How to Get a Plum Tree to Grow Plums
- 1). Prune plum trees for better production in early spring before bloom, when the tree is dormant and less likely to suffer from pruning wounds. Sterilize pruning equipment by dipping blades in boiling water for 30 seconds to destroy bacteria, fungus and insect eggs.
- 2). Prune away shoots and suckers from the lower half of the plum tree. These soft shoots won't produce fruit, and they make the rest of the tree less productive. Cut away vertically growing branches in the canopy to let in more light to the horizontal scaffold branches that produce plums. Leave five to seven horizontal scaffold branches, spaced around the trunk.
- 3). Spread a 3-foot ring of mulch, 2 to 4 inches deep, starting 6 inches from the trunk of the plum tree. Sometimes plums don't produce because they have too much competition from weed and grass roots. Mulch also adds extra nutrients to the soil as it decays.
- 4). Fertilize plum trees annually if they're not producing plums. The ratio is 8 oz. of 10-10-10 fertilizer for every year of the tree's age. For example, scatter 24 oz. of fertilizer on the soil and water it in deeply to help nitrogen get down to the roots of a 3-year-old tree.
- 5). Check the plum tree's leaves for signs of diseases and fungus that kill blossoms and prevent fruiting. Plums are vulnerable to black knot, brown rot, bacterial leaf spot and perennial canker, all of which can weaken the tree. Many of these diseases can be controlled with chemical sprays and pruning of diseased wood.
