Plum Stanley belongs to the popular subspecies of home plum - Hungarian. This American variety has been in demand for over a hundred years. Russian gardeners have known Stanley for 30 years. We learn how attractive this variety is, and in which regions it can be grown.
plum variety "Stanley"
plum hungarian "Stanley"
"Stanley" is one of the best quality fruits
Where did the plum variety come from?
Stanley has an American origin - the variety was bred in the USA at the beginning of the 20th century by crossing the “Azhansky” Hungarian and the “Grand Duke”. The variety was registered in the State Register of Russia in 1983. It was zoned only in the North Caucasus region, but due to its high frost resistance, Stanley is also grown in more northern regions.
Stanley is a subspecies of the Hungarian. From his parents, he took the best - large-fruited (from the "duke") and abundant fruiting (from the "Azhansky"). Today, Stanley plum is often used as a donor of valuable agrotechnical characteristics - the variety is widely used for breeding.
Description of Stanley
Botanical and agricultural features:
- Wood. About 3 m high, with a round-oval crown and an even stem. Shoots are poorly banded.
- Fruit. Asymmetric, oval-elongated, with an elongated neck. Dark purple skin, with brown subcutaneous dots, is covered with a thick layer of wax coating. The seam is clearly visible. The average weight is 40 g. Particularly large specimens reach 60-100 g.
The yellow, friable pulp has a granular-fibrous structure. The skin is firmly attached to the pulp. The bones are oblong, with pointed ends. In ripe fruits, the bones are removed effortlessly, in unripe plums, it is more difficult. Fruits are formed on last year's growths or on twigs of a bouquet type. - Leaves. 7-8 cm long, 5 cm wide, rounded, bright green. The edges of the leaves are jagged.
- Flowers. Large - with a diameter of about 3 cm. Saucer-shaped, petals white, smooth.
- Pollination. The variety is partially self-fertile - it needs pollinators for high yields.
- Early maturity. The first crop is in the 4th year after planting a seedling.
What Stanley is valued for:
- High commercial quality. The tree gives many large and tasty fruits that tolerate transportation well. With a combination of these qualities, Stanley is an ideal commercial grade.
- Universality of fruits. Stanley, as befits a Hungarian, is distinguished by the sweetness of the fruit. Professional tasters rated their taste at 4.7-4.8 points. Sugar in them is almost 14%, acids - 0.71%. Stanley plums are suitable for any purpose - they can be eaten fresh, canned, frozen, and most importantly - make prunes.
Evaluations of tasters of Stanley fruits and products from them:
What was evaluated? | Score tasters in points (max - 5) |
Fresh fruits | 4,7 |
Frozen fruit | 4,8 |
Prunes | 4,5 |
Juice | 4,6 |
Canned fruit | 4,5 |
Compotes | 5 |
What qualities does a plum have?
Stanley is an old proven variety. During the opening of the variety, dozens of new varieties with improved characteristics appeared. But the Hungarian American selection is still in demand both among amateur gardeners and breeders. The reason for this situation is Stanley's excellent agro-technical characteristics.
An overview of the Stanley variety can be seen in the video below:
Productivity
Stenley is an extremely productive variety, even among Hungarians, famous for abundant fruiting, it is noticeably distinguished by its productivity. From one tree, gardeners collect 50-60 kg of fruit. True, in order to produce such crops, a tree needs an optimal agricultural background and fertile soil. In industrial cultivation, the yield of the variety is 18 tons per 1 ha.
Drought tolerance
The variety is not drought tolerant, its ability to resist drought is at an average level. To get a generous harvest of large plums, Stanley Hungarian should not be left without water in a dry summer. If you do not water the tree, its fruits become tasteless and crumble en masse.
Frost resistance
The variety is not super hardy. It belongs to the middle category, the maximum short-term frosts that Stanley plum can withstand without damage - minus 34 ° C, long-term - minus 25 ° C. Regions in which winter temperatures fall below this mark are contraindicated in American plum.
Disease and pest resistance
The variety is resistant to sharka - one of the most dangerous diseases, holey and red spotting (klyasterosporiosis and polystigmosis). The most dangerous disease for this Hungarian is moniliosis (gray rot), and Stanley often attacks plum aphids.
The need for pollination
As a partially self-fertile variety, Stanley needs pollinating varieties. With partial self-fertility, only 5-15% of all formed fruits are formed, the rest due to cross-pollination. If there are no pollinating trees nearby, Stanley will yield a crop, but pollinators blooming at the same time will significantly increase the yield of the tree.
The best pollinators for Stanley - plums:
- Express;
- Bluffrey;
- Chachak Lepotica.
Does the variety have flaws?
We have already figured out that the variety is poor, compared with many Hungarians, tolerates drought, is affected by aphids and moniliosis. Stanley has another drawback - it is very picky about soils. To give a lot of tasty fruits - ideal raw materials for prunes, the variety needs not only moisture, but also top dressing.
Stanley literally “pulls” nutrients from the soil. The gardener has to fill up the deficit by constantly feeding a “gluttonous” plum. If Stanley is deprived of organic and mineral support, its fruits become smaller and become sour. Also, with a lack of nutrition, the resistance of gray rot decreases.
All About Stanley Landing
Stanley has requirements for location, soil characteristics and timing. In order for the seedling to safely take root, grow and develop, it is necessary to take into account all the features of the planting.
Climate and conditions
The Stanley plum, having average frost resistance, is intended for cultivation in areas with warm or moderately cold winters. This variety is safely cultivated not only in the southern regions of the country, but also in the middle lane. When moving north, the drain may freeze during prolonged frosts.
Optimal landing times
In the southern regions, seedlings can be planted at any time - in spring or autumn. But in the middle lane preference is given to spring, since a seedling planted in the fall often does not have time to get stronger for wintering.
Landing dates:
- Spring. Planting is done before the sap flow begins. Preferably immediately after the snow has melted.
- Fall. A month and a half before the onset of steady frost.
If the seedling was purchased late in the fall, and there is no point in planting it under the winter, planting is postponed until spring. The seedlings are “canned” - they are dug into the ground, covered with spruce branches, and later with snow. From prikop they take it out in the spring - before landing.
Place of landing and its preparation
Stanley Plum Landing Requirements:
- Good sun exposure. The surface is flat or sloping south / southwest.
- Lack of drafts, gusts of wind.
- Groundwater level - no closer than 1.5 m to the surface.
- Fertile soil with a neutral reaction. Plums do not grow well on heavy clay soil; they need fertile sandy loam or loam with good drainage properties.
Lowlands are not suitable for plums - moisture accumulates here, contributing to rotting of the bark.
The soil and the pit for planting are prepared in advance, preferably in the fall - if planting in the spring. For autumn planting, a pit is prepared in 2 weeks. Prepare the soil to frost. Stanley has large trees, they need a food area of at least 8-10 square meters. m. Recommended landing pattern - 3x4 m.
The size of the pit depends on the fertility of the soil. Pit preparation on different soils:
- Fertile soil. Planting pits on fertile soils dig 60 cm deep, their width is 80 cm. The upper layer is removed and laid to the side. It is mixed with humus (1: 1), and poured into a hole in which the bottom is previously dug up.
- Poor soil. Here pits are made more spacious - to place a nutritious soil mixture. The size of the pit is 100x100 cm. Remove the turf, chopping it, mix it with manure (2 buckets) and ash (1 l) - the mixture is placed in the pit. In another place, fertile soil is taken to fill it up, filling the hole halfway.
During planting in the pit lay:
- humus or compost - 7-10 kg;
- superphosphate - 100 g;
- potassium salt - 20-30 g, or wood ash - 200 g.
On poor soils, the above doses are doubled.
Stanley, like other Hungarians, will not grow well on acidified soils. If the pH does not meet the requirements, additionally add 700 g of dolomite flour to the soil mixture prepared for the planting pit or pour a liter jar of eggshell.
Prepared for landing, the pit must be covered, for example, with slate sheet, plastic film, roofing material, and other waterproof material.
Seedling selection and preparation
When choosing a seedling, take into account the climatic features of the region. In areas with warm climates, one can plant seedlings of their own; in colder regions, seedlings on rootstocks are preferable.
Signs of a healthy seedling:
- The roots should be in perfect condition - without damage, rot and traces of the fungus. Preference is given to seedlings with a dense and long root system.
- Branches - whole, durable, flexible. They should not have dry or damaged areas.
The optimal age of the seedling for planting is 1-2 years. Leaves on it should not be.
If the seedling is purchased in a container, then it is removed from it, and directly with a lump of soil, they are transferred to the planting pit.
Preparing a seedling for planting:
- It is recommended a couple of days before planting to place the roots of a seedling in a solution of potassium permanganate. The temperature of the solution is room temperature. One of the root stimulants is added there. Sapling roots can also be treated with “Heteroauxin” - this drug improves plant survival. Grinding two tablets, the horse system is pollinated with the obtained powder. You can also treat the roots with Epin, Kornevin, potassium humate.
- 3-4 hours before planting, the roots of a seedling are lowered into a mash of manure and clay. The mixture should have a creamy consistency, it should not drip from the roots.
Buy seedlings in specialized nurseries that grow varietal fruit trees.
Good and bad neighborhood with cultures
Near Stanley any fruit trees can grow. The main thing is that between the plum and its neighbors there should be at least 3 m. Stanley gets along especially well with cherries and cherries. With apple trees, pears and other fruit trees a little worse. It is not recommended to plant berry crops near plum trees.
Step-by-step instructions for landing
It is easier to plant seedlings together - the assistant will keep them upright while backfilling the pit. Planting a Stanley Plum Seedling:
- The substrate in the pit is moistened. When moisture saturates the substrate, they put a support - it should be 30-40 cm longer than the seedling.
- The seedling prepared for planting is placed on the top of the formed knoll and, straightening the roots. They fill the pit with soil, filling the inter-root voids - for this purpose, the earth is tamped from time to time.
- When the pit is full, control the position of the root neck - it should be 5-7 cm above the ground.
- The tree is watered with three buckets of water. Moreover, it is poured not under the root, but into annular grooves dug at a certain distance from the trunk. When water is absorbed, the tree trunk is sprinkled with peat, straw or grass.
- The tree is tied to a peg. All shoots available on it are shortened by a third.
How to care for a tree?
Plum Stanley requires gardeners year-round care. It is not complicated, but requires accurate and timely execution. In the summer, the tree is watered and fed, in the fall they are cut and insulated, in the spring trunks are whitened, sprayed, fed, and spring pruning is carried out. In winter, maintenance comes down to shaking off snow from the branches.
Leaving immediately after landing
In the first year, the seedling is not fed, it needs only watering, cultivation and weeding of weeds. As necessary, it is treated with compounds from pests and diseases, insulated.
The main agricultural event for a seedling planted in the spring is watering. A young tree is watered every week, spending 10-20 liters of water.
Irrigation scheme
Trees are watered without waiting for the soil to dry. Irrigation rate - 50-60 liters per 1 square. m of projection of the crown. Soil during watering should be moistened in depth by 40 cm, not less.
Estimated watering dates:
- during the formation of ovaries;
- two weeks before harvesting;
- after harvesting;
- Autumn water recharge irrigation - carried out in October.
In drought, the number of irrigations increases. The rate of plum irrigation also changes, depending on age. A young tree needs about 3 buckets of water, an adult - 6-8 buckets.
Fertilizer
The first top dressing is done in the second year after planting a seedling.
Plum does not tolerate chlorine, therefore, fertilizers should not contain potassium chloride and ammonium chloride.
Topping up Stanley Plum:
- In spring, manure (10 kg per 1 sq. M), potassium sulfate (70 g), superphosphate (100 g), urea (25 g) are introduced into the ground. You can replace this mixture with complex fertilizer - Nitroammofoskoy, Azofoskoy or Diammofoskoy. Plums older than 5 years are increased by 50% the mass of fertilizers (except phosphorus and nitrogen).
- Before flowering, potassium nitrate and urea (45 g each) are added. Or prepare a solution for spraying (45 g per 10 liters of water). Or pour with a solution of ash (1 cup per 1 liter of water).
- In summer, feeding is repeated, replacing Nitrophos potassium sulfate. Or make a complex fertilizer for plums - Berry, Ideal, etc.
- When the fruiting is completed, potassium sulfate and superphosphate (30 g each) are added to the soil. Every 2-3 years - humus (10 kg per 1 sq. M).
A poorly growing tree is sprayed with a yeast solution - 1 kg per 10 liters of hot water, and insisted for 4-5 hours.
Trim nuances
To form a crown begin 3-4 years after disembarkation. The best option for the Stanley variety is a sparse-tier crown. Nuances of spring pruning:
- During planting, each branch of the seedling is reduced by 1/3.
- In the second year they leave the 5 strongest shoots - they should be located at about the same height. They are reduced by 1/4. The central shoot should be 10-15 cm higher than the last branch.
- In the same way create a second tier - from 3-4 branches. 4-5 kidneys are left on each skeletal branch.
- The third tier is formed of 2-3 branches. The length of the branches decreases from the bottom up - the crown takes the form of a pyramid.
In the summer, they continue to thin out the crown, remove basal shoots, and remove damaged branches. Do not touch the main conductor. In autumn, shoots affected by pests, diseases, and dry branches are cut. if necessary, shorten the central shoot, but by no more than 1/4.
Every 5-6 years, anti-aging pruning is performed - branches that are more than three years old are shortened by 2/3. In order not to be left without a harvest, the rejuvenation process is stretched for 2-3 years, gradually shortening the branches.
Wintering and protection against rodents
Stanley plum tolerates cold well, but it is recommended to warm young trees. In addition, whitewashing of the trunk is recommended for trees of any age - it is covered with a solution of hydrated lime mixed with copper sulfate and clerical glue.
The trunk, protecting from the cold, is wrapped with any breathable material - you can use ordinary burlap or nylon tights. The black material is not suitable - the tree can get sunburn.In order to more reliably protect the trunk from rodents, it is enclosed with a metal mesh.
Warming options:
- Wrap. Burlap the trunk several times with burlap or other material. An interlayer is placed between the layers, the resulting structure is securely fixed.
- Covering box. If the tree is small, it can be covered with a cardboard box, filling the empty space with sawdust, needles, newspapers.
- "Hut". Make a frame of willow twigs stuck in the ground. Hay, foliage, and straw are thrown on top. Then the "hut" is covered with roofing material.
To warm the roots, the near-trunk layer is mulched, creating a layer of 6-7 cm. A mound of 20 cm height is placed near the trunk.
Pest and Disease Control
Hungarian plums have a fairly high immunity to many diseases characteristic of stone fruits. But in violation of agricultural technology and other adverse factors, the trees are not immune from diseases and pests.
Stanley disease and control:
Disease | Symptoms | Methods of struggle |
Rust | Brown spots appear on the leaves, powdered by spores. Leaves dry out and fall off. | Over the summer, 2-3 times the tree is sprayed with Bordeaux 1% liquid. Junipers growing nearby are harvested - they are often the source of the disease. |
Moniliosis (fruit rot) | The flowers turn brown and dry. Further leaves and young fruit twigs wither. On the fruits - brown rot. On branches affected by the disease, the bark cracks, gum flows from the cracks. | Sick branches are cut to healthy wood. The tree is sprayed with nitrafen 2% - early in spring or autumn, when the leaves fall. Necessary copper chloride (10 l - 80 g) or 1% Bordeaux mixture. In the autumn they dig the soil, removing the foliage. |
Stanley pests and control:
Pest | What is he doing? | How to fight? |
Plum aphid | It sucks juices from a plant, populating leaves, stalks, shoots. Leaves do not twist. | Before budding, the tree is treated with nitrafen 3%. After budding, Karbofos, Fufanonom, etc. |
Plum throat | After 10-12 days after flowering, the bear lays eggs in the soft bone of the ovary. Larvae eat out the kernel of the bone. Spoiled fruits fall off ahead of time. | They are sprayed with insecticides - Karbofos, Metaphos, Fufanon and others. This is done immediately after flowering, and then after 10-12 days. |
Plum sawfly (black and yellow) | Females, during flowering, lay eggs in a flower cup. When the ovary is formed, larvae appear - they eat the fetus. | A similar treatment - as for the sheath. Two sprayings - before and after flowering. |
When and how to harvest?
Harvest time varies by region. In the middle lane - this is the end of August-beginning of September. Harvesting is carried out in stages - the crop is removed for 2-3 times. The collection is arranged in dry weather. If the fruits are to be transported, they are removed a little bit unripe. You should not get up on the branches - they are fragile at Stanley, it is better to use the stairs.
Overripe fruits become soft, get an unpleasant aftertaste, fall to the ground. Therefore, do not skip the cleaning time. Gathering starts from the lower branches, gradually moving to the top. Gathering fruits, they try not to wash the wax coating - it helps the fruits to keep fresh.
Storage and processing features
Stanley fruits are kept fresh in the refrigerator for 6-7 days. This variety is not suitable for long-term storage - the fruits are processed. Workpiece Options:
- Preservation. Jam, jam, jam, cook compote.
- Freezing. Washed plums are laid out in special bags for storing food in freezers. Shelf life is 6-8 months. After this period, the fruits do not deteriorate, they only become more acidic.
- Drying. The fruits are kept for 30 seconds in a hot soda solution. Washed and placed in the oven for 3 hours. The oven door must be ajar. Temperature - 50 ° С. The cooled plums are dried for another 5 hours at a temperature of 70 ° C. And finally, another 4 hours at 90 ° C. This way they get delicious prunes. It is stored in paper bags, wooden crates or glass jars.
- Alcoholic drinks. From the fruits of Stanley it turns out a good tincture, liqueurs, plum wine.
Stanley Plum Reviews
Leonid Ivanovich P., Moscow Region. The Stanley variety obviously does not feel comfortable in our area. Very picky about the soil, you have to constantly feed. I read that some gardeners in our region are achieving great yields, but my tree is not very prolific so far. A big problem is aphids and rot of fruits.
Kirill L., Belgorod Region Growing Stanley is not as easy as other varieties - not the most frost-resistant variety requires watering, good soil, and spraying. But if all agricultural technology is put on stream, then high yields can be achieved, and this is up to 60-80 kg from one tree. They are transported well - can be implemented without problems. I'm going to expand the planting and harvest my own prunes.
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Plum Stanley - a wonderful variety, time-tested. Its main advantage is large, sweet plums, which make excellent prunes. The variety is old, susceptible to many diseases and pests, so getting a decent harvest is not easy. But the efforts expended will not be in vain, the reward is 60-80 kg of drain with unique characteristics.
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