Plum Tree Planting Techniques and Precautions Explained

SummarySeed selection: Plum trees include many varieties such as President, Oderoda, and Black Amber, and the appropriate variety should be chosen according to the specific local conditions where they are planted. Planting: When planting, it is necessary to ensure the use of superior seedlings, and a pollinizer tree must be configured at planting. Soil and fertilizer management: A relatively deep fertile soil layer should be created for plum trees, and fertilizers such as post-harvest fertilizer, pre-bloom fertilizer, and fruit-swelling fertilizer should be applied appropriately to plum trees.

I. Seed Selection

Plum trees have many types such as President, Oderoda, and Black Amber, and the seed selection of plum trees should be carried out appropriately according to local conditions.

1. President is a relatively late-maturing variety. Its fruit is large, round in shape, with dark purple skin and yellow flesh. The President variety has fine flesh and tolerates transport, but a pollinizer tree must be configured when cultivating it.

2. Oderoda is an American variety, and its fruit generally matures in late July. The fruit surface is dark red, and the flesh is golden yellow. Oderoda is sweet and delicious, tolerates storage and transport, and also has relatively good productivity.

3. Black Amber is a variety bred in the United States. The fruit matures in late July, the fruit flavor is sweet and fragrant, the quality is top grade, and the edible rate can reach 90%.

II. Planting

1. Before planting plum trees, they should be graded by quality to ensure the use of superior seedlings, and the root system of the seedlings should be complete and robust, with no pests or diseases.

2. Because the fruit-setting rate of plums is relatively low, a pollinizer tree must be configured when planting.

III. Soil and Fertilizer Management

1. Plum trees have strong adaptability to soil. Whether acidic soil or alkaline soil, they can adapt to it. Generally, deep, loose, and fertile soil is beneficial to the growth and development of plum trees.

2. In the rows between young trees, intercropping with beans and vegetables is relatively suitable. If the plot has relatively shallow soil or poor soil, Chinese milk vetch or broad beans can be intercropped in autumn, and then all plowed into the soil in early April of the following year, thereby creating a relatively deep fertile soil layer for plum trees.

IV. Fertilization

1. Plum trees should be given three types of fertilizer: post-harvest fertilizer, pre-bloom fertilizer, and fruit-swelling fertilizer. Post-harvest fertilizer is generally applied in July-August after harvest, and post-harvest fertilizer accounts for 60% of the annual fertilization amount.

2. Post-harvest fertilizer is mainly green manure, farmyard manure, and decomposed human and livestock manure. The purpose of applying post-harvest fertilizer is to restore tree vigor, thereby promoting flower bud differentiation and preventing leaf drop during the flowering period.

3. Pre-bloom fertilizer is fertilizer applied when buds sprout in spring, accounting for 10% of the annual fertilization amount. Pre-bloom fertilizer is mostly based on quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer, and its purpose is to promote flowering and leaf expansion of plum trees.

4. Fruit-swelling fertilizer is fertilizer applied during the pit-hardening stage when the fruit forms its pit. Fruit-swelling fertilizer accounts for 30% of the annual fertilization amount, and fruit-swelling fertilizer is mainly based on decomposed compost. Its purpose is to promote fruit enlargement and prepare sufficient nutrients for flower bud differentiation of plum trees.