{"id":1833,"date":"2019-09-19T01:06:49","date_gmt":"2019-09-19T01:06:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/?p=1833"},"modified":"2019-09-19T01:06:49","modified_gmt":"2019-09-19T01:06:49","slug":"plum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greenmanpublishing.com\/index.php\/2019\/09\/19\/plum\/","title":{"rendered":"Plum"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Prunus <\/em>species<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A tree ripened\nplum is one of the great treats of the summer garden and every garden should\nhave at least one plum tree. Mine has at least nine and as a single tree can\nproduce a lot of fruit this is quite a big eating commitment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

About\nPlums<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hours of winter chill:\nEuropean 700-1800<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                       Japanese 500-1500   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Size <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Standard \u201320-30ft tall x 15-20ft wide<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Semi-dwarf \u2013 10-15ft tall x 10-15ft wide<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zone: 4-10 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blooming period: Early spring<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fruiting period: July –\nOctober<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Life expectancy: 8-50 years\ndepending on whereabouts in the country and on what site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bearing age: 2-3 years<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yield: 30-120lb <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Days to harvest: 140-180 days<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spacing: Standard tree\n20-30ft apart<\/p>\n\n\n\n

         Dwarf tree 15ft apart<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ease of growing: In my garden the plums have been the most productive,\nconsistent and easiest of fruits to grow. They just sit there looking pretty\nand produce lots of fruit in most years. They have also been one of the\nearliest species to start bearing heavily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One problem\nwith plums is they produce a lot of fruit in a short time (not necessarily a\nproblem). If you have several trees, you should make sure you choose varieties\nthat succeed each other (rather than all bearing at the same time). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Climate:\nPlums are a very adaptable species and breeders have produced varieties for\nevery climate that gets enough winter chill. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The European Plums are very\nhardy (to -30\u00b0F) and actually do best in fairly cool climates (they\nbloom later than the Japanese types). The Japanese Plums are better suited to warm climates and\nlike the same conditions as apricots, but with warmer summers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soil<\/p>\n\n\n\n

pH\n6.5 – 7.2<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plums\nprefer a well drained, fertile loam, but will tolerate most\nsoil types. European plums can even grow on quite heavy soil, but not\nJapanese types.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Site: Plums flower quite early and can be damaged by late\nfrosts, so avoid planting in frost pockets. In cool climates they need full\nsun, but in warmer climates they will tolerate (or even benefit from) light\nshade. If your soil isn\u2019t very well drained you might consider planting on a\nhillside, or on a mound. Plums can drop lots of messy\nfruit (if you don\u2019t pay attention to harvesting), so it\u2019s not good to plant\nthem near paved areas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plums don\u2019t\nnaturally get very big and tend to be smaller than other common fruit trees\n(with dwarfing rootstocks they can be grown to any size). This means they fit\nwell in the smaller garden, or in odd corners. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soil preparation: If the soil isn\u2019t very fertile you should prepare\nthe whole growing area (not just the planting hole) by single digging (or even\ndouble digging if the soil is very poor). This enables you to remove perennial\nweeds and incorporate organic matter (compost or aged manure) deeply, along\nwith wood ash and maybe some standard fertilizer mix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Planting<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In mild climates plum trees\ncan be planted at any time from late fall to early spring. In colder climates\nthey are usually planted in spring. As with most other plants a small tree\ntransplants better than a large tree and will do better in the long run. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you get your plants home\nit is a good idea to get them in the ground as soon as possible, but if this\nisn\u2019t possible you should heel them in, which means placing them in a trench\n(this trench has one vertical side and one at 45 degrees, the trees being laid\nin at 45 degrees and soil is firmed over them to fill the trench). If you buy\nplants mail order you should unwrap them immediately and soak the roots in\nwater overnight before planting or heeling in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plants in containers can be\nplanted at any time of year (though spring is best), but are more expensive and\ndon\u2019t usually do as well (make sure they aren\u2019t left over bare root stock that\nhas been potted up).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How: Dig a hole for the tree 2\u20113 times as wide as the\nroot spread and the same depth as the root (this gives the roots plenty of\nspace). A tree should always be set in the ground at the same depth it was\ngrowing in the nursery. The graft union should be at least 3\u201d above soil level.\nIn poorly drained soils you may have to plant on a mound, to keep the collar of\nthe tree from too much moisture, which could potentially cause it to rot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start planting by throwing a\ncouple of shovels of soil (and possibly organic matter) in a mound in the\nbottom of the hole. You then hold the plant over the mound and spread out the\nroots evenly over it. Put some soil in the hole to anchor the tree in place and\nfirm it down. You might want to add some rock phosphate to the soil as you re\u2011fill\nthe hole. Fill up the hole with the rest of the soil (making sure the tree is\nvertical, then water to moisten the soil and help establish contact between\nroots and soil). When you have finished the tree should be on a slight mound,\nso as the soil settles it becomes flat (rather than a depression where water\nmight collect). The final step is a mulch to conserve water, and keep down weed\ncompetition. It is also a good idea to put a permanent label on the tree saying\nthe variety and rootstock (and write it down in a garden journal).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conventional advice used to\nbe to amend the planting hole with nutrients and organic matter “to give\nthe tree a head start”, however this is no longer considered to be a good\nidea. In heavy clay soils it can result in a kind of container from which plant\nroots are reluctant to stray (they will simply coil around and around). This\ndoesn’t tend to happen in lighter soils, but even there an abundance of\nnutrients may discourage the roots from spreading like they should.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Support: Newly planted trees were once routinely staked, but\nit is now thought that trees get stronger quicker if not staked. Staking may\nstill be necessary in very windy sites though, especially for dwarf trees on\nweaker rootstocks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fertilizing: Heavily producing trees should be fertilized regularly with nitrogen\nand potassium. A mulch of compost or aged manure is good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watering: Plum trees should be adequately supplied with water for maximum\nproductivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In dry\nclimates they should be given a deep watering every few weeks. Young trees\nshould be watered regularly (1\u201d per week) until they are well established.\nWatering should be consistent and irregular watering can cause fruit to split. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mulch:\nA mulch of compost or aged manure is useful to supply nutrients, conserve\nmoisture and suppress weeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pollination: Many European Plums are\nself-fertile, which means you only need to plant one tree to get fruit. However\nmost bear heavier crops when cross-pollinated. Japanese Plums aren\u2019t self\nfertile and require cross pollination from another variety that flowers at the\nsame time (they won\u2019t be pollinated by European Plum or vice versa).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though plums are\ninsect pollinated the flowers are not as attractive to bees as those of other\nfruit, so the trees should be planted fairly close to each other. The flowers\nappear quite early and are sometimes damaged by late frost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pruning: Plums tend to be tip bearers and so don\u2019t\nneed much pruning for fruiting. European\ntypes do well as a central leader and once the tree is shaped properly they\ndon\u2019t need a lot of pruning. Japanese types are very vigorous growers and need\nregular pruning to control their rampant growth. They are usually grown with an\nopen center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some types of plums have a\ntendency to overbear (produce more fruit than they can handle) and pruning can\nhelp to prevent this. It can also be used to maintain a tree at a desired\nheight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fruit is borne on long lived\nspurs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Propagation: Selected varieties are budded or grafted on to\ndesired rootstock. If you have a small garden several varieties can be grafted\non to one tree. Cuttings can sometimes be used?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thinning: My biggest problem with\nJapanese Plums has been their tendency to produce too much fruit (a heavy load\nof fruit can easily break a branch if not supported). Some fruit drop naturally\nbefore it is ripe (June drop), but you usually need to thin the\nenthusiastically too. The ideal is to have one fruit for every 4-6 inches of\nbranch. This is usually done in one thinning to save time, but it\u2019s probably\nbetter done in two stages if you have the time and patience (once when they are\n\u00be\u201d and again when they are 1 \u00bd\u201d). Be careful not to damage the branch when removing\nthem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Plums don\u2019t usually\nproduce as abundantly that they need thinning, though it can happen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Support: If the fruit load gets so heavy that the branches\nstart to sag you may have to provide support. Broken branches not only spoil\nthe shape of the tree, but may also allow infection to get a foothold. The\nusual way to support them is with a forked pole of suitable length (use a pad\nof burlap to prevent damage to the branch). You can also use one tall pole and\ntie successive branches to it (known as maypoling).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mulch:\nThis is important to add nutrients,\nsuppress weeds and keep the ground moist. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pests:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plums are fairly\nvigorous trees and in my garden they are rarely bothered by disease or pests.\nQuite a few problems are out there however.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plum curculio (A\nweevil)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scale<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mites<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aphids<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Borers<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cherry fruit fly<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apple maggot<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Birds: Ripe plums\ncommonly receive the unwanted attention of birds (especially in dry climates\nwhere they provide a source of moisture). The lighter colored varieties seem to\nbe less attractive to birds than the darker ones (maybe they don\u2019t think they\nare ripe enough to bother with). They may also damage buds in winter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disease: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bacterial canker:\nThis can be a big problem in some humid areas, in which case you may want to\ngrow a resistant variety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brown rot<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Black knot<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Powdery mildew<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other problems:\nPlums flower quite early and are sometimes hit by late frost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harvest:\nFruit ripens in 140-180 days. It can be harvested\nwhile slightly under-ripe and ripened indoors, or you can wait until it is soft\nand sweet on the tree. Ripe fruit will come away from the tree when tugged\nlightly or twisted (the stalk should come away with the fruit). Plums\ndon\u2019t all ripen at the same time, so you may have to\npick several times to get them all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Storage: Slightly under-ripe fruit may keep for\nseveral weeks (in a cool place) and can be ripened slowly. The ripe fruit only\nstays good fresh for a week or so. If you want to keep it for longer, you\nshould dry or freeze it (how to\ndry non prunes easy)?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Landscape uses: Plums are beautiful when in flower and make great\nornamental trees, but don\u2019t put them over paved areas though, as the falling\nfruit can make a mess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rootstocks  Same as for ???Almonds, peaches?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Citation: 15 feet\nTolerates wet soil, reduces canopy more than height, needs irrigation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lovell: 10-12ft\nProduces a standard sized tree but longer lived and hardy <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Myrobalan 22 feet\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pixy 12 feet<\/p>\n\n\n\n

St. Julian A:\n10-15 feet<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marianna 2624\n10-12ft (Tolerates wet soil)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Citation 8-10ft<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Krymsk 1 8-10ft<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Krymsk 86 15ft<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Myro 29c 15ft<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Varieties<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You have several\nchoices when choosing what kind of Plums to grow (and many varieties too). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

European Plums (Prunus domestica<\/em>) \u2013\nThese tend to be better suited to cooler climates, but can also do well in\nwarmer ones. They are usually self-fertile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These are sometimes\nsubdivided into gages, prunes, damsons, Mirabelle (is this a kind of damson)\nplums, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prunes are the\nbest kinds for drying, as they contain more sugar than other varieties and\ndon\u2019t ferment before they dry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Japanese Plums (Prunus\nsalicin<\/em>a) – These vigorous trees need a warmer climate (Zones 6-11) than\nthe Europeans and are most widely grown in California. Most varieties require\ncross-pollination. They include many excellent plums for fresh eating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

American Plums (Prunus Americana<\/em>) –\nThis native Plums does well in many areas where the others don\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pluots \u2013 The reverse of an aprium, these\nare the crosses between an Apricot and a Plum that resembles a Plum. They can\nbe very good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Food uses<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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