advice on how best to grow a damson merry weather tree from a stone. A Damson Plum has a variety of health benefits as well as different uses that make it a perfect addition to any backyard. Once the fruit begins to form, you can expect to pick perfectly ripened fruit in the late summer months before winter comes in strong. They generally have deep blue skins and they are spicier and more tart, making them better for cooking. They will come true from a stone and will produce fruit within 15 years. #Damson_plum_tree, #Damson_plum, #Damson There are several varieties of damson to choose from, some named after the region where they were traditionally grown, such as Farleigh Damson, Shropshire Prune and Aylesbury Prune. 2. Other tolerant varieties are 'Santa Rosa' and 'Satsuma'. Never trim Merryweather damson trees during the winter. Its best to raise containers onto pot feet or bricks to keep the drainage holes clear and avoid waterlogged compost. Press the soil in around the cuttings. It is important to note that trees should not be sprayed whilst in flower to avoid any danger to pollinators. Begins to bear crops in 34 growing seasons. The only time you truly need to prune a Damson plum tree is to remove any old dead branches that have been leftover from previous growing seasons. Shropshire Prune (also known as Prune Damson) is one to choose for neat, compact growth, or you could look for a tree grown on Pixy rootstock to restrict growth to 8-10 feet (2.4-3m). Plant. With a strong amount of Vitamin C, Damson Plums are a perfect way to boost your immune system while also supporting healthy hair and nails. In colder sites, its best to train damsons against a south-, south-west or west-facing wall or fence. I will pop them out in the endless snow as soon as I gat a chance. Damson Plums can be used in various ways throughout the kitchen. If you buy the dwarf variety, you simply need a space that holds a ten-foot by ten-foot tree, whereas a normal tree will be twenty feet tall and twenty feet wide. The best orange trees for pots are dwarf cultivars, such as Calamondin, Trovita, or Buddhas Hand. Fairleigh is a comapct growing and reliable cropping dark blue culinary damson which will produce good crops in most years. Prune Damson is a fairly vigorous blue damson which is ideal for cooler areas due to its late flowering. Damson Plum Trees also thrive in full sun and well-draining soil. Features ovate or elliptic green leaves that are finely toothed on the margins. Also, this type of plum tree gives you an oval shape that is a perfect accent to any yard. Every issue, The English Garden magazine features the most beautiful gardens from all across the UK and Ireland - both town and country plots, big and small. And yes, before you say it, we know the stones! The main thing is not to let the root system dry out and so avoid putting it anywhere near a heat source. GROWING DAMSONS AGAINST A WALL You will need a space of 200cms high and wide to accommodate the tree and make sure the soil isnt too dry as sometimes it can be against a wall. Coat the end of the damson cutting in 0.1-per cent IBA rooting hormone powder. Heres how to grow them: If you have an empty patch of ground or large container in a warm, sunny and sheltered position, its worth considering growing a damson tree. Damson trees grow up to 15ft high and are easy to maintain, being relatively tolerant to most things! They dont particularly like pure peat or pure clay soil though. Like all plums, damsons need little maintenance to produce a reliable crop, but you can greatly increase your harvest by watering and feeding at the right times. If you want to grow a trained tree, such as a fan, decide if you want to train it yourself from scratchstarting with a one year old tree (maiden)or buy a (more expensive) partially trained tree. Damson Plum Tree Care: 1 Water deeply once a week during its growth. For more persistent infections an insecticide such as deltamethrin or cypermethrin may be applied. Treat them with insecticidal soap spray. Mix the removed soil with good quality compost and back-fill. Damsons and plums are not suitable for training as espaliers. Whats the difference between a damson and a plum? Its seeds have been found in prehistoric dwellings. (2022, February 14). The tree adapts to wide range of soil types but requires moist soil. If planting against a wall, it is good to be aware that the adjacent area is often very dry, so it is recommended to plant the tree approximately 30-40cm away from the wall. Harvesting Damsons develop their best flavour if left to ripen on the tree. Bare-root trees are mainly available from specialist suppliers. Dark Opal Basil Info: Tips On Dark Opal Purple Basil Care, What Is White Leaf Spot Learn About Brassica White Leaf Spot, Peach Honey Babe Care Honey Babe Peach Growing Information, Ornamental Grass Seed Propagation Learn About Collecting Ornamental Grass Seeds, Home & Garden Marketplace: Advertiser Info. Here too. 25 Phoenix Court, Hawkins Road, They will come true from a saved stone, but you could be waiting many years for the tree to mature and bear fruit. Open the bag for an hour each day to allow the damson to breathe. It took its name from Damascus. Keep the area free of weeds in at least a 12 inch (31 cm.) Im not sure if theres something to be done. If possible, move potted trees indoors or into a sheltered spot if frosts are due during flowering. With smaller trained trees, if frost is forecast during flowering, cover them temporarily in a tent of horticultural fleece orhessian, holding it away from the flowers with canes. Press the damsons against the sides of the pan as they cook to help the fruit release their stones. It is well-suited for moderate to cooler climates, even in zones 3. Brown spots or small holes in leaves are a sign of bacterial canker, along with dieback of shoots remove affected growth. Damsons and plums like fertile soil, ideally slightly acidic, with a pH of 66.5, but theyre tolerant of a wide range of soils. The Damson is often grouped with the European plums, but botanists classify it as a separate species. 'Methley' is self-fruiting (can pollinate itself) and more frost-tolerant than most varieties. It flowers well and the tree looks fine each year; however, no fruit ever appears. Planting a bare root tree is no more difficult than planting a root-balled tree. Beautiful color, attracts a variety of animals, and useable fruit; what could be better in a fruit tree? Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Protect blossom from late frosts if possible and thin out heavy crops to avoid branches breaking under the weight. They are still grown today for their edible fruit, which is used in a variety of preserves and in slivovitz, a type of alcohol. by email twice a month, Grow Your Own Allotment Gardening Help. 2 to 3 yearsHow long will it take a damson tree to fruit? Containerised trees are available all year round. They dont like being shaded, though, and blossom time should be dry for good pollination. It prefers a moist, well-drained, loamy, mildly acidic to mildly alkaline soil. Brown spots appear on the leaves which then turn into small holes and I am afraid that although they do not cause much harm to the tree there is no cure for the problem. Scatter two handfuls per square metre/yard around trees growing in bare soil, and two and a half around those in grass. Growing Merryweather damsons isnt difficult for gardeners in USDA plant hardiness zones 5 through 7. :) They could take as many as 5 years to really start producing. Damsons are self-fertile, so you dont need to plant more than one. One of the best aspects of a Damson Plum tree is that it does well with little to no maintenance once it is well established. Usually only the first fruits are affected and ideally should be tolerated as only a small proportion of the crop are afflicted. Caterpillars can be managed with Bt, a naturally occurring biological control. reliable crops of fruit, which is available in a range of coloured skins and flesh. a Blue Damson Plum offers both visual appeal and, when added to jams and baked goods, an immense flavor. Pixy semi-dwarfing, suitable for cordon or semi-dwarf bush tree, up to 34m (1012ft) tall. Damsons are clingstone fruit, with flesh that clings to the stone making them hard to remove. However, it can work with less vigorous varieties on semi-dwarfing Pixy or VVA-1rootstock. However, this may not be possible due to the ground being frozen or covered in snow; if this is the case store the tree with the polythene around its roots in a cool place like a garage or shed. Grow Your Own Magazine The damsons will break up as they heat or you can help them by using a potato masher to gently squash them against the bottom of the pan. (zones 5-7). Like a slightly sour plum busting with flavour. Common. Damson trees dont usually grow too tall so they can be easy to reach or in some years the weight of the fruit bends the branches down to picking height for you. Lack of water can cause young fruits to be shed. The plum moth can affect damson trees and can lead to caterpillars eating the damson fruit. You can purchase bare-root damson trees online from November onwards. By selecting a damson on a dwarfing rootstock it is possible to have a damson in a small garden or even to container grow them. Unless you are in an urban area place a tree guard around the stem to protect the tree from rabbits and deer as they love to eat the bark. See also Are Damson Plums The Same As Italian Plums? Check the Merryweather damson trees frequently for aphids, scale, and spider mites. times. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); I have two Damson plum trees planted two years ago. Wild plum trees are symbolic of independence. "Holey" oftentimes means a caterpillar or worm of some sort. The leaf-curling aphid affects the foliage during spring leading to leaf distortion and the mealy plum aphid which although does not distort the foliage, leaves a sticky honey dew allowing sooty mould to grow. Drive in the tree stake close to where the main stem will be. Damsons are not difficult to grow. The damson tree is an attractive addition to the home garden they burst forth with a pretty blossom in April, then the gently drooping branches provide great shade in the summer as the delicate tiny plums turn purple. Plant bare-rooted trees in late autumn or early winter. FREE SEEDS SPECIAL OFFER, Free Trial - Allotment Planner The cut end of the cutting should then be dipped in rooting hormone and put in a moist rooting medium (info below). A lot of the plums were distorted with a sticky substance oozing from them. Potted trees can be available but at an added cost. The later spring bloom time of the flowers makes them less frost prone. Whilst they do not like a waterlogged soil, they need to be kept moist. Damsons have quite high moisture demands, so they are best planted on good clay or loamy soils. Open the bag for an hour each day to allow the damson to breathe. Backfill around the roots so the soil is level with the surrounding soil, gently press the soil down to eliminate any air gaps around the roots. Damson trees grow up to 15ft high and are easy to maintain, being relatively tolerant to most things! Then plant in the same way as planting in the ground see above. Another American-Japanese hybrid, coming from the 1920s, the Underwood is a hardy growing plum tree that can reach 15 feet tall. However, they are very productive, supplying plenty of fruit for jelly, jam, and even wine. Plum trees provide food and cover for butterfly larva, birds and mammals. Damson Plums are stocked full of fiber and vitamin c, making them a great healthy snack to grab on the go. The holes in the leaves of your Damson Tree Elly is probably Shot Hole Disease which is a fungal disease that attacks Damsons, Peaches and Cherries. However, it is worth noting that, like many other fruits, it is very unlikely that the resultant tree will bear fruit that resembles that of the tree that it came from. Damsons are actually a form of plum but with a generally tart flavour and being used more for cooking, jams, wine etc rather than eaten fresh. They like a damp climate, except at blossom time, when it interferes with pollination. Most varieties need cross pollination (two different varieties need to be planted). Also, once this plum tree is established well, it requires very little maintenance and upkeep. Peach Blossoms Softwood cuttings are generally taken in the spring when new branches are green and no blossoms have We aim to enrich everyones life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place. Like most species of plum, damsons grow best from cuttings since they do not reproduce reliably from seed, but it is a relatively easy task with a high rate of success. which will produce a tree with medium vigour that can be trained into a bush, cordon, pyramid or fan. Retrieved March 14, 2023, from https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/fthr/pest-and-disease-resources/oak-processionary-moth-thaumetopoea-processionea/opm-manual-9-pheromone-trapping/. Choose cuttings with several sets of leaf buds, green bark and a diameter slightly less than that of a pencil. The farm has made a name for itself for sourcing high quality unusual produce that has fallen out of mass production. Damson plums are best when used in baking or combined to create a jam or jelly. Damson trees are readily available from online fruit tree suppliers and most often purchased as a bare root tree, grafted onto a specific rootstock to control its growth.