Anyone working with plums? Probably setting myself up for public embarrassment here by posting before harvest but I’ve counted 9 species of plums or plum hybrids. I think I’m a month behind but hopefully I can get these in the ground April 1.
I’ve planted a lot of plum seed the last couple years, but mostly just different native species. I can’t remember if I included any improved varieties.
With them being from Oikos I bet you’ll be fine, planting a little late might prevent premature germination/growth.
How I love plums. I’m growing out an extremely large quantity and diversity of beach plums, which are native to the nearby coast. The flavor of beach plums is particularly enchanting to me: sweet and high in tannins, but lacking tartness. By comparison I find most domestic plums to be more tart and more boring. But I don’t know anyone else as obsessed with the beach plum as I am.
Plum seeds need stratification to germinate, no? Are you doing them in the refrigerator?
Supposedly they respond best to a long stratification period, but that probably varies between plum species and varieties. And I haven’t put mine into a moist medium yet either-- I was gonna plant them directly in the ground, but the ground froze about a week ago and doesn’t seem like it will thaw any time soon. Guess I should start them in the fridge.
Sounds like you’d be a great collaborator in this beach plum improvement project:
https://www.experimentalfarmnetwork.org/group/19
Possibly the organizer is as obsessed with beach plums as you are?
Can’t say i’m working with (landracing) them, although i have quite a lot of Green Gauge. Because they sucker easily. Much more than my Mirabel an elderly man trusted me with.
They’re not really quick at getting ready to fruit though. Some 5 years or so.
I would like to see that reversed, if i were to work with Plums. So early fruiting and later suckering.
Early fruiting is also good to make early crosses, i learned from this man who did a lot of work on trees/landscaping and buying and selling terrains all over USA, who did a podcast promoted here not long ago.