Description of the cherry plum variety Lama, pollinators, planting and care
Lama cherry plum is an unpretentious, consistently yielding variety of fruit trees. The plant is famous for its resistance to negative weather conditions, diseases and pests. A resident of the mountain valleys of the North Caucasus is raised in any regions of Russia for sale or for personal consumption. In order to safely plant a tree, properly care for it, it is important to familiarize yourself with the information below.
The history of breeding cherry plum Lama
The culture was bred by the scientist-breeder from Belarus V. Avksentievich in 2003. This is a semi-dwarf variety obtained by crossing cherry plum and Ussuri plum. The scientist managed to achieve an almost perfect variety. The tree is extremely resistant to weather conditions, easily takes root in a new area, rarely gets sick. The hybrid subspecies is famous for its rich taste and is popular in all countries of the former USSR. Abroad, the variety is called Russian plum. Wonderful color, unpretentious care makes cherry plum a real "star" of gardening. It is grown by experienced agronomists and novice summer residents.
External description of the tree and fruits
The main feature of the semi-dwarf cherry plum is its survival rate under any weather conditions. The trees grow up to 1.3 to 2 meters in height, which makes it easy to carry out agrotechnical work and collect fruits. The bark is reddish brown, darkens with aging.
The crown is flat, round, and has a tendency to thicken. It is easy to shape. The leaves grow up to 18 centimeters long, lanceolate, slightly tapering at the base, green-burgundy. The flowers are miniature, up to 35 millimeters in diameter, white-pinkish, collected in bunches of 4 pieces.
Fruits include up to 10% sugar, malic and citric acids, pectins, vitamin elements of groups A, B, PP, C, potassium and iron.
Culture characteristics
Cherry plum Lama is characterized by the following features:
- fruit weight from 14 to 42 grams;
- the skin is dark red or deep burgundy, almost black in early September;
- taste and smell almond, sweet and sour;
- the color of the fruit is purple, the flesh is juicy.
Fruits ripen by mid-August, the pulp is easily separated.
Resistant to low temperatures and drought
The cherry plum variety shows strong resistance to drought, withstands up to 40 degrees below zero. Water the plant only during prolonged heat. For a tree, only sudden changes with warming and cold are harmful. The rest period is 45 days, late winter jumps in temperature indicators can negatively affect the kidneys. The flowers can withstand cold temperatures down to -7 degrees.
Disease and pest resistance
Cherry plum Lama is able to independently resist fungal infections, provided that it is pruned every year, the formation of bushes. In the form of prevention of beetle attacks, they resort to standard garden care. In rare cases, cherry plum is affected by fruit rot, the treatment consists in the use of special aerosols. They are sold in garden shops, in the market.
Pollinator varieties
Cherry plum blooms in mid-May. The variety is not able to pollinate itself; other related plants should be planted next to it. It is advisable to choose East Asian plums or wild cherry plums. European subspecies and thorns are not suitable for the neighborhood. The following varieties are considered the best pollinators:
- Mara;
- Vitba;
- Asaloda.
Cherry plum is planted according to the 5 * 3 meter scheme. The fruits ripen by mid-August.
Productivity fruiting
You can harvest the variety from August 12-16, when the fruits turn red. During storage, their shade becomes darker. Plum plum should be picked 3-5 days after ripening. It does not firmly hold on to the footpegs; it falls off in strong winds, rain.
Many gardeners plant next to the clover variety so that when the fruit falls, they are not so injured, and the culture feeds on vitamins and microelements due to the favorable neighborhood. For 2 years after planting, the tree brings up to 30 kg of cherry plum of a pleasant, sweet taste. After 10-15 years, summer residents harvest up to 300 kilograms of crops.
You can store the fruits for 1 month if you place them in a wooden box, put them in a room with a low temperature. The basement is well suited for such purposes.
Where are plums used?
Lama fruit can be eaten fresh as it contains many vitamins. They are also used to make jams, preserves, confitures, juices, sauces and wine. Collection and storage of cherry plum is a fundamental factor in its safety. With proper picking of fruits, keeping in a cool place, they will retain their original appearance for a long time. Cherry plum is widely used to decorate desserts, cutting fresh in a convenient way.
Pros and cons of Llama
The cherry plum variety Lama has a lot of positive aspects, but there are also a number of negative features.
| pros | Minuses |
| Endurance in any weather | Self-fertile variety |
| Good yield | Pruning required every year |
| Early maturity | Ripe crops quickly crumble |
| Transportability | |
| Disease resistance | |
| Lush bloom | |
| Intense, sweet taste |
Planting a plant on the site
Cherry plum can be planted in a private garden or on industrial plantations. Subject to the prescribed techniques, the variety will take root in a new place immediately.
It is important to choose the right location in the garden, the right time for planting, and prepare the soil in advance. You also need to buy a suitable, non-wild growing seedling.
Favorable time for planting varieties
In the South, it is advisable to plant the variety in the fall, in mid-October. Some summer residents recommend planting work when winter warms. In the steppe regions, northern regions, the tree will take root faster if you plant it in April or early May. The air temperature should warm up to 12 degrees Celsius. When the bayonet of the shovel freely enters the ground, it is a sign of fertile soil.
Choosing the best place
It is recommended to plant a hybrid cherry plum variety on the western slopes, with a slope towards southern or northern latitudes. The variety takes root in the lowlands, but the amount of the harvest decreases.The location of groundwater should be no higher than 1.5 meters with neutral acidity.
When disembarking, a drainage layer is required. The soil under the plum is sown with grass crops so that the fruits are not damaged during shedding.
Favorable and contraindicated neighborhood for the variety
Cherry plum Lama can be planted next to an apple tree, black currant, thyme. Bushes located next to the tree prevent the growth of weeds. You can also plant tulips and primrose near the cherry plum. They bloom earlier than plums, they do not take useful microelements from the soil.
You should not plant cherry plum next to walnuts, hazel, fir, poplar, pear and birch. These crops emit components harmful to the variety, compete with the plum for nutrients from the soil.
Preparing seedlings for planting
It is worth choosing the planting material of the Lama cherry plum variety in local nurseries, digging it into the plot in a semi-horizontal position. During transportation, the rhizome should be wrapped in a damp cloth, wrapped on top with cling film. For planting, 1 or 2-year-old shoots are used. It is advisable to buy seedlings with an open rhizome, without curvature and thickening. Plant such planting materials in the soil before bud break.
Seedlings with a closed root system can be planted in summer, late May or early July. Before planting work, soak them in an earthen mash. Add soil to 10 liters of water until a creamy mixture is obtained and 2 tablets of 0.1 gram of root feed Heteroauxin. The event will enhance the growth of the rhizome, its formation.
Work technology
10 days before planting the cherry plum variety Lama, dig a hole 50 centimeters deep and 80 cm in diameter. Fill 50% with a mixture of the excavated soil and dressings - 400-600 grams of superphosphate and nitrophoska, also 15-20 kilograms of humus. Stir the combination so that the roots do not burn from strong concentration. For 10 days, the earth will sink in the hole.
- Place the landing grooves 1-1.5 meters apart, leave 1.5-2 meters between the rows.
- Dig a wooden stick 100 centimeters high into the prepared ground.
- Arrange the rhizome of the Lama variety neatly along the diameter of the hole.
- Sprinkle the seedling with the remaining fertile soil, tamp a little.
- Tie the tree to a stick to form a strong and straight trunk.
- Place the root collar 2-3 centimeters below the surface level. With late spring frosts, the seedling is able to regenerate due to the root growth, which develops under the freezing level.
- Cut the Lama planting material 1/3 of the length to stimulate the growth of lateral branches.
- Water the seedling gradually with 3 buckets of water.
Mulch the area around the stem of the Lama cherry plum variety with dry soil or a layer of grass 10 centimeters.
How to care for a variety
An adult cherry plum variety Lama does not need special care. It consists of the following:
- timely watering;
- fertilization of the soil;
- weeding;
- trimming;
- protection against beetles, diseases;
- timely harvest.
With such supervision, the cherry plum will thank you with delicious fruits.
Irrigation and fertilization
Water a young tree abundantly once every 2 weeks. Its root must receive sufficient water. Adults over 2 years old are irrigated only during dry periods. If the soil becomes oversaturated with fertilizers or water, aphid infestation is possible. Shoots will ripen poorly, ripen. Over the summer, water the cherry plum 2-3 times. It is not worth watering the tree for the winter.
Before bud break, spray Lama cherry plum with urea-based solution. The procedure will protect against damage from harmful insects, diseases, and will become a good foliar nutrition. It is imperative to introduce nitrogen compounds for the first 3 years of plant life, this will improve the degree of its survival rate, accelerate the growth of the variety. Cherry plum is also fertilized with compost, humus.
Formation and pruning of the crown
An adult cherry plum variety Lama needs periodic pruning. The procedure enhances her fertility. For the correct formation of the bushes, cut off up to 10 skeletal branches. Shoots need to be shortened every year. A thin crown should be formed, dead wood, crossed branches should not be allowed, since the cherry plum has a tendency to thicken the bushes.
Barrel circle care
In dry periods, the near-trunk circle of the cherry plum variety is covered with mulch. Where there is a lot of moisture, carry out the procedure for the first 2 years of the tree's life. It is better to pour a layer of humus, peat around it, 10 centimeters high. When changing mulch, close the previous layer into the ground with a shovel to a depth of 5 centimeters. This will help not to damage the nearby roots of the Lama cherry plum variety.
Preventive work
To prevent the variety from attacking diseases, use Bordeaux liquid 1%. Irrigate the plant with it in March. To consolidate the result, repeat the manipulation after pollen and 21 days before ripening.
Shelter a tree for the winter
Cherry plum varieties Lama should be prepared for wintering by whitewashing the trunks, this will prevent sunburn in early spring. Put a woolen casing on the bole, cover it with a sheet of iron 40 cm in diameter.End the end into the soil by 10 cm. Wrap it with mesh and burlap on top.
