How to Plant a Plum Tree in the Fall: A Step-by-Step Guide

The plum tree reaches a height of 13-15 meters. It bears fruit for about 20 years. There are varieties of this fruit tree that thrive in autumn in different regions and produce their first harvest in the fourth or fifth year.

But to do this, you need to determine the planting location, take into account weather conditions, plant the tree correctly, and apply the necessary fertilizers for growth and development.

Benefits of Fall Planting

When planting plum trees in the fall, consider the climate zone, plum variety, and local soil. The further south the region, the better the young trees will thrive.

Advantages of plum transplantation in autumn:

• plants are hardened and become resistant to temperature changes;
• the rhizome develops more intensively, rooting occurs faster, the tree does not waste energy on vegetation;
• autumn trees are 2-3 weeks ahead of spring trees in growth;
• there is enough time for work, in the spring, when there are mass plantings of different crops, time is very limited;
• water is saved, since rain is a frequent occurrence during this period;
• trees take root easier and faster.

In spring, sap flows intensely through the branches. Root development slows. If the rhizome is poorly developed during a hot summer, the plum tree may die. Autumn-bought seedlings are much cheaper than those purchased in the spring.

Autumn planting time

Planting timing directly depends on the tree's growing region, climate, and weather conditions. In autumn, plum seedlings are planted 1.5 months before the ground freezes.

In the south of the country, the first frosts occur in mid-November, so plums can be planted in October. These include the Krasnodar and Stavropol Krais, and the Rostov and Astrakhan Oblasts.

Primorye is the second climate zone. Snow falls here in September, but consistent frosts arrive in November. Planting continues throughout October.

The Siberian region is famous for its early frosts—in September. Therefore, it is recommended to plant young trees in August. In the Moscow region, planting occurs in late September or early October.

In temperate climates (Irkutsk, Arkhangelsk, and Tyumen regions), snow cover begins in late October. Trees are planted in early September. It's best to plant regional cold-hardy varieties; they'll survive in the conditions they're adapted to.

Varieties

Around 250 plum tree varieties have been developed. While plums were once considered a southern tree, regionalized hybrids with 100% survival rates have now been developed. They produce good yields in both northern and southern latitudes.

Plum Svetlana Developed by Primorsky breeders, this variety tolerates frosts well and produces a stable harvest. The fruits are yellow and round, each weighing 26-28 g. Flowering begins after May 10th. The harvest begins in August. The plums have a sweet, tart flavor, and the pit separates from the flesh. One tree can produce up to 30 kg of plums. The first fruits are harvested in the fifth year of life.

Giant – an early-maturing, high-yielding variety. Fruit appears in the third year when planted on a two-year-old tree. Subvarieties include burgundy, yellow-orange, and purple fruit. The flesh is sweet. Harvest is in mid-September; fruits weigh up to 100 g.

Hungarian This variety is used to make prunes. Varieties include Italian, Voronezh, Michurinskaya, and Belorusskaya. Medium-sized trees reach up to 4 meters in height. The first fruits appear in the 6th to 7th year of life; they are large, up to 5 cm long, and elliptical in shape. The color ranges from purple to violet, and from blue to purple. The harvest is in late August. This drought-resistant variety has a lifespan of 25-30 years.

Pearl of the Urals – a winter-hardy plum, resistant to drought, and characterized by high yields. Chinese fruits are 25 g in size and have firm, sweet flesh. The Pearl tree begins bearing fruit in its fourth year, yielding 17-19 kg of fruit per tree.

Early-bearing Plums appear in the third year of life. The tree lives for 20 years. The yield is up to 10 kg per plant. A poor harvest occurs every third year. Each fruit weighs 20-30 g, is round, yellow-orange in color with a red side. The flesh is yellow, aromatic, sweet and tart.

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Optimal growing conditions, site selection

During the first 4-6 years, the plum tree establishes itself and produces little fruit. The fruiting period lasts from 10 to 20 years. After 17-20 years, the yield begins to decline, and the tree ages.

Plum trees thrive on light and should be planted in a well-lit location. Cold air accumulates in low-lying areas, which can harm the plant. A plum tree near a house or fence will benefit from protection from the wind.

Plum is relatively drought-resistant and moisture-loving. Avoid planting it in stagnant soil, as the roots may rot. If the groundwater level is at a depth of 1.5 meters, drainage is necessary.

A young tree may not survive next to other fruit trees. Mature plants will suck up all the moisture and nutrients.

Soil preparation

The recommended soil for plum trees is a pH of 6.4-7. Clay and loam soils are preferred. Plum trees thrive in soils with high calcium content and dislike acidic soils. If the soil is acidic, add dolomite flour, wood ash, and lime to the soil at a rate of 500 g per square meter.

Composition of soil for the pit:

• top layer of soil;
• potassium – 15 g;
• humus – 12-15 kg;
• superphosphate – 70 g;
• river sand;
• gravel for drainage.

Having dug a hole 50 cm deep and the same width, place a peg and fill it with the prepared nutrient mixture.

Purchase of planting material

It's best to buy seedlings from specialized nurseries. They grow trees with grafted varietal cuttings. These seedlings begin to bloom and bear fruit earlier. Choose seedlings without rotten roots to ensure a healthy appearance. Spring-grown seedlings are not suitable for fall transplantation.

Selection criteria:

• total height up to 1.2-1.5 m;
• the trunk is straight, the bark is intact;
• what kind - self-fertile or self-sterile;
• trunk length to branches – 55 cm;
• lifespan from one to two years;
• trunk girth at a height of 12 cm from the grafting site is 1.5-2 cm;
• roots – 5-7 pieces, 20 cm long.

A necessary step for planting plum trees in the fall is to deadhead or remove the leaves from the shoots. This process helps the seedling use less water and prevents the branches from drying out. If the young tree was purchased a few days before planting, cover the rhizome with a wet cloth and leave it there until planting. You can soak the roots in water for two hours, but no longer.

Planting seedlings

The entire garden or vegetable patch is dug up in the fall. All weeds must be removed from the area.

Step by step guide:

1. Having chosen a planting site, dig a hole 50 cm by 50 cm and 60 cm deep.
2. The hole is dug two days before planting the tree.
3. Sand and drainage are poured onto the bottom, and a stake is driven into the center to which the seedling will be tied.
4. A gap of 3 meters is left between adjacent plants.
5. Some of the removed soil is mixed with fertilizer and poured back into the hole.
6. They make a mound and place the seedling, straightening out its roots so that the graft is 3 cm above ground level.
7. The distance from the stake to the trunk is 5-7 cm.
8. After filling the hole with soil, lightly compact it and water it generously with 8-10 liters of water.
9. Cover the top with mulch—hay, sawdust, or peat. This will protect the fruit plant from freezing.

If you can't immediately plant the plum tree in its permanent location in the fall, bury the tree at an angle. Cover it completely with soil and peat; you can use leaves for insulation. In the spring, transplant the sapling to its new location.

Post-planting care

Careful care will prepare young plants for winter and prevent them from freezing. Basic care will help strengthen the roots, ensure consistent harvests, and protect the plant from harmful insects and diseases.

Trimming

Autumn crown pruning is done in the first half of September. If branches are pruned later, the tree will not be able to recover before the cold weather sets in. Pruning shapes the future crown. Leaving long shoots can cause them to break off in the wind.

Trimming process:

1. When pruning for the first time, the branches are cut off by 1/3.
2. Fast-growing branches are shortened by 2/3.
3. Dry, diseased shoots are removed.

Use sharp pruning shears and gloves. Without crown shaping, the tree won't have a beautiful bloom next year. Use a simple cutting pattern.

Disease prevention

The most common diseases affecting plum trees are gray mold and holey spot. Yellow spots with a brown border appear on the leaves. Holes then develop, and the fruit cracks and rots. After the leaves fall, the trees can be treated with Bordeaux mixture (3%). This treatment is repeated in the spring before flowering.

Whitewashing trees

For the winter, it's best to whitewash the trunk with a lime solution. This will help the tree survive frost and temperature fluctuations. Here's the recipe: dilute 3 kg of lime and 2 kg of clay in a bucket of water. Mix thoroughly, dip a paintbrush into the lime, and coat the trunk.

Pest control

Plum trees are plagued by plum aphids, geese, fruit mites, and black ants. As a preventative measure, use an infusion of wormwood, onion peel, and garlic with soap.

Recipes:

1. Pour one liter of boiling water into a container and add a full liter of onion peels. Leave for 48 hours. Strain before spraying, then dilute with water 1:2.
2. Pour 6 cloves of garlic into a liter of water and let steep for 24 hours. Add 6 g of laundry soap before use.
3. Prepare an ash solution (one cup of ash per 9 liters of water), add 6-7 chopped garlic cloves, mix, and let sit for 5 hours. Add one tablet of micronutrient fertilizer and 50 g of mineral supplements, and spray the plants with the solution.
4. In case of severe insect infestation, treat the crown with a 5% urea solution. Spray all branches.

Fertilizer

If planted correctly, the plum tree will have sufficient nutrition during its first year and won't need any additional feeding. Fertilize with urea in the spring at a rate of 25 grams per square meter. The first feeding should be done in the fall, in its second year.

Watering

The plum tree's root system is close to the soil surface. If the groundwater table is deep, the soil should be moistened to a depth of 1 meter. Before winter, if the summer was dry, water each young plant generously in September: 4-5 buckets per plant. Watering is essential for optimal overwintering. If there was heavy rainfall in September, watering should be avoided. Remember to create drainage channels to prevent rainwater from collecting in the planting hole.

Preparing for winter

Before winter, the soil is loosened and all weeds are removed. The fragile tree may not survive severe frosts. If severe frosts are expected, the sapling is covered with spruce branches or surrounded by poles, forming a shelter. Straw, hay, and sedge are placed on top. Then the structure is secured with rope. This shelter protects not only from the cold but also from wind and sun.

The soil surface is mulched with sawdust, hay, and peat. To prevent rodents from stripping the bark, sprigs of mint are placed inside the shelter.

If no cover is provided and the winter is snowy, place shields around the tree. When snow falls, it will not be blown away by the wind. A thick layer of snow will insulate the tree and provide moisture to the roots. If the snow layer is more than 60 cm thick, it is reduced.

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When is it better to plant a plum tree: spring or autumn?

Both methods have their advantages. However, fall planting is superior to spring planting. The main advantages of fall planting are:

• plants are less sensitive to damage;
• the soil is compacted during the budding phase in spring;
• during spring activation there is no impact on the tree, it has already taken root;
• fresh planting material;
• fruits appear earlier than in spring seedlings.

It's important that the tree removed from the nursery in the fall was delivered after the growing season had ceased. The spring tree, however, was disturbed during bud swelling. The root system of an autumn-planted plum won't experience stress. The downside is that winter weather is unpredictable. A severe frost can kill a young plant.

If the trees harvested weren't sold immediately in the spring, bud and growth activation may begin before planting. When planting in the spring, young trees need to be soaked beforehand, which takes time. Therefore, When to plant a fruit tree It's up to you to decide.

Planting features in different regions

Selecting a regionalized hybrid that is resistant to weather conditions typical of this region will allow you to obtain tasty fruits and provide good yields.

In the Volga region and the Central Belt

Winters in these areas are not very cold. Trees are planted in mid-September. Preference is given to varieties resistant to clasterosporium and moniliosis. Plums are best planted on the south side of the plot in light loamy soils.

In the Siberian region and in the Ural region

In the Siberian region and the Urals, planting plums in the fall is not recommended because frosts set in early. Only zoned and winter-hardy varieties are used.

You can plant the seedling in a bucket and move it to a basement where the temperature should not drop below 3-5 degrees Celsius. Don't forget to water the plant and provide additional lighting. It's best to transplant the plum tree to its permanent location at the end of April.

Possible mistakes when planting plums

No one is immune to mistakes when planting autumn seedlings. Even experienced gardeners can make mistakes.

The main mistakes when planting plums:

1. Planting plum trees at an angle in the fall is not recommended, as wind can break the sapling.
2. Fearing that not enough fertilizer has been applied, they try to apply additional fertilizer. Overfeeding plants is dangerous for young plants.
3. Excessive watering can lead to rhizome rot or freezing during early frosts.
4. Varieties for this region are not taken into account.

With proper replanting and subsequent care, the plum tree will reward you with a bountiful harvest in a few years. The first year is the most critical for subsequent growth. If the tree survives the winter and takes root, its development depends on watering, fertilizing, protection from insects and diseases, and preparation for winter.