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Questions tagged [plums]

Stone fruit, genus Prunus.

Plums (also known as gages) are stone fruits, genus Prunus, sub-genus Prunus. They can be distinguished from other Prunus (.eg. cherries and peaches) by a terminal bud and solitary side buds. The flowers are in groups of 1-5 on short stems. The stone is smooth and the fruit has a single groove down one side. Mature fruit also have a dusty coating which is easily rubbed off.

The sub-genus contains a number of species. These are divided into Old World Plums; New World Plums, and . Apricot fruit have a velvet coating, and some authors consider them a separate sub-genus.

Use this tag for all questions about plums and gages. Use for questions about apricots.

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How do I encourage my plum tree to produce fruit?

I have a victoria plum which I planted almost 3 years ago and hasn't produced any fruit. Last year (1st summer) it produced a small amount of blossom. This year it produced a lot of blossom but no fruit but it has gone into a growth spurt. I haven't…
Twisted
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Is there a way to discourage plum trees from fruiting so heavily?

We have 9 mature plum (victoria I think) and a couple of damson trees in quite a small cottage garden. Our plums are very heavy croppers and really it's a frustrating fruit to have in such quantities. It stores poorly (unless you preserve it - which…
Tea Drinker
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What's a hardy plum tree for prunes?

I'd like to plant a plum tree (or two, if I need to have two varieties for pollination). The goal would be to have some fruit for fresh eating, but there's only so many plums you can eat when they're in season. So I'd like to dry them so I can have…
bstpierre
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What varieties of plum tree produce small green plums?

My mom thinks it's a Mirabelle plum tree (Prunus domestica), but those appear to produce orange plums. It's in southeastern Idaho, gets full sun from about 9 AM until sunset. What do you think? (Click to enlarge pics)
Stay-at-home-dad
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What is a good Plum tree that is self-fertile, disease-resistant and a heavy cropper?

I planted an Ouillins Gage plum tree some years ago and it died after an attack of bacterial canker, although two nearby apple trees, planted at the same time, were unaffected and are still thriving. I'm planning to plant another plum or greengage…
Mancuniensis
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Does pruning a plum tree to maintain its size and shape prevent it from fruiting?

I have a plum tree that is around six years old (possibly a year or two older - I forget exactly when I got it). I'm very keen that the tree not get so big that I have to use a ladder to pick the fruit, so I've been pruning it to keep it around two…
John Rennie
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Need some help identifying a plum tree

Location: Maine Fruit: very small - blue/purple, small, oblong Blooms: small, white Leaves: small Tree: more bush like - no single trunk, 4-5 main branches split off at base at ground 10' tall/wide round shape bark rough branches brittle reddish…
Jason
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Do plum trees fruit if an offspring of another one?

Can plum trees bare fruit if they arise from the rootstock of another plum tree?
Brandi
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Best remedy for rot in plum tree

We have a 50+ old plum tree in Auckland New Zealand, that fruits prolifically most years and we've just found major rot in one of the branches (see photo attached). The bark has fallen off and the wood underneath is soft and powdery. There are also…
Paul Ashurst
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What is this mark that appears on my small green plums?

After the flowers fell the green plums started growing. As soon as they were 1/4" across, They began developing these little sunken black marks. I have been consistently spraying with fruit tree spray. How can I control this?
J. Musser
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Is the fruit from this plum blossom tree edible?

I live in Melbourne, Australia. I just recently bought a new house and in the backyard of this house there are 3 plum blossom trees (at least that's what I was told they were by the estate agent). The tree had bright pink flowers when it was…
Sid
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What is causing the rotting/brown spots on my plum fruit?

I inherited a plum tree in my garden. I haven't yet been able to get a healthy looking plum from it. All the plums that turn to a ripe purple colour seem to have the following problem - Can anyone identify the problem and what I need to do to…
Duncan Morris
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Growing temperate plants indoors

I have grown several (small) trees, native to western Europe, from seed. (Oak, Pine, Chestnut, Walnut, Plum, Maple, Beech, etc). I have had the fortune of having some space in the garden where I could grow them and let them "overwinter" outside;…
Pieter-Jan Cassiman
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Need identification on this growth on cherry & possibly plum trees and possible remedies

It's what I like to call The Alien Fungus, the plants don't seem to be happy about it, but they do give fruit - it grows in continental Croatia, Europe, typical yearly temperature range -20 to 40 and high humidity with heavy clay (surrounded by an…
bbozo
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Why is the trunk on my plum tree soft?

This hole was a soft spot. Peeled off the outer bark and the stuff under it was rotten. Feeling up the trunk from this spot, the trunk is soft about a foot further. The tree is a yellow plum and is 2 years old. Can you tell me what's wrong with…
Teresa Wild Thang Altieri-Parr
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