Instructions for propagating plums by cuttings in summer: from preparing cuttings to caring for seedlings

Like most fruit crops, plums can be propagated artificially and naturally. Natural types of vegetative propagation include growing from seeds, using root shoots, and layering. Of the artificial methods (grafting, cuttings), cuttings are the most common. We'll tell you how to propagate plums from cuttings in this article.

Is it possible to propagate plums from cuttings in summer?

The most popular method of propagating plums is by woody cuttings, which are harvested in the fall.

In recent years, so-called green cuttings, which were previously used mainly in the industrial cultivation of fruit crops, have become widespread in amateur gardening. With this method, summer, soft, not yet lignified cuttings are used for propagation.

Advantages and disadvantages of summer cuttings

Advantages:

• accelerated method of growing stone fruit crops;
• high survival rate of cuttings;
• preservation of varietal qualities;
• lack of organization of winter storage of cuttings.

Flaws:

• not suitable for all varieties;
• requires the creation of special conditions for rooting;
• In connection with the above, an increase in financial costs is likely.

Optimal timing

While lignified stem cuttings are harvested during the dormant period of plants, green samples are cut during the active growing season, in the stage of intensive growth.

Favorable days

Like other fruit species, plums undergo active vegetative growth in early summer.

In central Russia, the period for harvesting green cuttings lasts from early June to mid-July. A visual sign to start work is when the growing shoots begin to turn red at the base.

In order to preserve moisture in the shoots, it is better to cut on cloudy days or early in the morning before the heat sets in.

Suitable plum varieties

Propagation by cuttings is not suitable for all crops. Cuttings of varieties that are prone to forming dense root shoots take root best.

Plum varieties suitable for cuttings:

• Renklod Tambov;
• Hungarian;
• Memory of Timiryazev;
• Violet;
• Smolinka;
• Red dessert;
• Red early ripening;
• Volga beauty.

Selection and preparation of cuttings

Well-developed young trees with a productive root system and uterine shoots are suitable for harvesting cuttings or layering.

Having chosen a suitable day, sections of stems are cut with a sharp knife from healthy shoots of the current year.

How to take cuttings:

1. Each cutting – green/woody – should have 2-4 living leaves/eyes, depending on the length of the internodes. Usually the length of the cutting is 10-15 cm.
2. The shoots should be about the thickness of a pencil. This slows down the drying out of the cuttings.
3. The lower cut is made directly under the lower bud along an oblique line, at an angle of 45°, to increase the area for absorption of nutrients during rooting.
4. The upper cut above the sheet, on the contrary, is straight - in order to reduce evaporation. For green cuttings, leaves are also removed for this purpose, leaving only the top one.

When propagating by air layering, the cuttings are prepared on the shoot of the previous year and the cuttings are cut off from the mother plant after the roots have appeared.

The procedure for preparing air layering is as follows:

1. In the spring, a circular cut is made in the bark of the shoot at a distance of 15-20 cm from the top of the branch.
2. The resulting ring without bark is wrapped in a lump of sphagnum moss and covered with plastic wrap on top.

Rooting methods

Root formation occurs under certain temperature, climatic and chemical conditions. Suitable temperature and humidity can be ensured in a greenhouse with polyethylene film stretched over the arcs.

When planting lignified cuttings in spring, the soil must be preheated.

Reference. The possibilities of this rooting method are expanded with the use of various purchased nurseries, including automatic humidification systems - fog-forming units.

The simplest way to root at home, if you don’t have time to set up a greenhouse, is to plant cuttings in pots or boxes (shelter is also necessary). It is useful to place a container of water between the pots, since the soil in them dries out faster than in the garden bed.

In the case of air layering, the greenhouse effect is created in moist sphagnum moss inside a polyethylene cover. Moss must be kept moist at all times. In such an environment, aerial roots form at the cut site. In the fall, cuttings with formed roots are carefully separated from the mother plant and planted in the ground.

Is it possible to grow a plum from shoots and will it bear fruit?

A simpler method of vegetative propagation is also popular among gardeners - using root shoots - shoots formed from dormant buds on the roots of plants.

The coppice method is often used for growing plums, since many varieties of this crop are capable of forming root shoots until an old age.

In this case, stems already growing from the ground are used as planting material. All that remains is to correctly separate the younger generation from the maternal generation.

The main secret here is the selection of promising sprouts: the least suitable are those that grow close to the trunk - they have a weak and less developed root system.

At the end of summer or autumn, at the end of the growing season, you should cut off the root connecting to the main plant and transplant the young tree to a prepared place. If everything is done correctly, the harvest can be harvested in 1-2 years.

Important! This propagation method is only suitable for rooted plants and is not used for grafted ones.

Planting ready-made cuttings

Green cuttings are planted in greenhouse structures immediately after cutting in the summer.

Lignified cuttings harvested in autumn and winter, after long-term storage, should be prepared for spring planting. To do this, they are lightly trimmed and soaked in cold water for 3 days.

Important! Renewing cuttings by soaking them for several hours is useful even for fresh cuttings immediately before planting.

Subtleties of the landing process:

1. The optimal soil mixture for seedlings: neutral peat and river sand in equal volumes. A layer of sand 1.5-2 cm thick is poured on top. It is best to fertilize with a superphosphate solution: 1 tsp. for 10 liters of water.
2. The greenhouse is heated to +25...+30°C, and the soil is watered abundantly before planting.
3. The lower leaves of green cuttings are removed.
4. For better root formation, the lower part of the cuttings before planting is treated with a growth stimulator - “Heteroauxin”, “Zircon” or “Kornevin”.
5. Cuttings are planted to a depth of 3 cm, at a distance of 5 cm between rows and in rows, at an angle of 45°.
6. Covering material is placed on the arches.

Breeding Features

All considered methods of breeding plums are effective, so you should select the most suitable method depending on the variety and region of cultivation.

Depending on the type of plum

Cuttings, compared to root shoot and layering methods, are associated with greater labor costs. Preparing cuttings, creating greenhouses and caring for seedlings during the rooting period require not only special skills from the gardener, but also more significant time and financial investments.

Propagation by green cuttings reduces the preparation time for seedlings and does not require conditions for winter storage, but is not suitable for every variety of plum. The percentage of successful rooting during cuttings depends on it (20-70%).

On the other hand, it is not always possible to select a mother tree with strong root suckers of the appropriate size and age.

Depending on the region

When determining the appropriate time for cutting cuttings, one should take into account not only the species characteristics of the crops, but also the growing region and even weather conditions. Geographical natural conditions affect the timing of the growing season, the amount of growth in each specific year, and the choice of zoned varieties.

In the northern regions, where summers are very short, the method of regrowth in early spring is more applicable, so that the plant has time to ripen and strengthen.

Read also:

Apple tree leaves turn yellow in June: what to do

Beginner's Guide: How to Plant an Apple Tree in Spring

Further care

Care consists of maintaining heat and water balance in the greenhouse:

• watering and spraying 2-3 times a day;
• daily ventilation to avoid condensation;
• one-time fertilizing with mineral fertilizers;
• protection against diseases (pathogenic fungi and bacteria can develop in a waterlogged environment).

With the onset of autumn cold, the polyethylene is removed, and the plantings are insulated with a mulch layer (peat, dry leaves) and covered with geotextiles. The seedlings are planted in a permanent place next spring.

Reference. Depending on the variety, with proper care, cutting roots appear in 15-30 days.

Advice from experienced gardeners

Spring rooting of lignified plum cuttings is considered the most effective, since the planting material has more time to adapt and prepare for wintering.

You should not waste time and effort on cuttings from weak shoots - the result will be disappointing. It is better to postpone the procedure until next year, and do anti-aging pruning this year.

Conclusion

Propagating plums by cuttings in summer is not a very complicated procedure in practice. However, to obtain high-quality and productive clones, it is important to take into account the characteristics of the crop, climate, suitable soil types, and the necessary care at different stages of growth.