Contrary to popular belief, the cherry plum is not a hybrid of cherry and plum. But what does she do? Here is an overview of their most important properties.

The cherry plum - short and sweet

  • Plant family and genus: Rosaceae, Prunus
  • Origin: Asia Minor and Central
  • Location: sunny to semi-shady
  • Soil: calcareous, nutrient-rich
  • Growth: sparse, densely branched, overhanging
  • Leaves: Deciduous, alternate, stalked, dark green, ovate, serrate
  • Flowers: End of March to beginning of April, white, hermaphrodite
  • Fruits: drupes, ripe from July
  • Care: thin out
  • Diseases: rare, monilia fruit rot, fool's disease
  • Use: useful and ornamental plant

the external appearance

The cherry plum grows between 30 and 50 cm each year. This means that it is considered to be a fast-growing plant among native trees. It usually grows into a large shrub. Their growth rarely describes a multi-stemmed tree. Overall, it reaches a growth height of up to 8 m.

While her root system likes to propagate by means of stolons, the leaves are deciduous. They grow between 3 and 7 cm long and between 2 and 3.5 cm wide. They cling to reddish stems, are bare and dark green in color. They turn yellow to orange-red in autumn before being shed.

The white-pink flowers appear before or with the foliage. They form on the short shoots of the previous year's long shoots and are fragrant. The fruits that emerge from them are ripe from July. Depending on the variety, they are yellow to brown-red in color, spherical and edible. The firm and juicy flesh tastes slightly sour to sweet.

Proper handling of the cherry plum

The cherry plum is hardy down to -30 °C. It needs a sunny to partially shaded spot in a warm and sheltered location. The soil near their roots should be rich, chalky, and moist. In terms of care, it is sufficient if you thin them out regularly and water them extensively in the beginning. Diseases occur in the rarest of cases.

tips and tricks

Attention: Cherry plums that appear particularly ripe, which give easily when pressed with a finger and are brightly colored, are often infested by hungry worms. Keep your eyes peeled if you're less keen on a meat side when consuming the fruit.

Category:

Trees