Tree fruit
How to grow plums
Prunus domestica
Plant a plum tree between November and March in full sun and shelter, in fertile soil that holds moisture but drains freely. To grow your own plums from a single tree, choose a self-fertile variety such as Victoria or Opal on Pixy or St Julien A rootstock and it will crop on its own. Two rules decide success: never prune in winter, only in spring or summer, to avoid silver leaf and canker, and thin the fruit in a heavy year so branches do not snap.
- Hardiness
- Fully hardy (early blossom frost-prone)
- Position
- Full sun, sheltered
- Soil
- Fertile, moisture-retentive, free-draining
- Ideal pH
- 6.0 to 7.0
- Water
- Moderate, steady water prevents fruit split
- Feeding
- Moderate feeder
Sowing and planting plums
WhenPlant bare-root Nov to Mar; blossom Mar to Apr; harvest Jul to Sep
Starting off
Plant bare-root Nov to Mar, pot-grown in spring with summer watering. Trees are budded in Jul to Aug onto St Julien A or Pixy; seed gives wild-type fruit. Victoria, Czar and Opal are self-fertile, so one tree crops alone. Root suckers from grafted trees are rootstock, cut them off.
Spacing and planting
Pixy or VVA-1 rootstock 3 m, St Julien A 4 to 5 m, Brompton 6 m plus; a fan on St Julien A needs a wall 3.5 to 4.5 m wide. Hole 60 cm wide, union 10 cm above soil. Pixy manages in a 50 cm pot but crops far better in the ground.
Varieties worth growing
- Victoria
- The standard garden plum: self-fertile, heavy crops in late August, good for eating and cooking. Needs thinning and is prone to silver leaf if pruned badly.
- Opal
- Early dessert plum ready in late July or early August; self-fertile, reliable and a good choice for the north.
- Czar
- Dark cooking plum in early August; self-fertile, tolerates some shade and its blossom stands up to frost better than most.
- Marjorie's Seedling
- Late, large purple plum for the end of September; self-fertile and flowers late, so it misses most spring frost.
- Oullins Gage
- The easiest gage: self-fertile, golden fruit in mid August with gage sweetness, and late flowering.
Plums month by month
Timings are for central England. Allow two weeks later in the north and on cold, heavy soil.
- January
Plant bare-root trees in open weather. Do not prune.
- February
Feed at the end of the month. Plant bare-root trees.
- March
Blossom opens late in the month. Fleece fans and small trees on frosty nights. Mulch. Last bare-root planting.
- April
Shape young trees now, once the buds have opened, on a dry day.
- May
Hang a plum moth trap early in the month. Water young trees in dry spells. Cut off rootstock suckers.
- June
After the June drop, thin fruitlets to 5 to 8 cm apart. Prune established trees in a dry spell if they need it.
- July
Pinch side shoots on fans to six leaves. Prop laden branches. Opal ripens at the end of the month.
- August
Pick Czar, Oullins Gage and Victoria. Remove brown-rotted fruit. After picking, shorten fan side shoots to three leaves.
- September
Pick Marjorie's Seedling. Cut any broken branch back cleanly straight away.
- October
Clear windfalls and shrivelled fruit left on the tree. Order bare-root trees.
- November
Plant bare-root trees with the union 10 cm above the soil, and stake.
- December
Plant in open weather. Check stakes and ties. Do not prune.
Feeding plums
A moderate feeder that wants both nitrogen and potassium in early spring, plus a mulch to keep moisture even while the fruit swells.
A spring nitrogen-and-potassium feed; mulch to hold moisture.
Feeding plan
Planting, November to March
5 g per litre of root-ball volume, in contact with the roots, once: 50 g for a tree from a 10 litre pot. For a bare-root tree dust the damp roots all over.
Late February to March
Fruit & Vegetable Fertiliser 4-5-6
70 to 100 g/m² under the whole canopy. A Pixy tree 2 m across covers about 3 m²: 210 to 300 g. A St Julien A tree 3 m across covers about 7 m²: 490 to 700 g.
March, light or sandy soil
20 to 35 g/m² (the label rate for fruit): 60 to 105 g for a 3 m² canopy.
March to April, after feeding
Garden compost
A mulch 8 cm deep under the canopy, or well-rotted manure, kept clear of the trunk.
April, only where last year's shoots grew under 20 cm
Organic Nitrogen Fertiliser 13% N
The label covers leafy crops, not fruit trees, so use its lowest figure: 25 g/m² under the canopy, about 75 g for a 3 m² tree, once.
Signs to watch
Split fruit
Rain after drought, not a nutrient fault
Mulch 8 cm deep and water evenly
Pale leaves and extension growth under 20 cm
Nitrogen short
Spring nitrogen feed with a manure mulch
Older leaves yellow between the veins
Magnesium
Epsom salts or kieserite
Pests, diseases and problems
Leaves on one branch take on a silvery sheen, then the branch dies back; cut wood shows a dark stain
Silver leaf, a fungus that enters through pruning cuts and broken branches, mainly from autumn to spring
Prune only in dry weather from late spring to the end of summer. Cut an affected branch back to at least 15 cm beyond the stained wood and bin it. Thin and prop heavy crops so branches do not break.
Sunken patches of bark oozing amber gum; leaves peppered with small round holes
Bacterial canker
Cut out cankered branches to healthy wood in summer and bin them. Avoid all winter pruning and any damage to the bark.
A pinkish maggot and brown droppings near the stone, mostly in fruit that ripens early
Plum moth caterpillar
Hang a plum moth pheromone trap in the tree from early May to catch the males; on an isolated tree this can reduce mating. Bin the early-ripening, misshapen fruit.
Young leaves tightly curled and crinkled in spring
Leaf-curling plum aphid
By the time the leaves curl the aphids are protected. Tolerate it on established trees; later leaves grow normally. Encourage blue tits and ladybirds, and squash colonies on young trees early.
Fruit turns brown and soft with rings of buff pustules, often in clusters
Brown rot, spreading where fruits touch or are damaged
Thin fruit so none touch, remove rotten plums at once, and take off any shrivelled fruit left hanging in winter.
Ripe fruit hollowed out
Wasps, usually following damage by birds
Pick as soon as fruit is ripe, going over the tree every few days, and clear windfalls.
Pruning and harvest
Pruning and care
On fans pinch side-shoots to 6 leaves in July, 3 after harvest. Thin fruitlets to 5 to 8 cm apart in June; prop laden branches.
Harvest and storage
Ripe when fully coloured, slightly soft and the stalk parts with a gentle lift; pick with the stalk over 2 to 3 pickings. First crop 3 to 5 years; Victoria on St Julien A gives 15 to 30 kg, up to 50 kg in a heavy year. Keeps 3 to 5 days in the fridge; freeze stoned, bottle, or jam.
Good to knowThin heavy crops to prevent branch breakage and biennial bearing; prune only in spring or summer.
Growing plums in pots
A plum on Pixy will grow in a 50 cm pot holding about 55 litres, but it crops far better in the ground and needs close attention in a container. Use peat-free loam-based compost with the 4-5-6 at 5 g per litre (275 g), and stake the tree. Water daily in summer; uneven watering splits the fruit. Thin hard to one fruit every 8 cm. Top-dress each March with 2 g per litre (110 g) and fresh compost, and move the pot under cover or fleece it when blossom is open and frost is forecast.
Plums: common questions
When should I prune a plum tree?
Prune plums only in spring and summer, never in winter. Shape young trees in April once the buds have opened, and prune established trees between June and August on a dry day. Winter cuts let in silver leaf and bacterial canker.
Why has my plum tree got no fruit this year?
The most common cause is frost killing the blossom in March or April, followed by a rest year after an over-heavy crop. Thin the fruit in June in a heavy year so the tree does not swing between glut and nothing, and check that a variety which is not self-fertile has a pollination partner.
Why are there maggots in my plums?
A pink maggot beside the stone is the caterpillar of the plum moth. A pheromone trap hung in the tree from early May can reduce the damage on an isolated tree, and the worst-affected fruits are the ones that ripen early, so bin those.
Sources
Growing information on this page was checked against these references in November 2026. Feeding rates are Dr Forest label rates.