Plum Morning - a yellow fruit variety, which was appreciated by gardeners of the middle lane. This productive variety conquers its owners with the taste and abundance of large yellow plums. We learn what else is interesting about the Morning variety, and how to grow it in a temperate climate.
plum variety "Morning"
the plum peel of the Morning variety has a wax coating
plum "morning" is very juicy
Origin of the variety
The variety was bred by domestic breeders from the All-Russian Institute of Horticulture and Nursery. “Morning” was obtained as a result of the crossing of “Red Early Hours” and “Greengage Ullensa”. The variety is recommended for the Central region, registered in the State Register in 2001.
Description of the tree and fruits
Description of plum tree and fruit Morning:
- Wood. Srednerosloy with a spherical, slightly raised crown. The average height is 3-3.5 m. The affluence and density of the crown is average. The leaves are round-oval, with serrated edges.
- Fruit. Oval, medium and large, weighing from 20 to 40 g. The main color is greenish yellow. The fruits upon which the sun falls have a pink integument - “blush”. The skin is smooth, without pubescence, with a wax coating. The yellow pulp has a pleasant, sweet and sour taste. Tasting assessment - 4 points out of 5. The stem is of medium length, tears dry from the fruit.
The sugar content in the fruits of the morning plum is 8%, which is almost half that of the sweetest varieties, for example, Hungarian.
Features and qualities
Variety Morning belongs to early ripening - a tree blooms in mid-May, and the first plums ripen in early August. This plum is from the early, the fruits on it ripen already in the 4th-5th year after planting a seedling. The tree has a short life span of about 20 years.
One of the important features of the variety is the difficulty in determining ripe fruits. Ripening, plums almost do not change color, it is necessary to determine ripeness by touch.
Disease and pest resistance
The variety is resistant to most diseases affecting stone fruits - kleasterosporiosis, fruit rot, moniliosis. Affection of aphids and moth is high, with other pests - medium.
Productivity
Variety Morning annually gives 15-30 kg of plums. Once every 4 years, plum Morning takes a short break in fruiting - there are fruits on the tree, but there are not many.
Like many plums, the fruits of the "Morning" ripen hard. This is especially convenient for amateur cultivation - eating fruits stretches for almost a month. The owners of the garden have the opportunity to feast on plums for a long time, and make preparations gradually, as the fruits ripen.
Frost resistance
The variety is not frost resistant. Even moderate frosts can harm a tree - its shoots often freeze in the winter. But this minus is offset by the quick recovery of the culture. The tree tolerates spring frosts well - flower buds practically do not suffer from them.
The variety growing area is limited to the regions of the Central region - Moscow, Kaluga, Tula, etc. In the more northern regions, in Siberia, in the Urals, this variety is not recommended to be grown - it lacks frost resistance.
Drought tolerance
The variety can not be called particularly resistant to drought, it is at an average level. The tree needs regular watering, without timely moisture, productivity decreases - some of the fruits may fall ahead of time.
Pollination
The variety belongs to self-fertile - this is one of its main advantages. For the tree to bear fruit, additional pollinating varieties are not needed. At the same time, the Morning plum itself is often used to increase the yield of other varieties.
The subtleties of landing
The whole subsequent life of the tree depends on the correct planting - choosing a place, preparing a seedling, determining the timing and other agricultural technical nuances. Observing the conditions for planting plum seedlings in the ground, the gardener lays the foundation for future productivity and endurance of the tree.
Primary requirements
Requirements for planting plums Morning:
- Dates. Seedlings are planted in spring or autumn. Spring planting is done before buds open - before the start of sap flow. In autumn, seedlings are planted a month and a half before frosts - in September-October.
- Lighting. A sunny, well-lit place is selected, protected from drafts and blowing winds. Plum is always planted on the south side, preferably not far from a building or fence. Between the drain and the obstacles - the wall, the fence, etc., must be at least 3 m.
- Humidity. You can not plant a seedling in the lowlands - moisture accumulates here, which is harmful to the root system of plum trees. The root system should not be flooded with groundwater. The minimum level of occurrence is 1.5 m.
- The soil. The best option is loose and fertile soils, loamy or sandy loam, with neutral acidity.
In an area with adverse conditions, the drain will hurt and bear fruit poorly.
Neighboring cultures
Plum is not recommended to be planted near stone fruit and pome fruit trees. Adverse proximity is considered to be with:
- Cherries. If it were not for susceptibility to the same diseases, this would be an ideal neighborhood, since crops do not affect each other's productivity. Unfortunately, they can infect each other with different diseases, for example, coccomycosis.
- Pear. This tree gets along well with all fruit crops. A pear and a plum suffer from various diseases, but the first over time suppresses any of its neighbors - to grow a strong fruit tree near a pear is almost impossible. Well, about plum diseases and their treatment, read here.
- Sweet cherry. It goes bad with any fruit crops. The crown of cherries blocks the access of light to other trees, negatively affecting their growth and fruiting.
Near the plum tree you can plant an apple tree, but only a small one - a dwarf one, so that it does not create a shortage of sunlight for the first one.
Elderberry can be a useful neighbor for plums - it scares off one of the main plum pests - aphids. Another good neighbor for plums is maple. But its growth must not be allowed - the maple should be constantly shortened. A low tree will favorably affect the yield of plums. Between plums and other fruit trees, it is recommended to plant black currants, raspberries, gooseberries.
Soil preparation
The optimal time for planting plum seedlings is spring. The soil and pits for planting are prepared in the fall. Excessively moistened areas are increased by 60 cm, and create additional drainage. Clay and sandy soils are enriched with nutrients. If the soil has high acidity, it is reduced by liming.
It is better to prepare the pits in the fall, if this option is not suitable, then 2-3 weeks should pass between digging the pits and planting the seedling - during this time the soil should settle. The depth of the pit is 60 cm, the diameter is 60-70 cm. Humus in the proportion (2: 1) is added to the fertile soil, extracted when digging the pit - this is about 20 cm of the upper layer. After this, the mixture is poured into the pit.
It is advisable to enrich the fertile soil with fertilizers. The optimal composition for one tree:
- humus - 2 buckets;
- superphosphate - 200 g;
- potassium sulphide - 100 g;
- wood ash - 300 g.
When planting, consider the type of seedlings - there are open and closed roots. The latter are sold in containers, it is convenient to plant them at any time - in spring or autumn, while the soil from the root system is not removed. This method of planting minimizes tree stress. Saplings with open roots are planted only in the spring. For the winter they are dug up and covered with burlap.
Preparing planting material
When choosing a seedling for planting, pay attention to the state of the root system and bark. It is better to refuse the purchase if the seedling has:
- mechanical damage or stains;
- traces of pests.
It is advisable to take seedlings 1-2 years old - they take root better than older specimens. The root system must be well developed.
When buying a seedling with open roots, pre-planting is carried out. Before planting, open roots are immersed in water for 12-24 hours.
Landing instructions
When they begin to land, the pit is already prepared. It is dug up, and filled on 2/3 with nutritious soil mix. Step-by-step instructions for planting a plum seedling Morning:
- A wooden support is driven into a pre-prepared hole.
- A seedling is placed in the pit, evenly distributing the roots along the hill from the soil mixture. The peg should be on the south side - it will protect the seedling from burns.
- Gently fill the roots of the seedling with soil. From time to time, they compact the soil with your hand - so that there are no voids. For the same purpose, the seedling is periodically shaken. The root neck should be 5-7 cm above the ground.
- The soil near the seedling is rammed. Around it make a recess with sides - to water the tree.
- The seedling is tied to a peg with soft material - for example, twine. Do not use wire - it can damage a young tree.
- The tree is watered. When water is absorbed, the soil is mulched with peat or compost.
You can not add fertilizers to the pit that can burn the roots of the seedling.
Planted tree care
If a tree is planted in autumn, then all agricultural activities are delayed until spring. Seedlings planted in the spring, needs immediate care.
Features of caring for a planted tree:
- Watering. Compared to mature trees, seedlings need enhanced hydration. Watering frequency - weekly. Adjustments to the irrigation schedule can be caused by heavy rains. The seedlings are watered with cold water - it must be heated in the sun. When watering, it is important to maintain balance - the soil should not dry out, but stagnation of water should not be allowed.
- Pruning. If the seedling is planted in the spring, the top is cut off from it. In spring and autumn, pruning is performed to form the crown.
- Top dressing. If planting is done with fertilizers, then the first two years the tree does not need to be fed.
- Preparing for the winter. The seedling is covered with spruce branches, the trunk circle is mulched with a thick layer of humus or compost. Wrap with a fine-mesh metal mesh - from rodents.
The first flowers that appear on the tree are cut off - this is done to save the strength of the plant. In the early years, all energy should be directed to growth and growth, and not to fruit formation.
Features of adult tree care
As the tree grows, its care is adjusted. Watering is getting smaller, but you have to spend more time on pruning and pest control. And most importantly, an adult fruiting tree needs regular feeding - without it, good yields can not be seen.
Watering and fertilizer
Plum Morning is a moisture-loving variety. Humidification is necessary regularly - as the soil dries up. In drought, the frequency of watering increases. Watering rate depends on the age of the tree. At a height of up to 2 m, a tree requires 20-40 liters of water. At a height of more than 2 m - 50-60 liters. After each watering, the soil in the near-stem circle is loosened, and then mulched with sawdust, freshly cut grass, and straw.
2 years after planting, the tree needs regular top dressing - mineral and organic. Topping plum:
- Before flowering, urea and potassium sulfate are added - 40 g each.
- During the ripening period, Nitrophosk and urea are added - 30 g each.
- After harvesting, superphosphate and potassium sulfate are added - 30 g each.
- Before winter, the tree is fertilized with organics. The most affordable fertilizer is manure. During the autumn digging, organic and potassium-phosphorus fertilizers are added. To 15 kg of rotted manure add wood ash -1 kg, and superphosphate - 0.5 kg.
Cropping and shaping the crown
Pruning in order to form a crown is carried out in spring and autumn. The best time is spring, before the sap flow begins. Forming a rounded crown, along the way, branches that have dried and frozen over the winter are cut.
Pruning starts from the first year of life, shortening the main conductor. In a two-year-old seedling, the branches are cut to a year old.
Other features of pruning morning plum:
- Cutting branches into a ring, hemp is not left.
- Branches growing inward and upward are removed.
- The basal shoots are actively harvested - 4-5 times during the summer. It takes power from the mother plant, reducing yield.
- To reduce the risks associated with the appearance of gum disease and fruit rot, pruning is carried out as early as possible - before the leaves bloom, or in the summer, after the end of night frosts that adversely affect the damage received during pruning.
- Pruning is carried out with a sharp knife or saw. Large sections are necessarily treated with garden var.
Wintering and shelter from rodents
Variety "Morning" is not the most frost-resistant, so the tree, especially in the first years of life, needs winter shelter. For the winter, the tree is covered with agrofibre, trampling subsequently the fallen snow. When snow falls, shake it off the branches, leaving only a small snow coating on them.
Annual seedlings can be covered with branches, hay and tied with a rope. A young tree is wrapped in several layers of paper. Adult trees are insulated in different ways - they dig the soil and sprinkle it with humus, whiten the trunk and skeletal branches, cover the near-stem circle with burlap and film. To protect against rodents, a fine-mesh metal mesh is used to wrap the trunk of the tree.
Diseases and Pests
Plum Morning is quite resistant to diseases and pests, including the most common. The variety resists fruit rot and kleasterosporiosis, aphids and moths well.
To prevent infection of the tree, a number of measures are performed:
- before opening the kidneys, dig the soil in the near-stem circle;
- on time cut and burn damaged branches;
- spraying with Fufanon, Inta-vir and Spark-bio;
- if the tree was affected by fruit rot, then the fruits are destroyed, and the tree is treated with 1% Bordeaux liquid.
Common diseases of the plum Morning and the fight against them:
Disease | How to fight? | Prevention |
Moniliosis | Spraying during the flowering season of Skor, Switch, Fitoflavin. An alternative is treatment with a solution of ash and salt, or a solution of iodine. | Timely feeding with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers, garbage collection in the near-stem circle, destruction of affected fruits. |
Scab | Spraying by Skor, Raykom, Horus. | Processing before budding Bordeaux liquid 1%. |
Red spotting | Before and after flowering, as well as after harvesting - spraying with Topaz, Skor, Oksikhom. | Before budding, the tree and the trunk circle are treated with a solution of copper sulfate 1%. |
Common Pest Plums Morning and Pest Control:
Pest | How to fight? | Prevention |
Plum sawfly | Spraying with infusion of horsetail or wormwood. Treatment with Lepitocide, Entobacterin. | Digging the soil in the fall. Before the kidneys open, treatment with insecticides. |
Plum gall mite | After flowering - spraying with a solution of Tedione or colloidal sulfur. | Respect for a favorable neighborhood. Prevention of the proximity of birch, peaches and other crops affected by ticks. |
Harvesting, storage and processing of crops
Variety Morning, characterized by the compactness of the tree, facilitates the task of gardeners during the harvest season. But still without a stepladder, all the fruits cannot be gathered. It is not recommended to bend branches during harvesting - they are very fragile and easy to damage.
If breaks, cracks are formed, then such branches are subsequently removed, which will negatively affect future crops. Shaking the tree is also not worth it - fallen fruits, especially ripe ones, can burst.
If plums are removed for food or for immediate processing, then rip them ripe. Moreover, the gardener must be careful not to pick up immature fruits. If the plums are to be transported or laid for storage, then they are ripped off by them that are not finished. In the refrigerator, such fruits, gaining ripeness, can maintain their presentation in up to two weeks. And then they become soft and lose their sweetness.
Variety Morning is considered universal - its fruits are tasty in fresh form and in preparations. Sweet green-yellow plums make excellent jam, jam, jam. These plums also tolerate freezing.
Gardeners reviews on the morning plum
Ivanchenko P., Kaluga Region Variety Morning attracted me with an unusually bright aroma and sweetness. One problem is that the plums are so delicious that they are eaten in our family before I can make winter preparations from them. The tree is undemanding in care, it has been growing on the site for 15 years, so I will propagate it. All this drain needs is watering and warming before winter.
Yagupov R., Moscow Region. I always wanted to grow a yellow fruit variety. Choosing an option, I stopped at the Morning variety. Attracted by undemanding, self-pollination. The only negative is not the highest frost resistance. But I compensate for this shortcoming by warming the tree for the winter. In principle, I am satisfied with the variety - there are a lot of drains, they are tasty, the tree is practically not sick.
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The variety should be of interest to middle-range gardeners - it is not suitable for regions with more severe climates. Plum Morning is a vivid representative of yellow fruit varieties, it is fruitful, hardy and unpretentious, and its fruits are sweet, juicy and tasty.
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