Did you know that the nation’s favourite fruit tree is the trusty Victoria plum? It’s no wonder these prolific trees are so popular when you consider how easy they are to grow and how much fruit you can reliably get from them each year. They’re also fast to crop, producing their first fruit at just 1-2 years old. 

As well as the many different varieties of plum, there’s a whole range of plum tree friends and relations to explore, including damsons, mirabelles and gages. They all need roughly the same growing conditions, so please take it as read that ‘plum’ in this guide also refers to all of these related fruits.

Jump to:

• How long does it take to grow a plum tree?
• Growing a plum tree from a stone
• When is the best time to plant a plum tree?
• How to plant a plum tree
• How much water does a plum tree need?
• Feeding plum trees
• Pruning plum trees
• Do you need a self fertile plum tree?
• Growing plum trees in pots
• Plum tree problems
• How big do plum trees grow?
• When do plum trees fruit?
• How to harvest plums

How long does it take to grow a plum tree?

Plum trees live for around twenty to twenty five years, reaching anything from 3m upwards, depending on their rootstock. Their growth rate is moderate to fast (again depending on the rootstock) at between 30-60cm per growing season, with a tree being considered mature when it reaches its full height after three to six years.

How to grow a plum tree from a stone

Growing a plum tree from a plum stone is a fun project to try at home; however bear in mind that your tree may not end up with the same variety of plum as its parent plant, and may not fruit at all. They are attractive trees though, and you might end up with a nice surprise. 

First, eat your plum, remove the stone, wash off any remaining flesh and leave it to dry for a couple of weeks. I’d advise collecting several stones given what’s going to happen next. You’ll need a nutcracker for this bit.

Crack open your plum stones and extract the seeds, then float them in a glass of water. Like Jacobean witches, the good ones will sink and the dodgy ones will float, so you can burn discard these. Keep the viable seeds soaking in the water overnight.

For the next step, put your seed in a jar of compost and keep it in the fridge for 6-8 weeks or until it starts to grow roots. Now it’s planting time! Plant each seed in a pot of compost and keep them in a cool, light place (a windowsill away from heaters is good).

Keep your seeds watered but not soggy, and once they’ve reached a decent height, you can pot them on or harden them off and plant them outdoors. These trees should start to bear fruit after about three years, with a decent crop after five. 

If you want yours sooner than that, your best bet is to get your hands on a bare root or potted plum tree that’s been grafted on a suitable rootstock and grown on a nursery for a couple of years.

When to plant plum trees

The best time to plant plum trees in the UK is in the dormant season (late autumn to early spring), when they can put all of their energy into establishing a good root system before their new growth starts in the spring. Make sure you plant your tree on a dry day when the ground isn’t frozen or waterlogged.

How to plant a plum tree

Bare root plum trees

Bare root plum trees are available from November to March each year, which is when they’re dormant. Bare roots are more economical as they’re sent to you without a pot or compost. 

Plant your tree as soon as possible after it arrives, soaking the roots in a bucket of water for around an hour beforehand. Once you’ve done this, the method for planting is much the same as below.

Potted plum trees

Potted plum trees can be bought and planted all year round. It’s best to do this on a dry day when the temperature isn’t too low. First, dig a hole large enough for your tree’s roots to spread out.

Add some compost or well rotted manure to the planting hole, then position the tree in the centre and fill the hole in with soil to the same level as it was in the nursery pot. Firm down the soil around your tree and give it a good watering. Adding a layer of mulch can also help your young tree, by keeping the moisture in the soil and the weeds out.

Both kinds of plum tree should be planted with 1m (for dwarf and semi dwarf trees) or 2m (for larger trees) between them. You can plant along with our fruit tree expert John in this short video guide.

Growing plums

Plum trees are pretty undemanding, low maintenance trees on the whole, but these care tips will help you get the best from your tree and help it produce the best crop possible.

How much water do plum trees need?

Water your newly planted plum tree regularly, especially if it’s in a pot, as the soil will dry out quicker than it would in the ground.

After about a year or so, when the root system has developed, your tree will have some natural drought tolerance and you’ll probably only have to water it regularly during hot or dry weather.

However, you’ll need to keep a close eye on things during hot summers, as inconsistent watering and extreme weather conditions can lead to the fruit cracking or splitting (see below).

When to feed plum trees

Feeding your plum tree will help it produce more flowers and fruit, as well as improving its general health. For trees in the ground, apply a high potassium fertiliser in late winter, and for trees in pots, repeat this every two weeks throughout spring and summer.

Pruning plum trees

You may not need to prune your plum tree while it’s young, but if this is necessary to shape it or remove any crossing branches, it should be done lightly after the buds open in early spring. Once your tree’s established (after a year or two), it should be pruned annually in summer.

To create a good framework that will allow air and sunlight through the tree, you should aim for a goblet shape with an open centre, so any overcrowded, crossing or inward growing branches should be pruned out.

The golden rule with plum trees is to avoid pruning during their dormant phase (autumn to spring) as this lays them open to infections like silver leaf (see below).

Do you need a self fertile plum tree?

Some plum trees are self fertile, meaning that they can produce a good crop without a pollination partner. Others are not, but it doesn’t necessarily mean you need two.

Unless you live in a very remote area with no plum trees within a mile, you can relax, pick your favourite  and let the bees take care of it – they can rack up two miles a day.

If you’re unsure, though, or you do live very remotely, you might want to play it safe and choose a self fertile tree such as Victoria Plum or Farleigh Damson.

Growing plum trees in pots

If you’re planning to grow your plum tree in a pot, you’ll need to choose a cordon-trained tree or a patio tree on Pixy rootstock. This will make sure it stays small enough for the space it’s growing in, while being healthy and productive.

Use a large container with good drainage holes in the bottom, measuring at least 45cm wide and deep. Fill your container with good quality compost or garden soil, and add some plant food before planting.

Keep your potted tree in a sunny place and make sure it’s regularly watered. A layer of mulch such as wood chip or gravel on the top of the soil can help to keep moisture in and weeds to a minimum. Every two or three years you’ll probably need to repot your tree into a larger pot, replacing the compost each time.

Plum tree problems

You shouldn’t encounter any serious issues with your plum tree – they’re fully hardy and very resilient. If a problem does crop up, though, it’s just as well to be able to recognise it and deal with it quickly.

Silver leaf

Silver leaf is not a common disease, but it can sometimes occur in fruit trees. Affected trees will have a silvery sheen on their leaves, sometimes accompanied by a white, woolly fungus. If it spreads through the whole tree, it can weaken it and even kill in severe cases.

Fortunately, silver leaf is easy to prevent – simply avoid pruning your tree in winter, as this is when the fungus can get into any cuts. If you do have a tree with silver leaf, however (which can sometimes happen if you inherit a garden from a previous owner), you can stop it spreading by pruning out all of the affected branches. Remember to sterilise your pruning tools afterwards.

Plum pocket disease

If you find weirdly elongated, withered or yellowing plums on your tree, then cut one open to find it has no stone, it’s likely to be plum pocket (or pocket plum) disease. This fungal disease, which is transmitted through water or air, can also cause “witches’ brooms” to form – these are bundles of twigs, alive or dead.

Obviously, the deformed plums are inedible, and you’ll have to take action to stop the infection returning year after year. Plum pocket is more common in wild plum trees, so if you have any of these growing nearby, they could be the source of the infection. The best treatment is to remove the affected fruit, the branches it grew on and any witches' brooms, cutting back to healthy growth.

Cracking or splitting

Cracked or split plums are usually caused by unpredictable rain patterns, for example a long, hot, dry spell followed by a lot of rain. The plums then take in a lot of water too quickly, swell up and split. You can prevent this happening by checking the soil around your plum tree regularly and making sure you water it throughout any dry spells.

It also helps to use a mulch around the tree, to help keep in moisture, and make sure your soil is well-draining. If your plums have split before you can pick them, exposing the flesh, it’s probably best not to risk eating them, as mould or insects may be lurking within.

Aphids

Like many plants, plum trees can be affected by sap-sucking aphids. If your tree’s leaves start to curl, these tiny fiends may be to blame – check for tiny green insects under the leaves and on the stems. Small populations of aphids won’t do catastrophic harm, but if their numbers grow, you’d be well advised to get rid of them before they weaken the tree.

You can do this by spraying on a mixture of water, vegetable oil and soap, blasting them off with a hosepipe, wiping them off with a damp cloth or encouraging ladybirds, who will feed on the aphids and solve the problem for you.

Plum moths

These beasts lurk amongst plum trees between June to September and like to lay their eggs on developing fruit. They’re particularly annoying because they tend to be found in the first plums to ripen, spoiling the excitement of your first pickings.

Signs of plum moth maggots include misshapen, early ripening fruit, sometimes with a bead of gum at the top of the fruit. When they’re cut open, the affected plums may contain a pink maggot happily eating away, and its brown excrement pellets on the plum stone. 

Later ripening fruits are not necessarily going to be affected, so if you only have a small number of maggoty plums, it’s probably not worth treating. However if it does get worse, you can hang up pheromone traps in May, which trap the male moths and prevent them from mating (or anything else, since they’re dead).

A more sustainable long-term solution is to encourage the predators of moths, such as hedgehogs, ground beetles and birds.

Wasps

Like all thin-skinned fruits, plums are susceptible to wasp damage. This can be seen as holes in the fruit. If the damage isn’t too widespread, it’s better to do nothing, as wasps are part of the tree’s ecosystem and control other insects that could harm your tree.

However if it does become a problem, you could use organza bags or even cut up tights to tie around the developing fruit and prevent it from being eaten.

How big do plum trees grow?

The eventual size of your plum tree depends on its rootstock, which is well worth checking when you first choose your tree as maximum heights can vary between three and five metres. 

The most popular plum tree rootstocks are Pixy, which produces a cordon or semi-dwarf tree between 3-4m tall and is suitable for growing in pots; St Julian A, for a semi-vigorous tree of 4.5-5m and Brompton, a vigorous rootstock which produces the largest trees, reaching 4.5m+. 

If these seem a bit on the large size for your garden, bear in mind that any plum tree can be pruned to keep it at a manageable size, but how often you need to do this will depend on how vigorous the tree is.

If you’re short on space and want to grow your plum tree in a nice compact form, cordon training may be the way to go. You can also train a plum tree as an espalier, fan or half standard.

When do plum trees produce fruit?

You won’t have to wait long to pick your first plums, mirabelles and gages. These trees will produce a decent crop within three years, with smaller trees taking just 1-2 years. Damsons take a bit longer, with the first crop being produced after 3-5 years.

As to what time of year your fruit will be ready, it varies between early season (from mid July), mid season (late July to August) and late season (August to September).

This is well worth considering when you choose your tree, as you won’t want to go on holiday and miss harvest time! Whatever the season of your plum tree, you can expect it to keep cropping for 2-3 weeks.

Harvesting plums

Plums you buy in the shops are picked unripe and need to be ripened in the fruit bowl, but for you, those days are gone. Leave your plums to develop their best flavour on the tree, and you’ll be amazed at the difference. They’re fully ripe and ready when they feel soft when squeezed and have their full colouring.

Not all of the plums on the tree will ripen at the same time, so you’ll need to go back every day or two to pick them all. They should come away from the branch with a very gentle twist. Take care when harvesting, as plums are easily bruised, so it’s best to collect them in a basket or a container with a soft towel in the bottom. 

Freshly harvested plums will keep for 2-3 days on the kitchen counter or 1-2 weeks in the fridge. If you get a bumper crop (what am I saying, ‘if’? I mean when), you can freeze them, dry them or make a lovely plum jam – there are lots of ideas and recipes in this feature.

Anything else I should know?

Your plum tree will be with you for around 20-25 years, so you’ll want to take a little time to choose the best for your garden. Our growers have all you need to know.