How to feed plums in spring

Feeding plums in spring is essential. This part of the agrotechnical work is needed both for the tree itself and for the future harvest. The result of the entire annual cycle of agricultural work depends on how effective it will be.

Spring plum care secrets

After the snow cover has practically disappeared in the garden, you can start the spring cycle of plum care. The activities carried out at this time are aimed at ensuring that the plant quickly enters the growing season, blooms and sets maximum fruits.

Plum care

The whole range of measures for the care of plums in spring consists of the following parts:

• Sanitary pruning.
• Preventive spraying against diseases and pests.
• Whitewashing the trunk.
• Cleaning, loosening and mulching of tree trunks.
• Top dressing.

If the spring is dry and sunny, the tree may need watering. In most cases, atmospheric precipitation is sufficient.

Plum seedlings care

Immediately after planting, you need to start pruning the plum, starting to form its crown. Its lateral branches are cut off completely, while the central conductor is shortened to 0.6 m. Top dressing of seedlings in the first 2-3 years is not performed, since the tree is quite enough with those fertilizers that were laid in the planting pit during planting.

Caring for a mature plum tree

At 5-6 years of age, when the crown of the tree is fully formed and the first harvest is obtained, the plum can be considered an adult. Spring care for her at this time will consist in preventive spraying from diseases and pests, sanitary pruning, as well as feeding.

At this time, the roots of the tree will begin to give abundant root growth, it must be carefully disposed of.

Old plum tree care in spring

If the fruits have become small, and the annual growth does not exceed 10-15 cm, then it is time for the tree to do rejuvenating pruning. It is carried out in several stages and is usually divided into 4 years, in each of which the fourth part of the crown is rejuvenated. Some of the old wood, side branches, sagging, diseased and dry branches are removed. The crown is shortened and lightened by removing old branches thickening its center.

After pruning, all cuts should be covered with garden varnish, and the plant should be fed to stimulate the development of young shoots.

Plum blossom care

During the flowering period, no work is usually done with the tree.At this time, the greatest danger to flowering plums is represented by recurrent frosts. Smoke heaps are lit to protect trees when the temperature drops. This reduces the heat transfer from the soil. In addition to smoke protection, tree watering and crown irrigation are also used. It also prevents frost death of flowers.

Plum care after flowering

After flowering, plums are re-treated against pests by spraying. In addition, after flowering, root feeding is performed with 40 g of nitrophoska and 30 g of urea, diluting them in a bucket of water. 3 buckets are poured under each tree. This feeding is done only for mature trees.

Plum care in spring: advice from experienced gardeners

Before the spring planting of plum seedlings, experienced gardeners recommend digging up the future planting site to a depth of at least 0.7 m in autumn. This will significantly increase the air content in the soil and improve the survival rate of the seedlings.

Root shoots, formed in excess by plums, must be removed below the soil level. Otherwise, the situation will worsen and there will be more shoots.

By the way, root shoots can be used as ready-made seedlings. The only exception is grafted plums. If the plum has been grafted, most likely a wild game will grow from the root shoot. It can also be used as a rootstock, subsequently grafting a cultivar on it.

Spring pruning can be combined with harvesting cuttings for plum propagation. This will save a lot of time. If the tree is not grafted, cuttings can also be harvested from root growth.

Purpose and importance of feeding plums in spring

The main purpose of feeding plums in spring is to create conditions for maximum fruiting. In spring, the most active sap flow occurs, at this time nutrients are carried throughout the tree. Lack of them will lead to weak growth of leaves and shoots, the tree will gain strength for a long time, and flowering and fruiting will slow down, will be more extended and belated. The yield will decrease and the quality of the fruit will deteriorate.

Feeding methods

You can feed the plants with the bark method, introducing nutrients into the soil. From there they will be assimilated root system tree and spread throughout the periphery of the plant. For root dressing, dry and wet methods are used, which means fertilizing the soil in a dry form or in the form of an aqueous solution.

In early spring, when the ground is still wet enough, the groundbait is applied dry, often simply by spreading granular fertilizer directly over the last snow. The fertilizer will dissolve and gradually sink into the ground along with the melt water. When the soil dries out, it makes more sense to use the wet method. Fertilizer here is already in dissolved form and does not require additional watering for its normal assimilation by plants.

Nutrients can be absorbed not only by the roots, but also by other parts of the plant. The method of foliar feeding is based on this. Trees are simply sprayed with an aqueous solution of fertilizer, and its absorption occurs through the leaves and shoots. The method of foliar feeding is able to multiply the vegetation and the growth of green mass, therefore it is used only after the appearance of the leaves.

What plums from fertilizers like

Plum is not very demanding on fertilizers. From organic matter, you can use rotted manure, humus, chicken droppings. You can plum feed and mineral fertilizers such as nitrophoska, ammonium nitrate, potassium monophosphate and sulfate, urea and superphosphate. It is imperative to use fertilizers containing magnesium.

Fertilizers when planting plums in spring

When planting, a plum sapling is covered with nutritious soil, which consists of equal shares of humus and turf soil with peat.To replenish the need for calcium, chalk or eggshells are additionally added to it, and to increase the nutritional value - superphosphate (200-250 g per tree), as well as 3 tbsp. tablespoons of urea and potassium sulfate.

It is imperative to add 0.5 kg of wood ash, if not, lime or dolomite flour, since the plum loves slightly alkaline soil.

How to feed a plum in spring before flowering

Before flowering, trees are fed with an aqueous solution of potassium sulfate and urea. For 10 liters of water, you will need 2 tbsp. spoons of each fertilizer. Under each fruiting tree, you need to pour 3 buckets of such a nutrient solution, evenly irrigating the entire near-trunk circle or pouring fertilizers into holes dug out at a distance of half a meter from the trunk.

How to feed a plum during flowering

There is no need to feed the plants during the flowering period. Enough of those fertilizers that were applied earlier.

How to feed a yellow plum in spring

A yellow plum in the care does not differ from the usual one. Therefore, all stages of spring tree care, including the timing and composition of spring dressings, will be fair for her.

Top dressing of plums after flowering

After the end of flowering, it is recommended to feed the plum with nitrogen-containing fertilizers in order to stimulate the growth of green mass and shoots, as well as accelerate and enhance the process of fruit ripening. It is made by the root method, by introducing an aqueous solution of carbamide and nitrophoska into the root zone (2 and 3 tablespoons per bucket of water, respectively).

How to fertilize plums in spring to increase yields

To increase yields, many experienced gardeners use the following:

1. Feeding with yeast. Dilute 20 g of yeast per liter of water and let it brew for about a week. After that, the infusion is diluted with a bucket of water and introduced into the root zone.
2. Eggshell. Enriches the soil with calcium, and at the same time slightly deacidifies it. Before making it, it must be crushed into powder and scattered around the trunk circle.
3. Bread crusts. They are soaked in a bucket of water and infused for a week. After that, the infusion is shaken, diluted with 3 buckets of water and introduced by the root method. You can add some whey.

Top dressing of plums depending on the age of the tree

In the first two years after planting, feeding is usually not done. The seedling has enough nutrients that were introduced into the planting pit during planting. As the age of the tree increases, so does the composition of the baits.

How to feed a young plum in spring

From the third year of life, plum trees need to be fed. This is done in early May. For feeding, use an aqueous solution of urea (2 tablespoons per bucket of water). 2-3 buckets of solution are added under each tree.

How to feed an old plum in spring

Before flowering, an adult plum is fed with a solution of urea and potassium sulfate. To prepare it, add 2 tbsp each to a bucket of water. spoons of each of the ingredients. Many gardeners replace these two preparations with the Yagodka complex fertilizer, which requires 250–300 g per bucket of water.

After flowering, the trees are fed with an aqueous solution of urea and nitrophoska (2 and 3 tablespoons per bucket of water, respectively). You can replace such a fertilizer with a complex fertilizer containing the same components, for example, "Berry giant".

How often to water the plum

Plum is a rather moisture-loving plant. Nevertheless, atmospheric precipitation is usually enough for it. Watering may be required only during dry periods. This can be determined by rolling the leaves and drying out the fruits, so the tree reflexively tries to reduce the evaporation area and reduce moisture loss.

When to water plums in spring

In spring, the air humidity is quite high, so watering the drain is not required.An exception is made only in drought, then at the end of May, abundant watering should be done for each tree in order to stimulate fruit setting and shoot growth.

Is it possible to water plum blossoms

There is no need to water the plum blossom. High humidity during this period negatively affects the pollination of flowers.

How to water a plum in summer

During the summer, 3-4 watering of plum trees is done. The amount may vary depending on the weather; in a rainy summer, watering may not be necessary at all. If the atmospheric moisture is clearly insufficient, watering is done approximately once every 2-3 weeks. 5-8 buckets are poured under each tree, depending on its age. During fruiting, the plum should be watered with caution, an excessive amount of water can lead to cracking of the fruit.

Watering plums in summer after fruiting

After harvesting, the plum is watered only during dry periods. The last time this is done after the leaves fall, this is the so-called water-charging irrigation. After that, they completely stop watering the trees.

Pruning plums in spring

In the spring, before the start of sap flow, the trees are pruned. It is produced for the following purposes:

1. Formative. The first 4 years of a tree's life are done, forming its crown in one way or another (sparse-tiered, bowl-shaped, etc.).
2. Sanitary. It is done twice a season (the second time after leaf fall). All broken, dry, damaged and diseased branches are removed. At the same time, crown thinning is done and root growth is removed.
3. Anti-aging. It is made for old trees to rejuvenate the crown and prolong the period of active fruiting of the plum.

Correct pruning can significantly extend the life of a tree and protect it from many diseases.

Mulching

Trunk circle mulching has a number of functions. First of all, it retains moisture in the soil. In spring, mulch is an additional insulating layer that heats up easily and keeps heat in the soil. Peat or humus is most often used as mulch, so the soil is additionally enriched with nutrients.

How to avoid mistakes when caring for plums in spring

For plums, both insufficient and excessive care are dangerous. Therefore, an excessive amount of both watering and fertilization will lead to problems rather than help the tree. It is necessary to strictly observe the timing and dosage of fertilizing.

When loosening the soil, do not dig deeply, since most of the roots of the plum lie at a depth of no more than 0.5 m. For the same reason, fertilizers containing chlorine should not be used for plums.

Conclusion

Feeding plums in the spring is certainly necessary. However, when carrying out it, it is necessary to take into account the composition of the soil, as well as strictly adhere to the type of fertilizer, the indicated dosages and timing of application. Otherwise, it will not be of any benefit. In the best case, these will be unnecessary material costs, in the worst case, the tree itself will die.

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