In the world there are many varieties of plum, which differ among themselves in size and number of fruits, ripening, as well as a number of other qualities. One of the best among them is the cherry plum variety Kuban Comet,a description of which can be found below.
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The history of the selection of plum Kuban comet
The variety Kuban comet was removed by G.V. Eryomina and S.N. Zabrodina at the Crimean Experimental Selection Station of the All-Russian Research Institute of Plant Industry named after N.I. Vavilova. He was born thanks to the interbreeding of the plum Skoroplodnaya and Cherry plum Pioneer. First, in 1977, this variety was taken for state tests. And after 10 years it was entered into the State Register in the North-West, Central Black Earth, North Caucasus and Lower Volga regions.
Characteristics of the tree and fruit, variety description, pollinator
Trees of this variety are stunted, as a rule, they are not higher than 3 meters and they are formed so that they look like a shrub. The trees have a gray color and short branches. Green leaves are glossy and not pubescent. Color buds may be small or medium in size with white petals.
The fruits are large. Their maximum weight is about 45 grams. They are rounded ovoid. The skin on the fruit, although thin, but dense, also has a small wax coating. When the fruits begin to ripen, they first become yellow-red in color, which gradually turns into burgundy. Bones may be small or medium.The flesh has a yellow color and a fibrous texture. It is juicy, with a good ratio of sugar and acidity, so it has a sweet-sour taste that resembles apricot.
The variety of this tree is frost-resistant, can tolerate frosts to 30 degrees. But the frost resistance of the buds of flowers is below average, but even when they are very cold, the harvest will be good anyway. Flowers also easily survive the spring frosts.
This tree is especially undemanding to the soil and can perfectly adapt in different regions from the Transcaucasus to the Non-Black Earth Region and the Southern Urals, to the south, to Primorye. Still, clay and loamy soils do not quite fit her.
Pollinator for the Kuban comet is not needed, since This variety has a rare quality of self-fertility for cherry plum., but in order to improve fertility next to them it will be useful to plant other varieties of cherry plum or Chinese plum.For example, such as Mara, Traveler, Red Ball and others.
Terms of ripening and harvesting
Saplings bear fruit very early, through 2 or 3 years after disembarkation. They begin to bloom in late April, and in mid-July - early August, fruits are already appearing.
Advantages and disadvantages
The Kuban comet variety has its advantages, here are some of them:
- fruits are large,
- high yield,
- precociousness
- frost resistance
- partial self-fertility
- resistant to disease
- if the fruits perespeyut, they still do not fall for a long time and do not crack,
- fruits are delicious.
But the variety is not perfect, it also has its drawbacks:
- the bone is very badly separated from the pulp,
- to ensure the large size of the fruit, they need to be cut off, leaving them more space next to each other,
- fruits ripen unevenly.
Landing rules
Trees of this variety are planted in early spring or early autumn.. First you need to choose the right seedlings. It is best to select them with a closed root system.
A good seedling has the following indicators:
- height from 1 to 1.20 meters,
- the root consists of many small roots with good branching,
- there are swollen buds,
- bark should not be damaged, stains and traces of pests,
- it is necessary that the cut was wet, yellow-green.
When the seedling is selected, are determined with the site of planting.
Alycha will enjoy sandy and slightly acidic soil. It is reasonable to mix planting soil with humus (12 kg), superphosphate (250 grams) and potassium sulphide (50 grams). The pit must be dug up by size 80x80x80 cm.
Landing stages:
- In the hole poured a bit of land in the form of a small hill.
- Insert a wooden stick.
- The root neck is placed 6 cm higher from the ground.
- Rammed the ground.
- A sapling is tied to a fixed stick.
- Watered with 2 or 3 buckets of water.
- At the end of the top pour chips.
In the case of planting several trees, you need to stick between them a three-meter distance.
Care of the Kuban comet
This variety loves moisture, because it must be additionally watered during the growing season. Do it in June, July and September. One tree requires up to 40 liters of water. After watering, be sure to pour chips.
The main pruning done in the spring. During this period, a crown is formed and frozen and damaged branches are cut off. In the autumn period, dry, sagging and diseased branches are sawn off. Summer pruning is carried out with great need, while cutting off the young shoots that grow inside the crown.
Kuban comet must be fertilized annually. The only exception is the first year after planting a tree, if it was planted in the fueled soil.
Fertilizer is as follows:
- in the autumn pour out the humus with the calculation of half a bucket on 1 square meter,
- after the tree blossoms, bring 40 grams of urea per 1 square meter,
- after fruiting fertilized with potassium sulfate, 30 grams per 1 square meter.
A young tree, in the first years of its life, must be covered for the winter, for example, with sacking.
Diseases and pests
The Kuban comet is resistant to diseases and if it is properly looked after and processed in time, then there will be no trouble. The problem is that it pests and diseases from neighboring trees. This variety affects the same kinds of diseases as a regular plum.:
- gray rot
- brown spot,
- rust,
- gum therapy.
Gray rot
The gray mold is caused by the botrytis fungus. The place of birth of the infection is sclerotia and conidia, which are found in the soil and plant residues.. In the case when the disease affects the Kuban comet, branches begin to wither and a brown tinge appears on them, and small gray growths appear on the bark and fruits. The fruits begin to rot.
To destroy the gray rot, trees before flowering are sprayed with blue vitriol and Nitrofen, which need to process the tree and the soil.And also after flowering, Captan and Kuprozan are used.
To prevent the disease, it is necessary to spray trees with such preparations in early spring:
- 1% bordovskaya fluid
- hand boron for affected fruit,
- whitewash.
Brown spot
Brown spotting, or it is also called leaf mold, is also a fungal disease. Sometimes because of it, it can die around 50% harvest. This disease is characterized by the appearance on the leaves of brown spots with a dark edging, which have a black dot in the center. Over time, the leaves dry out and fall off.
Trees against brown mold need to be processed 1% bordovskim solution as soon as the buds begin to bloom, it will also have copper oxide 2 to 3 weeks after flowering.
Preventive actions to prevent the disease are as follows:
- need to remove damaged branches,
- before the buds bloom, you need to spray the tree and the soil with 1% of the blue vitriol.
Rust
Another type of fungal disease is rust. When this disease on the leaves appear rusty stains, which eventually turn into dark pads. Rust wood is treated in the second decade of July. You can use Aktofit. They are sprayed with trees 2 times with an interval of 2-3 weeks.
To prevent the Kuban comet from being attacked by rust, preventive measures should be taken:
- 3% solution of urea is sprayed on the tree in early spring,
- when the leaves fall, it is raked and burned.
Comedication
It is dangerous because it can slow down or stop the growth of a tree, and eventually even destroy it.
Thinking is not a fungal disease. The reasons for its occurrence may be mass. Here are the most common ones.:
- severe winter conditions, because of which the tree has frozen,
- burns from the sun,
- improper pruning, because of which the tree was damaged,
- mechanical bark damage,
- dimensional fertilizer application and watering,
- tree infestation bark beetle.
When you look at the tree, you can see gum (protrusions of amber resin) on its branches, which indicates the damage to the tree by this disease. It is possible to process the Kuban comet from this disease throughout the entire season.. After pruning, be sure to put petrolatum on slices. And also cut off the growths of gum. The place where they were was disinfected with a 1% solution of copper sulphate and covered with a non-black putty.
In order for a long time not to have to deal with gambling, such preventive measures should be carried out:
- soil acidity should be neutral,
- strict observance of fertilizer terms,
- Do not allow overmoistening.
Among the pests that love to profit Kuban comet, the most common:
- fruit sap,
- western marsh bark beetle,
- down silkworm,
- moth.
Fruit Saplings
In the case when there is comediness on the tree, and horizontal passages with a diameter of 1 to 2 millimeters are seen on the branches and the trunk, then a fruit sap settled on the tree.
Prior to laying eggs, females eat tissue at the base of the kidneys. When the larvae appear, they absorb the bark and roots. To destroy these pests the tree is sprayed at the end of flowering.. The treatment is carried out 2 times with an interval of 14 days.
So that the sapwood cannot get onto the tree, need to saw off dry branches and immediately burn thems The bark is cleaned of moss and lichen, and the tree is bleached.
Western Gypsy Bark Beetle
Not against the bark, as well as the wood of this tree and the western unpaired bark beetle. Beetles lay eggs and larvae, and hatched, suck the sap from the tree. You need to process wood when pests crawl out from under the bark. To kill them, it is best to wet the bark with Dichlorvos or Chlorophos.
Preventive measures against the occurrence of these insects are as follows:
- the affected branches cut and burn,
- if a tree is severely affected by this pest, it is better to uproot and burn it,
- before the tree begins to bloom, it needs to be treated with Trichlorol-5.
Down silkworm
It harms the leaves of the Kuban comet, and its cobwebs and cocoons can be found in the crowns. Sprayed tree from this pest during the growing season. Well this will help drug Virin-ENZH. And also it is necessary to collect pests and cocoons manually, after which they are burned or buried in a hole with a depth not less than half a meter.
To prevent the appearance of a down silkworm, you need spray it with Nitrofen even before the buds appear.
Moth
Another 1 dangerous pest moth that lays eggs on the surface of the bark or fruit. The caterpillars of this insect make their way into the fruit, they become wormy and fall off. Treating tree from moth need through 20 days after it blooms. Spraying is carried out 3 times with an interval of 12 days, with such preparations as Avant, Rogor-S, Phosban and Ditox.
To prevent further reproduction of the moth, in the autumn they clean the bark of caterpillars and cocoons, collect the fallen fruits, and also use trapping belts.
If you properly care for the Kuban comet, then the tree will surely bring a good harvest and grow healthy and beautiful, and its whole family will be able to enjoy its tasty fruits.