Blossoms are the first stage of fruit growth on a plum tree , and if heyday are bruise or flush it to develop , the entire fruit harvest can be lose . Planting the tree in a protected positioning is the first step in protecting blossom , along with selecting a Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree with the correct tingle - hour requirements for the planting location and proper annual care of the tree .
Problems with Plum Tree Flowering and Fruiting
Plum trees can failto bloomor form yield for any of the following reasons :
Chill time of day : Each sort has its own demand for time of day below 45ºF ( 7ºC ) , known as dormancy . Dormancy reset the tree for a renew cycle of increment , unfolding , and fruiting . If the tree break dormancy and bloom of youth at the unseasonable time and flower buds or petal encounter freezing conditions , flower fall and yield does not appear .
pollenation : Most varieties of plum are not self - fertile , and they must have another tree diagram of a dissimilar variety nearby . The pollinator tree must be in the same radical of Japanese or European plum tree , and not all varieties can foil - cross-pollinate within their own grouping .
Shortly after blossoms cut down , you could determine whether or not the flower set fruit . Look closely at the ovary of the flower remaining on the tree where heyday have dislodged . If the ovary is swollen , a fruit has localize and is starting to uprise and pollenation was successful .
Insects : Insects such asplum circulioand aphid can use up at tender buds and shoots , boil down or eliminating flowers or little yield .
culture : Too much nitrogen fertilizer do tree diagram to increase output of leaves and shoots at the expense of bloom and yield . Improper pruning can also damage or remove budding branches need for unfolding and fruiting to occur .
Solutions for Plum Blossom Problems
If you are set a new plum tree , select a location well protect from frost , malarkey , and sloppy soils . This will help assure that future flower have the best probability of turning into abundantfruit harvests .
get hold of your local Agricultural Extension Office for selective information about average shudder hours for your area . take tree with shudder - hour requirement meet for your locating .
embed more than one tree , unless you are establish one of the less vulgar ego - fertile plums . Even self - fat plum are more productive with a pollinator nearby . Check that the variety you are planting are compatible for crisscross - pollination .
Watch for pests and take natural process as presently as you see troublesome louse or symptoms . Taking action against pests ahead of time in an infestation make it easier to apply milder remedies , avoiding injury to other wildlife or people with toxic controls .
Keep in mind that plum Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree do not bloom in the first twelvemonth after they are constitute , and erstwhile trees can get too older for efflorescence .
