I don't know how much longer the tree will survive, though. The previous neighbour did an annual "pruning" with a chainsaw, and half the tree is dead. This neighbour, who has more respect for plants, has been next door for 4 or 5 years, but he's just sold the house. I hope the new owners take care of this poor tree. There aren't many of them in Calgary! I don't know if it can be revived--most of the living branches are on my side of the fence. :-(

Enjoy yours!!

This Fofonoff Plum [from Terry]....thank you!
Have grafted last year I think and this year could taste already.
Very nice!.....almost totally free stone!
Konrad

Since the topic is "plums", I am taking this opportunity to ask a few questions that I have always wondered...

First, my experience growing plums is limited, we had a tree of "Pembina" plum by the garage when I was a kid. I vaguely remember the plums. I remember birds would peck them too. Anyways,

I assume that a plum needs another plum tree to cross polinate with, correct? If so, is there such a thing as a plum tree with multiple varieties grafted onto one? I know they have apple trees such as that.

Any thing such as a tall narrow columnar shaped plum tree, one that's not too wide? Or, alternately, perhaps one that can be kept more "shrub like" than a tree?

Just curious, I have always wanted to grow plums, but haven't been able to due to lack of room.

Regards,
Glen

The only difficulty with getting fruit on the plum tree is that it's one of the first to bloom in spring, so sometimes a late frost will kill off the flowers.

The tree next door is not large, at all--about the size of a mature lilac. The current neighbour has not pruned it, as far as I know. The previous owner regularly hacked at it with a chain-saw. (He also shortened branches of my mountain ash, that were hanging over his side of the fence. Grrrrr. I was able to repair the damage. He butchered all the beautiful, mature trees on his property...that's OT, but I still seethe when I think of it. He couldn't understand why I preferred to use my pruning saw after he offered to lend me his chain-saw. Grrrrr.) The owners, prior to the hacker, carefully pruned the tree, after it flowered, to keep it small and bushy. If only they hadn't moved away...

A number of years ago my italian neighbor gave me two prune plum suckers and has bear fruits for a few years now. Last year one of my tree didn't produce any fruits on one side of the same tree. Why?? I have yet to figure that out. This year it is bearing fruits. It is quite sweet for eating and good for jam too which I mix it with my sour cherry. As far as I was told you will require two prune plum tree for it to produce fruits (cross pollination). Maybe in a few years I might have more suckers to give away. Hands up! I am siutated in Edmonton area.

venuscat

venuscat
Most likely your Italian neighbor has grafted the suckers before he gave them to you. I have done the same with my neighbors suckers growing on my side.
It could be a seedling, if so, I sure would be delighted to except your gift!

>>As far as I was told you will require two prune plum tree for it to produce fruits (cross pollination

Most European Prunes and Plums are self fruitful and don't need another tree, most Japaneese plum, [what are primarly sold here] need a cross polinator.

Konrad

Fofonoff has fruited very quickly for you! Yes, it was only last spring that you had grafted it. I can't guarantee this being true to name, but whatever it is, it sure tastes GOOD!

Terry

It is a sucker from her matured tree. I have given to two of my sisters and hers are growing well. I have some suckers now but they have been spoken now. I haven't dig them yet maybe might have extra. I will let you know.

Konrad,

Do you have any scion wood so I can graft to my plum tree? Maybe a pembina, will that work?

Terry,

Could you tell me if it will work for me to graft fofonoff plum tree to my black prune plum tree? How long does it takes? Is it better to do it in spring?

Cheers.

venuscat

It is a sucker from her matured tree. I have given to two of my sisters and hers are growing well. I have some suckers now but they have been spoken now. I haven't dig them yet maybe might have extra. I will let you know.

Konrad,

Do you have any scion wood so I can graft to my plum tree? Maybe a pembina, will that work?

Terry,

Could you tell me if it will work for me to graft fofonoff plum tree to my black prune plum tree? How long does it takes? Is it better to do it in spring?

Cheers.

venuscat

Konrad, do you practice budding at this time? ... chip budding? I hope my attempt at chip budding will be successful, as regular budding with plums is sometimes a bit difficult when the bark does not properly lift.

Terry

I have tried grafting apples from my neighbor's tree but failed on two attempts. I did a quick basic grafting course at Devonian but so far in vain. I will be delighted to have your scion wood comes spring. :) Maybe this time I will be successful.

venuscat

>>Konrad, do you practice budding at this time? ... chip budding? I hope my attempt at chip budding will be successful, as regular budding with plums is sometimes a bit difficult when the bark does not properly lift.

My favored is bark grafting, have done ones chip budding late summer, I think it was too late in the season, all have failed. But two times have done in the spring, same technique and all buts have taken.

Here a sweet cherry chip graft this spring.[two budds on one stem]
Konrad

We can trade and I will have to try chip budding too. Did you use electrical tape to bind the bud? I went around to get some budding tape but could not find one except grafting wax and pruning paint.

I don't know how to paste pictures here yet. I can paste in my blog for you if you like. If you show me to paste it here I will definitely try to paste it here.

venuscat

First thing I have done, downsized it from 2.5MB to about 130KB ....good for emailing.
This is the very first step I found works good before uploading to what I use is photobucket album, then it's easy, just a matter of copy and paste.

Hope you don't mind, I posted it for you!

This plum, called MT. Royal , 99.9 % sure, have it too, grafted, [ate some today], but not on it's own root. I know this from another grower and this is the only plum I know of can be grown on its own root.
I'm still very interested to get a sucker from it!

>>Did you use electrical tape to bind the bud

Yes, also when bark grafting.
Konrad

Oh thank you very much for posting my pic! :) Maybe next year I might have small suckers. I saw a few growing around my tree. I will email you if you don't mind them small like pencil or middle finger thin and about 2-3 feet tall. It takes 3-5 years to produce fruits. The fruits are quite sweet when they are ready. i will let you know comes spring.

venuscat

venuscat, I bet that MT. Royal plum of yours tastes real GOOD! I can send you the Fofonoff scions early next spring. The wood I have available is rather fine, but is easily worked with when one chip buds.

Thanks I will be looking forward to learning more from you comes spring. I love to try my hands on grafting again. Yes the fruits are quite sweet but beware dont go too, too far from home you might need your toilet :P Good for someone who is constipating lol We do eat them and some I turned them into jam after I finished making my sour cherry vodka liqueur.

This one, Supreme Plum [on the picnic table], picked some the other day, 25 year old tree not loaded, that's why they grew huge!
The fruit is very tasty!....skin is slightly bitter.

This one could use a I.D.
The tree was put in about 12 years ago and produced first time! As I remember, some kind of Siberian apricot?
The fruit is dry like apricot, not really my favored to eat out of hand, think would be nice in pie.

This Prune, top graft, has produced first time in about 8 years. Just excellent fresh eating, also nice for pie and dehydrating, like MT. Royal plum.
The grower from where I got the scion wood from named it "Empire"
Konrad

I just again checked on my chip budding and all is nicely callusing in! ... I'm happy about that because I was beginning to feel like a failure due to my poor grafting takes. I will use this method much more in the future, chip budding is very simple and quick!

venuscat, you should practice some chip budding, so as you will be successful with the 'Fofonoff' I send next spring. The scion wood I have available is kinda small, and this is likely the best way to work with it. By the way, I can eat in large amounts just about any fruit without it giving me even the slightest stomach ache or worse!

What beautiful looking fruits you have!! They are more oval shaped. How do you dehydrate your prune plum?

Terry,
You are one of the few i know who doesn't get tummy ache. I do somehow envy you people for that. :P I will definitely try to do chip budding comes spring. I don't mind it small cause I don't have really strong fingers if there are too thick I might have problems.

venuscat

>>What stock tree do you have it and others grafted upon?

I graft on anything I can get my hands on, really don't know the root stock, some are grafted onto bought trees, [top graft] some to grown seedlings from previous plum seeds.

>> They are more oval shaped. How do you dehydrate your prune plum?

The oval shaped ones are the "true" prune plums, shaped to a point on both sides, free stone and flesh is firm, juice not running out like a plum, that makes it an excellent dehydrating plum. I never really had enough of them that I had to dehydrate, usually eat them fresh. I'm like Terry, I can eat allot of them and it doesn't bother me.

In Switzerland where I grew up, we cut into the center of the plum, then flip it over [the two half's stay together], take the stone out and dehydrate them by a commercial plant.

Here, I would do it in a small home dehydrator, we have one, so far have used it for apples and pears.

Konrad

konrad, amazing prune plums! :P

venuscat

Murray, just cut through the bark and when your knife stops, you're are at the end where the wood starts.
There is more info on the Fruit & Orchards forum.

Seekingtruth, ..this is interesting on this plum tree of yours!
Sorry, I can't help, perhaps someone in the Fruit forum with a picture.
Wow...70' tree is a large tree!

Konrad

This is one larger, of several branches on this tree, Greengage [Reineclaude] Plum, first picture is looking from
the outside, second, looking from underneath.

Same Tree, Mt. Royal Plum, some Stanley, Wangenheim Prune, and some others

The first time some Mirabelle Plum on the same tree.

Two suckers,[from Nighbor] grafted to Greengage.

Another Tree, Supreme and Mt.Royal.

Sprout's Sunshine with a German, Wangenheim Prune on top.

Konrad

Terry

I thought it might need to be scarified, and then frozen for a few weeks, then planted.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

Peonyman...
Your question might be better answered in the Fruit & Orchard forum. It looks like your trees are a perfect candidate for top working.
Yes, you can cut scion around this time, I usually cut about 2 weeks to a month before the buds swell.
When leafs open I usually start grafting and end about a month after that.
Keep your scion in a Ziploc bag with a moist but not soggy paper towel and put in fridge.

Below is a link of my modified bark grafting technique.

Konrad

Konrad

You can read more in this Mirabelle thread..

Clayton in Saskatoon

Why do you say that 'Mt. Royal' is the only European plum (P. x domestica) that can be grown on it's own roots? By this, do you mean that it is the only one that is naturally dwarfed of size? If so, there is a seedling of 'Mt. Royal' that is also dwarfed; 'President' is semi-dwarf; etc.

Thanks,
S

S..
The Mt. Royal is the only one I know of that is sometimes grown in our region on it's own root. Growing it on a more vigorous rootstock might be better for our harsh climate
because on it's own root it is a really slow grower.

Brook Gold


..

Cherry Plum, very nice plum,..just hard to get it to set fruit.

Looks good Konrad. Which of the cultivars on the cherry plum are we looking at?

Have just emailed the picture for I.D. to
Dr. Bob Bors
Head of the Fruit Breeding Program

He say's...
Unfortunately, almost all cherry plums look just like that on the outside. Inside they are either red or green, so not much help there either but red is less common and might narrow it down to 3 or 4 varieties.
The only way to tell might be to have your fruit at the U of SK and taste it at the same time our fruits of cherry plums are ripe.
_________________________________________

I have tried growing some plums on their own root but experience what you said, ...very slow grower!
Since sprout sunshine plum is such a vigorous plum,...got it to root, twice now but it does not want to grow!

So, let me think what your'e growing on their own root, Mt. Royal, and......?

Your flesh from the picture looks pretty red. Could be Zeta.

The recommended cultivars from the document are Dura, Manor, New Oka, and Zeta. Opata was a South Dakota cross which is vigorous enough to grow back most winter kill.

I'd like to see the full shape of these plants at 10 or so feet away. They look gangly enough that running them on an espalier system may not seem crazy. What do you think Konrad?

>>All my trees which are on their own roots are growing much more slowly than the grafted ones.<<

What are they?

Trees on their own roots:
Ivanofka plum U of S plug
Apricot cross U of S plug. (last plant I have to break dormancy so I am pretty pumped about late bloom times)
2 Wild Canadian plums U of S plugs
and 2 hazelnut/filbert crosses also U of S plugs (distinct genetic differences between the hazelnuts.)

All were transplanted to bigger pots or dug up. Inspected root growth and paid attention to number of lateral roots verses tap roots. While not comfortable about disrupting the trees the landscaping was necessary for drainage. This was an educational experience on what these plants are doing below the surface.

The reason why I tried to grow the Sprout's Sunshine Plum on it's own root is because when the Sprout Farm, ...according to my discussion with the owner said, they found this by accident,
it was one of their root stock seedling.

Now..this doesn't make any sense to me because on it's own it just does not want to grow!

It goes to show you how people randomly sampling wild fruit can find the next big thing!

Last year when I was visiting relatives just outside Brooks I found a semi wild plum tree. The tree had already dropped all the its plums. They were light red. I expected the plums to be bad as they were all sitting on the ground. They were a bit mealy but were some of the sweetest plums I've tasted so far. The fruit resembled Pembina but tasted nothing like the Pembina fruit for sale at the market gardens. There was no tang or astringent taste of any kind. The fruit was easily sweet enough that any juice created would not require sweetening. It was that sweet! Maybe that is indicative of over ripe fruit? It was October after all.

Looking at the tree I had my doubts it was a grafted. The tree was an older tree. At least 20 years old (has been there before my relatives took possession of the property) but only 8' tall and gnarled and weathered looking. The tree was not watered but was mulched. Essentially it was on its own for most its life. It was overshadowed by a golden elder that was taking away the light. I saved the pits. If any of the seeds come up this year I will use them as them as rootstocks as the parent tree was just the right height.