About Fruiting Plum Trees: Everything You Need to Know
If you want a cheap and reliable tree to plant, then try planting a fruiting plum tree. Not only do you get a tree that requires little attentive care, you also receive the reward of plums that can be used in a variety of recipes. You or your family can enjoy them for years to come. In this article, we will talk about fruiting plum trees. We will go over their types, and all their benefits, and also how to take care of them.
Types of Fruiting Plum Trees
There are a number of unique cultivated plum trees found around the world. Some of the more common ones are:
Santa Rosa Plum: With its tangy sweet flavor, this colorful plum can be found in desserts, jams, and even wines.
Methley Plum: A sweet red plum best used for snacking or doming preserves.
Doris Plum: For a juicier alternative to the previous plums, Doris plums have a sweet, tangy taste that pairs easily with plum jams.
Peaches and Cream Plum: A sweet and tangy mixture between a peach and plum for a unique hybrid tree.
Damson plum: a plum with a pronounced tartness and excellent flavors that are used in fruit preserves and jelly.
Sandhill plum: a variety of plum that has a strong tart and American plum flavor which is used in wines and jellies.
Cherry plum: a mini and sweeter variety of plum that is amazing in quick preserves and fresh.
Each variety of the plump tree comes with its own unique flavors, textures, and uses, which makes them interesting to cultivate in your garden.
How to Grow and Care for Fruiting Plum Trees?
Especially when the right steps are followed, plumping trees are relatively simple to grow and take care of. Tips to get started include the following:
Planting Location
Pick a spot sunny location that has good draining soil. Plums grow well in the sun, therefore make sure the location picked has a minimum of 6 hours of sunlight a day.
Soil Requirements
These trees like soil that is neutral to slightly acidic. To ensure that your soil is well draining soil, you should put organic compost or well rotted manure.
Watering
Absence of watering can lead to dehydration in fruit-bearing plum trees which poses a very significant issue in these trees especially in arid regions. And even though plum trees do not do very well in soggy soil, there is such a thing as overwatering that should also be avoided as well. Watering should be done in a manner that the soil is wet, but not to the point that it has soaked beyond capacity.
Pruning
For a tree to achieve vigorous growth and abundant fruiting, systematic pruning and crown-thinning are essential. Dead, injured, and thin branches, and even those that take up valuable crown space, should be removed to enhance airflow and promote better ventilation.
Fertilizing
Plum trees should be given balanced fertilizer for proper growth and production. Fertilizing should be done early spring, as the tree should be fertilized before the tree enters the growth period.
Pest Control
Plum trees are usually pest resilient, however, there are cases when the tree can suffer from aphids, plum curculios, and plum leaf scald. Keeping the trees under surveillance is important, and use protective measures when an attack occurs.
Benefits of Planting Fruiting Plum Trees
With the proper care for plum fruiting trees, it contributes positively to the family’s health as well, enjoying the health advantages of fruiting trees. Some of the advantages are stated below:
A Source of Food
With the planting of fruiting plum trees, there are freshly available and nutritious plums that can be eaten. The plums can be used for meals, desserts and portals and for snacking and are very low calorie.
Renowned for Their Great Flavor
Renowned for their sweet and a bit tart plums can be used as a great base for desserts, enjoyed dried, canned, or fresh during their peak season. Due to their flexibility, they can be used for year round enjoyment.Fruits and their Health Benefits
Notably nutritious, ample in potassium as well as vitamin C, K, fiber, and a myriad of other nutrients, plums also contain a rather high concentration of antioxidants that can help in mitigating the risks of certain diseases; particularly, heart disease and cancer. Furthermore, they contain fiber which helps in relieving constipation, acting as a natural laxative.
Fruits that last a long time
A mature fruiting plum tree bears fruit for an extensive time. Because of this, agri-farms are able to sell a wide variety of products right from the harvest season like jams and preserves, while also storing some for later.
Other Fruits that You Can Plant
Aside from plums, you can also choose many other fruit trees to plant in your garden to increase the variety of your harvest. You may want to think about some of the following choices:
Apple Trees: An easy to grow fruit tree that offers numerous types of apples.
Pear Trees: Trees that are also easy to maintain, resembling plums for their ripening in late summer and early fall.
Peach Trees: If you want to enjoy more stone fruits, opt for a peach tree which produces peaches that are sweet and juicy, and can also be bottled.
Cherry Trees: Sweet or tart cherries beautify your landscape while offering delicious fruit for pies, jams, and fresh consumption.
Grow Your Own Fruiting Plum Trees
Takeaway: As a homeowner, take the opportunity to plant and grow your own fruiting plum trees.
Removing the trees for the purposes of plucking fruit preserves the fresh plums and allows you to enjoy the sweet nectar for years to come. The applies with very little maintenance to fruit trees and you are rewarded with astounding and nutritious plums on a daily.
You can enrich your meal plan and daily diet, simply by planting a fruit tree. Plums have a variety of uses, so you can eat them fresh, make them into a sweet preserve, or both.
If you are keen on expanding your personal garden and want to grow your own fruit, make sure to stop by TN Nursery. They have a multitude of fruiting trees such as plum trees, so you can start your very own garden to grow and harvest from. You would want to do this as they have a variety of trees that would satisfy almost any garden.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How many years does it take for a plum tree to produce fruit?
A plum tree takes 3 to 6 years to produce its first fruit, depending on the variety and how it’s grown. Dwarf types fruit sooner, standard trees take longer. They need ongoing care to produce fruit for a long time, a few crops a year.
Can you eat plums from a plum tree?
Yes, plums from your tree are edible and delicious. Fresh ripe plums can be eaten immediately while rest can be preserved by drying, canning, jams or jellies. Remember to eat ripe ones, for unripe can be very sour.
Which plants should not be grown adjacent to plum trees?
Plants competing for either space or nutrients negatively affect the growth of plum trees. Do not position them next to large aggressive-rooted trees such as oaks or maples. Other plants such as tomatoes and potatoes should be avoided as well because they may attract pests, and we certainly don’t want pests near our plum tree.
Is it true that to a plum tree, one is not company and two is a crowd?
Not all plum trees need a second one to be able to bear fruit, but having two does help with cross-pollination, and increased harvest is something all tree owners want. Certain varieties such as Methley and Santa Rosa can self-pollinate, while other trees need a companion for increased fruit production.
What plums should we be concerned with eating?
Plums that appear to be moldy, or otherwise damaged should certainly be avoided as eating rotten fruit, in this case plums, could lead to food poisoning. Moreover, it is not ideal to eat plums that are unripe, as they tend to be firm and overly sour. For the most mouthwatering plums, allow them to ripen to their fullest and then enjoy the deliciousness that only plums can deliver.
What type of plum is the sweetest?
Determining the “best” plum comes down to a matter of taste and personal opinion. These principal varieties often suggested; the Santa Rosa and the Peaches and Cream plums are particularly favored for the balance of flavor’s sweet and tart, especially for fresh eating, jams, and desserts, so they are also known for their wonderful taste.
