Plum Tree Care

Plums
Plum trees should not be the first choice of fruit tree for the totally inexperienced gardener, but with a little knowledge they are not too hard to grow - read on and let GardenAction show you how.

PLUM TREE
QUICK GUIDE

Latin Name
Prunus Domestica

Type
Hardy deciduous tree

Site and Soil
Most prefer full sun. Very tolerant of soil conditions

Plant to Harvest Time
A 2 year tree will produce fruit 3 years after planting

How Many?
Standard or bush) 25 kilos (58lb). Greengages - 12 kilos (28lb).

Choosing Your Plum Tree
Give careful consideration to what type of plum tree is best for you. Buying a plum tree which might grow to 9m (30ft) tall producing masses of cooking plums is not a good idea if you have a small garden and want eating plums!

The three key factors in choosing a plum tree are size, taste and pollination. GardenAction explains all three.

SIZE

Fan trained plum trees grow to an eventual height of around 2 m (7 ft). Although the shortest of all the forms, they will grow to a width of around 3 m and are really only a practical proposition when grown against a wall (not north-facing). If you have that sort of wall space available, this is the form for you.

Pyramid trained plum trees are free-standing and will grow to an eventual height of 2.5 m (8 ft). These are a good form for a smallish garden - their spread will be about 1.6 m (5 ft). This form of tree has branches radiating out in random directions from a straight central trunk

Plum Tree Pyramid type

Bush trained plum trees are free-standing and are taller than the pyramid form - around 4m when mature. They do have one advantage over the pyramid form however, the branches and foliage is held around 1 m (3 ft) high from the ground - this makes mowing around the tree much easier. The downside is that some of the fruit will be too high to pick without the use of a ladder.

Half Standard trained plum trees are again free- standing and will grow to a height of around 6 m (20 ft). This is a largish tree and only suitable for medium to large gardens. It will produce a mass of plums each year, most of them needing a ladder to harvest.

Plum Tree Half standard type

Plum Tree Standard type

Standard plum trees reach a height of around 8 m (28 ft) at maturity - on your own head be it if you plant one of these in anything but a large garden. They will produce enough fruit to feed your entire neighbourhood and you will definitely need a decent sized ladder to pick most of the fruit.

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