I planted this sloe tree ( Prunus domestica subsp. insititia_) a few years back and while it produces very large fruit, they tend to be very few and far between. Anyone any experience of cultivating sloes?
1 Like
That is called Damson plum in the US. A Sloe plum is prunus spinosa.
I had a Damson plum tree and it took a long time to start fruiting. I think it is a common problem.
Re: size, Damsons are smaller than most plums. So if your fruits are the size of standard plums you may have some other kind of plum, not a Damson.
2 Likes
Thanks Scott. The German name for it is Haferschlehe which means a sloe but the fruits are larger than those of a sloe. I had a damson tree in Ireland in the 80ās and I made fantastic wine from it. There is a somewhat similar tree here in Germany called a damson plum (Zwetschge) which is very popular, as the stone separates easily from the larger fruit. Damson stones tend to cling on to the fruit.
Iā ll have to give it some time before my damson bears more abundantly.
Ronan