I don’t see any blossoms on my plum tree. What should I do?
I have a plum tree that is not blooming, why is that so?
Why hasn’t my plum tree bloomed yet?
There should be about an inch of rain or irrigation water applied to plum trees every week to keep them alive. Otherwise, you may find that the blossoms will fall off and/or the fruit will not be able to mature as soon as they are planted.
Once per week if rainfall is not adequate, if you would like to keep the soil moist during dry periods of the year, you should water it deeply until several inches of water are absorbed.
A damp, cloudy, or extremely strong wind can have a significant effect on plum production if they prevail during the period of plum blooming. This is because bees have minimal opportunities to pollinate during these conditions, which can slow down blooming.
It ought to be noted that a great deal of plum trees are not self-compatible and therefore cannot produce fruit on their own. Therefore, in order to produce fruit, another variety of plum tree must be planted along with the plum tree that they already have.
The fruit of a plum tree can reach its peak production only when another plum tree of the same variety blooms at the same time within 50 feet or less, and if there are willing pollinators who will be willing to transfer pollen to it. But even plums that are considered self fertile tend to produce more fruit.
In the absence of chilling hours, the plum tree may not have the ability to bear fruit at all, or it may be forced to undergo a large blooming period too early, which will result in the blossoms being destroyed by frost because the tree was forced to blossom too early.
There are a variety of plum varieties grown in cool climates that require a cooling period of 500 to 900 hours in order to preserve the best quality of the fruit. In Europe, most plum varieties are grown in cold climates and require a chilling period of 700 hours in order to preserve their quality.
There should be about an inch of rain or irrigation water applied to plum trees every week to keep them alive. Otherwise, you may find that the blossoms will fall off and/or the fruit will not be able to mature as soon as they are planted.
Once per week if rainfall is not adequate, if you would like to keep the soil moist during dry periods of the year, you should water it deeply until several inches of water are absorbed.
As phosphorus is the element that is most important for blooming and fruiting, a balanced fertilizer formula like 10-10-10 or a fertilizer made up of higher phosphorus (the P in N-P-K) is recommended for fruit trees.
It is not possible for a plum tree to receive adequate phosphorus unless it is fed bone meal, which is a 360 day slow release fertilizer that can be used all year round. In our opinion, bone meal will do the trick!