Plum adapts to almost every garden plot, but sometimes the plant stops bearing fruit. There are several factors that affect fertility.
Weather and agrotechnical factors
Yields are affected by some of these conditions:
- natural factors. Improper care and many weather conditions can lead to reduced yields. With a long absence of rain and watering, the culture does not form flower buds that form fruits. There is another reason: unexpected frosts in the spring can damage the buds. To all this, excessive humidity and rather cool weather affect the activity of bees during plum blossom, which leads to a loss in yield.
- Self-infertile varieties. If you purchased such seedlings, in addition, you need to take other plum species with exactly the same flowering period. Between trees, the distance should be no more than 10 m, so that it is convenient for bees to transfer pollen between crops.
- Improper planting of a young tree. When planting a seedling, it is imperative to take into account the interval from the root collar to the soil level. The distance should be about 5-10 cm. If the root neck is deeply buried in the ground, then this will also affect fruiting, and the tree may die from such planting. It is imperative to pay attention to the landing site, the plum loves to grow in quiet and sunny areas, because this plant requires good lighting and protection from drafts.
- Tree type and age. Some plants begin to bear fruit 2-3 years after planting the seedling in a permanent place, while other varieties reach full maturity in 5-6 years. Old trees also cannot bear fruit all the time, the yield completely disappears due to age. The duration of fruiting in plums is quite small and is approximately 10-15 years.
In addition, the composition of the soil affects the yield of plum trees:
- Increased acidity. To neutralize the soil, ash powder, lime should be added to it, chalk and dolomite flour can be used.
- Land depletion can negatively affect crop yields by dropping fruit from the trees. In order to get rid of such a process, you need to add mineral fertilizers to the soil, fertilize every 2-3 years.
Proper care and protection
There are some other reasons that negatively affect productivity:
- No pruning. The plum tree needs to be pruned periodically. This manipulation helps in the formation of flower buds and contributes to the good development of the plant. It is necessary to properly prune so as not to accidentally remove the fruiting shoots.
- Plant freezing in winter. Before purchasing a plum, pay attention to the winter hardiness of the species. But still, a stable young seedling can suddenly freeze slightly if additional protection is not created for it. To prevent this from happening, for the first time after planting, it is recommended to insulate the stem of the seedling with a covering material, and cover the base of the plant with mulch.
And garden parasites and various diseases also affect fruiting. Pests and diseases damage the foliage and formed buds, which causes fruit shedding. Against the invasion of harmful insects, you can use insecticides about 1-2 days before flowering. Some pests attack trees 7 days after flowering. As a result, plums also crumble.
To protect the plant, gardeners use insecticides and spray 8-10 days after flowering. It is possible to place special adhesive tapes on trees at the end of winter. Do not remove such protection from plants until full warming. Damaged fruits should not be left on the branches.
When rust appears, the leaves and shoots become stained, and if measures are not taken in time, they form extensive black clusters. Such a problem prevents the trees from being well replenished with nutrients and leads to a decrease in yield. It is necessary to cut off the infected foliage and shoots, and then burn them.
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