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 waxy red or purple coating. Its fruit tends to be pink to whitish 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. Growing your own plum tree is like going back 12,000 years!

How to plant a plum hole:

Once you’ve eaten the flesh of a plum, you’ll end up with a hard, unattractive seed or grain. Plum pits are what eventually becomes a whole new plum tree. This is the part that you’re going to want to plant. But before preparing a pot, you need to prepare the seed through the layering 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 hole with warm water and remove any remaining pulp from the hole.
Wrap your clean plum seed in a damp paper towel and place it in a plastic bag that zips shut.

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 follow this route, plant the seed 2 inches underground.

Once your stratified seed has germinated, it is ready to be planted. Place it 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 tree can come out. Dig a hole twice as wide and deep as the pot in which the plum tree grows. 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 at all.

During the first few years of growth, you’ll 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 does it take for plum trees 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, its climate, how you fertilized it, etc. In general, it will be a few years before the tree reaches enough size to produce fruit. The average lifespan of a plum tree is surprisingly short, at 10 to 15 years. If you want consistent plums for the rest of your 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?