What is a Hungarian plum and how to grow it in my area

In total in the world there are about 30 main varieties of plum trees. Most of them are further subdivided into their own branches - subspecies bred by breeders. In today's material we will talk about this sort of Hungarian plum.

Characteristics and features of the plum of the Hungarian

Hungarian is a large variety of domestic plums. Fruits of the Hungarian egg-shaped, elongated, dark-blue, with an almost black-colored skin and a bluish wax coating on it. This is their feature. The flesh of these plums is thick and juicy, yellowish-green, and the bone is easily separated.

Hungarian plum is partly a self-fertile variety, therefore pollination often occurs in a cross way. The most suitable for this variety is "Anna Shpet" and egg yellow plum.

The caloric content of the Hungarians is very low. Fruits contain only 2% fat, 8% protein and 90% carbohydrate.This is an unusually nutritious product with a minimum fat content. Perfect for those people who want to improve their metabolism and just feel much better. Only the Hungarian plum is capable of producing fruits suitable for the manufacture of prunes - this is the main characteristic of the subspecies, which determines their belonging to the variety. Sometimes they include very far away varieties, based only on external signs. The thing is to get prunes, the fruit must have a high content of pectins and sugars in the form of dry substances.

This feature is inherent only Hungarian. If you wish to dry the fruits of another variety, for example, green leaf, then you will be disappointed, because in the end you will get just a little edible dried plum.

Hungarian plum is incredibly hardy and has excellent immunity to diseases and pests, therefore, the yield of this variety is at a high level. Five-year trees in good seasons can produce up to 180 kg of fruit. There were cases when a decade of trees collected 220 kg of plums.

Hungarians as a variety can be further divided into several subspecies, which in aggregate indicators belong to this group. These are Hungarians: Kuban legend, Wangeim, Italian, Azhanskaya, ordinary, Caucasian, golden drop, Koziyevskaya, blyufr, tuleu gras and others.

Choosing a site for planting plums of Hungarian

When choosing a place for landing a Hungarian, consider its future shape, planning ahead how to trim the crown. Since it grows large enough tree, leave room for development for the Hungarian. The plum is light-requiring, heat-loving, despite the excellent tolerance of frost, and loves a large amount of moisture. Since all subspecies of the Hungarian bloom in medium or late periods, do not be afraid to plant them in lowlands, as they are not afraid of frosts. Trees can be planted along fences, most importantly, from the sunny side and with protection from the winds.

Slight shading in the morning and in the evening does not hurt and will not adversely affect fruiting. Hungarian plum is demanding on soil moisture, like any plum, but it tolerates cultivation calmly and for long dry periods. If you plant it near trees that select moisture, you will have to intensify watering.

The process of planting plum seedlings

In order for the Hungarian plum to grow rapidly, it must be planted in well-prepared soil, free from weeds and rich in nutrients. To enrich the soil and improve its physico-chemical composition, it is recommended to plow the land with green manure or compost. Dig pits 60 cm in diameter and 30 cm deep. The size of the hole may vary from the age of the seedling. Hungarian plum - a sort of "not timid", but the seedlings are still better to buy in a plastic container with mineral fertilizers. So you will not expose the young plant to the danger of digging with possible damage to the root system. This seedling absolutely take root.Pass the tree from the temporary container into the hole without destroying the earthy clod. If the plant has a bare root system, then it is necessary to fill the hill of the ground at the bottom of the fossa, wet the plum roots and distribute them evenly over whom.

Pour a seedling with fertile soil and trample a little. It is not necessary to purchase special soil mixtures, it all depends on the fertility of the soil. The more it is, the less mineral fertilizers will have to be applied. Make a barrel circle with a roller to retain the rainwater and fill the tree abundantly with plenty of water in several approaches.

All the details of the Hungarian care

The conditions in which the Hungarian subspecies are grown are approximately identical.

How to conduct watering?

Hungarian, like all plums, is a moisture-loving plant.The best is considered to be such watering, after which the earth is moistened to a depth of 40 cm. Watering is especially important during the ripening period of the fruits, so you will prevent their future cracking. During the growing season, young Hungarians moisten four to six times, pouring 10 buckets of water at a time. In the autumn, abundant podzimny irrigation is obligatory, charging the tree with moisture until the very spring. Also this procedure increases the frost resistance of trees. If groundwater is close to the surface, then the irrigation rate can be slightly reduced.

When and how to feed?

Plum Hungarian of those varieties that are not required scrupulous care. Only planted trees should immediately be well fed with mineral fertilizers, but if the soil is already fertile enough, you can reduce the amount of fertilizers. The first portion of nutrients should be made in the first year in mid-May, the second - in a month. This will help the fall to form powerful gains that will become the basis for the formation of the crown. If seedlings grow too fast, then the next year, moderate fertilizing - fertilize the plum in early May. In order for the plum to give fruit in the third or fourth year, nitrogen fertilization should be gradually completed.

How to prune?

Pruning a Hungarian plum is usually done in the spring before the start of sap flow. The most popular form of the crown is sparse and longline. Formation can be carried out in the second year of the tree life in the open field. Since the plum grows most intensively in the first years, pruning of the crown should be continued for five years. In the year of disembarkation, it is not necessary to touch it, and as early as next spring you can form the lower tier of 5-7 equally distant skeletal branches directed in different directions at an angle of 45 degrees relative to the trunk.

The formation of the tier begins, stepping back up the stem by half a meter, and the downstream branches should be removed. Everything above the mark and at an angle of 40º is also removed, because it can break off during fruiting. Skeletal branches need to be shortened three times, and the rest cut on the ring, leaving no stumps. The guide should be reduced so that the one-year-old tree does not exceed 180 cm in height. In the third year, the conductor is shortened again, but already 40 cm above the top mark. It is necessary that the trunk was straight. Growth branches, which stretched more than 60 cm, cut by one third, and side shoots by 15 cm to the kidney, oriented downwards.Skeletal branches of the second order must be formed at a distance of half a meter from the trunk. The distance between them should not be less than 30 cm. For the fourth year, the conductor should be cut so that its length exceeds the skeletal branches by six buds. Its formation should be continued until it grows to 2.5 meters. After annually you should remove the new growth.

With responsibility come to the formation of the crown of the Hungarian - it should be a pyramidal shape. After the start of fruiting, the conductor should be cut at the level of the upper skeletal branch. Last year's growth should be shortened, thus stimulating new growth from next year. In the fifth year, when the crown has already acquired the necessary form, stimulate the growth of new fruit branches, which will give the main percentage of the crop. Fruits appear on the young branches of two or three years of age. The four-year branches that yielded the harvest last year should be pruned. With the systematic carrying out of such a procedure, you will not have to do a total rejuvenation of an aging tree. The formation of the crown of the Hungarian is carried out only with sharp tools, and all sections are covered with garden pitch.

How to prepare for winter?

Hungarian wonderful wintering without equipment of any shelter. It is possible to grumble the perennial circle with peat or humus. It is better to wrap up young saplings with sacking or to cover with spruce leaves. Do not use artificial materials, as the trees beneath them disappear, and this is fraught with painful consequences.