Plum Volga beauty

Volzhskaya krasavitsa is a variety of domestic plum, widespread in the territory of the Central region of Russia. The heat-loving plant gives bountiful harvests, and its fruits are considered an excellent fresh dessert, well suited for processing. The variety has proven itself well when grown in orchards and summer cottages.

The variety was bred by E.P. Finaev in the 30s of the XX century in Kuibyshev, and was approved for use after variety trials in 1965. Obtained by crossing Skorospelka red and Renklode Bave.

The trees of this plum are tall and strong, showing intensive growth already in the first years after planting. The crown is not very thickened, spherical, voluminous. Shoots are thickened, directed straight, without pubescence, there are few lenticels on them. The branches are covered with large, wide leaves with a light green wrinkled plate. The flowers of the tree are large, white, double or triple.

The plums of the Volzhskaya krasavitsa variety are large, the average weight of each is 34 grams. The skin is bare, of medium density, easily removable, with a strong waxy bloom, colored red-violet. The shape of the fruit is oval-rounded with a narrowing towards the base, the abdominal suture stands out, has an average depth. The pulp is brightly colored, yellow-orange, the juice has no color, the stone is not large, it separates well.

Fruits are sweet and sour, with tender juicy pulp. The tasting score for the variety is 4.5 points.

The first crop is harvested 4-5 years after planting. Early variety, bears fruit from 10 to 25 August, annually.

The amount of fees depends on the age of the tree, the conditions of its cultivation. In general, the yield is assessed as high, 12-25 kg per plant during the season.

The Volga beauty is zoned for planting in the Lower Volga, Middle Volga, Central regions.

The plum is self-fertile; it blooms from 11 to 20 May. Among the best pollinating varieties for her are Ternoslivu Kuibyshevskaya, Zhiguli, Skorospelka red.

The Volga beauty belongs to varieties that need to be planted in a well-lit place. It is better to choose fertile soil. Marly clay, light loamy chernozem with a moderate level of moisture is suitable.During the period of growth and development, trees need pruning and feeding.

For planting plums, you can choose early spring or late autumn. If the plants do not have time to acclimatize before frost, you can dig in a young plant for the winter. It is customary to prepare a planting hole in 10-12 days, forming a hole about 0.5 m deep and slightly larger in diameter. The extracted soil is saturated with useful additives - rotted manure or humus, phosphates, sources of potassium, wood ash. The resulting substrate is filled with 2/3 of the pit.

Before landing, a retaining peg is driven into the center of the pit. The tree is placed from the north of it, covered with the remaining soil mixture. The seedling is shaken slightly so that the earth gets between the roots. Then the soil is compacted. After planting, the root collar of the plum should be above ground level.

At the end of this stage, the tree trunk is tied to a support. The soil is moistened abundantly. In the future, the frequency of watering is adjusted based on weather conditions. In hot summers, moisture is brought in weekly, in cool ones - once every 10-14 days. Feeding plums from 3 years after planting on the site becomes regular.

Fertilizers are applied during budding, then at the stage of fruit formation. The next top dressing is carried out immediately after harvest. Fertilizers should have a balanced mineral composition. Plums are useful for potassium sulfate, urea.

The rest of the care should be focused on the trunk circle. It is regularly loosened, cleaned of weeds. It is not recommended to leave fallen leaves and fruits in this area.

Plum tree formation begins 1 or 2 years after planting. It consists of a stem 25-40 cm long, in the crown there should be 7-8 skeletal branches. It is important to maintain an equal distance between them, gradually forming a regular spherical crown.

The tree is also prepared for the winter cold. Plums are less tolerant of them than other fruit trees. Before winter, they are fed, then they dig in the area above the roots, forming a small mound near the trunk. On fruiting plants, whitewashing is performed to a height of about 1 m from ground level. This will protect the tree from harmful parasites.

The degree of immune defense in plants is average. Quite often, on the plum, you can see signs of marsupial disease, leading to damage to the fruit. They become covered with a whitish coating, fall off. The best preventive measure in this case will be spraying the branches with Bordeaux liquid. It will also help to cope with perforated spotting and other fungal diseases.

Plum of this variety is highly resistant to moth attack. But the plum aphid can cause serious damage to the leaves. You can fight this insect with the help of folk remedies - from a solution of laundry soap to dandelion infusion.Plum sawfly and silkworms are especially dangerous for the plant during fruiting; you can prevent their appearance by spraying trees with insecticide in early spring.

Winter hardiness of the Volga beauty is above average. The variety does not tolerate an increase in air humidity very well. Plants thrive in dry and hot periods. The trees are relatively resistant to drought. They do not tolerate strongly acidic soils.

Gardeners from the Volgograd region and surrounding regions highly appreciate the Volzhskaya krasavitsa variety. The fruits have time to fully ripen on trees, are suitable for making desserts and processing into jams, sauces, compotes. It is noted that all plums are one-dimensional, without deformations, they tolerate transportation and storage well. Summer residents value trees of this variety so highly also for their undemanding care, high growth rate.

The great advantage of the variety is its commercial potential. In large orchards, these plums are successfully grown for sale without any interruption in the harvest. It is only important not to forget that trees need regular disease prevention. Summer residents are advised to adjust the spraying schedule taking into account the climatic characteristics of each year. If other fruit trees get sick on the site, you should not hesitate with prevention.

The main disadvantages of the Volga beauty are considered the large size of the tree, which occupies a significant area of ​​the site. In addition, the buds of the plant do not always tolerate frosty winters well, they often freeze out when the temperature is severe. At high humidity, the fruits begin to crack. In thickened gardens, trees develop worse; experienced gardeners are advised to leave at least 3 m of free space around the pit.