What is the Chinese plum?
Chinese plum is a tree grown for both its ornamental value and for the fruit tree. The tree is of medium size and blooms early in the season. Fruits used as food, just like a medicine, are related to apples, peach and other members of the Rosaceae family. The Chinese plum is also known as its kind of Prunus Mume and other common names, including the Japanese apricot and Mei Flower.
The Chinese plum is chosen for its mild size, spectacular flowers and early time flower. The tree grows 10 to 20 feet (about 3 to 6 m) tall. It is a deciduous tree that loses leaves in the autumn. At the end of winter and early spring, before the first leaves appear, flower buds form on the branches. Fragrant flowers bloom in shades of pink, white and red, depending on the cultivar.
flowers are replaced by abundant green leaves in spring and summer. Chinese plums grow quickly and form a neat rounded shape. This ornamental commonly is used as a bush of the pattern and is ideal for small gardens. Is also VHIt is carried out for planting along sidewalks and roads. Chinese plums are resistant in areas where winter temperatures rarely fall below -10 to 0 ° F (about -23 to -17 ° C).
Chinese plums grow best in full sun or shade. The full sun is six or more hours a day and the shade of parts is considered four to six hours a day. Like other fruit trees in the Rosaceae family, early flowers can be damaged by late frosts. It is best to plant trees at the ground level or on a slight rise. Frost is collected in low areas and can damage flowers, which prevents a tree from this year this year.
trees are promoted from seeds or rooted cuttings. Seeds require a three -month stratification period to germinate. In the cultivation of specific cultivars, the spread of seeds is not desirable because the Chinese plum trees do not grow true seeds; Trees grown from softwood chains will be idenTical clones of parental plants. Popular cultivars include pink -colored creditworthiness, crimson colored benishidare, white flowering albums and delicate pink dawn.
Chinese plum fruits have a diameter of 1 to 3 inches (about 2.54 to 7.62 cm) with soft yellow skin. In Japan, fruit is traditionally pickled and salted. Ready in this way is called umeboshi plum and commonly occurs on oriental markets and natural food stores. umeboshi plums are considered a natural antibiotic, have a high content of antioxidants and believe that they help with digestion.