Struggling between getting a pluerry or spring satin tree. I have several Japanese plums and a pluot.
I also have late spring frosts.
Any thoughts on bloom issues or disease pressure for my area with those options?
Thanks
Maybe @hambone can chime in. I think he is eastern shore Md. I would think growing Asian plums would be a challenge there with the relentless humidity. You would probably need to spray a systemic fungicide for any hope against brown rot (Indar or Propiconazole). Curculio damage would also be rough, and require sprays of Surround and/or malathion, or just expect heavy to complete losses.
You might consider Beach Plums (maratima species). They are native and better suited to your climate. Raintree usually carries Jersey and Superior maratima plums.
I am growing Jersey and a few others. Curculio and lack of cross pollination has been an issue, but I am hoping to crack the maratima code someday. I saw a guy with a multibudded maratima plum near the Mason-Dixon line in Carroll County Md and his tree was loaded with disease free plums in late Aug/ early Sept. Maratimas like lots of sun. Sometimes maratimas can escape or endure the late frosts better than Asain plums.
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I personally don’t like the taste or texture of Spring Satin. Sour and gummy. I prefer sweet freestone juice bomb plums like Methley.
BTW- I used to live in Maryland for 12 yrs.
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Hi Matt- I have never grown plums but always wondered if there was a beach plum variety that tasted good eaten fresh. Friends of mine grew Japanese plums but not sure how they fared. You’re right, plums here are a real longshot except beach plums for jelly.
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I religiously use surround and regalia
I sparingly use a fungicide
I spray copper spring and fall
I would love to not use fungicide at all but not sure I can get away with that
Curc isn’t my fear
It’s canker and fungi amongst my trees
Also worry about late spring frost killing my blooms
Lavinia, spring satin or dapple dandy are my next targets
I have methley, satsuma, Shiro and flavor king and they’re doing ok
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Methley and Shiro are among my favorite “east-coastable” J-plums, so if you’re already successfully fruiting them, then you’re already in Seventh Heaven.
I trialed Lavina/Lavinia but it mysteriously died. Others have had success with it.
You might read some of @scottfsmith ’s older posts with his stonefruit experiences. He desribes in detail his plum successes/failures and tasting notes.
Good luck. Sounds like you’re off to a good start.
Pluerry I don’t know. I’m sure you could get Spring Satin to work; just don’t know if you’d like the flavor. They used to sell Spring Satin fruits for a limited one or two-week period in July at Catoctin Mtn Orchard in Thurmont, Md when I lived in that area. You might consider calling them this summer… planning a trip to taste them. Like I said- I wasn’t impressed. To me- Methley is superior to Spring Satin.
I wonder if you would like Hesse Weinberger. I tried grafting that one into my collection, but the grafts kept dying; not sure if I did anything wrong. It is supposed to basicially be a purple-skinned plumcot with apricot orange flesh inside.
I think a lot of east coasters tried to grow Nadia pluerry with much disappointment.
I have Beauty J-plum with some marginal success. Prone to rot and curc. Was not precocious as advertised; took several years to fruit. Tasty sweet juicy freestone if you can make it work.
This is really helpful
I’ll sample spring satin that way
Thanks man
I have a new burgudy and satsuma coming this spring and have been looking into how to care for them. Ordered regalia but no experience whatsoever with bio fungicides/sprays of any kind. Could you share timing and where you use the surround and the regalia? Trying to develop a first approach plan and not leave things to chance/sure disease in swamping DMV
I spray weekly in spring and then every 14 days in summer to prevent fungal issues
That might be overkill for your plot but I’ve had CAR issues
This year might be better because I just ripped out several serviceberries that were just CAR magnets
I am in southern middle TN and have terrible late frost issues with jplums.
I have 2 jplum trees… AU Rosa and Shiro… but have 9 varieties with grafting on others.
I have added grafts of some later bloomers
… like superior and alderman, bueaty, and american plum vic red.
Hoping that some year the later bloomers might just get past our late spring frosts.
Last spring I think it was Auburn that reported that he had fruit loss on many of his jplums with a late frost… but his AU Cherry plum set and ripened fruit.
I am adding a few grafts of AU Cherry plum to my Shiro and AU Rosa this spring.
Most of my jplums bloom early March… and we almost always get a mid March or early April cold snap that wipes them.out.
Shrivel, turn black, fall off.
Good luck to you !!!
TNHunter
Hi, I live in Virginia, and I had three Spring Satin Plum trees and I am now down to one. I actual like Spring Satin it does have sour skin as Matt says. There are challenges growing it here. Rot is a major problem as well as PC here. Stone fruits in general can be tough to grow here due to the disease and insect pressure. You will need a consistent spray schedule, and you still may be frustrated. I do wish you the best.
Hi Dave,
Beside Spring Satin, how are your other plum and plum hybrid varieties? I’m planning to top work my only 2 years old Santa Rosa plum with other varieties to trial which one works ok for my locations…
Hi,
What I have left is a Santa Rosa and the Satin Spring I mentioned. I did have Shiro which I did like and it was productive but got rid of it since I am trying to limit the amount of spraying I need to do. If you do not have Shiro it may be one to consider,
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Last spring / fall at my parents house in western MD 7a planted
Saijo persimmon
Seckel pear
Methyle plum
Shiro plum
Red Haven peach
White gold cherry
Along with some gooseberry, elderberry, currant, and bush cherries.
I’ll let you know how everything does this year. Hoping the persimmon made it, since it got pretty cold a few times, but it’s shielded from the north by a wall. So will have to wait and see.
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Thank you! Unfortunately, I have 3 serviceberries and 2 were hit bad by cedar apple rust last year. I know this is an issue for the apples I am planting, but I didn’t realize it affects plums as well?