Plum Red Ball

Plum Red ball has become widespread throughout Russia. Due to its yield and large-fruited capacity, it often becomes the No. 1 crop among gardeners.

The red ball was bred in VSTISP (All-Russian Institute of Selection and Technology of Horticulture and Nursery). To obtain the variety, they took such varieties as Burbank and Ussuriyskaya red. The result is a productive and relatively winter-hardy subspecies intended for cultivation in the Central region of Russia. Since 1989, the plant has been in the State Register. It also has a synonymous name - Raspberry ball.

Chinese plum The red ball looks very good on any site, due to its medium height and compactness. The height of the tree, as a rule, does not exceed 2.5 meters, and the crown has a round-hanging shape and medium density.

Plum bark is smooth, brownish brown in color. There are few branches, but new ones appear every year, they are called bouquet. It is on them that inflorescences are formed. Large green foliage with a matte surface is also actively formed on the branches. Interestingly, the tree begins to bloom even before it appears. It looks amazing because the whole tree is just strewn with color. Flowers can be either pink or white, and there are so many of them that they completely hide the branches. Due to this, during flowering, the tree resembles a huge ball. Hence its name.

Let's note some of the pluses of the Red Ball culture:

• high decorativeness;

• low height, compactness;

• early maturity;

• rich harvest in the form of large fruits;

• high rates of transportability and marketability.

Disadvantages:

• average winter hardiness;

• inability to self-pollinate;

• the need for quick collection of fruits.

The red ball got its name not only due to flowering. The fruits also resemble balls. They are quite large, because the weight reaches 35-40 grams. The plums are red, the skin is covered with a waxy bloom.

As for the pulp, it has a light yellow tint, is friable, juicy, and has excellent taste. The stone is small, and it is rather problematic to separate it from the pulp.

Plum varieties Red ball have a sweet and sour taste. Their aroma is very intense. The taste was rated at 4 points on a 5-point scale.

The red ball is a table plum, and therefore the fruits can be processed in any convenient way. Most often they make jam, compote, liqueur, juice and wine.

The tree begins to bloom 14 days earlier than other varieties, and therefore the fruits appear on it relatively early. Early plums can be tasted at the end of August. As for early maturity, gardeners usually wait for the first harvests 2-3 years after planting.

The plant is very productive. In the early years of fruiting, the tree produces 8 kilograms of fruit. Over time, it will begin to bring 20 kg, but it is important that the summer is warm.

This variety is not self-fertile, so you have to take care of the presence of pollinators on the site. It should be borne in mind that the classic home plum is not at all suitable for this role, so you need to take another Chinese one with the same flowering time or hybrid cherry plum. For example, the Gold of the Scythians or the Kuban comet.

In the middle zone of the country, the Red Ball is planted in April, and in the southern regions, autumn planting is also permissible. The soil should be very fertile, without salt and excessive acidity. The tree does not tolerate excess moisture extremely well, so it would be best to plant it on a small embankment. The plant is afraid of the wind, and this protection will also have to be provided. No nightshade crops should grow near the Red Ball.

Planted trees require the most scrupulous care. Watering is recommended in grooves or using a drip system. Irrigation is carried out once a week, spending 2.5-3 buckets per plant. Next, the soil will have to be mulched. If there is no mulch, and there is heat and drought outside, then you will have to water it twice in 7 days. However, if it rains for a long time, watering is stopped, as decay of the root collar may occur.

Responsibly, you need to treat the feeding of the Red Ball. They begin to be introduced in the third year. The first top dressing is carried out in the fall, for this, the earth is carefully dug up, bringing humus into it (10 liters per square meter). After a couple of days, the trees are watered with water with superphosphate and potassium sulfate. As soon as the snow melts in the spring, 30 grams of ammonium nitrate is dissolved in a bucket of water, and trees are watered with this composition. During the swelling of the kidneys, urea and potassium sulfate are given (30 grams each). They are simply scattered on the ground, followed by watering.

The crown of the Red Ball is not particularly dense, and the tree is tall, so trimming will be minimal. It is necessary to remove only improperly growing branches, as well as those that are bruised by frost or diseases, dried up. After trimming, the cuts are covered with garden pitch.

The variety is well resistant to clasterosporium disease and gum flow. However, other diseases may well attack him.For example, the Chinese plum is often affected by moniliosis, fruit rot, rust, and a milky sheen. The tree can also be attacked by parasites such as plum aphid, apple and plum moth. Therefore, for a particular variety, it is worth organizing preventive treatments to the maximum.

The plant is very afraid of the wind, and even more it is afraid of excess moisture. Therefore, in regions with cold and rainy summers, it is better not to grow it. Winter hardiness is satisfactory, but young trees need to be prepared for wintering by covering them with spruce branches and covering with burlap. Mature trees are sheltered if the gardener knows that recurrent frosts are frequent in his region. And also this must be done if there are mice on the site.

There are different reviews about the Red Ball plum. Some summer residents really like it. The tree decorates the site, pleases the eye, ripens early. Despite the difficult care, they choose it quite often. Gardeners are satisfied with the compactness, ease of harvesting, special aroma and taste, marketability of plums.

But not everyone succeeded in growing such a tree. In some regions, the seedling did not take root at all, in others it was often sick and was attacked by pests. In a rainy summer, the fruits cracked, crumbled and were tasteless. And also many summer residents noted that after winter, the tree is full of frostbites.