Will plum trees grow in Florida?
To grow plum trees in Florida you must plant specific varieties. “Gulf” cultivars of Plum trees have been cultivated by the University of Florida and will thrive in our warmer climate. Gulfbeauty, Gulfblaze, and Gulfrose are all low chill hour plum trees that will grow well in Florida.
“Gulf” varieties of plum trees are Japanese type plums and will make fruit that are smaller than your average plum. Mature fruits are about 1-2inches in diameter and are usually ready for harvest around May to June.
Plum Tree Varieties For Florida
In order to successfully produce fruit and grow Plum trees in Florida you need to plant Florida friendly varieties. These are low chill hour variety of plum trees. All of the recommended varieties here come from the University of Florida.
| Variety | Chill Hours |
| Gulfbeauty | 225 |
| Gulfblaze | 250 |
| Gulfrose | 275 |
Gulfgold and Gulfruby were developed by the University as well. These two varieties did produce fruits but they were found to be susceptible to certain diseases and fungal problems.
How Many Chill Hours Do I Get?
Every year is obviously different so it’s hard to give an exact number of chill hours your location will get every year. but we can use averages as a good guideline.
| City | Chill Hours |
| Tallahassee | 550-650 |
| Jacksonville | 550-650 |
| Gainsville | 400-550 |
| Ocala | 300-400 |
| Orlando | 200-300 |
| Fort Myers | 100-200 |
| Miami | 0-50 |
Use these cities as guidelines. If you go further north from the closest listed city to you, you will be on the higher end of these averages. If you go further south from the closest listed city to you, you will be on the lower end of these averages.
Planting Plum Trees In Florida
The best time to plant plum trees is during early winter. In Florida, this is around January and February. This is especially true if you are planting young trees.
If you have a well-established tree, one that is living comfortably in a five-gallon pot, you can really plant it at any time of the year.
When planting plum trees (this goes for almost all fruit trees) you should dig a large hole. One that is twice as wide and deep as the root mass. After digging the hole twice as eep, backfill it with loose dirt and added compost until the trunk of the tree sits level with the ground.
Backfill the hole completely now and lay a thick layer of mulch. It’s helpful to build a ring with the mulch around the base of the tree. This helps with water retention.
How To Care For Plums
Plum trees should be planted in Full sun.
When first planting your plum tree you should give it a good water. Make sure the area around the tree is nice and wet, you don’t want to drown your tree but you want it to have plenty to drink.
I think it’s a good idea to water every day for about 2 weeks when your tree is getting established. Then cut back to every other day for about 2 weeks. After that, I would only water once to twice a week depending on rainfall for the rest of its life.
The three recommended varieties are resistant to two common plum problems, leaf scald, and bacterial spot.
This does not make them immune to bug damage though. The two most common and damaging insects are Plum curculio and stink bugs.
Plum curculio lives in the dirt around your tree. It damages your plant by emerging from it’s home to lay eggs in your ripening fruit. the larvae eat its way through the plum and then crawl back down to live in the soil so that the cycle continues.
Do You Need Two Plum Trees To Make Fruit?
Plum trees need cross-pollination in order to produce fruit. For this reason you will need to plant a second plum tree in order to make fruit.
You can plant any cultivar of plum tree in order to cross-pollinate. I think the best choice here is to just get two different kinds of Gulf variety plum. They will have close flowering cycles and
Pruning Plum Trees
Plum tree limbs grow fast and long. They can get a bit wispy and weak if you don’t begin to prune them.
Pruning is ideally done during dormancy (December to February). The main point of pruning is to control the size, eliminate branches crossing and to make sure enough sun hits all parts of the tree.
The first year after planting is a good time to head back the tree. This takes off the very top of the tree. This makes harvesting fruit easier because it also promotes lateral growth, causing a full tree.
The ideal structure for your plum tree is to have the main trunk support 4-6 equally spaced branches all the way around. these main branches should be pruned back to be 1-3 feet in size early on.
Harvesting Plum Trees In Florida
Plums are harvested in Florida from May through June.
Gulf variety of plums are ready to harvest 75-95 days after fruit set. Fruits ripen on the tree and grow between 1-2 inches in diameter. Gulf plums are usually frim when picked but quickly soften after removal from the tree.
Many plum growers claim that they actually remove fruit in order to allow space for other fruits to ripen on the branch. if fruit or flowers are not removed from the tree, the plums produced would be very small. when thinning, leave about 1-2 inches of space in between each fruit. This will allow for maximum size.
Even with removal of fruit, a fully mature plum tree will still produce 40-50 lbs of fruit.
How To Grow Plum Trees In Florida
- Choose a Florida friendly variety of plum tree like the Gulfbeauty, Gulfblaze, or Gulfrose
- Plant young trees during the dormancy period, usually December – February.
- Dig a big enough hole to plant your tree in.
- Prune your young trees to give them a wide-open shape and ensure strong branches.
- Plant more than one plum tree to ensure cross-pollination.
- Plums are harvested in Florida from May through June.
