plums

[busman43]

I have a plum stone and my daughter wants to see if it will grow. Any advice or just plant it and see what happens. Thanks in advance.

[WendyC]

Plant it and see what happens but don't have any expectations as to regard variety, size or time to produce plums of its own. It could be big as won't be grafted on to a dwarfing rootstock and the variety may not come true from a stone.

[busman43]

Thanks Wendy. I think she just wants to set if it grows.

[yummersetter]

Do you know where the plum came from?

[busman43]

Do you know where the plum came from?

Tesco I think lol

[yummersetter]

Oh dear, the odds have gone down . . if you'd got it from a farm shop or home-grown I'd be more confident. No harm in trying, though. I've looked it up in 'The Pip Book' by Keith Mossman and the fruit has to be dead ripe - that would be unusual in Tescos. He writes that the stone should come away cleanly from the fruit. Soak for 48 hrs then carefully crack the stone enough to fracture it but not damage the kernel. It help germination if the stone has been outside for the winter. Plant one inch deep in a pot using soil-less compost and put in a propagator. Good luck!

[busman43]

Thanks for that.

[yummersetter]

Maybe buy her that book for easier suggestions of what to grow from stones and pips? Secondhand copies are a penny on Amazon.

[Kirk]

Get it in a pot of soil and see what happens.
I have 3 pips/stones from a mandarin I was eating the other day and they are going in a pot soon.
It is good fun, maybe impractical but the fun well outweighs that.

[busman43]

The plum has now been planted so fingers crossed.