There are many self-fertile varieties of plums, the best of them are discussed below. A detailed description of the characteristics and features of the variety will help you choose the right option for the gardener.
Alexy
A late-ripening home-made plum, which ripens on September 10-15. Differs in short stature, the height of the tree does not exceed 1.5 m. Medium fruits (20 g) are pear-shaped, elongated. The skin is dark purple with a thin layer of bloom.
Plum bears fruit regularly, stably. Indicators for yield, winter hardiness and disease resistance are average.
Hungarian Korneevskaya
A variety from the group of Hungarians with a medium late ripening period. This is a medium-sized tree with a slightly thickened rounded crown. Plum begins to bear fruit for 3-4 years. Fruits are one-dimensional, slightly pointed oval, purple, covered with a thick bloom. The size of the fruit is above average (35 g).
The ripening of the crop is influenced by weather conditions, so it has an extended period from August 10 to the first ten days of September. Fruiting is annual, regular. The yield indicator is average - up to 30 kg. The variety is valued for its high winter hardiness, good drought resistance and immunity to diseases.
To learn more about other varieties from the Hungarian group, this article will help.
Renklode soviet
Partially self-fertile, mid-season variety. The harvest ripens in the last days of August. This is a medium-sized tree. On garden plots located in the central black earth district, the variety opens up in full - here the highest yields and the largest fruits are formed.
The first fruits are removed after 4 years. They are large (33-40 g), reddish-purple and covered with a thick bluish waxy coating. The plant is not afraid of frosts down to -30 ° C, but it is prone to disease - polystygmosis.
Zarechnaya early
Early maturing, highly winter-resistant variety. It is a medium-sized tree with curved shoots. The yield indicator is above average, the fruits ripen together. You can already enjoy ripe fruits at the end of the third decade of July. They are large (40-50 g) and have an attractive oval shape. The skin is dark purple with a thick layer of waxy coating. Subcutaneous points are visible throughout the surface.
You will be able to taste the first fruits in 2-3 years. Disease resistance is average.
We recommend reading the article on what diseases are in plums.
Bogatyrskaya
Late-ripening variety. A medium-sized plum begins to bear its first fruits in 4-5 years. It is a high yielding variety with regular fruiting. Already from a 5-6-year-old tree, up to 70 kg of fruit are harvested. They are large (up to 40 g), elongated-oval, inky with a wax coating.
Ripe fruits are identified by color, this is easy to do, since they become practically black. The index of winter hardiness is above average, the plum is immune to diseases and pests.
In memory of Timiryazev
Medium late ripening variety. According to the main characteristics - winter hardiness, disease resistance, drought resistance, it has average indicators. This is a tall plum, which makes it difficult to care for and harvest. She begins to bear fruit for 3-4 years.
Plums have an average size with a mass of no more than 25 g. They are elongated-ovoid and colored bright yellow, covered with a thick layer of milky bloom. Most of the surface is covered with a pink-red speckled blush and a large number of subcutaneous dots. The yield is high - more than 30 kg per tree.
Fruits are picked in the first half of September, but fruiting is irregular - the tree needs a rest period.
Anna Shpet
An old high-yielding variety of plum that has been known since 1946. It is a medium-sized plum (up to 4.5 m in height) with a pyramidal or oval crown. The first fruits are formed after 4 years if a 2-year-old seedling has been planted.
The fruits are large with a subtle abdominal suture. The skin is blue-black with a brick-brown tint. On the surface, with the naked eye, you can see numerous subcutaneous dots of gray color. The fruits are covered with a waxy coating that is easily erased.
Disease immunity is average. The same can be said about the winter hardiness index. Ripe fruits are not prone to shedding; they are removed in autumn at the end of September and beginning of October.
For an overview of the Anna Shpet variety, see the video below:
The variety is distinguished by its undemanding soil conditions and drought tolerance.
Hungarian Moscow or Hungarian Tsaritsyn
An old variety with a late ripening period. Ripe fruits are harvested from the second half of September. But the first fruits will have to wait, since the plum begins to bear fruit at 7-8 years. The harvest does not depend on the vagaries of the weather. In rainy weather, the fruits do not crack. Yields are above average, the crop bears fruit annually.
The tree is medium-sized, forms a large number of shoots, which must be removed in a timely manner. Fruits are small (28 g), asymmetric ovoid. The abdominal suture is pronounced. The rough skin is violet-lilac and covered with a blue-violet bloom.
The pulp tastes mediocre - sweet and sour with a little bitterness. The fruits are transportable. Winter hardiness and immunity to diseases are average.
Egg blue
A mid-season variety of home plums. Its disadvantage is the height of the tree, it can reach 6 m. Fruits are harvested on August 17-26, the yield is average. Begins to bear fruit from the age of 5, but irregularly. The plant needs rest in some years.
Fruits of medium size - weight does not exceed 28 g. In shape they resemble an egg, but unequal. The color is blue-violet with a strong waxy coating. Indicators for winter hardiness are high, drought resistance - average. The variety is not resistant to clasterosporia and pests - moth and aphids, however, it is immune to fruit rot.
Gigantic
Plum variety that came to us from America. When hiding, it is cultivated in the northern regions of Russia. The tree is tall (up to 4 m) with a dense pyramidal crown. The first fruits can be tasted after 3 years, and after a year, up to 40 kg of ripe fruits are removed. When plums are cultivated in the southern regions, their taste is sweeter and the pulp is juicier.
The fruits are very large in size (up to 60 g) - this feature is reflected in the name of the variety. Their shape is obovate. The skin is thick, bright pink and covered with a bluish bloom. It is a highly frost-resistant variety, the plum can withstand frosts down to -34 ° C, but the indicator for drought resistance is low, and it is also affected by moniliosis.
Kuban dwarf
Mid-season variety. The first fruits are formed in 3-4 years. It is a high-yielding plum that bears fruit consistently every year. The advantage is the low height of the tree, which makes it much easier to care for it and makes harvesting more pleasant, which is harvested in early August.
Fruits are medium (27 g), oval, unequal. They are resistant to cracking and transportable. The skin is dark purple with a thick waxy coating. Disease immunity and winter hardiness are high, drought resistance is medium.
Oryol dream
Partially self-fertile, early ripening variety of Chinese plum. Harvested in the second half of August. The tree is medium-sized. The first fruits are formed in the 3rd year. They are large (40 g), rounded, red and covered with a waxy coating.
The yield is average. This plum has an unpleasant feature - with an increase in yield, the fruits become noticeably smaller. The index of winter hardiness is high, the variety is resistant to clasterosporiosis.
Finaev's memory
Late-ripening variety. Another undersized representative, besides, the plum grows slowly and reaches a maximum of 2.5 m in height. It begins to bear fruit in 5-6 years. The crop gives annually, it is harvested on September 3-6.
Fruits are medium (22 g), round, colored blue and covered with a waxy coating, transportable. The variety is highly winter-resistant, but even if damaged by frost, the tree quickly recovers, has immunity to diseases and practically does not suffer from insect attacks. Drought resistance is average. During the dry and hot period, the fruits are heavily crumbled.
Viola
Late ripening variety. Ripe fruits are harvested from August 28 to September 5. The tree is medium-sized with a sparse crown. It begins to bear fruit for 3-4 years. The yield indicator is average. The fruits are formed in the same size. They are oval in shape and medium in size (up to 20 g).
The harvest is stable, annual. Among the shortcomings, there is a strong abscission of fruits in a hot and dry period. On the other hand, it is winter-hardy and drought-resistant, little exposed to diseases and attacks of harmful insects.
Early ripening red
Partially self-fertile, early maturing variety of home plum. Harvest ripens depending on the growing zone in the second half of August and early September. This is a medium-sized tree - 3.5 m high. The crop does not ripen at the same time, the fruits are prone to shedding. They are small in size - the mass does not exceed 15 g. The color of the skin is pink-red with a slight waxy coating.
In favorable years, the harvest is 25-40 kg. From unvaccinated crops, the harvest will have to wait for a long time, since the first fruits are formed only after 5-6 years. On the vaccinated - for 3-4 years. It is a frost-resistant variety, the plum can withstand temperatures as low as -38 ° C, but is susceptible to clotterosporia.
It has excellent adaptive abilities and reproduces by root shoots.
Morning
Another variety of home plum, but with a medium ripening period. The fruits of the Morning variety do not ripen simultaneously at the beginning of August. Medium sized tree. The first fruits are removed after 4 years. However, it does not bear fruit every year, every 4 years it needs rest.
The yield indicator is high - more than 30 kg. The fruits are of an average size (25-40 g), their shape is oval with an underdeveloped abdominal suture. The skin is yellow-green in color, with a pink tan on the sunny side. The fruits are covered with a slight waxy coating.
Ripe and unripe fruits practically do not differ from each other.
Of the advantages, it should be noted that the culture has good regenerative ability and resistance to diseases. But this cannot be said about the winter hardiness of flower buds. In severe frosts, they can die in winter. Drought resistance - medium.
Blue bird
Mid-season variety. It begins to bear fruit in 4-5 years. The fruits are medium-sized (26.5 g), blue in color, covered with a strong bloom.
Plum harvests regularly, it is harvested in mid-August. The variety has a high rate of winter hardiness and disease resistance.
Yakhontova
The plum is partly self-fertile, that is, for a higher yield, it is still necessary to plant a number of pollinator assistants. Otherwise, the yield indicators will not be as high.
This plum is early ripening - ripe fruits are harvested at the end of August, they can be recognized by their bright golden color. There is a speckled blush all over the drain.
The tree is vigorous, fast-growing. It reaches 5.5 m in height. However, when grafting it to low-growing varieties, the height can be adjusted. The first crop is harvested in 3-4 years. The fruit weight reaches 30 g. The variety is winter-hardy, drought-resistant, has immunity to fungal diseases.
Chemal blue
Medium ripening Chinese plum variety. The shape of the crown changes with age - in young plants it has a pyramidal appearance, as the tree matures, it becomes more spreading. They are quite small (up to 17 g), dark burgundy with a thick bluish bloom.
Winter hardiness is high. The variety has an average resistance to diseases of fungal origin, susceptible to moniliosis and damping, and does not tolerate drought.
The video below provides an overview of the Chemal blue plum:
Comparative characteristics of varieties
The table below shows the main characteristics of self-fertile varieties of plums:
Variety name | Recommended growing region | Yield | Fruit size | Pulp taste |
Alexy | Central | average | average | sweet and sour |
Anna Shpet | North Caucasian, Nizhnevolzhsky | high | large | sweet with pleasant sourness |
Bogatyrskaya | Nizhnevolzhsky | high | large | sweet with honey notes |
Hungarian Korneevskaya | Central black earth | average | above average | sweet |
Hungarian Moscow (Tsaritsyn) | Central | above average | shallow | sweet and sour with bitterness |
Viola | Middle Volga | high | average | sweet and sour |
Zarechnaya early | Central black earth | above average | large | pleasant sweet and sour |
Gigantic | suitable for almost all regions | high | large | sweet and sour, the farther south the growing region, the sweeter the taste |
Kuban dwarf | North Caucasian | high | average | sweet and sour |
Oryol dream | Central black earth | average | large | sweet and sour |
In memory of Timiryazev | Central, Middle Volga | high | average | from sweet and sour to unleavened |
Finaev's memory | Middle Volga | average | average | sweet and sour |
Soviet Renklode | Central black earth, North Caucasian, Middle Volga | high | large | sweet and sour |
Blue bird | North Caucasian, Nizhnevolzhsky | average | average | sweet and sour |
Early ripening red | Northwestern, Central, Central black earth, Middle Volga | above average | shallow | sweet and sour, a little sugar |
Morning | Central | high | average | sweet and sour |
Chemal blue | West Siberian, East Siberian | average | shallow | sweet and sour with astringency |
Egg blue | Central | average | average | sweet and sour, sweetness is more pronounced |
Yakhontova | Central | high | average | sweet and sour |
Features of growing self-fertile plum
For normal growth and fruiting, the following rules are followed when caring for a self-fertile plum:
- Place for landing. The sunny area should be located on a small hill or with deep groundwater, protected from cold winds and drafts. It is better to plant seedlings in the spring so that they have time to take root.
- Top dressing. Self-fertile plums are not demanding on top dressing - it is enough to apply organic or mineral fertilizers once every 2-4 years. The latter, if it is superphosphate and potassium, are introduced into the soil by irrigation, having previously dissolved them in water.
- Crown formation. Pay special attention. When planting a tree, all shoots are immediately shortened by 1-2 buds. The main shoot, depending on the height of the seedling, can be shortened by 30 cm.
Then the correct crown is formed in annual plums. They choose strong and strong branches and form 3-4 tiers of them. Each tier should have from 2 to 6 branches, while in the lower tier there should be more of them, up the number of shoots decreases.
Further pruning is of a sanitary nature - diseased, broken, dried branches are removed or pruned. - Watering. The crop prefers moist soil. Trees are watered regularly throughout the growing season, once a month. If hot weather sets in in summer, the frequency of watering is increased. They also water the plant in September with low precipitation so that it has time to store a sufficient amount of nutrients before wintering.
In winter, a lot of snow is shoveled to the tree trunk to protect it from freezing. Protection will also be required from rodents if they are frequent guests on your site.In general, self-fertile plums are an excellent option for gardeners. Especially for those who have a small garden area.
Self-fertile varieties of plums are very popular with gardeners, as they do not require an additional pollinator.With the right choice of variety and the organization of proper care, the plum garden will delight you with rich harvests and delicious fruits.