Growing plum varieties Opal

Opal plums are known to many gardeners both in and outside the CIS. This variety has its advantages and disadvantages, and it is advisable to familiarize yourself with them before planting a tree. About how to plant and grow Opal plum, read further in the article.

History and characteristics of Opal plum

Plum variety Opal was bred by Swedish originators in 1926. Maternal varieties - Renklod Ulena and Ranniy Favorit. This crop was originally intended for cultivation in the northern latitudes, but is suitable for planting in the middle lane and in the south. Opal is not listed in the State Register of the Russian Federation.

Did you know? Plum pudding, or flame pudding, is a traditional Christmas dessert in the UK. Each British family from generation to generation passes its family recipe for flame pudding. It necessarily includes dried fruits and nuts.

Trees grow to 2.6–3 m. The crown is spherical, medium in size, highly leafy. The leaves are dark green in color and elongated. Plants bloom in the second half of May.

Fruits are medium in size, their shape is round-elongated. The weight of 1 plum is 25–35 g. The peel is thin, red-lilac in color, with a wax coating. The pulp is dense and juicy, its color is yellow-orange. The taste is sweet and sour with a traditional plum aroma. Productivity during the growing season is 20–25 kg per tree. Fruiting is unstable: in one year there may be a rich harvest, and in the next, on the contrary, few fruits will be planted.

The variety does not tolerate heat very well, and with a drought, crops are harvested less. Winter hardiness is also average. Trees normally tolerate frosts, however, at a temperature of –30 ° C they can freeze. Opal pollinators are not required. In turn, this plum can be grown as a pollinator for varieties Moscow Hungarian, Morning or Blue Gift.

Did you know? British Elizabeth II ate 2 fresh plums for breakfast.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

  • Among the advantages of the Opal variety are the following:
  • early harvest ripening;
  • high yields;
  • self-pollination;
  • disease resistance.

  • This plum has a number of minuses:
  • unstable productivity;
  • low water resistance;
  • poor tolerance of drought;
  • with a large number of ovaries, the fruits grow small.

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Planting plum varieties Opal

Plum tree planting is carried out in the fall, after the final fall of the foliage, or in the spring, before the start of the general growing season.

Landing sequence:

  1. Dig a landing pit 0.6 m wide and 0.7 m deep.
  2. Mix the soil, compost and peat in the proportions 1: 1: 1 and pour into the planting hole.
  3. Place the seedling in the hole.
  4. Spread the roots.
  5. Fill the pit with soil.
  6. Water the planted tree.
  7. Mulch the area around the trunk with peat.

Features of growing and subtleties of plum care

Care for the plum tree, as well as for other garden plants, consists in regular watering, top dressing, loosening the soil, pruning and shelter. This culture does not tolerate drought, so watering is extremely important for it. Moisten the plant as needed.

Usually, during the growing season, plum is enough with 3 irrigation, and in hot weather it is better to increase their number to 4-5 procedures. After each irrigation or rain, the soil needs to be loosened - otherwise the earth will be taken up with a crust and the rhizome will not receive enough oxygen. Variety Opal also needs fertilizers.

Fertilizers are often toxic to humans, as the manufacturer should indicate in the instructions. For safety, use gloves and safety glasses.

Gardeners are advised to feed the variety according to the following scheme:

  • in March - add a mixture of 10 l of water, 30 g of superphosphate, 30 g of potassium salt and 30 g of urea;
  • after flowering - any drug based on potassium and phosphorus.

4 years after planting a tree, the soil must be loosened and 10 kg of compost applied per 1 m² of land. Equally important for plums and pruning. After winter, gardeners must remove frozen and damaged stems. Formative pruning should be done in the fall after the growing season or in the spring before it begins. The crown is formed so that the branches grow in tiers.

The winter hardiness of the variety is average, so the trunk circle for the winter must be covered. To do this, it should first be spudded, and then covered with agrofibre. So the root system of the plant will better tolerate frosts.

What problems can arise during cultivation?

When growing Opal plums, trees can infect diseases and attack parasites. To avoid the detrimental consequences, it is necessary to study in advance the methods of prevention and control of ailments and pests.

Disease

Variety Opal is resistant to most diseases of plum trees. Danger for him are fruit rot and kleasterosporiosis.

DiseaseTreatment
KleasterosporiosisA single treatment with copper chloride at the rate of 40 g per 1 bucket of water.
Fruit rotA single spray with a solution of 1% Bordeaux fluid at the rate of 2 liters per young tree and 10 liters per adult.

Pests

Pests also rarely attack Opal plum trees. However, an invasion of silkworms or garden aphids is possible.

PestTreatment
Garden aphidTreatment with Karbofos solution at the rate of 2 liters per young tree and 5 liters per adult. Depending on the degree of damage, apply once or 2 times with an interval of 20 days.
SilkwormSpraying with a solution of "Entobacterin" (10 g per 10 l of water) 2 times with a time interval of 5-7 days.

To prevent the development of diseases, pay attention to such preventive measures:

  • regular pruning;
  • loosening of soil in the near-stem circle as necessary;
  • preventive spraying with fungicides and insecticides.

Rules for fruit collection and storage

Harvest plums of this variety ripen quickly, and it is advisable to remove the fruits from the tree within 7–9 days. If you do not remove the plums in time, they will begin to crumble from the stems and rot on the ground. The peel of the fruit is thin, so they are not stored for a long time. It is best to keep the crop in the refrigerator at a temperature of +5 ... + 7 ° C - in such conditions, plums can be stored for up to 2 weeks. The shelf life of the variety is small, so it is better to eat fruits immediately.

Important! Do not store fruits that are softened or spoiled by rot; such plums can be hazardous to health and can not be processed .

If there is a lot of crop, it is advisable to freeze it. You can also make jams, jams, compotes, juices, liquor or wine from Opal plums. Plums of the Opal variety can be grown both for harvesting, and as a pollinator for other varieties. The fruits of Opal have high palatability, and the trees do not require special care, and due to this, the variety is popular with gardeners in various regions.

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