Crop Rotation Group
Miscellaneous
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Soil
Moisture-retentive clay or loam.
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Position
Sunny spot, with excellent air circulation.
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Frost tolerant
Yes, but it is important to choose varieties known to grow well in your area to reduce risk of losing blooms to spring freezes.
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Feeding
Feed with a mulch of high nitrogen fertilizer in spring. Keep plum trees mulched with wood chips or sawdust.
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Companions
Corridors within the orchard that are planted with clovers and other legumes contribute to soil fertility and attract pollinators.
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Spacing
Single Plants: 11' 5" (3.50m) each way (minimum)
Rows: 11' 5" (3.50m) with 11' 5" (3.50m) row gap (minimum)
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Sow and Plant
Prepare a large hole by breaking up the soil and adding plenty of well-rotted organic matter. A wide hole is better than a very deep one. Mulch after planting, and encircle the trunk with a wire cage or protective pipe to protect the young tree from animal and insect pests. Young plum trees are at high risk for damage from insects that bore into the main trunk.
Our Garden Planning Tool can produce a personalized calendar of when to sow, plant and harvest for your area.
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Notes
Some varieties are self-fertile; otherwise at least one other plum flowering at the same time will be required for pollination. Prune in late winter, before buds begin to swell. Healthy plum trees will bear for ten to fifteen years or more.
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Harvesting
Harvest when the fruit feels soft when gently squeezed. As fruit ripens, some fruits will fall from the tree, and others can easily be shaken onto cloths spread on the ground.
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Troubleshooting
Plums can be affected by silverleaf disease in temperate climates – prune in dry weather in summer to help avoid infection. Plum curculios feed on buds, flowers and unripe fruits. Control by allowing hens to feed around trees, or shake branches to dislodge the insects onto a sheet then plunge into very hot water. Remove any fallen fruits as soon as possible. In humid climates, plums often develop problems with fungal diseases such as brown rot. Preventive sprays with organic fungicides are often needed to grow good quality plums.
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