As it is known to many gardeners, after the columnar apple trees, “fashion” has gone for the same pears, and then varieties of columnar plums have appeared. My girlfriend has been growing a columnar plum for seven years now, there is some experience with growing these trees. I asked her to tell about their features.
The great advantage of colony-shaped trees and plums, including that they do not need much space and do not need to cut them. Usually, the plum seedling that you acquire has the appearance of a twig almost without side branches. Then on this central rod appear appendages from 2 to 15 cm - they are called spears by specialists. And short processes( from 2 to 4 cm), which also appear on the trunk, are called ringworms, as they appear each year on the central trunk in a circle. It is they who will bring you the main harvest.
With age, the lateral branches are extended. In the spring and after harvest, the tree of a columnar plum looks like a low pyramidal poplar, and at the peak of fruit ripening, the side branches hang down from the gravity of the fruits. Sometimes they need props. 
Colony seedlings can bloom in the very first year, if you planted them in early spring. But more often it depends on the variety. Colon-like plum can bear fruit in the second or third year, and sometimes even in the fifth. I repeat that it is more dependent on the variety. A good harvest can be obtained from the columnar plum for about 16-18 years. As soon as you notice that the yield has plummeted, the tree must be changed. Of course, you can leave it, but only as a decorative one.
When to plant a plum? Many gardeners are asking this question. The answer to it depends on which climate zone you live in. That is, the calculation is simple: in the middle lane you can plant seedlings of a columnar plum in the spring, but in the Kuban it is best to do it in the fall. Northern latitudes are not very suitable for autumn planting - it may be advisable to plant plums in the spring after the retreat of frosts.
At the very moment of planting fertilizer seedlings it is better not to use it, because the damaged root system can not cope with abundant feeding.
I advise you to feed the colonized plum 3 times a year with urea. The fertilizer solution is prepared at the rate of 50 g( two matchboxes) per 10 liter bucket of water. Under the root of each tree is enough to pour 2 liters of the solution. Terms of root dressings are as follows: the first time - as soon as the buds are dissolved, the second - in 2 weeks and the third - in another two weeks.
There are not so many varieties of columnar drains. I will name those that grow in me and in the nearest neighbors in the area.
Blue Sweet Grade - up to 2 meters high. This columnar plum produces high yields with large purple fruits. The fruits of medium ripening, very large, fleshy - up to 75 g, the bone is well separated from the pulp. Frost resistance is high. Fruits are good in jams and compotes, as well as a pleasure to eat them fresh.
Grade Imperial - fruits have a more delicate taste than Blue Sweet. The fruits are large, weighing 45-60 g. The tree is medium growth, high-yielding and frost-resistant, but requires a lot of watering. The fruits of this variety are good in jam, stewed fruit, in jam.
Variety Mirabelle( Mirabella) - with yellow fruits. The jam of these plums is very fragrant! Fruits are sweet-sour to taste, but when they lie down for 10-12 days, they become sweet-sweet. One minus - the bone is poorly separated from the pulp.
By the way, the fruits of almost all varieties of columnar plums can remain on the tree for a long time, without falling off.
The main feature of the colonic landing is the correct choice of location. Yes, the columnar tree is small and requires little space, but, nevertheless, it will be great to grow and bear fruit only in a well-lit area.
Colon-shaped plums give a great harvest of large fruits, but the most pleasant thing is that you don’t need to substitute the ladder when harvesting it and suffer from pruning.
Plant these miracle trees, you will not regret!
