When to Plant Plum Seedlings
Here is a sharing about when to plant plum seedlings and the key points of plum cultivation and planting techniques in the field of green plants and flowers, the specific details are as follows:
What are the plum cultivation techniques?
How to plant plums?
Many farmers who grow plum trees often ask such questions. After searching for a large amount of plum cultivation and planting techniques, I have summarized the relevant knowledge of plum cultivation and planting techniques in detail for everyone, as follows:
Red ripe plums
【Plum Cultivation Technique ①】
One, seedling characteristics
Plum trees can be propagated by methods such as division, seeding, and grafting. However, in production, it is required to use the grafting propagation method, and the rootstock is used with cold-resistant varieties, or small peach red, and mao cherry, and the use of small peach red has a dwarfing effect on the tree. Previously, apricots were used as the rootstock for plums in production, but the affinity was poor, and the drought resistance of the plants was also poor. Grafting can be done with budding in mid to late July.
Two, garden construction characteristics
Plum trees are not strict with light requirements, but have higher requirements for air temperature and soil temperature. Cultivation can be properly close-planted, and it is better to plant in a rectangular shape; generally, the spacing of rows and columns is 4×5, 3×4, 2×3 meters. For self-fruiting varieties, pollination trees or mixed planting of 3, 2 varieties should be configured.
Three, soil management characteristics
1. Fertilization: Under extensive management, plum trees have low yield, small fruits, and poor varieties, so fertilization is necessary.
1) The timing and methods of applying base fertilizer are the same as those of golden apples.
2) Top dressing can be done 2-3 times for mid-late maturing varieties. In early June, under the condition of sufficient base fertilizer or in the hard-core period of early maturing varieties, nitrogen fertilizer is mainly used in combination with phosphate and potassium fertilizer. It has a good effect on fruit growth and flower bud differentiation. For high-yielding orchards or mid-late maturing varieties with insufficient fertilization in the early stage, a top dressing with nitrogen fertilizer as the main component can be added in early July, but the amount should not be too large.
3) Supplementary fertilization: After harvesting, supplementary fertilization is applied to improve assimilation function, increase storage nutrition of tree bodies, improve the quality of flower buds, and enhance wintering ability. Supplementary fertilization is mainly nitrogen fertilizer, and if phosphorus fertilizer is insufficient, it can be applied together.
4) Trace elements: Generally, boron and zinc are often deficient.
Lack of boron can be sprayed with 0.1-0.5% boric acid before germination, before flowering, or during the full flowering period.
Lack of zinc can be sprayed with 4-5% zinc sulfate before germination.
2. Irrigation and drainage: The focus of irrigation is on three times before germination, after flowering, and during the hard-core period. Lack or excessive water during the hard-core period can easily cause fruit drop, so it should be appropriate.
Plum trees are afraid of waterlogging, and attention must be paid to drainage during the rainy season. The method is the same as that of golden red apples.
3. Tillage: Including deep plowing, shallow plowing, weeding, soil building, and intercropping and other soil management items.
Shallow plowing should be done after each irrigation. After early spring irrigation, shallow plowing should be deep, generally 8-10 cm, to facilitate soil moisture preservation. Shallow plowing should be done after irrigation during the hard-core period, about 5 cm, and try to minimize root damage.
Before the rainy season, the grass should be removed. In autumn, only weeding is required without loosening the soil. After weeding, the whole garden should be shallowly plowed, about 5-10 cm, gradually deepening outward.
Soil building: When autumn plowing, appropriate soil should be added around the trunk to protect the root neck from wintering and reduce frost damage.
Intercropping: mainly during the period of young trees, the principles and types of intercropping are the same as those of golden red apples.
Four, shaping and pruning:
The suitable tree shape for plum trees is the natural open shape. Choose three main branches to grow obliquely outward, and no large branches or large branch groups are left in the inner cavity.
1. Tree structure
1) Trunk height is about 30-40 cm
2) Tree height is about 2.5-3.0 meters
3) Canopy diameter is about 3 meters
4) Number of main branches: 3 (one layer of main branches)
5) Main branch angle: Base angle 50-55 degrees, waist angle 60-80 degrees, tip angle 45-50 degrees
6) Number of lateral branches: 3-4, the first lateral branch is 45-50 cm away from the main branch base, the second lateral branch is 20-30 cm away from the first lateral branch, the third lateral branch is 80-100 cm away from the second lateral branch, and the fourth lateral branch is 20-30 cm away from the third lateral branch.
7) The number of third-level branches (sub-lateral branches) starts from 30-40 cm from the base of the main branch and decreases sequentially from bottom to top
8) The number of fourth-level branches (fruiting branches) is retained every 5-8 cm, mainly short branches, and a small number of medium and long branches can also be retained.
2. Shaping process: Cut off the seedlings 50-60 cm away from the ground after planting (shorter for erect varieties and taller for spreading varieties). There should be vigorous leaf buds in the shaping zone (15-20 cm below the cut). After germination, retain 4-6 vigorous new shoots that are staggered and grow a branch at each node, and remove all the rest.
Main branch selection: When pruning in the second winter, three main branches should be selected, which should be evenly distributed and located. The base angle is controlled at 50-60 degrees to balance the growth. After the main branches are determined, pruning should be done according to their germination and branching ability. For varieties with weak germination and branching ability, the length of the retained branches should not exceed 60 cm. For varieties with strong germination and branching ability, the length should not exceed 80 cm, avoiding bare areas. No central leading stem is retained.
Lateral branch selection: In the third year, the extension branches of each main branch should be appropriately cut short, and side branches should be selected at the same time. The first lateral branch is 40-50 cm away from the base of the main branch, with a base angle of 50-60 degrees. After the main branch extends by 50-60 cm in summer, pinch the tips to promote the growth of the second branches. If suitable lateral branches are grown, they can also be selected as lateral branches, and the rest should be promoted to form flower buds.
Fourth-year pruning: In addition to shortening the main and lateral branches, the fruiting branches should also be appropriately cut short or pruned. Ensure high yield and abundant harvest.
The most beautiful March, come to our Beiliu to pick plum fruits! In March, the spring sunlight is bright, and the mountains are full of plum trees
【Plum Planting Technique ②】
One, variety selection and garden construction technology
There are many varieties of plum trees, and early maturing varieties with good adaptability in the north and south of China include Red Beauty, Yali No. 1, Japanese Plum King, Beautiful Plum, Anong Plum, Japanese Sun God, Rose Queen, Saint Rose, Dashi Dayu, and the red-fleshed red-skinned Brown Plum with great market potential - Australian Red-fleshed Plum, etc. The main late maturing large fruit varieties include Black Amber, Angola, Royal Gem, American Late Maturing Large Plum, Guiling, President Plum, Premier Plum, and Goddess, etc. Plum varieties. In production, the construction of gardens can be carried out according to the characteristics of each variety. Black Gemstone has poor disease resistance, and it is best to choose a dry and cool climate in the Yellow River Basin for garden construction. In the Yangtze River Basin, when constructing gardens and cultivating Black Gemstone varieties, soil with an organic matter content of more than 2.0% should be selected. Choose 2-3 varieties for planting.
It is best to choose fertile and loose soil for plum tree planting. If the soil properties are poor in the hills and slopes, the soil should be improved before and after the construction of the garden, and the level of fertilization and water management should be improved. When constructing the garden, the position of the tree holes should be determined according to the spacing of 3-4×4-5 meters (33-56 plants per mu), and the soil should be leveled into ridges. The ridge ditch should be deep, generally 20-30 cm, to facilitate drainage during rainy days.
Before planting seedlings, a fixed planting hole should be dug at the planting position, with a length, width, and depth of 80×80×60 cm. For hills and slopes with poor soil properties, the depth should be dug to 80-100 cm. In areas with high groundwater level, such as the Jianghan Plain in Hubei, the depth of the tree hole should be shallow, or even just dig a small pit of 20-30 cm deep on the surface for planting seedlings. After the seedlings are planted, soil should be taken from all around to wrap the roots into a steamed bun shape. No matter the depth of the tree hole, sufficient base fertilizer should be applied before planting. The types, standards, and methods of base fertilizer can refer to the cultivation techniques of Anong honey peach.
Two, soil, fertilizer, and water management
Normal soil, fertilizer, and water management can refer to peach trees, but plum trees, especially foreign Brown Plum, such as Black Gemstone varieties, should pay more attention to applying base fertilizer and loosening the soil, so that the soil organic matter content continues to increase, otherwise, the management of the garden will be difficult, and it will be difficult to obtain high-quality plum fruits. In production, the amount of miscellaneous soil (or barnyard manure, pen manure) applied per mu every autumn and winter should not be less than 10,000 kg, accounting for about 100-150 kg per plant, or even more. In gardens with good soil fertility or young trees, each plant should not be less than 50 kg. If there is cake fertilizer or chicken, pig manure and other animal manure mixed in the base fertilizer, the application amount can be appropriately reduced, but the mixed animal manure must be fully decomposed first. When applying, it should be fully mixed with miscellaneous soil, and it is absolutely not allowed to use cake fertilizer or chicken manure and other animal manure to replace miscellaneous soil. This is very important for the Black Gemstone variety.
Attention should be paid to drought resistance in the plum garden during dry periods, especially for mid-late maturing plum gardens. Especially during the fruit expansion period, water shortage has a great impact on yield and tree vigor. In hilly areas, a pond can be built to store rainwater.
Three, shaping and pruning techniques
(1) Shaping
Plum trees can choose natural round-headed and slender spindle-shaped tree shapes for shaping. The natural round-headed tree shape retains a central leader, with 3-5 main branches selected at the base, and no second layer of main branches. Side branches are equipped on the main branches, and fruiting branches or fruiting branch groups and nutrient branches are grown on the side branches. Generally, varieties with high branching rate and strong branching power, such as Angola, Saint Rose, Royal Gem, President Plum, Japanese Plum King, Yali No. 1, etc., are more suitable for the natural round-headed shape, as shown in Figure 8-1. In the shaping process, more pulling branches should be used to open up the main branches, ease the tree vigor, and promote early fruiting. The slender spindle-shaped tree shape is more suitable for varieties with high germination rate but low branching rate, that is, with few branches and twigs in the tree body, such as Black Gemstone, Beautiful Plum, American Late Maturing Large Plum, etc. The tree shape has a trunk height of 50-60 cm, a canopy height of 3-3.5 meters, and 10-12 main branches (or fruiting branch groups) on the central leader. The angle between the main branches and the central leader should be larger, about 65-75 degrees, and not too horizontal, otherwise, the main branches will sag after fruiting, causing the tree vigor to decline. The vertical distance between the main branches should be maintained at about 10-15 cm, but the vertical distance between the main branches on the same side cannot be less than 50 cm. The length of the lower layer of main branches is 1-2 meters, and the length of the upper layer of main branches gradually shortens, and the upper part is in the shape of a pagoda, and the whole tree is in the shape of a spindle.
It should be pointed out that plum varieties suitable for slender spindle-shaped tree shapes can also be shaped according to the natural round-headed shape. For example, Black Gemstone, American Late Maturing Large Plum, etc. In the shaping process, pruning can be used to promote branching first, and then long-term pulling branches can be used to open up the angle, which can not only complete the tree shape early but also be beneficial to improve early yield.
(2) Pruning
Plum tree pruning should be classified according to tree age, tree vigor, and variety habits. Generally, young trees should be lightly pruned and long-term pulled, except for the extension heads of several main branches and lateral branches that must be cut short (retaining outward-facing buds), the rest of the branches are generally long-term pulled without pruning, to promote the formation of flower buds. Among them, for varieties with strong branching power (many branches), such as Angola, more branches should be thinned out, that is, when shaping in the first winter, in addition to retaining 4-5 main branches, the excess branches on the central leader should be removed (thinned out) to prevent too many main branches in young trees, disturbing the tree shape and affecting fruiting. For varieties with weak branching power (few branches), such as Black Gemstone, American Late Maturing Large Plum, Beautiful Plum, etc., there may be a problem of a small number of main branches during shaping of young trees in the first winter, and they can be appropriately pruned to promote new shoots for cultivation as main branches. After 2-3 years, when the canopy and the number of main branches are cultivated in place, they can be treated with long-term pulling to promote the transformation of branches into flowers and fruiting. In the process of shaping and pruning young trees, more rope pulling and brick dropping methods should be used to open up the angle of the main branches, especially for varieties with weak branching power, such as Black Gemstone, Beautiful Plum, etc., which are easy to grow together, opening up the angle, easing the vigor of the branches, promoting flowering, and improving early yield are very effective.
For plum trees entering the full fruiting period, attention should be paid to adjusting the relationship between nutrient growth and reproductive growth, and preventing premature aging of the tree body. Yield should be controlled, and heavy pruning should be appropriately applied to increase the growth amount of new shoots. Maintain the vitality of the tree body to ensure high and stable yield.
Four, improve fruit setting rate and promote high quality
Plum trees are prone to be affected by adverse weather conditions such as rainy weather and cold air during the flowering period, which often leads to a low fruit setting rate. Therefore, attention should be paid to solving this problem from the following aspects:
1. Correctly matching pollination trees
This is a prerequisite for obtaining high yield. When constructing the garden, matching should be selected according to the affinity between varieties. For plum gardens without pollination trees planted during the construction of the garden, pollination variety branches can be introduced to replace the species with high grafting in the canopy. Generally, 1/3 of the plants are grafted with 1-2 branches per tree. For example, Black Amber and Black Gemstone can be pollinated with each other. Black Amber can also choose Yali No. 1, Japanese Plum King, and Aodeluoda as pollination varieties. Beautiful Plum can choose Yali No. 1 and Japanese Sun God Plum as pollination trees, and Angola, American Late Maturing Large Plum, Royal Gem, etc. can be pollinated with each other. In production, generally, only 2-3 plum varieties with overlapping flowering periods are planted in the same garden, which can solve the pollination problem and improve the fruit setting rate.
2. Spraying boron and releasing bees during flowering
Just like hybrid rapeseed, if 0.3% boron fertilizer solution (3 liang of boron fertilizer is added to 100 jin of water, and authentic boron fertilizer should be purchased as much as possible to avoid the effect of poor quality boron fertilizer) can be sprayed on plum trees once during the initial flowering period, it can have a certain effect on improving the fruit setting rate. If there are few bees flying in the garden during the flowering period, it is best to borrow 1-2 boxes of bees from beekeeping professionals and bring them to the orchard, which can better solve the pollination problem.
3. Irrigation before flowering
If it is dry in spring, the plum garden should be watered once 2 weeks before flowering to make the flowers bloom in unison and vigorously.
4. Avoid rain and cold during flowering