How to grow a plum tree from a plum pit
Have you ever picked a fresh, ripe plum from a plum tree and eaten it on the spot? If so, you know the true taste of plums. Otherwise, I highly recommend it. This article can help you live in a world where summers are full of fresh plums. That’s right, we’re going to talk about how to plant a plum pit and grow a tall, healthy tree.
What are plums?
Plums are the fruit of the plum tree (Prunus domestica L.). They are medium-sized fruits with a sweet flavor and a red or purple waxy coating. Its fruit tends to be pink to whitish in color depending on the type of plum. Dried plums are called prunes and are well known for their natural laxative effect.
Plums are among the first fruits domesticated by man. These fruits have been found in archaeological sites dating back to the Neolithic era. Growing your own plum tree is like going back 12,000 years!
How to plant a plum pit:
Once you’ve eaten the flesh of a plum, you’ll end up with a hard, unattractive seed or kernel. The plum pits are what eventually becomes a completely new plum tree. This is the part you are going to want to plant. But before preparing a pot, you must prepare the seed through the stratification process.
Stratification is the process of creating an artificial winter for the seed. Some seeds need prolonged exposure to cold or freezing temperatures to germinate. Plums are one of them. Don’t worry, it’s very easy to do.
First, remove all the pulp around the core.
Wash the pit with warm water and remove any remaining pulp from the pit.
Wrap your clean plum seed in a damp paper towel and place it in a zip-close plastic bag.
Place your plum pit in your refrigerator. This will mimic winter!
Check your kernel 4 weeks later. Between 4 and 8 weeks, it should germinate.
You can also plant a hole directly outdoors in the ground in the fall and it will sprout in the spring if viable. If you go this route, plant the seed 2 inches underground.
Once your stratified seed has germinated, it is ready to be planted. Place in a pot filled with well-drained potting soil and plant 5cm deep. Keep the soil moist but not soggy. Leave the pot in an area with bright light.
Once the danger of frost has passed, your plum plant can go outside. Dig a hole twice as wide and deep as the pot in which the plum tree is growing. Mix some compost into the hole and fill it with enough soil so that the base of the seedling is level with the soil around it. Plant the seedling and fill in the hole, creating a small mound, if that.
During the first few years of growth, you will want to fertilize your plum tree in the spring with a 10-10-10 fertilizer. Follow up with a second fertilizer in late summer.
How long do plum trees take to bear fruit?
How long your plum tree will grow before it bears fruit depends on several factors, such as the type of plum tree, your climate, how you fertilized it, etc. Generally, it will take a few years before the tree becomes large enough to produce fruit. The average lifespan of a plum tree is surprisingly short, 10 to 15 years. If you want consistent plums for the rest of their life, plant a new plum pit every 5 years or so.
And with that, you now know how to plant a plum seed! Go ahead and fill the world with plums! My favorites are Golden Japan and Reine-Claude and you?