Satsuma Plum

Two more trees to go before finishing this fruit tree series(for this year).  It has been a lot of fun recalling my experiences with these plants last year and also sharing the research done before putting them into the ground.  The simple truth is that having fruit trees on your property is very exciting....for color, smell, and taste:)  Plums are some of my favorite fruits to eat. 

The Satsuma Japanese plum is at every garden center currently in town.  You can buy this plant bareroot or potted.  I purchased it bareroot and it grew really well in a sunny spot in the garden.  While it didn't produce any fruit during the first year, it did double in size. This plum is popular in Tucson and again is hidden from the general public.  It is a juicy flavorful plum that ripens over a 2-3 week period in late July and early August.  Some years it will bear heavily.  The chill hours required are 250-300 hours and are perfect for our area.  It does need a pollinator however or it won't bear fruit at all.  Pollinate with a Santa Rosa or Beauty.  I put a Santa Rosa plum tree nearby so that they will help each other out:) It is a recommended tree for Tucson gardeners as it performs well in our area.  I have one more fruit tree that I am currently growing in the El Presidio Gardens to talk about which means one more post to go....I'll also have a general link of information on fruit/berry bushes, and nut trees that I did not cover.  There are a lot of choices out there and it is a time to dream and get excited.  Fruit trees should be planted, like your bareroot roses, this month. So don't wait....go and have yourself some fun! 

Not related to the fruit trees series is yet another series coming up...the Citrus Garden. It is my current project that has been ongoing for some time. However, several major events have happened on the progress and I hope you'll find it informative. There is some major writing to do in the upcoming weeks. We were outside today for 5 hours reshaping the future of the gardens. There are also several other individual writes that I am investigating currently and I cannot believe the excitement that I feel inside. Watch as a garden transforms into a magical oasis in the middle of Tucson. And watch as we, the residents, have come up with solutions to deal with several problems on our property. There is a lot to write about my friends and I can't wait to get back to my photo shoots after I finish with my fruit tree segment. 

Santa Rosa Plum

For every success story, there is one that falls below expectations. To be fair, I purchased this plant bareroot and this is what I have to say about bareroot vs. potted.  While bareroot fruit trees are cheaper than their potted counterparts, they also take a little longer to establish themselves.  I think I discovered that I'm definitely a potted fruit tree guy. This tree was the last one to leaf out and I was very worried that it wasn't going to do anything.  However, it leafed out and began to grow.  The branches were easily broken and it just looked terrible. Then some time in the summer it began to look like a tree and I didn't worry anymore.  Today that tree still has leaves and is doing well.  It didn't produce any fruit last year and I don't think it's going to do much this year.  The tree is growing and doing alright, but it wasn't a showstopper for me.  I rate this tree a 6 out of 10 for performance and difficulty growing.  Had I not paid attention to it, I don't think this plant would be alive.  It requires a bit of work, but once it was established, I didn't have to do much.  I personally love plums so I put them in a spot that receives quite a bit of sun with afternoon shade...it really was the sweet spot of the garden.  I planted it next to another plum tree that did much better over this variety.  The problem is that it needs this tree to cross pollinate because the Satsuma Plum cannot produce fruit on its' own.  While this plum tree did not fail; it did not entirely meet my expectations.  With that said, I am happy today that it's in the garden and growing.  I'm patient.  Here are the cold facts:)

My Santa Rosa plum tree after it finally leafed out!! It is a bit larger now.

Fruit is delicious and best eaten right off the tree.  It only needs 250 hours of chilling time(perfect for you folks in Phoenix...just watch the sun AND this guy drinks water!). The fruit ripens early June to early July. It is one of the largest and most beautiful Japanese plums with a fragrant yellow flesh.  It is a good backyard variety.  The Santa Rosa Plum tree is self fertile(makes fruit on its' own) and one of the most popular plum trees in the United States with more than 30 percent of the country's total plum crop coming from this tree. This tree can grow up to 25 feet tall.  There are currently no dwarf varieties for plums like there are for other fruit trees.  They love full sun and thrive in any soil.  It can be susceptible to Plum Leaf Scald, but I haven't seen this issue here in Tucson.  Tucson has a variety of plum trees, but they are well hidden.  To be honest, I have not seen any here, but gardeners assure me that people do grow them and have wonderful plums. It's like the "avocado tree" that everyone says grows in Tucson.....like a unicorn....don't think I'll ever see one! But the plum tree does grow here.  The picture above is evidence.  If you are a caring gardener, put one in your backyard.  If you are a gardener who just likes a tree to fruit without any assistance, this is not the tree to plant.  It requires a bit of TLC.  This is the second post on Tucson Fruit Trees.   Until next time, Happy Gardening!!