Japanese plum (Prunus salicina)

Image - Flickr / ashitaka

El japanese plum It's a tree that has it all: it's very ornamental, easy to care for, and, if that weren't enough, it produces edible fruit. Plus, over time, it provides excellent shade and is perfect for gardens with temperate-to-cold climates. If you'd like to know everything about it, I'll tell you all about it below. what are its characteristics and how to always keep it healthy.

Origin and characteristics

Image - Wikimedia / Forest & Kim Starr

Our protagonist is a deciduous tree native to China and naturalized in Japan whose scientific name is prunus salicina. It is popularly known as Chinese plum or Japanese plum. Reaches a height of 10 meters, with large leaves 6-12cm long by 2,5-5cm wide, greenish in color and with a serrated margin.

The flowers are about 2cm in diameter and are made up of five white petals. It blooms in spring, just before or during the budding of the leaves. The fruit is a drupe 4-7cm in diameter, with pinkish yellow pulp.

What are their cares?

If you want to have a copy, we recommend you take care of it in the following way:

Climate

Grows in temperate climates, with frost in winter. It needs about 700-1000 chilling hours to bear fruit. For information on caring for other trees in similar conditions, see this article about trees to plant.

Location

Place your tree outside, in full sunIt doesn't have invasive roots, but it's recommended to plant it 5-6 meters away from pipes, soil, etc. to ensure it thrives. You can read more about it here. how to choose garden trees.

Earth

Image - Wikimedia / Forest & Kim Starr

• Flower pot: : it is advisable to use a growing substrate for acid plants (get it) mixed with 30% perlite (on sale).
• Garden: grows in acidic soils (pH 4 to 6), rich in organic matter and with drainage pump.

Irrigation

The frequency of irrigation will vary greatly depending on the climate and the time of year in which we are. And, for example, you don't water the same amount of times in a very hot and dry area as in a rainy one. Thus, taking into account that the Japanese plum does not like waterlogging and that, in fact, it can be quite harmful, It is advisable to check the humidity of the soil before watering.

To do this, you can do any of these things:

• Using a digital moisture meter: when introduced into the ground, it will instantly tell you how wet it is.
• Introduce a thin wooden stick: if when you extract it, it comes out with little adhering soil, you can water.
• Weigh the pot once watered and again after a few daysThis can, of course, only be done if you're growing in a container. Wet soil weighs more than dry soil, so this difference in weight serves as a guideline for when to water.
• Dig about two inches to the side of the tree: if at that depth you see that the earth is darker and cooler, do not water.

In case you have doubts, wait a couple more days before watering.

By the way, important: do not wet the leaves when watering, only the soil. It is also advisable that you consider the varieties of purple-leaved plum trees that may be of interest to your garden.

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From early spring to late summer It must be paid monthly with Organic fertilizersand guano, compost or mulch. Use liquid fertilizers and follow the instructions specified on the container if you have it in a pot; in this way, the drainage will remain good.

Pruning

Late winter You need to remove any dry, diseased, weak, or broken branches. You can also take advantage of this opportunity to trim any branches that are growing too long, giving them a rounded or umbrella-shaped appearance. Also consider pruning other trees in your garden; you can check this article on ornamental trees.

Do not forget to disinfect the tools before and after use, for example with a few drops of dishwasher or pharmacy alcohol.

Multiplication

It multiplies by seeds in winter, following this step by step:

1. The first thing to do is fill a pot with growing medium for acidic plants.
2. Then, it is watered consciously.
3. Afterwards, a maximum of two seeds are placed in the pot.
4. The next step is to cover them with a layer of substrate so that they are not exposed.
5. Next, sprinkle with copper or sulfur to prevent the appearance of fungus.
6. Finally, the pot is placed outside, in semi-shade.

If all goes well, they will germinate throughout the spring.

Harvest

The fruits harvested in summer or early fallOnce picked, they are stored for 2-5 weeks at 0ºC with a relative humidity of 90-95%. You might want to know more about the red plum which is also an interesting fruit tree.

Rusticity

The Japanese plum resists frosts of up to -18ºC, but it cannot live in tropical climates.

What uses does it have?

Image - Wikimedia / zeimusu