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Cherry plum Soneyka is a hybrid of Belarusian cherry plum selection. A beautiful fruitful tree is popular in country gardens in Belarus and Russia. Consider the characteristics and conditions of its cultivation.
Breeding history
The breeders of the Institute of Fruit Growing of Belarus have created this hybrid variety by pollinating the cherry plum variety Mara with the pollen of diploid plums. Valery Matveev, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences, was engaged in its breeding. Cultivated since 2009.
Description of culture
Description of Soneika cherry plum is as follows:
- The tree has the shape of a flattened circle. Its height does not exceed three meters.
- The crown is not very dense, the branches are inclined downward.
- It has oval pointed leaves, white flowers.
- Yellow plums with a red barrel, weighing up to 50 g, sweet, slightly sour.
- Productivity 30-40 kg.
- The pulp is yellow and juicy.
The cherry plum variety is winter-hardy, can be planted in central Russia and Belarus. The photo of Soneika cherry plum presented below allows you to get acquainted with this plant.
Characteristics
Let's consider the main characteristics of the Soneika cherry plum variety.
Drought resistance, winter hardiness
Cherry plum has good winter hardiness, tolerates frosty winters without losses. Sharp temperature changes in February are dangerous for fruit buds.
Like the progenitor of plums, drought tolerant plant... However, watering will yield higher yields and more succulent fruits.
Pollination, flowering period and ripening times
Like a plum, it requires a pollinator to produce fruit, while choosing varieties that bloom at the same time. The best pollinator for Soneika cherry plum is Eastern European plum varieties. It blooms with white flowers in May. The fruits ripen at the end of August.
Productivity, fruiting
The variety is fast-growing, high-yielding, up to 40 kg of berries are harvested from one tree. Ripening occurs almost simultaneously, which shortens the harvest time. The first fruits appear two years after planting.
Scope of the fruit
Cherry plum fruits are used fresh. They are well transported and stored for a long time. They are used to prepare jams, compotes, jams, and add to culinary products. It is used in cosmetology for the preparation of creams, shampoos and other cosmetics.
Disease and pest resistance
Hybrid plants have good resistance to harmful insects and diseases. The variety is immunized to clasterosporium disease.
Advantages and disadvantages
Advantages of the hybrid variety Soneika cherry plum:
- High productivity.
- Early onset of fruiting.
- The tree is compact.
- Winter hardy.
- Drought tolerant.
- Disease resistant.
The disadvantages include the need to establish supports for the branches strewn with fruits and the presence of other varieties for cross-pollination.
Landing features
The plant requires certain conditions for good growth and fruiting.
Recommended timing
The best time for planting cherry plum is spring, the plant has time for rooting before the onset of cold weather.
Autumn planting of cherry plum is permissible, it should be no later than mid-September, a month before the start of frost.At a later date, the roots will not have time to take root, and the plant may die.
Choosing the right place
Russian plum, cherry plum Soneyka, loves a sunny place protected from northern winds. This can be any part of the garden, except for its northern zone. Low places with stagnant water and close groundwater are unacceptable. Acidic soil should be limed.
What crops can and cannot be planted next to cherry plum
The best neighbors will be stone fruit crops, as well as plants that are suitable for low acid soil. The pear and apple trees growing nearby work poorly.
Selection and preparation of planting material
For planting, one-year and two-year seedlings are used. The root system should consist of 5 main roots, 30 cm long, well developed. You can use grafted plants, they begin to bear fruit faster.
Before planting, the roots are examined, the diseased and damaged ones are removed, the rest are shortened. Their color on the cut should be white.
The roots should be saturated with water. They are placed in a solution with disinfectant additives to exclude possible diseases.
Landing algorithm
The tree is compact, 3 meters are left between the seedlings, 4-5 meters are enough between the rows.
Planting pits are prepared with a depth of 0.8 meters, their width is up to 0.7 m, depending on the fertility of the soil. On poor soils, humus or compost is added to the pit, complex fertilizer is sprinkled. On acidic soils, add ash, lime or dolomite.
On clay soils, drainage is made from crushed stone, brick or coarse sand. If the soil is sandy, add a layer of clay to the bottom of the pit.
The root collar of the cherry plum is not buried, it is left at ground level. This is especially true for grafted seedlings, so that wild shoots of the rootstock do not begin to grow and do not drown out cultural shoots.
Follow-up care of the culture
The cultivation of Soneika cherry plum requires compliance with certain rules. Basic requirements for crop care:
- Watering.
- Top dressing.
- Pruning.
- Preparing for winter.
- Rodent protection.
Watering is required in spring and summer, up to three times per season. In the dry season, 4 liters are poured under the cherry plum tree. Be sure to water it in September to provide moisture to the root system for the winter.
In the first year, there is enough food introduced into the planting pits. In the future, top dressing is applied in March, in the summer, during the appearance and growth of ovaries. The last dressing in August is needed to lay the buds of the next harvest. It is better to introduce complex compounds, only exclude nitrogen in the fall.
In the fourth year, cherry plum will require the introduction of organic fertilizers, as well as phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. They are added during the autumn loosening of the soil.
In the first year, the crown of the tree is formed. Leave up to 5 skeletal branches. In the future, branches of the second and third order and crown density are formed.
The main pruning of cherry plum and plum is done in the spring before the start of sap flow in March, April. Summer pruning can only be sanitary, in which dry and unnecessary branches are removed.
To get a visual idea of the tree pruning process, you can watch the video:
The cherry plum variety Soneyka is winter-hardy, but requires some preparation for winter. Young seedlings are spud and mulched with humus. For them, you need to organize a shelter from rodents. To do this, the trunk is wrapped in burlap, covered with spruce branches.
Diseases and pests, methods of control and prevention
Cherry plum variety Soneyka is resistant to many diseases, but they still exist.
Disease or pest | Characteristic | Control methods |
Perforated spot | The appearance of brown spots on plum leaves, the formation of holes in them. Further, the disease spreads to fruits and branches. The bark cracks, gum flow begins
| Treatment of a tree with a 1% solution of Bordeaux liquid or the preparation "Hom" before flowering and after and three weeks before harvesting. Remove plant residues in time |
Coccomycosis | The appearance of a powdery pink bloom on the leaves, drying of the fruits near the plum | Treatment of plants with Bordeaux liquid in spring and autumn, treatment in autumn of trunk circles |
Moniliosis | Branches darken, leaves dry up and fall off, fruits rot | In the spring, before the buds swell, spraying with a 3% solution of Bordeaux liquid, in the summer and after harvesting, use a 1% solution |
Fruit mite | Damages leaves and fruit buds, causes them to fall off | Timely clean the branches from the old bark, in case of illness, use "Fundazol" or "Karate" in the formation of buds |
Plum aphid | Damages shoots and leaves of plums and cherry plums, after which they dry out | Insecticide treatment of leaves, especially their lower part |
Cherry plum Soneika, while retaining the useful qualities of the plum, has a pleasant taste. The hybrid variety is resistant to diseases, has a compact shape. A beautifully blooming tree in early spring will decorate the entire garden.
Testimonials
Reviews about the cherry plum Soneyka indicate that the tree is popular with gardeners.
