Plums are very easy to grow and maintain. They give crops regularly and plenty. They can be used both fresh for eating and for making marmalades, jams, cakes and brandy. In our assortment you can find a lot of varieties of plums that can be used in some of the ways mentioned, such as: Stanley, Cacanska rodna, Cacanska rana, Cacanska najbolja, President, Grosse di Felicio. Queen Victory, Agen, Anna Spath, Avalon, Blue free….
Plum cultivation
After planting a plum, growing it is very easy and does not require a lot of time and effort.
Plum irrigation
It is desirable to keep the soil moist in the first year of planting, and in later years the plum usually does not require much water except in extreme years with high temperatures and drought.
Plum fertilization
Fertilization is done during the winter rest period. Fertilizer application is carried out around the perimeter of the crown with some of the artificial fertilizers for fruit crops with a reduced dose of nitrogen (eg NPK -8-16-24). It is also possible to carry out top dressing during the growing season (eg KAN).
Plum pruning
Pruning of plums is done during the rest of the vegetation, i.e. in the winter period. The method of pruning depends on the desired growing form, substrate and variety. You can read about pruning in a separate chapter.
Planting plums
The best place in the yard for planting a plum seedling is a well-sunned area. A plum requires a little more space than, for example, an apple, so keep that in mind when choosing a place in the yard. Planting is done in autumn or early spring. A 40 x 40 cm hole is dug, the veins of the seedlings are cut a little for refreshment, the seedling is placed in the hole and covered with soil. It is necessary to pay attention that there are no air pockets that cause the seedling to dry out. The soil is trampled well and watered with plenty of water. Cut the top of the seedling to the desired height, that is, depending on the growing form. The most commonly used rootstock for plums is janarika (Prunus cerasifera).
The most common diseases and pests of plums
You can see the complete plum protection program on the following link: https://www.agromarket.rs/srb/zastita-bilja/programi-zastite/1021/Sljiva
Plum picking
As with most fruit trees, the easiest way to determine the time of harvest is to test the taste of the fruit. Depending on the purpose for consumption, we can turn the plum a little before it is fully ripe. Such a plum can be stored in a cold room for several days. For marmalades and jams, plums are harvested at full maturity, as well as for brandy.
Storing plum fruits
Properly stored apples can be stored at home for several weeks. The room should be dark, with increased humidity (to prevent drying of the fruit), with a temperature of 2-5 C.
Recipes: Gomboce (dumplings with plums)
Boil 1 kg of potatoes and mash them. Then 0.5 kg of flour, 1 egg and a little salt are added and everything is kneaded and rolled out to a thickness of about cm. It is cut into squares 10 x 10 cm. Place 1 whole plum on each and roll it into a ball. The balls are then cooked in a boiling void for several minutes. Then take part of the water in which the dumplings were cooked and mix it with sugar and cinnamon. The dumplings are covered with the resulting dressing