Grow Plums » Waimea Nurseries

SOIL	Accepting of a wide variety of soils, but best with deep, well drained fertile soil.
PLANTING SITE	Sunny and sheltered position is best, protected from Spring frosts. Plant 4-5m apart from other trees.
WATERING	Water frequently while young then during long dry periods and when the fruit is developing.
CLIMATE	European plums are suitable most areas of the country, including the coldest regions. Japanese plums need less Winter chill and need protection from late Spring frosts so can also be grown in warmer, Northern regions.
GENERAL CARE	Never prune Plums from March through to July, instead Summer prune to control vigour and shape.
PESTS & DISEASES	Diseases like Silver leaf and blast can affect Plums, but with careful cultural practices Plums normally need minimal care.
FRUIT	Varieties range in ripening time from mid Summer to early Autumn.
POLLINATION	See pollination chart. Need to plant at least one pollinating variety to ensure good fruit production.
Tree Size	Height: Up to 6m

Please note these are recommendations to our best knowledge, but flowering times vary from region to region and from year to year. Also it is important to remember that in most urban areas there is generally no need to plant pollinators as there will be neighbouring trees that will provide cross pollination. 'Most Plum varieties require cross pollination. Use European varieties to pollinate European varieties and Japanese to pollinate Japanese. The guide below details recommended pollination by variety. These recommendations generally provide the best overlap in flowering time, but other varieties with partial overlap can be sufficient.

PLUM POLLINATION GUIDE

VARIETY	plum type	Pollinator(s)
Billington	Cross	Self fertile
Black Amber	Japanese	Partially self fertile. Santa Rosa, Satsuma.
Black Doris	Cross	Billington, Duff’s Early Jewel, Elephant Heart, Santa Rosa.
Burbank	Japanese	Partially self fertile. Duff’s Early Jewel, Omega, Sultan.
Coe’s Golden Drop	European	Damson, Reine Claude de Bavay, Italian, Richard’s Early Italian, Stanley.
Damson	European	Self fertile
Duff’s Early Jewel	Cross	Self fertile
Elephant Heart	Japanese	Omega, Santa Rosa, Sultan.
English Greengage	European	Coe’s Golden Drop, Damson, Reine Claude de Bavay, Italian.
Fortune	Japanese	Santa Rosa
Hawera	Japanese	Self fertile
Omega	Cross	Partially self fertile. Billington, Burbank, Duff’s Early Jewel, Elephant Heart, Santa Rosa, Sultan.
Purple King	Cross	Billington, Duff’s Early Jewel, Elephant Heart, Omega, Santa Rosa, Sultan, Wilson’s Early.
Reine Claude de Bavay	European	Self fertile
Santa Rosa	Japanese	Self fertile
Satsuma	Japanese	Partially self fertile. Santa Rosa, Shiro.
Shiro	Japanese	Santa Rosa, Shiro.
Sultan	Japanese	Partially self fertile. Burbank, Elephan Heart, Omega, Santa Rosa, Satsuma.
Wilson’s Early	European	Partially self fertile. Billington, Black Doris, Burbank, Duff’s Early Jewell, Omega, Santa Rosa.
PRUNE PLUMS
Cacak Fruitful	European	Coe’s Golden Drop, Damson, Reine Claude de Bavay, Stanley.
Italian	European	Self fertile
Richard’s Early Italian	European	Coe’s Golden Drop, Damson, Reine Claude de Bavay, Stanley.
Stanley	European	Self fertile