Sandhill plums

We are just starting out and there are a lot of wild sand plums on the sides of the roads around here. Would like to plant some in our yard as a break between use and the road but have no idea how to go about it and when would be the best time to do it.

It's difficult to transplant just about anything that's growing in sand, except prickly pear. If it is really sandy, the soil will fall off the root, so you will be doing a bare root planting. I would do it in the winter when the plum tree is dormant. Plant it quickly after digging it up, and keep the roots moist until you get it back in the ground. Don't let the soil dry out real bad, but you don't want to waterlog it either. Mulch it with leaves and water it occasionally and it should be okay. If you transplant enough trees, your odds of having a few survive will increase. There may be a way of getting cuttings and rooting them in water first, but I'm not familiar with that. I'm sure someone on this forum would know. Best of luck!

They are growing in dirt. sand hill is just what I've always heard them called that and they are only like 6 ft tall and grow in cluster around here. thanks

I see. If the soil is tight enough that you can transplant them without disturbing the roots much, then I would transplant them in the fall. Smaller trees are easier to transplant without cutting the roots back too much, and they have a better survival rate than bigger trees. Prune back about 30% of the tree, so that the top of the tree is more in balance with the surviving roots. Next spring, you'll know how well it worked!

plums tend to grow well and quickly from seed, so my suggestion would be plant the plums

What time of year would be a good time to try a cutting?

Richard Hoffman wrote:What time of year would be a good time to try a cutting?

Try - now works, if they are free. Worst that happens is they don't work and you try again later.

Best time - not sure.

Thats true. We were out driving the roads tonight and found a nice big batch.

Usually its best to take cuttings when a plant is in a growth phase, or putting out flowers (which must be removed from any cutting) because the plant's growth hormones are already stimulated. Or so I've read.

Thats good to know. They are just starting to flower thank you.