Chickasaw Plum

Hey all

I found a few Chickasaw Plum trees (95% sure they're Chickasaw) growing in my treeline a few years back. They were overwhelmed with wild grapevines for years until I made a real effort to remove all grapevines from the trees over the past winter. This year, they didn't really bloom and of course did not fruit. In fact, I've never seen them fruit, but they were being overcome by the vines.

My question would be, does anyone think they'll eventually fruit? I'm not sure if there are plums that are purely vegetative or have these just been smothered?

Attached is a photo of one of the blossoms from a couple years ago. Just in case someone can identify it.

Thanks.

It takes a lot of sun for trees to set fruit and if the grapevines were shading them out, it may be a few years before they set fruit.  They've literally been starving for however long the grapevines have been shading them.  I'd suggest giving them a light feeding and clearing their area so that they can get max sun.  Grape vines will have also consumed a lot of the water and nutrients that the plums needed, not just the sun. While you wait there are a couple of tests you can do, as well.  

I don't know if your plums are self-fertile.  I do know that not all plums are self-fertile.  They may not be fruiting because they need a pollinator.  I would suggest conducting a test.  Try getting some flowers from a different kind of plum tree and then attempt to hand fertilize some blooms on your plums.  If that gets them to set fruit in places where you hand fertilized, then you need to plant another plum to provide fertilization.  If you do need another variety, the general rule is to plant it within 50 feet of the trees you want it to fertilize.  Since your plums are grown in a "thicket" and not a tree, you may be dealing with just one plant (all connected at the roots), and that one plant might not be able to fertilize itself.

If it doesn't, it might be a nutrient deficiency with phosphorus being the most common.  Bat guano or sea bird poop, if they're available, can be good for this but a simple soil test, prior to the application of the poo, should be able to diagnose that or whatever else is missing.

It might be that it wasn't cold enough long enough for them to get their chilling requirement to set fruit.  It's not uncommon for plums to need 200-300 hours of continuous time below 45F but above freezing.  

Hi Lisa

So much good info! Thank you!

The vines have been cleared (for the time being) and they're getting plenty of sun this season. I do have a few different plum trees (and many other stone fruit) in the area as well. My guess is the main culprit is light starvation. I can add some bird "fertilizer" into the area too. I'll see if I can get a soil test for a deeper dive.

These grape vines have been very challenging to deal with, but where I've cleared them, the soil is fantastic.

Any thoughts on how to battle these vines... aside from loppers, machetes, and frequent weed whipping?

Thanks again