Renekloden, noble plum – care, cutting and varieties

The best time to plant plum trees is early spring, as soon as the earth is no longer frozen. At the chosen location, the soil quality should be checked for its pH value beforehand. In the event that the result is below 6.0 to 6.5, the gardener knows that a little lime should be worked in as part of the preparatory work to regulate the value. The maintenance work at Renekloden is then quite manageable:

• Sunny, warm and sheltered location.
• Moist, loamy and nutrient-rich soil is ideal.
• Do not let the earth dry out.
• Prevent waterlogging through drainage.
• Incorporate garden compost as fertilizer once a year.
• Add horn meal, guano or dried cow dung to the compost.
• Mulching regularly keeps the soil moist.
• Immediately remove the fruit mummies.

A sufficiently moist soil is of great importance if the goal is a bountiful harvest of juicy, sweet reneclodas. It is therefore advisable to water thoroughly, especially in dry periods. As a rule of thumb, the garden hose should run for at least 1 hour.

To cut

Pruning is an essential part of the maintenance work. In the nursery, the reindeer tree had already been cut into shape as a high trunk, half trunk or bush tree. The hobby gardener then carries out the following pruning measures himself:

Plant
pruning Regardless of when the noble plum tree was planted, the plant pruning is necessary in the following spring. In addition to the main branch in the middle, the aim is to develop four additional side branches around the trunk to become leading branches. All other side shoots are removed, especially those that grow steeply upwards and thus compete with the main shoot. If these are not completely removed, a stable crown cannot be built up because parts keep breaking away. As part of the planting pruning, the lateral leading shoots are also shortened by about a third, with the exception of one eye that is directed outwards. The gardening enthusiast counteracts the spread of the virus by fighting the aphids as a vector.

Parenting
cut This cut takes place every year on a frost-free day between November and February until a richly bearing crown has developed. The aim is for a maximum of 8 strong side branches to develop per guide branch. All other shoots are shortened to a length of 10 cm. In addition, all water bullets are removed in the course of the education cut.

Maintenance
pruning Every year after the harvest, the time has come for maintenance pruning. First, the crown is thinned by cutting off all the shoots that grow steeply upwards or inwards. The airy shape of the crown must be retained. On this occasion, the water puddles, which the noble plum tends to form, are again removed.

If the pruning measures presented are carried out conscientiously, there is no need for a radical rejuvenation cut, which is rarely really good for a reindeer tree. If the tree has not been cut for several years in a row or is beginning to age, it may still be inevitable to cut it back to the three to eight year old wood. In principle, the following information should be taken into account for every cutting:

• Never cut in frosty weather.
• Use only really sharp tools.
• Disinfect them with alcohol before starting work.
• Cuts must be smooth.
• Do not squeeze branches and shoots.
• Treat the wounds with tree wax or wood ash.

Regular cutting and thinning keeps the tree healthy, the fruit wood young and prevents the fruit shoots from aging. It would be a shame if the noble plum is so exhausted after four to five years that it can hardly produce the delicious fruits.

Popular varieties

The classics among the Renekloden are tasty and refreshing. But one or the other new variety is also making its way up the popularity scale. The varieties popular among hobby gardeners are presented below:

Graf Althanns

• old variety from 1850
• 4.5 cm large, red-violet fruits
• stone loosening
• Harvest from mid-August
• scharkatolerant

Big green fairy tale

• classic variety from France
• green-yellow fruits up to 4.5 cm
• good single variety
• refreshing straight from the tree
• Cross-fertilizers
• scharkaresistent
• supplied the seedling for Count Althanns

Oullins Reneklode

• French variety from 1800
• large, yellow fruits oval-shaped
• Harvest in August
• self-fertile
• tough luck
• sensitive to sulfur splash

Blue decal

• large, reddish-blue fruits
• The flesh is firm and sweet
• tastes good on cake
• very popular with children
• Half-trunk height 6 to 10 m
• also suitable for rougher areas

Indians Reneklode

• green-yellow fruits
• particularly large and weighs 40 g
• very sweet in taste
• Growth height as a bush tree up to 300 cm
• ideal for fresh consumption

Reneklode Bavay Hative

• very old French variety
• greenish-yellow fruits
• firm, sweet pulp
• early harvest from the end of July

Late Chambourcy Reneklode

• green-yellow fruits
• The flesh is slightly grainy
• very delicious
• late harvest from September
• self-fertilizable
• requires a wine-growing climate
• can be stored for up to 15 days

Violet Reneklode

• red-purple fruits
• juicy, sweet pulp
• Harvest from mid-August
• Shelf life up to 10 days
• ideal for mild locations

Diaphane Reneklode

• rare French variety
• green-yellow and pink-striped fruits
• pleasantly fragrant flowers
• tender, soft pulp
• Harvest from the end of August

Further spellings of the Reneklode are Reineclaude and Reneclode; rare ring lottery.

Diseases and pests

Like all plums, the reindeer clod is susceptible to attack by Sharka disease, which is caused by the virus of the same name. According to its damage, it is also called smallpox disease because the fruits show smallpox-like deformations. At the same time, cloud-shaped discolorations appear on the leaves. The Scharka disease is the most important plum disease in Germany because the whole tree is always attacked, it hardly bears any fruit and these are inedible. The Sharka virus is transmitted by the plum aphids, which migrate from tree to tree. The disease is so feared because it cannot be combated. Infected trees must be cleared immediately. Therefore, many hobby gardeners decide to cultivate one of the sharka-tolerant varieties in the garden, like Graf Althanns Reneklode or the Große Grüne Reneklode. The trees are also attacked by the Sharka virus, but they can cope with it and show no signs of growth or fruiting.

In addition, plum trees are endangered by the Monilia peak drought. This fungal disease begins in the flowers and then penetrates the young shoots. Good care in combination with regular pruning has a preventive effect, because strong trees are less susceptible than weakened specimens. Fruit mummies, in which the fungal spores hibernate, are not only plucked from the tree, but also picked up from the ground. At the first signs of the Monilia peak drought, the diseased shoots should be cut back into the biennial wood, because the fungus does not penetrate that far. The cut material either ends up in the residual waste or is incinerated. It has no place on the compost. The cuts are disinfected with vinegar water and sealed with clay.

Among the pests, it is the tiny gall mite in particular that causes damage to the reneclode tree. The culprits are invisible to the naked eye. If unsightly, mostly reddish protuberances appear on leaves and fruits as a result of their activity, it is already too late to do something about them. Effective prevention is therefore also important in this case, such as spraying in early spring. Since the gall mites like it to be warm and dry, the soil is kept moist and mulched regularly. If you recognize an infestation in good time with the help of a magnifying glass, you can fall back on various biological insecticides, which are made either on the basis of rapeseed oil or sulfur. The natural predators of gall mites are predatory mites and lacewing larvae. These are available from specialist retailers, offered in garden centers and online shops. Once the galls have formed, the mites themselves are protected from chemical pesticides.
One fact applies to all diseases and pests: the better the care, the stronger the tree, which makes it significantly less susceptible to infection or pest infestation.

The importance of the finishing document

The fruit trees in the home garden usually consist of a base and the refined upper part, which provides the fruit. The grafting base basically determines the entire vegetative growth:

• the height
• the crop yield
• the quality of the fruit
• the time window for the harvest
• the stability
• the service life
• disease resistance

A poorly growing grafting base results in a small tree that bears fruit much earlier than a large specimen. This advantage has its price, because the Renekloden tree places higher demands on soil quality and maintenance. Those who value a variety that is as resistant as possible should take a look at the label when buying. If the abbreviations Vt (virus-tested) or Vf (virus-free) are used here, you have the best chance of an always healthy tree. The following documents are often used for Renekloden:

• Weito (weak)
• Pixy (short of stature)
• St. Julien (medium strength)
• Japsy Fereley (medium strength)
• Ishtara (mittelstark)
• Wangenheims (medium strength)
• Myrobalane (strong growing)

The Japsy Fereley grafting base is rated as strikingly positive again and again because it does not form any root runners. In addition, it is quite resistant to Sharka disease.

Conclusion
Renekloden are seldom to be found in supermarkets. The juicy, sweet noble plums can only be kept for a few days and are therefore eaten fresh from the tree. Therefore, they are the ideal fruit trees for your own cultivation in the garden. Renekloden are not only quite undemanding in terms of location and care, but are also available in various varieties that have themselves proven to be resistant to the dreaded Sharka disease. The fruit trees only require a little more attention from the hobby gardener when cutting. They thank you for this with refreshing and tasty fruits over many years.