Content
Skorospelka red plum is one of the most popular varieties in central Russia. The trees, as a rule, reach medium height and are endowed with an oval-rounded crown of moderate density. The variety is considered winter-hardy and moderately drought-resistant. Despite this factor, the best harvest with high quality indicators can only be harvested on moderately heavy, high-quality fertilized and irrigated lands.
History of variety selection
The Skorospelka red variety is approximately the result of cross-pollination of the common Hungarian. Delivered from the former nursery of Regel and Kesselring. In the VIR collection since 1926. Included in the State Register for the North-Western District since 1947.
Description of the red Skorospelka plum
An adult red plum reaches 3.5 meters in height and has a stack-shaped crown 3–3.5 m wide. The standard is light gray or pale brown, smooth or with roughness. The main, most powerful branches deviate from the trunk at an angle of 30–50 degrees, and are quite erect.
Plum bark is brown-gray in color, with a smooth or rough surface, and does not crack lengthwise. The shoots are slightly curved, green-brown, and not drooping.
According to the description of the plum variety Skorospelka red, the buds of the culture are medium-sized, slightly pressed or slightly extending from the shoot, brown, 1–3 pieces per node. Red plum leaves of medium thickness, elongated obovate shape, slightly depressed, medium size, green, with a smooth surface (bare on top and slightly pubescent below). The edges of the leaves are single-serrate, the apex is pointed, the base is wedge-shaped. The petiole is green, medium, with anthocyanin and a pair of glands.
The flowers of the Skorospelka red plum are medium-open, have wide-oval petals (corolla diameter 24–26 mm, number of stamens – 23–25 pieces, oval-shaped ovary, not drooping). Flowering and fruiting are usually concentrated on adult shoots.
The Skorospelka plum bears round or ovoid fruits, the weight of which varies from 15 to 20 grams. The main color is pink-scarlet, the outer color is raspberry-violet, accounting for most of the fruit. There is no pubescence; there is a moderate waxy coating of a bluish tint. Ripe plums are unequal. The pulp is bright yellow, moderately juicy, with the presence of fibers, darkens to a medium degree when exposed to air, and has a medium density.The skin is thin and can be removed easily. The stalk is medium-sized (approximately 5–6% of the plum mass, easily separated from the pulp).
The fruits of the Skorospolka red plum are quite tasty, sweet and sour, emit a pleasant subtle aroma, ripen unevenly, and when ripe, they usually fall off.
Description of the plum variety Skorospelka early
The early Skorospelka plum begins to bloom at the end of May. Ripe plums can begin to be collected in the second half of August - early autumn (depending on the growing area). Copper plants enter the fruiting period approximately in the sixth year after planting, grafted plants - in 3–4 years. The life span of a red plum can reach 25 years.
Characteristics of the variety
The red plum is a small tree with a spreading spherical crown.
Drought resistance, frost resistance
Home plum Red ripening is a winter-hardy tree that can withstand even the most severe frosts (from 35 to 38 degrees). Flower buds are slightly less resistant to cold, mainly in the second half of winter.
If there is insufficient moisture, red plums may crumble. Despite the fact that the Skorospelka red variety is quite drought-resistant, abundant harvests of the best quality are obtained on medium-heavy, moderately fertilized and irrigated soils. However, the plant is very unpretentious, capable of growing and bearing fruit even in very waterlogged soil.
Pollinators of plum Skorospelka red
The early ripening plum variety is partly self-fertile. Excellent pollinators:
- Collective farm farmhouse;
- Hungarian Moscow and Pulkovo;
- Reform;
- Ochakovskaya black;
- Nikolskaya and Ozymaya white.
Productivity and fruiting
The entry of the plum into the fruiting period indicates that the plant’s yield is increasing at a rapid pace. At the age of 5–10 years, the Skorospelka red plum yields 2–10 kg of ripe pilaf, during the period of maturity (10–25 years) – 10–30 kg per tree, individual plants are capable of yielding 40–50 kg of plums. The plant can bear fruit every year.
Area of application of berries
Red plum fruits can be eaten fresh and can also be processed, although canning the berries produces not the highest quality products.
The berries can be stored refrigerated for more than 25 days.
Resistance to diseases and pests
Adult Red Skorospelka is extremely rarely attacked by pests and diseases. In rare cases, Skorospelka can be affected by aphids.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
Advantages of the Skorospelka plum variety:
- excellent winter hardiness;
- unpretentiousness;
- excellent adaptability to environmental conditions;
- decorative oval-spherical crown;
- precocity;
- regular yield;
- pulp that can be easily separated from the stone;
- long life of plants;
- immunity to diseases and pests;
- the ability to reproduce thanks to root shoots.
Flaws:
- different ripening times for plums;
- significant crumbling;
- not too high quality indicators of berries and their processed products;
- need for pollinating neighbors.
Landing Features
A well-chosen place for red plums is the key to a high-quality harvest and excellent growth. Ideally, this should be a hill located on the sunny side, with loamy or chernozem soil.
Recommended timing
Planting of Skorospelka red seedlings should be done exclusively in spring for bare root systems, and from spring to mid-autumn for containerized plants.
Choosing a suitable location
The opposite situation can lead to a decrease in the sugar content of plums and a reduction in yield.
Due to the fact that the crop is not the most frost-resistant, it should be planted next to country houses (among houses and sheds, between the bathhouse and the fence). The best choice for planting Skorospelka red will be a sunny place, which will be closed from the north by a brick wall. When heated, it will act as protection from cold winds and will be able to warm the red plum.
Red early ripening categorically does not tolerate stagnation of water in the soil, therefore, if there is a possibility of flooding of tree roots in the garden, if possible, it is worth constructing drainage or planting the plant on a mound. Otherwise, the plum will be underdeveloped, susceptible to disease and may even die. Groundwater should be at a depth of 1.5–2 meters. Red plum grows best on light sandstones and loams.
What crops can and cannot be planted nearby?
The Skorospelka plum, like other plum varieties that grow in the Moscow region, is self-sterile (pollen from another tree is required for fruit set). Therefore, you need to plant other varieties of plums nearby.
For good fruit set, experts advise planting cherry plums near red plums.
Selection and preparation of planting material
You should choose a one- or two-year-old tree with a developed root system and at least three shoots.
When purchasing a red sprout seedling in spring, you can immediately begin pruning the branches. Under no circumstances should you touch or trim the root system. The thicker it is in a young tree, the sooner it will take root and be able to develop safely. The roots need to be straightened.
Landing algorithm
- It is not recommended to deepen the Red plum seedling significantly when planting in the soil.
- The root collar (the place where the root smoothly passes into the trunk) should rise at least 5 cm above the ground level.
- When planting a young seedling in open ground, humus or humus, as well as potassium sulfate (80 g) and superphosphate (200 g) must be placed in the planting hole. No nitrogen needs to be added.
- When planting, the branches of a young plum tree should be thinned by one third, as this will facilitate the rapid formation of a dense crown.
Aftercare for plums
Next, you need to pick off part of the crop at the embryo stage, which will reach several centimeters in diameter. This will help normalize the harvest. Thanks to this, the plums that remain on the tree will be able to reach their largest size when ripened and will be much sweeter. Among other things, this method will at least partially help combat the frequency of fruiting.
The Skorospelka plum loves water very much, so watering is required 4–5 times a month (one bucket per adult tree twice a day).
Plum is endowed with a tendency to form basal shoots (it must be cut close to the ground so that a significant part of the micronutrients does not go to it).
Diseases and pests, methods of control and prevention
The red plum, as a rule, is not attacked by pests, but it can become a treat for mice and hares. In order to protect the tree, you need to cover the trunk with special material or nylon tights (the fabric must allow air and water to pass through, so film and roofing felt will not work). If possible, you should wrap the plum completely. To combat mice, it is best to use a specially designed anti-rodent net.
Conclusion
The red plum is a winter-hardy medium-sized tree with a round or flat-round shape. The variety is partially self-fertile and bears fruit best when Hungarian Moscow and Renklod collective farm grow nearby. The yield of an adult plant can reach 40 kg of ripe and juicy plums, which are stored for a month. Proper plum care can help ensure a good harvest.
