Plum 'President'

Derived from: origin unknown

Plum President – an old English variety, known since the 19th century. Very popular in Germany.

Represents a medium-vigor, fast-growing tree. Initially forms a pyramidal crown with upturned branches. At a more mature age the crown becomes oval-rounded and spreading. Fruiting occurs mainly on bouquet spurs. Bark on the main branches and trunk is gray-green, smooth. Shoots are reddish-brown, thick, straight, glabrous. Lenticels medium, white, numerous.

Leaves large, round, broad, shortly acuminate, rugose, dark green, matte. Leaf blade boat-shaped (concave downward), tip sharply acuminate, base rounded, without pubescence. Leaf margins doubly serrate. Stipules fall off early, medium-sized. Petiole thick, of medium length, pigmented.

Blooms May 10-19. Flowers white, large, rose-shaped, gathered in double and triple clusters.

Fruits large, 45-50 g, more or less uniform in size, rounded in shape with a rounded apex. The base of the fruit has a slight depression; the cavity is wide. The ventral suture is barely noticeable. Peduncle of medium size. Fruits separate well from the branch. Ground color green, covering color – blue, solid. Subepidermal dots white, well noticeable, in small numbers. Skin of medium thickness, glabrous, with a medium-thickness wax bloom; does not peel well from the fruit. Flesh tender, juicy, yellow-green in color; the cavity is the same color as the flesh. Stone medium-sized, ovate, pointed at top and bottom, pitted, separates well from the flesh. Fruits ripen late. Harvest maturity occurs in the second ten-day period of September. Fruits cling firmly; fruit drop may occur only with overripe fruit.

Taste score of fresh fruits - 4.0 points. Appearance score – 4.0 points. Dry matter content in fruits - 15.5%, acids - 2.46%, sugars - 8.49%, ascorbic acid - 4.12 mg/100 g.

Begins fruiting early, in the 5th-6th year, and gives high yields annually. At 6-8 years yield is 15-20 kg per tree; at 9-12 years gives 25-40 kg per tree; in maturity can reach 70 kg per tree.

Variety highly self-fertile. Pollinators: Стенлей (Stanley), Amers, Скороспелка красная, Мирная, Тернослива куйбышевская.

Varieties pollinated: Ruth Gerstetter, Sultan, Empress, Bluefre

Winter hardiness: above average.

Site: grows well on elevated and well-lit sites. Soil light or medium. Variety is drought-tolerant.

Planting: same as for domestic plum.

Care: responds well to watering as well as mineral and organic fertilizers.

Pruning: requires formative pruning when young, and rejuvenation pruning during full fruiting.

Diseases and pests: affected by moniliosis at 0.1-0.2%. Relatively resistant to gummosis. Fruits are attacked at 0.3-0.5% by the plum fruit moth, and are moderately affected by plum pollinating aphid. Susceptibility to sharka is average.

Use: fruits have an excellent market appearance and high transportability. If harvested 5-6 days before full ripeness, they can be stored for 2 weeks. The variety is of universal purpose. Fruits are consumed fresh, and used for making preserves, compotes and jams. Juice is colorless.