three to six years.
Plum trees typically begin to bear fruit when they are three to six years of age. Fruit develops earlier in some varieties and you even see baby plums begin to appear earlier in age. The fruit will continue to get bigger and bigger until it reaches maturity.
Do plum trees bear fruit the first year?
Plum Trees Not Fruiting
Plum trees begin to bear when they are three to six years of age. You can tell right after bloom if your tree will set fruit. Inspect the terminal ends after blossom drop.
Do I need 2 plum trees to produce fruit?
Most plum trees are not self-pollinating, so you will need to plant at least two plum trees to bear fruit. When planting a plum tree, it is important to make sure that the variety you choose will grow well in your climate. European, Japanese, and Damson plum varieties are available depending on your location.
Can 1 plum tree produce fruit?
Plum trees never self-fruit, and trees require a cross-pollination process to produce fruit, so in order to set fruit, you will need to plant two or more compatible varieties.
How do I get my plum tree to bear fruit?
The most common reason for a lack of fruit on a plum tree is that it has not matured to the point where it can produce fruit. Most plum trees will need 3 to 6 years after planting before they mature enough to bear fruit. Dwarf varieties may start producing fruit 1 year sooner than standard varieties of plum trees.
Should you prune a plum tree?
Plum trees do not require as precise pruning as apples and pears, but still benefit from initial training and the thinning of old wood to ensure they produce as much fruit as possible. Plums are pruned in early spring or mid-summer to avoid infection by silver leaf disease.
What are the stages of a plum tree?
PLUM AND PRUNE
It was derived from the European plum Prunus domestica L. Growth Stages: (1) dormant, (2) swollen bud, (3) bud burst, (4) green cluster, (5) white bud, (6) bloom, (7) petal fall, and (8) fruit set.
Will an apple tree pollinate a plum tree?
Apples only pollinate apples, pears only pollinate pears, plums only pollinate plums and so on. It is best to plant a completely different variety of tree, but still in the same fruiting specie.
Can you cut the top off a plum tree?
A mature tree that hasn’t been pruned needs help to become a good fruit producer, but whacking off the top is not the optimal solution. If pruning old plum trees this way doesn’t kill them, it will assuredly produce unattractive and unproductive new growth.
Can a peach tree pollinate a plum tree?
Fruits do not cross-pollinate outside of their own species. For example, stone fruits (peaches, plums, apples and apricots) do not pollinate one another.
How can you tell if a plum tree is male or female?
If a kind of tree is dioecious, then distinguishing a male tree from a female tree is a matter of watching the trees carefully. Male trees have male flowers, which produce pollen. Female trees have female flowers that produce fruit.
How quickly do plum trees grow?
Smaller dwarfing trees can crop 1-2 years after planting, more vigorous stocks take longer – 3-4 years sometimes.
Are plum trees easy to grow?
Growing plum trees is not too difficult as long as you give them what they need. Plums require full sun and well-drained, sandy soil in order to thrive. They prefer a soil with a pH that ranges from 5.5 to 6.5.
Do plum trees need lots of water?
Young plum trees need to be watered at least once a week to promote healthy root growth. Once the tree is established, it requires regular watering, especially in the dry summer months. Deeply water your plum tree once every two to four weeks.
Why are there no plums on my plum tree?
If there are no flowers or flower buds present at all:
Over-pruning or poor pruning may be to blame. Vigorous shoot growth at the expense of fruit is often caused by taking too much wood out of a tree in one year.
Can you plant just one plum tree?
European plums are generally self-fertile, but Japanese and American hybrid plums usually need to cross-pollinate with a second variety for cross-pollination. So, if you have space for only one tree, go with a European plum. However, even self-fertile trees will produce better if cross-pollinated with a second tree.
What is the best month to prune a plum tree?
Prune when the buds are just bursting, or when the tree is just beginning to flower. Established plum trees that are more than three years old can be pruned in summer, from mid-June onwards. Again, the aim is to keep the tree a manageable size and shape, while allowing the fruit to ripen.
How long do plum trees live?
Plum | 10-25 years*
How do I prune my 3 year old plum tree?
After three or four years the tree will likely be growing tall. Prune back the trunk 12 – 20 inches at a bud each year so fruit and vegetative buds concentrate in the bottom tree branches. Every year, cut out dead, diseased, or damaged branches. Also remove unproductive shoots and any crossing branches.
Can plum trees grow in pots?
With careful selection of cultivars and appropriate growing methods, it is possible to grow fruit such as apples, cherries, pears and plums in containers. This is a great way to grow fruit in a small garden, particularly as it keeps trees smaller than if they were grown in the ground.
Can plum trees survive winter?
The Plum Tree Chill Season
A plum tree can withstand cold ground temperatures for only so long, but it needs the chill hours to enable the tree to grow and produce fruit. Each variety of plum differs in its chill hour needs, which is when the ground is below 45 degrees Fahrenheit, but no lower than 32F.