Plum Tree (Not) Blossoming

Hi everyone,

I have a question about an Italian Prune plum tree in my backyard I was hoping you might be able to shed some useful light on.

I purchased the tree at a local big box store so it was container grown (I know, not the best source, but I wasn't organized enough that year to get anything bare root early enough in the season).

I planted it in late spring/early summer 2024. I'm attempting to fan train it along a south facing fence, and last summer I followed some advice I received and did some very light pruning during midsummer (to help with the fan training and to avoid diseases which I understand can affect plums more often if pruned during the spring). The tree seems to be mostly healthy and has put on growth.

My question is about blossom - or lack thereof. The tree wasn't in bloom when I purchased it, and it didn't bloom at all last spring. Is this typical for young plum trees? If so, is there a period of time during which it would be considered normal? i.e. should I consider potentially replacing the tree if it doesn't bloom again this spring, or does it need more time to mature? Is there anything I can do to encourage the tree to bloom (and hopefully produce fruit!!) this year?  

In case it's helpful, I'm in a Canadian hardiness zone 7a which equates to a USDA zone 6b and I think an RHS H6 rating. I chose this variety of plum both because I like it and because it's supposed to be self-fertile.

Thank you!  

What variety of Italian Prune is it?  there are several, most common on the bc coast where i live, is late and early which are about 6 weeks apart for flowering (in my climate). So it could be too early for it.  

It's probably grafted, so should be fruiting at 3 to 4 years old.

Soil acidity is something to check for.  Stone fruit generally like a sweet soil.

Do you see fruiting buds?  Could you share images of the branches? Are they in leaf already?

Thanks for the quick reply!

I am not sure about the variety, I suspect that the tree label didn't even specify.

It's still very early in the season here in Ontario so nothing is yet in leaf, and we've had a cold gray spring so I think things are behind where they'd usually be by now  - we are only starting to see buds on things, and spring bulbs like daffodils and tulips are just starting to push through the soil.

I took a couple of quick pictures of the tree - it does have buds but I am not sure if they are just leaf buds?

As for the soil, it's quite poor and sandy and I am pretty sure it's neutral verging on alkaline - although I have never had it tested. The reason I say this is because that's supposedly the typical soil type around here, and because I have a few hydrangea varieties that bloom pink or blue on the basis of soil PH and they are pink rather than blue. I also amend our soil where I have blueberries and rhododendrons planted to help with acidity. Because the soil isn't very good, I do add leaf mulch and homemade compost made mostly from leaves and garden trimmings I collect (because we're in an urban area, I am not comfortable composting food waste because of the risk of attracting rodents).

Thanks for the help!

I'm following as I have a yellow plum (that's all I know, yellow plum) that I've had in the ground for about 4 years that still isn't flowering or fruiting. Leafs up lovely, I have to cut many shoots every year, but nothing's happening. It's taking up valuable garden space and I'm thinking of cutting it and replacing it with something that will produce (I warned it last year to get its act together, since threatening fruit trees sometimes works, but so far no results).

Your tree is still relatively young for blossoms so feeding the soil won’t hurt - do you grow comfrey that you could make a liquid fertiliser with?

Bending the tips of the younger branches to lower them will also encourage blossoming.

Sounds like your soil shouldn't be too bad for plums.  If I remember right, it rains during the summer months there (amost once a week) so it should like the good drainage.

Hmmm, a puzzle.

Here is a photo of my late Italian Prune just starting to flower.  All the other plums are finishing up this week.  

Thanks for the tips and inspirational photo - maybe that will be my little tree someday!

Regarding the comfrey tea, how much do you need to grow for it to be worthwhile? I don't really have much spare earth but I could potentially grow some in a few 12" containers if that would be enough?

You don't need much space for comfrey honestly, a couple of 12 inch pots would give you enough leaves for a few batches of tea through the season. It grows like mad once it gets going so you'll have more than you expect. Just chop the leaves, stuff them in a bucket with water and leave it for a few weeks. Fair warning though, the smell is absolutely vile.

The round buds may produce flowers this spring. I expect the pointed buds to produce leaves.

Give it time. It often takes several years for young fruit trees to bloom.

Please keep in mind that if your tree doesn't flower it will put it's energy into growing bigger and higher, so future crops will be more bountiful. It's an exponential grow game and nothing out of the ordinary. Fully comprehending your feeling though, I looked at my plum tree that had popped up from imported compost, for five years before it flowered and gave the best tasting plums i ever had. Green gauge it turned out. Breeds true to seeds and suckers! Damn i threatened it to cut it down the year it finally flowered and would have as well. Now i got 30 of it's clones growing and we've grafted 4 differing varieties on one of them a few weeks back. Patience is a virtue.

Thank you! Lots of good advice. I will give the tree a bit more grace to grow and flower, and will also look into whether I can source comfrey seeds from somewhere to try.

katie makos wrote:I will also look into whether I can source comfrey seeds from somewhere to try.

You mentioned that you don’t have much spare ground so it may be better to source comfrey root cuttings from plants that don’t set seeds. Comfrey grows readily from root cuttings.

My Italian plum tree is on year 5, grew from pit, and this is its second year flowering, but no plums last year and, even with my rented mason bees, no fruit so far, I mean they wouldn't be ready until like Aug. anyways, but I would think I'd find little mubs on the branches or something that would turn into plums.  I think sometimes trees just take time.

Also is your plum tree in the ground yet or is it in a large pot?  Mine is in a large pot, so maybe that's its problem.  I will ask the landlord come winter if I can plant it in the ground, I guess I should have this winter, but I thought it would be content in there for another year.  Maybe I was wrong.