Mystery Plum Tree

[Danaya]

Last year, I bought a plum tree with missing label from my local gardening centre, and now I am trying to figure out the variety. Did any of your plum trees start flowering this week (17 - 23 Mar)? Thx

 

[Meadowlark]

Welcome @Danaya.

I have two plum trees a Santa Rosa and a Methley. They both bloomed here last week.

Depending on the variety you have, you may (probably will) need a second pollinator tree. Again depending on the variety, that second tree may be required to be a different variety to get cross pollination. That is why I have the above two varieties.

Check with the gardening center or even take the plum back to them to get a positive Id... but you will likely need another one to set fruit.

 

[Danaya]

I got it at a reduced price from the nursery because they couldn't tell me the variety, so I'll need to wait and see, I guess. Thank you for the suggestion about getting another variety to pollinate it, I do have an Opal plum as well, but it's still not in bloom, so I'll probably need to get a really early flowering plum to help with this.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

As you say 'Wait and see', even if it is not self pollinating in Hounslow there is quite likely to be another plum within reach of pollinators. The plum in our garden was inherited with the house, and is the only one I know of around here, but we have had plenty of plums, the only thing I would say is 'Not every year', we have had 2 ordinary, 1 bumper, and 1failure, years, so don't necessarily write it off in the first year. Good luck.

 

[ThatsMyPurseIDontKnowYou]

I got it at a reduced price from the nursery because they couldn't tell me the variety, so I'll need to wait and see, I guess. Thank you for the suggestion about getting another variety to pollinate it, I do have an Opal plum as well, but it's still not in bloom, so I'll probably need to get a really early flowering plum to help with this.

You could always post on some local facebook groups and find someone local with a plum and go and collect a few branches of flowers so you can pollinate it by hand.

 

[Danaya]

Thanks for the ideas, everyone. The best solution would be for it to turn out to be self-pollinating. If not, I'll look for a neighbour with another early flowering variety, or buy one as a last resort.

 

[ThatsMyPurseIDontKnowYou]

Thanks for the ideas, everyone. The best solution would be for it to turn out to be self-pollinating. If not, I'll look for a neighbour with another early flowering variety, or buy one as a last resort.

Shame you aren't closer, as I have one! lol. I just got it in 2023, it was a gift from my office when my father passed.

 

[Danaya]

My condolences!
What's the name of your variety?

 

[ThatsMyPurseIDontKnowYou]

My condolences!
What's the name of your variety?

Its ok, he was a jerk. I let him move in with me in 2018 and it turned into a real mess. He had drug and alcohol problems most of his life. He divorced my mom and moved out when I was a teenager, he was never there for me when I needed him. Then after I graduated college and bought a house, he just slid right back in and acted like I owed him something. I built an efficiency apartment in my back yard for him, he moved in, and then almost immediately he tried to move in some woman he met who was a non-functional alcoholic. I let him spend 4 years treating me like a rented mule, living with me for basically free, and treating me like dirt while constantly insulting my wife. He died because he had kidney failure and refused to go to dialysis.

My boss was nice enough to reach out ask about a memorial. I said I didn't think it was really appropriate BUT he had always really wanted a plum tree and plums were his favorite fruit. I already have a really well producing peach tree, so I planted the plum next to it.

Anyways, its a Santa Rosa plum.

I got it fall of 2023 and it was about 2 feet tall. Its about 10 feet now. I've been topping it and shaping it because I want to shape it into an umbrella shape like my peach so the branches are low and all easily accessible to pick.

Its flowering this year, but I'm probably going to snip off all the flowers, as I'd rather it put its energy into continuing to grow bigger, rather than try to produce fruit this year.

 

[Danaya]

It's really admirable that despite everything, you let him stay and took care of him in the last few years of his life. And after that you thought of what he liked, you are a really good person.

Santa Rosa is a great variety and will bear you amazing fruit in years to come. Plum trees often spread out into that umbrella shape when they reach certain age, and I'm sure yours will be a beautiful tree, especially with the little help from you these first few years.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Mine obviously started off that shape, but the previous owner of the house took no interest in the garden and it had shot suckers straight up from the centre, same with the quince. I am gradually getting them back in shape without hitting them too hard.

 

[Danaya]

Oh, I know that feeling, some rootstocks do that a lot. But I'm sure yours will be back in shape in no time.

 

[ThatsMyPurseIDontKnowYou]

Mine obviously started off that shape, but the previous owner of the house took no interest in the garden and it had shot suckers straight up from the centre, same with the quince. I am gradually getting them back in shape without hitting them too hard.

I trimmed my peach down super hard this year. Last year picking from a ten foot ladder sucked. Hoping for less but bigger peaches this year.

 

[Danaya]

I opted for one of these: