Plum varieties for the Moscow region and the middle zone

Plum for the Moscow region is a crop that interests many gardeners. Which plant variety to choose for cultivation in the middle zone, how not to make a mistake with the characteristics?

The nuances of growing plums in the Moscow region in open ground

The fruit tree belongs to the category of being quite susceptible to winter cold and spring frosts. Therefore, not every plum variety can survive in open ground conditions in the Moscow region.

Climatic features of the region

Several climatic factors can be identified that influence the development of fruit trees in the Moscow region.

• Annual temperature regime. Winters in the Moscow region are moderately cold, with rare significant frosts, summers are warm and with moderate rainfall.
• Amount of natural light. The sun shines in the Moscow region for approximately 1,500 days - that is, half the days of the year.
• Snow depth and soil freezing depth. Typically, snow in the Moscow region in winter forms a cover 20–25 cm thick. The ground does not freeze deeper than 1.5 m down.

How many years does a plum bear fruit in the Moscow region?

The plum tree in the Moscow region cannot bear fruit for too long. Usually, 10-15 years after the first harvest, fruiting stops - in this case, it is worth planting a new tree.It is not necessary to cut down and uproot the old plum - it can perform decorative functions.

When plum blossoms in the Moscow region

Plum blossoms always occur at the end of April - May. Some varieties of fruit trees bloom a little earlier, others a little later.

What varieties of plums are best to plant in the Moscow region?

The climate of the Moscow region is considered moderate, but the so-called return frosts pose a great danger to trees.

• Plum for the Moscow region must first of all be frost-resistant.
• It is better to choose low-growing or medium-growing trees - they will definitely have enough light for healthy development.
• If the garden is small, then it is recommended to give preference to self-fertile varieties.
• It is necessary to determine whether increased yield is required from the plum, or whether modest fruiting is sufficient.

The best plum varieties for the Moscow region

Plum varieties suitable for the Moscow region can be divided into many categories - according to winter hardiness, fruiting time and other parameters.

Self-pollinating plum varieties for the Moscow region

The greatest interest has traditionally been attracted to self-fertile varieties that can be planted without necessarily being in proximity to pollinators. These include:

• Prunes - a variety obtained by crossing sloe with cherry plum. The drupes are dark blue, large, juicy with a bitterish, dense skin. The tree is harvested late - in early September.
• Black Tula - a mid-late domestic variety that produces abundant harvests even without pollinators.Produces oval or ovoid blue drupes with a slight reddish tint and a bluish coating on the skin.
• Egg blue — bears fruit without the participation of pollinators, is distinguished by its tall growth up to 6 m in height. It bears ovoid dark blue drupes, sweet with a slight sourness. Plums can be harvested as early as mid-August.

Low-growing plum varieties for the Moscow region

In moderate amounts of sunlight, it is better to give preference to short trees. The most popular low-growing varieties include:

• Red Ball - dwarf plum up to a maximum of 2.5 m, blooms early, bears fruit on its own. The harvest consists of large round fruits with red skin, slightly tinged with blue.
• Oryol dream - another low plum, reaching 2.5 m. It blooms and bears fruit early, produces juicy red drupes. A plum pollinator is not needed.

Medium-sized plum varieties for the Moscow region

Trees of moderately tall growth can also be planted in the Moscow region - there will be enough light for them. The following varieties are in demand:

• Peach - a cold-resistant variety with yellow-green fruits covered with a delicate reddish blush. The height of the plum reaches 3 - 4 m, the crown has a round or reverse pyramidal shape. Requires pollinators; the Green Renklod and Anna Shpet varieties are well suited for their role.
• Nika - a fruit tree up to 4 m in height with a spreading crown, bears dark purple oval fruits with a blue bloom. It produces a harvest in August, and Donetsk Hungarian and Sovetsky Renklod are well suited for pollinating plums.

Winter-hardy plum varieties for the Moscow region

Temperature changes often occur in the Moscow region. Therefore, it is recommended to plant cold-resistant plums here. Among these are:

• Ksenia - a variety with increased resistance to cold, tolerates temperatures from -30 to -50 degrees. It produces abundant yellow fruits with a crimson blush and is pollinated by the Yubileinaya and Peresvet varieties.
• Ussuriyskaya - a variety with a frost resistance level of up to – 40 degrees. It bears fruit with yellow round plums; for a good harvest, pollinators are required, for which sand cherries or plums with a flowering period of early May are suitable.

Early plum varieties for the Moscow region

Early fruiting is considered to occur around mid-July - and many gardeners dream of just such varieties.

• Kabardinka - a variety with flowering at the end of April and harvest in mid-July. The fruits are dark purple, with a grayish coating, and are self-pollinated.
• Starting - ripens very early in July, produces dark red sweet fruits with a blue coating on the skin. It can pollinate on its own, but responds well to proximity to the varieties Eurasia-21 and Volzhskaya Krasavitsa.

Late plum varieties for the Moscow region

Late fruiting of plums begins at the end of August and continues into September. The most famous of these varieties are:

• Hungarian Moscow - ripens with blue-purple fruits in the second ten days of September. Ideal for the temperate climate of the Moscow region, it is well pollinated by the red Skorospelka.
• Stanley - plum with purple fruits that ripen in early September. The variety is high-yielding, frost-resistant, and is successfully pollinated by Empress and President varieties.

Varieties of Chinese plums for the Moscow region

Chinese plum and its hybrids are very easy to care for trees. The following varieties are well suited for the Moscow region:

• Chemalskaya - plum, depending on the variety, bears blue, red or yellow fruits in mid-August.Pollinated by Peresvet, Altai and Krasnoselskaya, tolerates cold well.
• Alyonushka - a frost-resistant hybrid with dark red fruits that ripen in early August. Successfully pollinated by Skoroplodnaya plum.
• Beautiful Evening - an early ripening variety with round red fruits. Highly frost-resistant, partially self-fertile, but shows better yield in the vicinity of other early flowering plums.

Varieties of Russian plums for the Moscow region

Hybrids of Russian plums, or cherry plums, are very popular in the Moscow region:

• Mara - Russian variety with late September ripening and round yellow fruits. Easy to care for, but for a bountiful harvest, pollinators are needed - for example, Vitba.
• Kuban comet — initially, the southern variety is successfully cultivated in the Central region. In July it bears red sweet fruits; the harvest will be higher if you plant Skoroplodnaya plum nearby.

Homemade plum varieties for the Moscow region

Among gardeners, homemade varieties, plums with a particularly easy care regime, are especially respected.

• Bogatyrskaya - bears massive purple fruits, ripens closer to September. It is frost-resistant, almost does not get sick and also does not need pollination.
• Victoria - a self-fertile sweet variety with red-violet fruits. Fruits abundantly, is tolerant of growing conditions, and is often used as a pollinator for other plums.
• Red early ripening - a variety with raspberry-purple fruits, ripening in August-September. It is well pollinated by the collective farm Renklod and Moscow Hungarian, tolerates frost well and produces a harvest every year.

The best varieties of yellow plum for the Moscow region

The yellow plum is known for its especially sweet and beautiful fruits. Well suited for the Moscow region:

• Altai anniversary - grows in almost any conditions. It tolerates severe frosts and aridity well, produces early yellow fruits with a red blush, and is well pollinated by the Chemal plum.
• Apricot - a hybrid of apricot and plum with high frost resistance, ripens in early August, capable of self-pollination.

The best varieties of red plums for the Moscow region

The plum tree, which bears red berries, is also loved by gardeners. The following varieties are suitable for the Moscow region:

• Ural red - with ripening dates in mid-August, produces small oval red fruits, tolerates even the most severe frosts. It is partially self-pollinated and bears fruit better if there are other plums in the neighborhood with similar flowering periods.
• Red meat - an unusual variety with extremely fleshy fruits of bright red color. Pollinated by hybrids of cherry plum and Ussuri plum. The fruits reach maturity in mid-August, and the frost resistance of the tree is moderate.
• Harmony - a dark red variety with a blue bloom, ripening from the end of July. The plum tree is self-fertile and does not require pollinators.

Sweet plum varieties for the Moscow region

Most gardeners prefer to grow sweet, dessert plum varieties. These include:

• The president - a variety that produces large purple fruits with a tasting score of 4.6 points.
• Opal - Swedish plums with purple skin covered with a bluish coating. The tasting score of the fruit is 4.5 points out of a possible 5.

Large varieties of plums for the Moscow region

Any summer resident enjoys collecting the heaviest fruits from plum trees. The following varieties are considered large-fruited:

• Gigantic - dark purple plum fruits are ovoid in shape, each can reach up to 60 g in weight.
• Angelina - round red-violet fruits weigh in general from 60 to 90 g, and especially large specimens reach up to 120 g.

Popular plum varieties in the Moscow region

There are several more varieties that are especially popular in the Moscow region.

• Memory of Timiryazev - a variety with yellow-reddish fruits, produces a late harvest, is self-fertile, survives frosts down to – 30 degrees.
• Anna Shpet - a popular variety of plum, unpretentious to growing conditions, produces purple fruits, and is best pollinated by green Renclod.

Planting plums in the Moscow region

The algorithm for planting plums in the Moscow region depends on the specific variety. But there are rules that apply to any variety of plant.

When is the best time to plant plums in the Moscow region?

The best time to plant a plum tree is spring. Even if the seedling is frost-resistant, its roots are still too sensitive to cold and may be damaged during the first winter when planted in autumn. It is optimal to plant in early April, when the frosts are already behind us and the active growing season has not yet begun.

Choosing a landing site

It is recommended to plant the tree on the south side. It is better to choose sandy loam soil with sufficiently deep groundwater.

Selection of plum seedlings for the Moscow region

The main rule when choosing a seedling is that it has strong and healthy roots. Care must be taken to ensure that they are not dry, broken or too lean.

Planting plums in spring in the Moscow region: preparing the pit

The plum tree is very sensitive to soil quality. Therefore, several months before planting a seedling, in the fall before the onset of cold weather, it is customary to prepare a planting hole.

The soil in which the plum will be planted is dug up and the soil is removed approximately 50 - 70 cm deep. Fertilizers are placed inside - compost, rotted manure, superphosphate and ash.

How to plant a plum tree in the spring in the Moscow region

Spring planting of plums in the Moscow region goes like this.

• The pre-prepared hole should be approximately twice as large as the roots of the young plant - both in width and depth.
• The seedling must be carefully lowered into a hole half filled with soil and fertilizers, and covered with soil, compacted properly.
• Immediately after planting, 3 buckets of water are added under the trunk, and then the tree is tied to a support for even growth.

Plum care in the Moscow region in spring, summer and autumn

Proper care of a plum tree in the Moscow region includes the following points:

• Watering is carried out approximately once a month with normal rainfall, becoming more frequent during the ripening period. The soil should not be over-wetted.
• Fertilizing - in spring it is recommended to add nitrogen fertilizers to the soil. In the summer you can add a little potassium under the trunk, and in the fall you can scatter organic matter under the tree.
• Shortly before the arrival of winter, you need to carry out the last watering of the year, cover the ground with mulch to retain moisture and heat, and then cover the trunk with spruce branches or roofing felt - from frost and rodents. After snowfalls, the snow around the trunk can be compacted.

Pruning plums in the Moscow region

For full development, the plum tree must be pruned regularly.

• After leaf fall, sanitary pruning is recommended for the Moscow region - as for the middle zone.
• Plum shoots older than 2 years are pruned annually by 2/3 of their length.
• You can prune plum trees in the Moscow region in the spring to form a crown. Remove excess branches, leaving only the strongest and most promising shoots.

Plum varieties for central Russia

By and large, the climate of the central zone differs little from that of the Moscow region. However, winters here can be a little colder and summers drier. Therefore, certain varieties of plum trees are recommended for planting in the middle zone.

Varieties of yellow plums for central Russia

The following yellow plum varieties take root safely in the middle zone:

• White Honey - ripens early, in early August, producing large yellow-golden berries with a sweet taste. Pollinated by Donetsk Early and Donetsk Hungarian.
• Altai anniversary - grows well throughout the middle zone and even in Siberia. It ripens early, bears yellow drupes with a reddish blush, and is well pollinated by the Chemal plum.

The best varieties of large-fruited plums for the middle zone

The heaviest drupes are produced by the following hybrids:

• Giant - quite sensitive to cold, but with good care, a variety with burgundy drupes takes root in the middle zone. The weight of each plum can be up to 70 - 110 g. Any varieties of plums that bloom in May are suitable for pollination.
• General's - The plum ripens in mid-September and produces bright orange drupes. The average weight is 40 g, the plums are quite large and weighty. The Ural red can become a pollinator.

New plum varieties for the middle zone

Fresh varieties of plum trees appear regularly, and it is always interesting to plant still unfamiliar crops in the middle zone.

• Natasha - a plant with ripening dates in the second ten days of August and yellow drupes.It is pollinated by Edinburgh plum, has a good level of winter hardiness and is ideal for the middle zone.
• Shy - ripens late, produces brown-purple drupes with a sweet taste. Pollinated by plums for the middle zone with flowering in early May.

Self-pollinating plum varieties for central Russia

The following self-fertile varieties are well suited for small gardens in the middle zone:

• Hungarian Pulkovskaya - blooms in mid-May and ripens in September, producing dark red drupes. Zoned for the Leningrad region, therefore it is well suited for the climate of the middle zone.
• Volgogradskaya - blooms in early May, ripens in mid-August. The drupes are dark crimson, the taste is sweet and sour.

Sweet plum varieties for the middle zone

The following plums for growing in the middle zone have the most pleasant dessert taste:

• Blue bird — the tasting score of oval blue drupes is 4.6 points. Can be pollinated by Caucasian Hungarian.
• Volga beauty — purple-blue drupes have a tasting score of 4.5 points. The best pollinator for plums is the red Skorospelka.

Varieties of low-growing plums for the middle zone

In the middle zone, it is preferable to plant low-growing trees that are not very demanding on the amount of light.

• Blue Gift - classic dark plum up to 3 m tall; in the third ten days of August it bears small blue drupes. Pollinates on its own.
• Candy - a tree with red dark fruits grows only up to 2.5 m. Fruits at the end of July, responds well to the proximity of the collective farm Renklod, which serves as a pollinator.

Early plum varieties for the middle zone

To get juicy fruits as early as possible, you can plant the following early varieties of plums for central Russia:

• Morning - produces moderately sized green-yellow drupes in the first ten days of August. It is not necessary to select pollinators for the plant - the variety bears fruit on its own.
• Delicate - ripens in the first ten days of August, produces light yellow drupes with a reddish coating. The plant is partially self-fertile, but produces the best yields in the middle zone if it grows near the Edinburgh plum.
• Hope - self-fertile plum for the middle zone with harvests in early August. Plum drupes are ordinary, dark blue, sweet with a slight sourness.

Late plum varieties for the middle zone

To get tasty plums in early autumn, you can plant the following varieties in the middle zone:

• Bogatyrskaya - ripens in the second decade - end of August with almost black drupes with a bluish coating. It is self-pollinating, making it easy to grow.
• Empress - reaches ripeness in mid-September, has dark blue fruit color. The best yields are obtained in the vicinity of the Stanley and Valor varieties.

High-yielding plum varieties for the middle zone

If you want to get the largest possible number of fruits from a plum, you should give preference to the following varieties for the middle zone:

• Entertaining - a variety with round yellow-green drupes, pollinated by Moscow Hungarian and Pamyatya Timiryazev. The yield level is high - up to 3 buckets from one tree.
• Valor - a dark burgundy plum that produces up to 30 kg of delicious drupes from one plant. Fruits most abundantly next to Empress and Blue Free varieties.

Planting plum seedlings in the spring in the middle zone

Planting and caring for plums in the middle zone follows standard rules.

• The best place for seedlings in the middle zone is loamy or sandy loam soils in well-lit areas.
• Immediately before planting or several months before it, the soil is properly fertilized with organic matter and useful substances.
• After planting, the plum in the middle zone is watered and tied up.

Growing and caring for plums in the middle zone

In order for a plum to grow healthy in the middle zone and bear abundant fruit, it is important first of all to protect it from frost and drying out.

• The plum tree must be watered several times a year - in the spring during flowering, in the summer during ripening, and in the fall before the onset of cold weather. During periods of drought in the middle zone, watering is increased more often.
• For the winter, even frost-resistant trees in the middle zone need to be covered with spruce branches around the trunk, the soil around the trunk must be mulched in advance, and if there is snow cover, it must be trampled down well, forming a protective layer from rodents and frost.

Conclusion

Plum for the Moscow region should be quite resistant to cold, since the region, as well as throughout the middle zone, experiences frosty winters and sharp spring frosts. There are dozens of varieties with suitable characteristics - choosing the right tree from them is not difficult.

Reviews

Recommended Posts

Plum pruning scheme in autumn

Red plum

Decorative plum Pissardi

Plum Ural

Plum Yakhontovaya

Plum Vika

How to grow a plum from a seed

Self-fertile plum varieties for the Leningrad region

Plum Morning