Japanese name: ミロバランスモモ Scientific name:Prunus cerasifera
[Overview]
A small deciduous tree 8–12 m tall.
The leaves are simple and alternate, oblong, 3–7 cm long, with serrations along the margin.
Umbels or corymbs arise from the leaf axils and bear 5-petaled white or pale pink flowers 2–3 cm across.
The fruit is 2–3 cm in diameter and ripens from yellow to red.
[Uses]
The fruit is eaten, and the leaves are used medicinally.
[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed, grafting, or cuttings.
It prefers sunny, well-drained, fertile soil.
For potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; for plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient unless summer brings a long spell of sunny weather and the soil becomes severely dry.
Apply organic fertilizer three times a year: fertilizer in winter in February, fertilizer after flowering, and in autumn.
Thin the fruit once it has set.
Prune in winter, thinning out long branches that bear only leaf buds.
Pests and diseases include powdery mildew, scab, aphids, stink bugs, spider mites and leaf rollers.
