Propagating wild plums

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Propagating wild plums

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Gai

Joined: 31 Dec 2004
Posts: 408
Location: Ireland

Posted: Thu Apr 07, 05 11:15 am Post subject: Propagating wild plums
Our smallholding has several wild plum trees growing along the river bank, my gran calls them horse plums. A couple were lost in winter storms and I'd like to be able to replace them if possible. I know this is probably not the right time of year but I like to plan ahead. Has anyone else done this with wild fruit trees? What's the best method?

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Thu Apr 07, 05 11:18 am Post subject:
Wild plums seem to spread like wildfire from seed. You're not going to know for sure what you'll get, but the number of seedlings you find by the adult trees can be startling. Failing that, I'd have thought that advice for cuttings would be found in Hessayons book?

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45476
Location: Essex

Posted: Thu Apr 07, 05 11:26 am Post subject:

I found the following:

Seed - requires 2 - 3 months cold stratification and is best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe.

Sow stored seed in a cold frame as early in the year as possible.

Protect the seed from mice etc. The seed can be rather slow, sometimes taking 18 months to germinate

Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle.

Grow them on in a greenhouse or cold frame for their first winter and plant them out in late spring or early summer of the following year.

Cuttings of half-ripe wood with a heel, July/August in a frame

Softwood cuttings from strongly growing plants in spring to early summer in a frame

Layering in spring.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45476
Location: Essex

Posted: Thu Apr 07, 05 11:26 am Post subject:
So you could layer or start softwood cuttings right now. Never done either so can't help you on that front.

Gai

Joined: 31 Dec 2004
Posts: 408
Location: Ireland

Posted: Thu Apr 07, 05 11:46 am Post subject:

Thanks for the quick replies. The softwood cuttings now sounds good to start with. I thought I'd have to wait until autumn to plant the plum stones. What is cold stratification? Should I use whole plums as seed or stones only? I already had a good look around the trees for self seedlings but found none. The plums were wonderful for eating and in jam last year and we've got the space for loads more.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45476
Location: Essex

Posted: Thu Apr 07, 05 11:54 am Post subject:
A lot of seeds need a period of cold, hot or something else to break out of dormancy for plums this happens to be cold, the seeds will need two or three months at maybe 1-3 degrees C to allow germination.

thos

Joined: 08 Mar 2005
Posts: 1139
Location: Jauche, Duchy of Brabant (Bourgogne-ci) and Charolles, Duchy of Burgundy (Bourgogne-ça)

Posted: Thu Apr 07, 05 12:15 pm Post subject:

tahir wrote:

A lot of seeds need a period of cold, hot or something else to break out of dormancy for plums this happens to be cold, the seeds will need two or three months at maybe 1-3 degrees C to allow germination.

If they're native (which these seem to be) a normal cold winter such as this one should suffice, otherwise the trees you see would not have grown. Nevertheless, taking cuttings is probably a better option as you will get a clone of the parent tree with good quality fruit, and for a lot less work.

whitelegg1

Joined: 05 Apr 2005
Posts: 409
Location: Woodford Green

Posted: Thu Apr 07, 05 12:15 pm Post subject:
Anyone know what I can do to propogate a greengage. We have a 20 - 30ft greengage in the front garden! Produces bucket loads 2 summers ago. Last year all the fruit shrivelled up before it was pea sized. Would it be possible to graft this onto a victoria plum??

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45476
Location: Essex

Posted: Thu Apr 07, 05 12:17 pm Post subject:

whitelegg1 wrote:

Would it be possible to graft this onto a victoria plum??

Yes, don't know how well it'd take or how to do it but it's definitely do-able

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