This tree grows at a medium rate, with height increases of 13–24″ per year.
How long do purple plum trees last?
The purpleleaf plum is a relatively short-lived tree, lasting only around 20 years, and it requires a bit of maintenance.
How tall does a Purple Leaf plum get?
around 25′
The purpleleaf plum grows to a height of around 25′ and a spread of around 25′ at maturity.
What is the average lifespan of a plum tree?
Plum | 10-25 years*
Can you eat the fruit from a purple leaf plum tree?
Fruit from ornamentals, such as crabapples and purple-leaved plums, are edible. However, the eating quality of some ornamental fruit is rather poor. These trees were selected for their ornamental characteristics rather than the eating quality of their fruit.
Are purple plum trees messy?
Purple Leaf Plum Care
This tree also benefits from regular feeding and pruning. It can be a messy tree if fruit forms in spring. It’s best to plant this tree away from walkways and other sites in your yard that get a lot of foot traffic, so you are not walking on the fruit.
How can I make my plum tree grow faster?
How to Care for Plum Trees
- Be sure to water the young trees heavily every week during the first growing season to help promote growth. Then, water regularly.
- If rain is lacking, water your tree well into mid-October to give it plenty of moisture through the winter months.
How tall is a 2 year old plum tree?
between about 4ft-6ft tall
Nearly all our trees are 1 or 2 years old, the best age for successful establishment. At this age most fruit trees are between about 4ft-6ft tall (1.5m – 2m), and some of the rootstock influence can already be seen in the relative sizes.
Are plum trees messy?
In short, these trees are a mess year round. Plum Trees: Unless you can somehow pick and eat them fast enough, a plum tree is going to litter the ground around it with innumerable sticky, squishy plum lumps.
Are purple plum trees poisonous to dogs?
Plum Trees Pose a Bigger Risk Than the Fruit
The ASPCA’s database of toxic plants lists plum trees as toxic to dogs, cats, and horses because of the cyanide content. Again, the main risk comes from the stem, leaves, and roots of the tree, and the pit of the fruit.
Are plum trees high maintenance?
Requiring less care than other fruit trees, plum trees are an excellent choice for a low-maintenance orchard. They adapt to a wide variety of conditions and are more compact than other fruit trees that require little to no work. Plums are a stone fruit that are both delicious and beautiful.
Should you prune plum trees every year?
Prune every year in early spring (April), before bud break. Remove any suckers growing from the rootstock. Rub out any buds growing on the lower trunk. Cut out any dead, damaged or diseased wood, and dispose of it as appropriate, removing it from the garden.
Do plum trees need pruning every year?
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.
Do birds like purple plum trees?
The pale pink flowers develop into purple drupes in summer. These fruits are appreciated by wild birds and are also edible for humans. The bark is quite ornamental as well.
How do you take care of a purple leaf plum tree?
Choose a sunny site with well-drained soil that is protected from strong winds. To get the richest leaf color and best flowering, grow in full sun. Ornamental plums can grow in shade, but the foliage will tend to remain green in shady locations. Give your plum tree plenty of space for roots as well as crown.
What are purple plums good for?
Plums and prunes are rich in antioxidants, which are helpful for reducing inflammation and protecting your cells from damage by free radicals. They are particularly high in polyphenol antioxidants, which have positive effects on bone health and may help reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes ( 8 ).
How often should you water a purple plum tree?
Give your tree enough water to soak the ground all around the roots. It’s important to note that even if you’re in the midst of a brown-lawn drought, you don’t want to water too much. Once every 10 days or two weeks is plenty. Worse than dry, thirsty roots is waterlogged, drowning roots.
Do plum trees need a lot 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.
Do plum trees attract bugs?
The sweet scent and colorful display of the flowers and fruit are attractive to many insects; some are necessary for pollination, others are simply pests. The best defense against insect pests is to keep trees healthy; but even then, additional measures may be necessary to repel or eliminate plum tree bugs.
What is the quickest fruit tree to grow?
Top 10 Fastest Growing Fruit Trees
- Peach Trees. USDA Zones: 4-9, but they do best in zones 6-8.
- Mulberry Trees. USDA Zones: 5-9, but some varieties are hardy to zones 3-4.
- Apple Trees. USDA Zones: 3-8.
- Citrus Fruit Trees. USDA Zones: 8-10 (in-ground)
- Apricot Trees. USDA Zones: 5-8.
- Mandarin Fruit Trees.
- Cherry Trees.
- Fig Trees.
Do you need 2 plum trees to get plums?
Many plum varieties are self-fertile, so a single tree can be planted, but some are not (so are self-infertile) – check with the supplier before buying. Trees that are not self-fertile will need a compatible ‘pollination partner’ nearby – another plum tree that flowers at a similar time – to ensure a good crop.