Plum Candy

Homemade Plum Candy, with its exquisite flavor nuances, is the object of desire of many experienced summer residents. She has a dessert purpose, loved by both children and adults. But the variety is not very suitable for commercial cultivation, since it has low transportability, wrinkles and deteriorates during transportation.

The plum is undersized, forms trees 2.5-3 m tall with a spreading crown. It can be formed both in the standard culture and in the bush form. The leaves are green, not too large. The crown is prone to thickening.

Fruits are medium in size, weighing 30-35 g. Fruits are round, with a thin, dark red skin. The stone is small, with a fairly good separation from the pulp. There is a slight waxy coating on the skin.

The fruits are tender, juicy, with a pronounced sweetness of the pulp and rich aroma. This variety got its name for the complete absence of sourness. Candy's tasting score is very high, reaching 5 out of 5 points.

The variety begins to bear fruit early, the first harvest can be expected for 4 years from the moment of planting. Ripe plums are harvested in late July. Ripening is uneven, so it is worth carefully monitoring its rate.

For trees older than 5 years, the average collection rates reach 20-35 kg.

The variety is zoned for planting in the Central region. But there is practical experience in growing Candy Plum in a temperate climate, in the Urals, in the Moscow region.

This self-infertile variety needs to be planted in the same gardens as the collective farm Renklode, Zarechnaya early. Other plums, cherry plums are also suitable, if it coincides in terms of flowering - in early May in the central regions of the Russian Federation.

Plum Candy on the site is very important to plant correctly. It all starts with choosing a place - well lit, with direct sunlight. It is optimal if for this it is possible to choose the southern side of the site, closed from drafts. If the groundwater is close to the surface, an embankment of about 70 cm should be created, and then a tree should be planted in it.

The soil is pre-tested for acidity. If a reaction occurs, alkalinization must be performed. The soil is dug up with wood ash, lime in the fall. Then, in the spring, pits with a diameter of 0.7 and a depth of 0.5 m are prepared. A mixture of sod land with organic and mineral fertilizers is laid inside, a support is placed, and then a seedling.

The first watering is carried out immediately upon completion of planting. 4 buckets of water are added to the root for each seedling. Subsequently, during the season, they are moistened about 5 times. It is worth increasing the frequency of watering only if a long period of drought has been established.It is important that the soil at a depth of about 40 cm remains moist, so 4 to 10 buckets of water are applied at a time.

Top dressing is also done regularly, but not too often. They are not produced within 2 years from the moment of planting. Then, in the spring of 3 years, the tree is abundantly fed with 50 kg of humus, superphosphate and potassium salt. During flowering, phosphate fertilizers are used. In the fall, nitrogen preparations will be useful.

The trunk circle is a risk zone for a tree. Its purity must be monitored especially carefully, avoiding possible loopholes for infection with pathogenic microflora or insects. It is important that the soil here remains loose and free from weeds.

Plum Candy has an interesting feature - a crown with a tendency to lateral branching. If it is not formed, the width of the tree can be twice its height. Pruning is done in spring and autumn to keep the crown tidy. It is recommended to give the crown a pyramidal shape. In October, you can perform sanitation by removing dead, dried, damaged or diseased shoots.

Before the onset of winter, young plums 1-3 years old need to prepare a shelter. The tree is wrapped with spruce branches, agrofibre, tied to avoid frostbite. Plants should not be covered with airtight sheets or foil. Adult plants from 5 years of age can no longer be protected from winter cold. In a winter with little snow, you can additionally tie the trunk with roofing material to protect the bark from rodents.

Plum of this variety is well protected from diseases and pests. The greatest risk for her is moniliosis, which requires the obligatory spraying of shoots and crowns with Nitrafen. And also quite often the fungal disease clasterosporiosis develops on trees. Control measures are standard, consisting in preventive and sanitary treatment with fungicides containing copper.

Of insects, the greatest danger to Candy is aphid. From it, spraying with organophosphate insecticides is performed twice during the season. If a moth is found on the plant, it is worth using "Chlorophos" to combat it.

Candy has good winter hardiness, but with recurrent frosts, shedding of flowers can be observed. The best soil for this plum is loam, black earth or sandy loam. Plants are also perfectly adapted to drought, they can do without watering for a long time, without showing visible signs of water shortage.

Plum Candy has a huge number of fans among gardeners. Trees grow well, easily gain crown mass, begin to bear fruit after a fairly short time. The excellent taste of the fruit deserves special attention - it is not like others, it has recognizable candy shades. Outwardly, trees also look very compact and decorative, they are easy to maintain in order, and used for harvesting. The frost resistance of this variety is estimated quite high, even in the most severe winters, the plants do not freeze completely, they leave quite quickly in the spring.

The main dissatisfaction of summer residents is caused by the tendency of the Candy plum to discard fruits. If the crop is not harvested in time, it will simply be underfoot. Another significant disadvantage is the plant's need for pollination. A single plum tree in the garden will remain sterile even with the best care.