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Plum trees do not bear fruit for various reasons. The gardener needs to find out and eliminate them. The tree is sensitive to frost. If it does not bloom in any of the neighbors, weather conditions are to blame. But if it doesn’t bloom in only one area, then the reasons are individual.
When does plum season begin?
Depending on the region, plum blossoms begin between April and May. Flowering begins in the southern regions in April, in the middle zone - in May. Early varieties begin to bloom earlier, late varieties are a little late.
Landscape designers use shrubs to decorate alleys and paths and create spectacular hedges from low varieties. The plant is suitable for creating a Japanese-style landscape.
Juicy green plum leaves delight the eye all summer.If the variety bears fruit, in August the plum looks like a Christmas tree hung with garlands.
How plum blossoms
Plum blossoms are of unsurpassed beauty. Luxurious flower buds of 5 petals from white to pale pink create a fabulous atmosphere. Flowers appear before the leaves and are arranged singly or in bouquets of 2–3 petals. Flowering lasts 9–11 days, ending with the appearance of the first leaves.
Sometimes a plum may not begin to bloom after winter; the established buds die due to spring frosts and fall off before they have time to bloom. A plum tree does not bloom if all the buds are dead, so there is no need to expect a harvest.
A barren flower on a plum tree means that there were flowers, but no fruit set. The reasons for poor flowering or large amounts of barren flowers will be discussed below.
Pollinators for plums
Pollination occurs when pollen from the stamens of some flowers enters the pistil of others. Plums are pollinated by special pollinating varieties. Bees and other insects and the wind carry pollen. Each variety has its own pollinator. To find out which one you need, you need to know exactly what variety grows in the garden.
If the plum is already growing, but the variety is unknown, then you can try planting universal varieties nearby that may be suitable. These varieties include, for example, Red early ripening.
Will a plum bear fruit if there is only one?
A single plum will bear fruit if it is self-fertile. A non-self-fertile plum requires a pair to bear fruit.
The most popular varieties of self-fertile plums:
- Niagara;
- Anna Shpet;
- Herman;
- Stanley;
- Monarch.
If a plum tree does not bear fruit every year, the most common reason is that a non-self-pollinating variety is growing in the garden. Most of the 2,000 known species are sterile varieties. If the plum tree does not bear fruit, you should plant a pollinator tree or graft branches from it.
The yellow plum does not bear fruit if pollination has not occurred. To attract bees and insects, it is sprayed with a solution of honey or sugar.
At what distance do plums pollinate?
The distance between plums for pollination should be 10–20 meters; at greater distances, pollination may not occur. It is not worth planting closer than 10 meters; trees do not like their crowns to touch.
Plum pollination by hand
In cold or rainy weather, bees and insects do not fly, and pollination may not take place. To correct the situation, artificial pollination of plums is used. Pollen is collected from the flowers of one tree and applied to the flowers of another tree with a cotton swab or small brush. The process is long and laborious, but it pays off. Pollinating garden plums by hand will produce fruit in August.
For what year after planting does a plum bear fruit?
The plum bears fruit 4–5 years after planting, if all care conditions are met. Early-growing varieties can produce a harvest in 2–3 years, late varieties – in 6–7 years.
How many years does a plum bear fruit?
The fruiting period of plums is on average 10–15 years. There will be a good yield if different varieties grow nearby. Plum does not produce a harvest if the tree is old.
Problems arising during the fruiting period of plums
Pests can cause significant damage to fruits; more details about them are written below.
There are no fruits on the plum, the plums have all fallen to the ground - a very common situation.Carrion occurs if the tree is unable to provide the ripening fruits with the necessary nutrition and keep them on the branch until ripening.
Causes of carrion:
- waterlogging;
- drought;
- weak roots;
- improper pruning;
- acidic soil.
There are no fruits on yellow plums for the same reasons as on other varieties.
Why doesn't the plum blossom?
The main reasons why plum trees do not bloom:
- late variety, will bloom, but with a delay;
- flower buds froze and died;
- the plant is overfed with fertilizers;
- the tree does not have enough fertilizer;
- lack of moisture in the soil;
- excess moisture, for example, a swampy place;
- the tree is planted in the shade;
- the tree is planted in a draft;
- there had been a drought the previous summer;
- pests;
- the tree has dried up.
The yellow plum does not bloom for the same reasons as other varieties.
What to do if a plum blossoms but does not bear fruit
Abundant flowering is not a guarantee of a good harvest. The plum blossoms, but does not bear fruit because it is barren. Such a flower will bloom in the spring, but will not bear fruit. Barren flowers can occur if the flower buds are slightly frozen. Inside the petal of frozen flowers there is blackness, there are no pistils or stamens. Experienced gardeners remove barren flowers so that they do not interfere with healthy flowers.
It is possible to force a plum to bear fruit every year, provided that the variety is self-pollinating or pollinating varieties grow next to it. If there are no pollinators, artificial pollination must be done.
You can make a plum bear fruit if you increase the number of bees. In the USA, for example, there is a nomadic apiary service for gardeners. During the flowering period, beekeepers bring the hives to the garden, and after flowering they take them away. Bees actively pollinate plums, and in August gardeners receive a rich harvest.Beekeepers receive half of their annual income not from selling honey, but from renting hives to gardeners. Bees help gardeners avoid the situation when the plum blossoms but there is no fruit.
In 2011, the Beekeeping Research Institute of the Russian Agricultural Academy conducted experiments to study the effect of pollination by bees on the flowers of fruit trees.
This table shows that the yield has increased for non-self-fertile trees. Plum has one of the best results; its yield has increased 11 times.
What to do if the plum is frozen
Plum buds, branches, trunk, and roots may freeze. If a plum is frozen, various methods of revival are not very effective; prevention throughout the year gives the best result. Freezing flower buds can be warmed by fumigation with smoke. Branches damaged by frost cannot be saved; after the buds appear in early spring, they must be cut back to a healthy place. Cracks on a tree trunk appear from sunburn and sudden temperature changes; they are covered with garden varnish. To prevent sunburn, bleach the tree trunk with a lime solution.
If the climate is mild, but the plum has dried out after the winter, it may have grown in a low-lying area where cold air constantly stagnates in winter.
Freezing of the roots leads to the death of the entire tree. We need to break the branch. If the color inside is orange, then it is no longer possible to revive the plum after winter.
What to do if the plum does not bloom in the spring
The following steps will help revive your plum after winter:
- fumigation with smoke;
- crack treatment;
- lime whitening;
- pruning dry branches.
The plum tree does not bloom after winter if it has not been properly cared for throughout the season.
The main reasons for the lack of fruiting in plums
Plum does not bear fruit for the following reasons:
- the flower buds froze a little and died;
- barren flower;
- not a self-pollinating variety, there is no pollinating variety nearby;
- rainy or cold spring, insects do not fly;
- lack or excess of fertilizers;
- yellow plum does not bear fruit if it grows next to sea buckthorn;
- lack or excess of moisture.
Plum does not bear fruit well due to a lack of calcium in the soil; fertilizing will give good results. The next reason is iron deficiency. In this case, you can drive a rusty nail into the tree trunk; iron salts will slowly enter the tree.
You can drive pegs into the ground and tie branches to them, or use twine to attach branches to a tree trunk. If you hang a weight in the form of a water bottle on a drain, you can adjust the tension using the water in the bottle. Forming the crown from a vertical position to a spreading form will help the plum tree begin to bear fruit.
Diseases and pests
To make a plum blossom and bear fruit, it is necessary to carry out proper prevention of pest damage. For example, if a plum tree does not open its buds, then the cause may be a flower beetle; it destroys flower buds.
The following actions can help against pests:
- digging up the earth around the tree;
- loosening the soil in the root zone;
- catching belts;
- traps in the form of cans of beer or kvass, hung on branches;
- regular treatment with insecticides (Fufanon, Karbofos, Karate, Mospilan, Calypso, Aktara).
For fruit rot (clasterosporiasis), use one percent Bordeaux mixture. Preventative spraying during the period of bud formation and flowering will help avoid disease.In the fall, they are sprayed with urea against clasterosporiosis. Affected fruits and leaves are collected and burned.
If the plum tree has stopped bearing fruit, the cause may be pests that eat the ovaries and fruits, such as the sawfly. The tree blooms well, the fruits set, but do not have time to grow. After treatment with insecticides, the fruits are clean; timely treatment will allow you to get a good harvest.
Lack of pollinators
The plum blossoms, but does not bear fruit in the absence of suitable pollinators for this variety.
If there is no pollinator, bees will help pollinate the plum, provided the weather is suitable during the flowering period. In cold, rain, and strong winds, bees do not fly. If bad weather conditions last 2 weeks during flowering, the plum will remain unpollinated and there will be no fruit.
Violation of plum planting rules
The fruiting of plums directly depends on compliance with planting rules. Mistakes when planting plums:
- the root is planted too deep in the ground;
- the distance between neighboring seedlings is less than 10 m, the crowns will close together in the future;
- the tree is planted in a draft or in the shade.
Violation of plum care rules
If your plum tree suddenly stops bearing fruit, it is probably suffering from excess fertilizer. Excess minerals are not beneficial.
Dry summers and lack of moisture for plums can cause plums to freeze even in mild winters.Too much moisture from heavy watering or prolonged rainfall will cause excessive branch growth. The bark of such trees can get sunburned in winter and crack. In spring, gum comes out of the cracks; the plum does not bloom its leaves.
Lack of lighting
In order for the plum to bear fruit every year, it must be planted in a well-lit place.
Adverse climatic conditions
If the plum does not wake up, then it froze in spring or winter. Some heat-loving varieties cannot take root in the middle zone due to frost. The roots of the tree freeze already at 16 degrees below zero. To protect them, snow is raked and trampled down near the trunk. If the plum tree has dried out after winter, the cause may be freezing of the roots.
The flowering areas are the first to suffer from frost, and the plum tree does not open its buds after winter. The main reason for the lack of flowering is the freezing of flower buds.
Conclusion
Plum trees do not bear fruit for many reasons. To get a good harvest every year, you need to make a lot of effort. Prevention of freezing in winter and protection of the tree from pests is carried out throughout the year; proper care will give the tree a chance to bear fruit abundantly.
