What are the precautions for planting Chinese plum (smoked plum)?
The Chinese plum is delicious and highly nutritious. Eating it regularly also has a skin-refreshing and acne-clearing effect, and it greatly improves allergic skin. So what should be noted when planting Chinese plum? Let's take a look at the detailed introduction with the editor.
1. Growth habits
The Chinese plum is a deciduous tree. It prefers a warm and humid climate and likes to grow in an environment with sufficient light. It has a certain degree of cold resistance and tolerance, but it is afraid of waterlogging. Therefore, when planting, choose sandy loam soil with deep soil layers, loose texture, and good drainage. When planting, the plot must be a sunny slope, and a shady site should not be chosen, so as to avoid insufficient light affecting its growth and development.
2. Sowing
Before sowing, choose a seedling-raising site, which also requires loose, fertile soil with good drainage. At the same time, plow the soil, apply base fertilizer, and prepare for sowing. Chinese plum is generally sown in April in spring, and the sowing time can also be chosen according to local climate changes, soil, and production purposes. When sowing, pay attention to the sowing density; it should not be too dense. A suitable density is to maintain a plant-to-row spacing of 20×7 cm. After sowing, cover with a layer of fine soil about 3 cm thick, then water and level it.
3. Shaping and pruning
After planting, carry out cultivation and weeding well to promote plant growth. After fruit harvest each year, apply fertilizer. After pruning in November, apply a heavy base fertilizer. When the young tree grows to about 1 m, cut off its top shoot. Among the branches that regrow the following year, select 3-4 branches as the main branches, extending radially in all directions. By the third year, select 3-4 strong branches on the main branches as secondary main branches, and then keep 3-4 strong branches on the secondary main branches. After pruning this way for 3-4 years, a complete open-center crown will be formed. At the same time, winter pruning and spring pruning should be carried out every year to remove diseased and pest-damaged branches, dense branches, water shoots, and thin weak branches.
4. Disease and pest control
The main disease of Chinese plum is anthracnose, which mainly harms the fruit and leaves. In severe cases, it causes a large amount of fruit drop, and the leaves lose photosynthesis. In hot and humid seasons, pink gelatinous matter also forms. Bordeaux mixture can be sprayed in the early stage of the disease for control, once every 7-10 days, for 2-3 consecutive times, with good results. The main pest is aphids, which mainly harm young leaves and young shoots. In severe cases, they cause early flower and fruit drop, and phosmet can be used for spraying to kill them.
The above is an introduction to the precautions for planting Chinese plum. I hope it can help you. If you want to learn more related knowledge, please follow us.