Plum/Damson need advice asap!

[Shumba]

My experience is not great but I tend to do a lot of research and am no stranger to complexity and scientific detail.

Images below.

So right on to it.
Once upon a time next door had a wonderful pair of trees, then Mr chainsaw came over for lunch and now.. well I guess next door didn’t care for all that wonderful jam! A sad moment. But not all lost, the tree sent out runners and my lawn (that I rarely cut cos wild fler are awesome!) was/still is, full of saplings! Happy day!
I let them ‘enlarge’, moved some into pots and since even managed to go from pot back into the lawn in a slightly better location. I also have a few that are probably 2 years at a guess so they actually resemble trees – luckily they grew in the right place.

Well that’s the story anyway, none of the potted ones are over a year old and I still have a few popping up in the lawn!
The tree produced small fruits probably around 50p size max from memory, so assuming dramsons.. but not sure.
I’m located in the middle of derby, clay.. clay.. yup very clay, horrifically bad drainage clay, not the best soil for anything.

Now to the issue.
My sister is visiting this weekend and I want to give her a few for her garden down in Suffolk. The conditions are considerably different clay vs loose sandy well drained soil, middle of England vs right on the coast. So I had intended to give her the ones I had potted in compost Fig2 rather than just more clay Fig1 since I have heard that’s likely to be considerably less stressful on the tree. It’s also a 4 hour drive in a hot car! \o.o/
However, the compost in the compost pot has shrunk down so it may be lacking room for its toes, I see roots out the bottom of the makeshift pot. And the leaves are considerably different fig2 from the clay pot trees fig1 I have.
I considered a lack of a required nutrient in either or simply pot bound, but haven’t managed to identify anything specific to growing plumbs. Or possibly the one pot became diseased? Or there could be something left over from inside the grouting pot I used having a negative effect on the tree? The compost pot ones also grew more similarly to the cherries I ‘think’ I have fig3, more up than bushy making me question a little what I’d put in the pot lol! I say ‘think’ since the cherries popped up some distance from the cherry trees. Feel free to confirm that for me fig3 X3.

But anyway, I want to give her whatever has the best chance of survival and producing fruit, so compost pot fig2 or the clay pot fig1?

Am I also right in thinking it takes 3 years for them to produce anything – requiring 2 year old growth to grow fruit on in the next year?

I seem to have endless plum/cherry question lately, but I’ll leave it there since I have 2-3 days to work this out lol! Any advice I could pass on to her for planting out would also be welcomed.

Thanks


Images

Fig1: Evenly coloured leaves, a little more bushy over all.



Fig2: Much darker veins by comparison to the leafs flesh, giving a much more textured appearance. The photo has under exaggerated this effect due to use of flash in low light.



Fig3: Cherry?

[veggiechicken]

Hello and welcome!
Just a quick answer as its too late for anything else!
If there are tree suckers coming up in your lawn, they will be from the root stock and therefore unlikely to bear fruit like that on the original tree (which was probably grafted onto a rootstock).
You say you've had small fruit already. I doubt that you will improve on those.

[WendyC]

The suckers you have grown on will be suckers of the rootstock of your neighbour's tree whether it was a plum, damson or gage. Most fruit trees are grown from two parts grafted together. The rootstock will control the size and vigour of the plant and the top gives the variety. You have the rootstock which, assuming the tree was grafted won't produce the fruit you enjoyed from the original tree, in fact may be a rather disappointing variety. Personally I wouldn't bother growing on these suckers of uncertain variety.
Do you have any photos of the original tree, especially the fruit as someone might be able to identify the tree and buy a replacement.

[Shumba]

Thanks for your responses.
To clarify the fruit I had previously was from the older tree.
These are about all the pictures I have of the older tree/fruit. It was a good size tree. I can photo the larger suckers when the sun swings round a bit, looked identical to me.
http://i.imgur.com/WXst0sR.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/nZYi90Q.jpg
As to grafting, doesn’t that leave a slight scar? I didn’t see anything like that, though wouldn’t rule it out. Does this mean I at least have good root stock lol
I guess time will tell eventually either way.

[mothhawk]

Hi, shumba, welcome to the vine. I think you are right about figure 3. Definitely looks like a cherry to me.

[Guest]

Are you sure they are suckers? Did you trace the root back to the tree? I think it is more likely you have seedlings where fruit hasn't been collected of the floor? It would also explain the difference between plants as the seeds don't come true? As to fruiting time and final height of tree there is no way of knowing as each seedling is likely to behave differently.

[mothhawk]

If the tree was really old, there might be a chance it was not on a rootstock. But I mean really old.

I believe most modern rootstocks were developed from the 1920's onwards, becoming commercially available through the 30's, but then of course we had the war, so if the tree was more than say eighty years old, it may not be grafted, in which case your suckers may be like the original tree. Just a chance...

[mothhawk]

Are you sure they are suckers? Did you trace the root back to the tree? I think it is more likely you have seedlings where fruit hasn't been collected of the floor? It would also explain the difference between plants as the seeds don't come true? As to fruiting time and final height of tree there is no way of knowing as each seedling is likely to behave differently.

Good point NG. Yes, if the seedlings came up easily with their own little rootball, and not attached to a larger root that had to be cut, they are from plum stones.

[muddled]

I am inundated with plum suckers and saplings as well
(our tree leant over alarmingly, pushed its neighbouring tree over too and both had to be removed )

The trees were leftover from when this estate was a farm before the war. The first tree was a good plum, the second was a sucker from the original....both produced mountains of excellent fruit.

So, from reading the posts....
I should remove the ones with their own rootball as they are self seeded from fallen fruit;
Keep one of the suckers that is attached to the original root to get the third, excellent plum tree.

One more question...
Should I keep two for pollination?

[Guest]

^^^Only keep a sucker if the original tree wasn't grafted. Pollinating partners need to be different varieties.