Plum Altai jubilee

The Chinese plum variety Altai Jubilee is a fruit tree that gives the garden a special charm during the flowering season. It does not grow too high, which greatly facilitates pruning, harvesting, and other maintenance. Irregular fruiting does not repel summer residents - this variety is chosen for their gardens by residents of many regions of the Russian Federation.

The variety was obtained by the specialists of the N.I. M. A. Lisavenko. The parent plants Immunna plum and Manchurian prunes were taken for crossing. The crop was approved for use after state variety trials in 1974.

Altai Jubilee forms medium-sized trees up to 3 m high with a raised, rounded-inverse pyramidal crown. The thickening of the branches is not too high. They are gray-brown, with an acute angle from the skeletal branches. The leaves in the crown are large, broadly oval, reddish on the apical branches, light green in mass. The flowers on the tree are white, before the leaves peck out from the buds, there are many of them.

Fruits with good marketability, but poorly suitable for transportation. They are distinguished by medium size, weight 14-20 g, angular-rounded shape with a well-defined abdominal suture. Fruits at the stage of full ripeness are yellow-orange, with an integumentary bright red blush. There is also a pronounced waxy coating of a whitish shade on the skin. The stone inside the fruit is large, it separates well from the yellow-orange pulp.

The fruits are sweet, with a faint pleasant aroma. The consistency of the pulp is loose, juicy.

The variety is fast-growing, the first harvest is harvested in 3-4 years from the moment of planting one-year-olds. Ripening is average in terms of time. The fruits are ready to be harvested from the middle or 3rd decade of August.

The trees are high-yielding. Each adult plant can be harvested up to 40 kg of fruit per season.

According to the State Register, the variety is zoned for Western and Eastern Siberia, the Urals.

Altai Jubilee is a self-fertile Chinese plum. Related varieties with similar early flowering times must necessarily grow in the garden next to it. Plums Chemalskaya, Katunskaya fully possess such qualities; the cold-resistant Memory of Plutov will also be of interest to gardeners.

The Chinese plum of this variety is planted in late spring or early autumn. The choice of location assumes maximum space and freedom for plants. Trees grow well on slopes from the south and west. The best choice would be a loamy soil without a strong stagnation of moisture - loose and nutritious.

Saplings are taken one-year, sometimes two-year-olds, reaching a height of 1.5 m. Pits are located 3 m from any buildings, fences or tall trees. The depth of the hole is made moderate, about 50 cm. The bottom is laid out with fertile garden soil mixed with fertilizers. Then a seedling is placed in the center of the pit - so that the root collar is 5-7 cm higher than the edges, it is sprinkled with earth.

Watering is one of the most important agrotechnical measures for growing Altai Jubilee. Under normal conditions, the standard level of precipitation is enough for it. But if a prolonged heat is established, additional watering should be organized at a frequency of 1 time in 10 days. 20-30 liters of water is poured under the root of the tree. The same abundant moisture charge must be organized by the Chinese plum on the eve and after flowering, as well as during the mass collection of fruits.

Mulching is also important, as it allows you to retain moisture in the soil during dry periods, generally has a beneficial effect on the condition of trees, serves as an additional fertilizer and a barrier against insects. Organic components are chosen for these purposes, most often peat or compost, straw.

Formative pruning is performed annually on the trees. After hurricanes, winters with heavy snowfall, unscheduled removal of damaged branches may be required. After pruning, large wounds must be covered with garden varnish.

Top dressing under a tree is applied no earlier than 3 years after planting. The fertilizer delivery scheme is simple. In the fall, after the first harvest, wood ash and compost are added to the soil. In the spring, the soil is flavored with nitrogen sources. Potassium-phosphorus complexes are used in summer and autumn.

Trees are often infested with pests. On the Chinese plum, you can find a seed-eater and a moth, aphids. If preventive insecticidal treatments have already failed, the fight is carried out with specialized insecticides.

Among the diseases, the most dangerous for this plant is clasterosporium, which affects trees in an average degree. And also quite often leaf rust, chlorosis, if the amount of lime laid was exceeded during planting. There is also a dwarf mutation in Chinese plums of this variety.In the spring, gum flow may begin in frozen trees - it is important to take care of sealing cracks in the bark so as not to attract a huge number of harmful insects.

The variety demonstrates good winter hardiness, can be grown in regions with severe frosts. But it is poorly adapted to heat, unstable to damping off. In the southern regions, it is better to plant in the shade, partial shade. The variety also reacts poorly to stagnant water in the soil, as well as to prolonged drought, otherwise the harvest volume of the tree decreases.

Summer residents are waiting for the fruiting period of the Altai Jubilee in order to fully enjoy its exquisite taste. According to the owners of such trees, transportation problems do not detract from the advantages of fresh Chinese plums, as well as in preserves, compotes and jams. The high content of pectins makes the fruits useful and facilitates their processing.

And also, judging by the reviews, the variety really has excellent frost resistance. It is grown even in the Arkhangelsk region. And in Altai and Siberia, these trees are among the most common. To the advantages of the Altai Jubilee, abundant fruiting is mentioned, the branches even have to be propped up. True, it does not happen every year; it is extremely difficult to predict the receipt of fruits.

There are also enough cons. Gardeners are not overly happy with the yields of this Chinese plum in the absence of pollinators around. Pests and diseases are also a serious problem. Plants do not need 2-3 sprays per season, but systematic and massive protection with chemical pesticides and insecticides.