Growing plum seed is not an easy task at home but professional growers can do it. But, don’t you need to worry, it doesn’t mean that you can’t grow plum at home. The hardest part of growing plum through seed is that this fruit comes under the minor fruit category as well as it has specific climate requirements to grow. It needs a chilling environment which I don’t know exactly how many hours but plum seed needs almost six months in your refrigerator to complete its dormancy stage. In this article, you will be able to understand and learn about growing plum trees through seeds.
How to crack open the plum seed?
We all know that plum fruit is very delicate and perishable but on the other hand, its seed is covered in the hard coating. This coating should be cracked up. As a horticulturist, we use the term ‘stratification’ which means seeds are manipulated physically to loosen them so that seeds could be able to germinate.
Open the shell by hitting with a hammer, but remember don’t hit too much that inside seed may damage. The safer way is to make cracks in the shell and gently remove the seed out of it. Now, it’s time to sprout for successful germination.
How long does it take for plum seeds to sprout?
When seeds are crack opened, you may better check the viability first before making preparations for the sprouting. The viability of seeds is checked by soaking in water. So, take the tap water in a jug or something like that and pour the seeds into it. If seeds float over the water then it means that these seeds are not good to grow, but it sinks down then you are good to grow.
Now, after checking the viability, you need to prepare the environment for sprôuting. Normally, seeds are taken under a wet and cool environment to sprout just because of their more chances to proliferate. If you are at home, then take a normal tissue paper with wet conditions and wrap it out and then put it into a zip lock packet and then put it into the fridge/ refrigerator.
It takes approximately 7-15 days or more in some cases, but you may experience that all the seeds didn’t sprout at the same time.
How to grow a plum seed?
Now, sprouted seeds need a growing environment where they acclimatize. Take the pot with a potting medium and bury seeds half an inch down with sprouted upper leaves towards the upside and then cover it with another soil layer gently.
When to grow the plum seeds?
As a gardener, you need to understand the importance of time for growing plum seeds. By nature, plum is a temperate and deciduous fruit, that’s why it should be grown during the spring season before the onset of summer.
How to germinate plum seeds?
Now, when the plum seed is germinated and bears out its roots then it’s time to transfer it into the soil. Now prepare your potting media and make a little dig of almost all of your plum seed size where it will germinate. One of the most important tasks is germination. Plum seeds should be covered with a very light layer so that when plum seed makes it first left then there should be no hard hindrance in front of it.
Point to ponder: germination becomes easy when the plum seed is sprouted. The difficult time for plum seeds is sprouting because plum seeds need to come out of their dormancy. Breaking of dormancy needs time which is actually its seed chilling hour requirement. So, sprouting may occur in weeks or months depending upon the chilling hour.
After germination
Germination of the sprouted plum seed occurs in almost two weeks. You just need to make sure of water and organic sources of potting media. Growing through seeds is a traditional method. It can be grown from cuttings as well which is used commercially but at home, it can be grown by means of plum seeds.
Plum starts its maiden bearing (first bearing) after 2-3 years. So, in between, there are many things to do, especially for commercial purposes. But, at home, it needs little attention. Like application of fertilizer, irrigation, etc. you may click here to see more on its cultural practices and recommendations.
Is plum area specific?
Yes, it’s a temperate fruit and needs a colder environment where the temperature remains between 15-20 celsius. But, there are many varieties that come with the adaptability of the environment higher than that. You may check it out on google.