Curious if others in mid-Atlantic/East Coast have experience with American plum to share?
Background – I’m planning to plop a big garden bed island in the middle of my backyard to create a walking loop around it and visit my other garden beds along the sides. The yard is also bounded by tall maples and one remaining ash but the middle is full sun throughout the day.
Looking for: personal experiences with American plum regarding rate of growth, suckering habit, tree shape, fruiting (will I get 1 million that pile up everywhere?), full sun tolerance
I have read the info online from Prairie Moon, etc but looking to hear from people with a plum on their property.
Thanks all!
by infinitemarshmallow
5 Comments
I have one I planted in 2023 and possibly another that came with the house. I’m 90% sure it’s another American Plum.
Both are very tree shaped. I’ve cut back some suckers on the more established one but nothing substantial. Both have held their tree forms, and both have nice flowers in the spring.
I’ve gotten almost no fruit because the squirrels or birds eat them all. I have seen fruit on both trees and especially the older tree, but I don’t think a single plum has hit the ground.
Both get partial sun, direct sunlight for some parts of the day. I don’t feel like they’re fast growing, but that might be because the older tree is somewhat mature and the newer tree is still getting established.
I planted one as a two foot stick two years ago and it’s really grown and branched out with careful pruning. No fruit yet. I’ll attach pics if I can find them. It lives in full sun, sandy soil and seems very happy
I have 10 or 12 American plum trees which i established from bare root saplings. They grow 3+ ft per year if they have sun and water. The first year I had fruit (year 4) I got maybe a gallon. Last year I got almost none because the chipmunks took them all. I watched and they’ll steal the fruit and then eat the entire thing – fruit and pit.
IMHO these trees really need 15×15 ft to account for their width. They get wider than tall. I have one growing near my front door which doesn’t have enough space and I need to prune it back every year to make sure it isn’t touching my siding. And they do sucker a ton. Great plants to have on the edge of a prairie where the fire and keep back the sprouts.
https://imgur.com/a/MUsUXRr some photos of mine. They really need more space than I’ve given them. If I was redoing this, I’d center them more in my yard where I can keep track of the suckers. And I don’t plan on keeping the one by my door forever.
Just planted a very small Prunus Americana in the front yard. Blasted it with all day sun, did just fine. It has doubled in size in its first year.