Damsons - a query.

[doozer]

Hi All,

So...wondering around the Wilds of Abingdon at the weekend, my wife and I came accross some fruit ladden trees..which look like they may be damsons. As these appear to be wild, and of course once we have pilfered as many damsons as possible...I was wondering about a 'cutting'? (They are over hanging the road from a floodplain).

Is this possible?

I read about grafted trees etc etc...but I doubt if these are grafted...so why are they fruiting.

Or am I totally wrong? MUST they be grafted?

Thanks

[WrexTheDragon]

Lets hope they are damsons and not sloes.

[rustylady]

Sloes are useable too. The way to tell the difference is that sloes grow on bushes / small trees with wicked thorns!! I know this cos my Dad used to make me climb up to pick the best ones.

[FB.]

Varieties are grafted onto rootstocks for the following reasons:

To ensure that you grow your preferred variety (e.g. Cox's apple).
To control how large/how fast the tree will grow.
To control fruit production.
To allow tolerance of a wide range of growing conditions.
To give resistance to certain diseases.
To be compatible with grafts from most varieties of the same type of tree.

Ungrafted trees may or may not have the above desirable qualities.

If you want to grow replicates of these damson trees, it is unlikely that cuttings will work without specialised equipment.
My suggestion would be to decide which tree you want to take a "cutting" and instead, take some fruits.
Plant the pips and allow them to grow for a year or two.
Then graft a piece of the old tree onto it's pip-grown offspring.
The whole process will take some years, but it's the only way you'll be successful.

Of course, you could just buy a ready-grafted tree.......

[doozer]

Many thanks for your replys.

I think I'll decide and probably just buy a tree!

[shirlthegirl43]

If it is that complicated, how come they grow wild?

[Flummery]

My damsons aren't ripe yet! I usually don't get to pick them till September. (Doesn't stop the chickens trying to nick them though!)

[petal]

damsons

Dear Flummery!
Just been reading your damson post. Our new garden has an old damson tree, laden with damsons. What can you make with them?

Petal!

[shirlthegirl43]

I made some lovely jam last weekend.

[Flummery]

Dear Flummery!
Just been reading your damson post. Our new garden has an old damson tree, laden with damsons. What can you make with them?

Petal!

My first 3 or 4 lb go into jam. It's a family favourite! The year we got 32lb from the tree was brilliant - I used some in chutney too. I also put bags of the washed and dried fruits into the freezer to make damson crumble and cobbler in the winter when you really appreciate a warming pud.

I'm hoping for a good haul this year too - they have set very well and are just starting to soften up so I might be picking by next weekend.

It's well nigh impossible to remove the stones before cooking. I have a friend who just sticks them in a pie as they are and they all spit out the stones! I couldn't be having with that. It's slow and messy but I let the cooked fruit cool and go through it a spoonful at a time removing the stones by hand. THEN I add the sugar and proceed. If you were making a damson jelly (haven't tried that yet but if it's another big-yielding year I intend to have a go) then of course, the stones would strain out with everything else.

[shirlthegirl43]

I am hoping to go for another picking session this week Flummery, is it just wipe and dry the fruit then open freeze?

[Flummery]

I weigh into bags enough for a jammimg session or a pud. I freeze them in the bags.

[shirlthegirl43]

Cheers Flummery, will do that, seems a shame for them to just sit on the trees in the farmer's hedge. I will leave some for the birds though

[Rob G]

Just out of interest, are damsons a bit unreliable as fruiters. On the basis that they are a fairly basic plum I would have thought not, but I planted one in the garden here near Edinburgh many years ago and it never fruited for the 10+ years I tolerated it's lack of production - it then got the heave-ho!

Rob

[hamsterqueen]

damson gin! and damson jam are lovely.

There are a lot of wild damson trees nearby , I;m still eating 2007s damson jam I made so much (the gin has gone though!)