How To Plant a Plum Tree
(continued - page 3)

Where To Grow Your Plum Tree
Firstly, plan the position of the plum tree according to its eventual size at maturity (click on the left hand Plum Quick Index for 'Size of Plum Trees'). Allow enough room so that it is not crowded.

Plums have three main needs, warmth (especially important at pollination time, light and moisture. Plums flower earlier in the season than most other fruit trees, so they should not be planted in a frost-pocket. If your garden is in a cool area, avoid early flowering varieties - good varieties to choose are Czar, Victoria or Marjorie's Seedling.

Plum trees prefer to be positioned in full sun, although some shade in the morning or afternoon will not affect them much.

As far as moisture is concerned, do not plant in a water-logged area, but make sure the soil is unlikely to dry out. Don't plant them near other trees which will simply deprive them of the moisture they need.  

Planting Your Plum Tree
Technically, you can plant your plum tree any time from late Autumn to early Spring. The best time to plant is in October when the soil is moist but still retains some of the summer warmth.

Soil preparation is best done a month or more before planting so that the soil has time to settle. Dig a 60cm (2ft) deep by 1.2m (4ft) square hole, incorporating as much organic material as possible - aim to get the soil crumbly. 

	On the left (click to enlarge) is a picture of a one year old bare-rooted plum tree. It is the variety Blue Tit on Pixy rootstock. It was delivered (ordered online) in excellent condition from Blackmoor Nurseries in early January. The tree was undamaged, labelled correctly and the roots were still moist. We recommend this nursery very highly. Click here to go to their website.
	Excuse the angle, it's the picture tilting not the tree! Click the picture to enlarge it. This is the tree planted on the allotment. Note that the joint between the scion and rootstock (the joint near the bottom of the main stem) is 5cm (2in) plus above ground.

If the tree is being planted in soil which has previously been fertilised for other crops, do not add more fertiliser - too fertile a soil will result in too much tree growth at the expense of too little fruit growth. If the plum tree is being planted in a lawn, prepare as above, working in three handfuls of bonemeal or other long-lasting fertiliser.

Planting is simple - in basic terms, dig a hole large enough to easily take the roots, place the tree in the hole and cover the roots with soil up to the surrounding ground level. Simple enough, but bear in mind a few points.

Don't add any fertiliser to the soil at this time - it may burn the roots and it will only encourage tree growth at the expense of fruit growth.

The tree should be planted to the same depth as it was in the pot (or the soil mark on the trunk in the case of bare-rooted trees). If in doubt, make sure that the joining point between the rootstock and scion is at least 5cms (2in) above ground level (see left). Having planted the tree, firm  down the soil using your boots to ensure the soil is in good contact with the roots - water well if the conditions are dry.

Plum trees should be supported with a stake for the first couple of years of their life. The stake should be 15cm (6in) or so from the main stem. Tie the trunk to the stake at 30cm (1ft) intervals using plastic ties available from garden centres - do not use wire or anything which could cut into the tree trunk. The ties will need to be checked for the first couple of years to ensure that growth of the tree trunk has not caused them to become too tight.

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