Planting a plum tree?

Question

I decided that I wanted to plant a couple of fruit trees in my backyard. I'm going to start out with a plum. I've never planeted a tree before, so I came here hoping that others have. I'd like to hear the basic steps in planting one. Should I start with a small amount of dirt inside of a pot and keep it in the house? How far should I put the seed under the dirt? Should I give it any plant food to help growth? How much time should it spend in the sun until it starts to grow?

Answer 1

Seed?!?

Steve and GG were right on.  Pay heed to them.  Everything Steve said was accurate EXCEPT I would never advertise Home Depot for Gardening Needs.  (Read on).  And GG's description of grafting was also accurate.  Kudos to both of you!

Some plums are self-polinating whereas others need a crossover for polination.   Although I'm no fan of Home Depot their biggest asset is their lumber, not their garden section! they do have a decent variety of fruit trees.  The problem with Home Depot is that they don't always hire qualified gardeners or people who speak English (And if you are dealing with customers, sorry, but you HAVE to be literate in English!)

Check out a local nursery.  Sure, the prices may be higher but you get better quality AND you can be guaranteed that you are buying a variety that is meant to grow in your region.  There are so many varieties of good plums out there.   If you become a "regular" customer, the local nurseries will give you "special" discounts so that you always come back.  Home Depot and other Big Box stores would never do that.

Answer 2

If you are going to try to grow one from seed, better start it in a small pot that you can keep an eye on. A gallon container would be perfect. Keep in mind several things tho, most all fruit trees grown are grown from grafted cuttings. A rootstock is chosen because of its good characteristics like resistance to rot, deep rooted, fast growing, etc...and the top part , that makes the fruit is especially chosen as well...things like big fruit, lots of fruit, early or late bloom, etc...

and keep in mind one slogan...Fall is for planting....

it is true, the further north you live, the earlier in fall, while the ground is still warm but the heat is out of the air.

When you plant a tree outside . consider if you have any outdoor lighting that you cannot control, like street lights, some fruit trees, some pears for one, will not set fruit if they receive light all night.

If you plant your seed, plant several in same pot, different depths, and then just snip out the extras if more than one germinates. I wouldnt fertilize until it is fairly mature in the pot or when you plant it outside. A seed has built-in fertilizer.

Good luck.

Answer 3

Seed?  Do yourself a favor and drive down to Home Depot and buy yourself a couple of fruit trees (established varieties) that you can fit in your car.   Pick up some good organic potting soil (1-2cu.yd bag per tree) and a little organic fertlizer (starter).   Plan on spacing your trees at least 14-16' apart.  Dig a hole 2-3 times the size of the pot.  Mix the organic soil with the native (spoils) while mixing in a little fertlizer during the process.  Make sure your trees root ball is well above the soil level so that water drains away from the base of the tree (sooo important).  Water in, stake if necessary- but you'll enjoy fruit soo.  Plums are awesome (flowers are showy in the spring, fruit is yummy in the summer).