Plum
Who does not like plums and waits impatiently to pick from the slightly sour, juicy fruits? When we were children some of the first fruits we picked still unripe were plums.
The plum is not only a tasty fruit with slightly sour taste, but it has extremely wholesome for the human organism vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, organic acids, pectins, potassium, calcium, magnesium, etc. It is a very good diuretic, helps in the case of different respiratory diseases, stomach diseases; its juice is refreshing and energizing, and as it contains a little sugar, it can be consumed by diabetics as well.
The plum preserves its wholesome qualities no matter if we consume it dried, bottled, in the form of jam or jelly.
Besides being very wholesome, these fruits are used for the making of the traditional Bulgarian spirit drink – rakiya.
How to grow plums and how to take care of the plum orchards?
In order to have a good plum orchard which produces many fruits, its shaping is crucial. The intended use of the plums determines the distance between the trees, which is of great importance. If you have decided to process the plums, it is good to plant the trees at a distance of 6.0 – 7.0 m from one another, and to form a freely growing tree crown with height of the stem up to 100 cm.
In case you want to have plum orchards in which to grow dessert variety of plums, then it is good to plant the trees at a distance of 5.0 – 5.5 m, while forming the tree crowns in a similar way, with height of the stem up to 60 -70 cm.
The plum, as any other fruits, requires regular cares in order to produce many fruits. The plum orchards require reducing trimmings, fertilization and spraying against various diseases and pests.