Our permanent Alderman Plum also set a good crop this year, but unfortunately something ate 90% of the green fruit off the tree in a couple of days. Why something decided to eat it when it was green beats me. Any how taste is good, fruit is a little bit larger than Toka and has more of an egg shape. We have had no disease issues with the tree or fruit. Japanese Beetles will hit the foliage pretty hard.
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I got a few too, I clean picked so some weren’t tree ripened but should do fine in some processed goodies. I think this variety is well suited for market-larger attractive fruit that is more durable than other hybrid plums I grow. Flavor is good, but not top tier
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I have one, planted 8 years ago. It is just starting to bear. I picked a half dozen this year, birds got the rest. What do you use as a pollinator?
The last two springs… my AU Rosa and Shiro plums have bloomed set fruit… then we get a late march frost… and all fruit shrivvel and drop.
I have tried grafting in some later blooming varieties to possibly help… including Alderman, Superior, Beauty, Vic Red American plum.
I hope some of those will pollinate each other.
TNHunter
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I had my first nice harvest of Alderman Plums this year, which was rather a surprise. I’ve taken out most of my plums because of no fruit due to spring freezes at the “wrong” time most years, though they all bloom beautifully. Alderman shares a tree with Grenville (who had no fruit this year but did bloom) and there are several blooming Americans near-by (one set one little plum). Blooming time was very wet this year so, though saved from some freezes, I didn’t expect fruit. But I picked (and picked up) 5# Sept. 19, 3# Sept.24, and final 7# Sept.29. These were the best.
I find the flavor rather blah, mild, to eat fresh. But the skins help to make a very good flavorful sauce (especially mixed with applesauce). And it produced! This one gets to stay. Sue
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Hi Trev
In this thread I posted all of my varieties that fruited this year, I would be happy to send you scions of some of my later season ones if you would like to try them
Dennis
@DennisD … thanks for the offer Dennis.
My two trees are AU Rosa and Shiro.
I have added by graft 10 other varieties hoping to find a few plum varieties that may occasionally bloom after our last hard frost.
My earliest to bloom the last 3 years is AU Rosa last year it was in full bloom March 11… the 2 previous years it was in full bloom about a week earlier than that. It has bloomed well each year, set fruit… got frosted… dropped all fruit.
Shiro was in full bloom March 13 last spring… got frosted, set some fruit… but dropped it all later. It has not proven to be so frost hardy here in southern TN. Perhaps it just needs more time.
I have decided that my best bet may be to just graft over the rest of AU Rosa with some later blooming varieties.
Last spring we had a hard frost between March 13 and March 25. I dont remember the exact date but can tell by my pictures it was between those dates.
On March 11 Shiro was in full bloom… loads of beautiful white blossoms… after the frost all those immediatly turned brown and sad looking. They did set some fruit but it all dropped.
AU Produer was about half bloomed on March 13…those got frosted and dropped… but it bloomed more and on March 25 Had several more blossoms in place.
Unfortunately none of those set and matured fruit.
My smallish graft of Alderman was fully bloomed on March 25… so it was blooming just as my later blossoms from AU producer were blooming.
I have a pic of Vic Red and Superior on March 11… and neither had bloomed yet. They did bloom after the frost… but did not successfully set or hold fruit. They did bloom together so hopefully pollination success with those two.
I added 3 grafts of AU Cherry plum last spring. Per Auburn his AU Cherry successfully set and held fruit (after a frost) when his other varieties did not.
Perhaps that will work for me some spring.
AU Rosa is the only variety that I feel strongly about eliminating… it always blooms first. I think it has the least chance of success here.
In years where I have my last hard frost by March 15… Superior, Vic Red, AU Producer and Alderman may bloom after that and successfully fruit.
I have some scion wood of AU Producer and may replace part of my AU Rosa this spring with that.
Other than that I think I will just observe them one more spring before I make any major changes.
Alderman seems to be one of my best bets… pretty sure it is my latest bloomer and my AU Producer (later blossoms) should pollinate it.
Superior and Vic Red are definately later too… but last year those grafts were still quite small and they did not bloom a lot.
I want to see what they do this year before I determine to add more.
If you have scion of Alderman… I would take a few of those and replace part of my AU Rosa with them.
Replacing my earliest bloomer with latest bloomer… should help me get plums… some spring.
TNHunter
I am compelled to comment on this, because I once thought the same. When heavily thinned Alderman is lovely. A proper Alderman has honey colored flesh that is firm and juicy.
I’ve been frustrated for years trying to get plums from Alderman. I had a small crop two years ago but none last year, despite decent fruit set. I have no idea what the recent issue might be.
My one bit of advice is to be sure you have a pollinator. Among your varieties, at least one other needs to bloom more or less simultaneously with Alderman and be capable of pollinating it. I’ve grafted LaCrescent and Toka for that purpose.
Check your soil boron levels.
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Thanks. I will. But meanwhile let me ask: Wouldn’t low boron affect other fruits? I have great crops of apples, pears, peaches, persimmons, mulberries and chestnuts. No issue with any of those.
Hi Trev,
I will check for Alderman, it’s on my list of scions grafted in 2024 so there may be enough growth to share it. I notice it was not on my listed of fruit bearing this year, so I will check my blossoming record for its period when I return from vacation next week.
Dennis
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If Dennis comes up short, PM me. I have a 20’ tree. There’ll be plenty of prunings.
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@DennisD @jrd51 … thanks for the scion offers guys… will talk more on that closer to trade time.
@SoMtHomestead … seems like you messaged me about some good thing that happened with your plums this year… had a frost and one variety produced well… where others did not.
Was that one of your American plums ?
It looks like my Vic Red, Superior and AU Producer… are going to be blooming with at least the first half of Alderman bloom.
My Bueaty plum has not bloomed yet… hopefully it does this year… it is supposed to be quite late as well.
TNHunter
This year was exceptional for fruit set, with no freezes after the japanese plums bloomed. Some varieties did not produce much if anything. This leads me to believe that maturity and pollination may be at fault even when a freeze or frost appears to be the culprit. Two varieties really stand out for production in my orchard in spite of adverse conditions: Catherine Bunnell and Waneta.
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@SoMtHomestead… do you have Alderman ?
If you do… wondering if Waneta blooms with Alderman.
Alderman is the latest bloomer I have seen here so far.
My AU Producer, Superior and Vic Red bloom a little ahead of Alderman. They should cover the first half of Alderman bloom… but probably not the last half.
I do have a graft of Bueaty plum that should bloom this year… it is supposed to be one of the later blooming j plums.
TNHunter
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I have alderman but I lost the label to several plums during hurricane Helene, so I cant say for sure. A couple I know that overlap with Waneta are Brook Red and Gracious. Brook Red did not set any fruit despite heavy flowering, and Gracious set heavily, with some tasty fruits. I’ll be watching this one in coming years for promotion to the main orchard.
@SoMtHomestead … unfortunately any plum that blooms early to mid March here is pretty much doomed by frost. Might produce 1 year out of 10.
Those few varieties that bloom the latest… like Alderman… blooming later in March… those are my best hope for Jplums. I may have a 50/50 chance with them.
It would not help me to add Waneta or any other plum that blooms early to mid March.
A plum that blooms the last week of March has a much better chance here.
Alderman does that … surly there are a few others ?
My Beauty should bloom this year… hope it is a late March bloomer.
TNHunter
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My Alderman had its first decent crop this year. Very big beautiful clingstone fruit, but disappointing flavor: watery and bland. I will try thinning more next year, otherwise might graft it over to something tastier. Never had an issue with flavor for Superior even when overfruited.