plums

[Dingle]

After my disaster with Raspberries (see 'Raspberries' thread) i'm determined to do better with plums so thought i'd seek your wisdom before buying.

I'm after a small plum tree for my allotment, i was thinking about 7-8'. I thought Opal on Pixie rootstock and maybe pruned in a pyramid might be nice (being doing lots of reading ) but my soil is (i understand) not ideal for plums - it's light and very free-draining/dry - so...

Would Pixie survive or struggle..? Would St Julien be better..?
Would St Julien get too big, even in these poor conditions..?

[FB.]

On light and free-draining soil, Pixy will struggle to survive.
Even St.Julien A will not be too happy, but with plenty of watering, it wil eventually get going.

I would go for St. Julien A rootstock on a light soil.
Additionally, if it is container-grown, break up the outermost inch of the compost/rootball and untangle any circling roots. Don't worry about breaking the odd root; the loss of a few roots is insignificant compared to the risk of the coiled roots "strangling" a young tree and insignificant compared to having the compost rootball dry out and then dehydrate and kill the roots in lioght soil.
A good mulching of compost will also helpkeep in moisture.

I have a Victoria St.J.A and I'm on a hot, dry, sandy soil.
I've had it several years and it's still only about 5-6ft heigh and spread and only grows about 6" per season. Fruits well, though.

[Dingle]

Thank you very much, that's really helpful. St. Julien A it is then.