades.
What crops can and cannot be planted nearby?
Plum responds favorably to the proximity of apple trees, black elderberries and currants. But you shouldn’t plant Raspberry Ball next to walnut, pear, hazel, fir, birch, and poplar. For small garden plots, combining a plum with a pear is possible only if the distance between the trees is at least 4 m.
Selection and preparation of planting material
To plant plums, it is better to take an annual Red Ball seedling. According to the observations of gardeners, they take root well. Focus on:
- Roots. Must be moisturized, without damage, kinks, or signs of rotting.
- Koryo. It is important that there are no cracks or wrinkles, and that the stem is in good condition.
Landing algorithm
3 weeks before planting the Raspberry Ball plum, dig a hole 65 cm x 70 cm.
Mix fertile soil (2 buckets) with humus or compost (1 bucket), 400 g of superphosphate, 1 kg of wood ash. Soak the roots of the plum seedling for 6 hours in water.
Form a mound of soil at the bottom of the hole, install a plum seedling, and smooth out the roots.
Sprinkle with soil.
Create a circle around the trunk, water the plum and mulch.
Aftercare for plums
The main measures for caring for the Red Ball variety consist of:
- Glaze. Plum is sensitive to soil moisture. Overwatering leads to rotting of the roots, and lack of moisture leads to drying out. An adult tree needs 25-30 liters per week, especially at the beginning of summer, when the crop is ripening and fruit buds are forming.
- Feeding. The variety does not require annual feeding. For plums, it is enough to apply organic matter and mineral complex fertilizers once every 3-4 years. Organic matter is dug up with the soil, and minerals are added in the form of a solution after watering. You need to feed the early ripening Chinese plum Red Ball in the fall, and add nitrogen components in the spring.
- Trimmings. For this variety, only preventive and sanitary pruning is recommended. The plum crown is not thickened, so attention should be paid to cutting out shoots, shortening shoots, and removing broken and dry branches.
- Preparations for winter. It is necessary to prepare plums for the winter. Despite its frost resistance, the Raspberry Ball variety may suffer from sudden cold snaps after a thaw. The second reason is protection from rodents.Cover the trunk well with mulch, followed by tying it with burlap.
Diseases and pests, methods of control and prevention
Chinese plum can be affected by:
Disease or pest | Prevention and control measures |
Coccomycosis | Remove plant residues after harvesting and treat with a solution of copper oxychloride (40 g per 10 liters of water). |
Fruit rot | Regular removal of damaged fruits. Treatment with Bordeaux mixture (1%) when the fruit size is 3 cm. |
Root cancer | Disinfection of tools and planting material. Treating plums with copper sulfate. |
milky shine | Autumn whitewashing of the trunk with lime, fertilizing with urea before flowering. |
Conclusion
Plum Red Ball is a very beautiful and convenient tree. At the time of flowering, it is very decorative, when harvesting it does not cause any trouble due to its low growth, the fruits are universally used - gardeners are pleased to grow such varieties.
