Plum Tree Pollination Chart and Guide: How To Attract Pollinators (Fruit Trees)

How To Grow and Care for Plum Trees (How To Attract Pollinators)

Properly growing and caring for plum trees matters in all situations, whether you’re dealing with a self-pollinating variety or not. These tips can help you grow healthy and fruitful plum trees that attract pollinators:

Plant at the Appropriate Time

The early spring is the most appropriate time to plant plum trees. When the frost in the ground has thawed, you can start planting.

However, wait until the soil drains if it is particularly waterlogged.

To test soil drainage,¹⁸ dig a hole at least 12 inches deep and four inches wide. Fill the hole with water and then leave it alone to drain.

Ideally, the soil will drain by about three inches in an hour.

Plant in the Proper Place

The proper place to plant plum trees is an area that receives at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day.¹⁹ Avoid low areas where frost can settle, especially because plum trees flower earlier than many other fruit tree varieties.

The distance between trees depends on their size. For standard-size trees, plant them 20-25 feet apart.

As for dwarf trees, you can plant them closer — about 10-15 feet apart. In all cases, the hole should be a few inches deeper and wider than the roots.

If you’re planting a bare-root tree, set it on top of a small mound of soil in the center of the hole. Spread the roots down and away from the tree without excess bending.

If you’re planting a container-grown tree, remove it from its pot and get rid of tightly circling roots. Then, place the root ball in the center of the hole.

After planting the tree, fill in the hole, checking periodically to ensure you’ve thoroughly covered the roots and got rid of air pockets. If you have a bare-root tree, stake it for at least a year to give it extra support.

Plant in the Right Kind of Soil

The right kind of soil for plum trees is loamy (meaning it has a good balance of sand, silt, and clay soil)²⁰ and drained well. This kind of soil holds moisture but also drains well.

(Image: ajs1980518³⁷)

Avoid planting plum trees in clavy-heavy soil or in an area where the roots will frequently or constantly be wet.

Water Regularly

When you first plant the tree, water it thoroughly to help the soil settle. Keep it well-watered during the first few weeks, too, by watering heavily and soaking the entire root system once a week.

From here, you can water the tree thoroughly once every 2-4 weeks — and make sure that you soak the entire root system to hydrate it properly.

Fertilize Regularly (but Not Too Early)

Don’t fertilize young plum trees until they have produced an initial crop. After that, you can fertilize once a year to support growth without overdoing it.

How much fertilizer should you use? 1-3 pounds of calcium nitrate for every 1,000 square feet of surface area works well for most trees.²¹

Prune and Mulch

Regularly prune your plum trees during the summer or winter to control pests and diseases and keep them open. If you prune during the fall or spring, when the weather is wet, you make the trees more vulnerable to fungus.

Mulching (covering the soil with wood chips, grass, etc.) also helps to control weed growth during the spring. Be sure to remove mulch during the late fall.

Otherwise, pests might burrow into it during the winter months.

How To Support Plum Tree Pollinators

To support plum tree pollinators,²² start with taking good care of your plum trees by following the tips shared above.

However, you can also take these steps to make your property more inviting to butterflies, bees, and other important pollinators:

Plant Native Plants

Plant native flowers, fruit trees, and crops alongside your plum trees. Native plants are generally easy to care for and drought tolerant.

They also produce lots of pollen and nectar and provide a source of food and shelter for pollinators (as well as other wildlife).

Provide a Continuous Food Supply

You can provide a continuous food supply for pollinators by making sure you have multiple plants — including plum trees — growing during the spring, summer, and autumn seasons. Because plum trees flower early, they can also be good for pollinators that come out in the late winter/early spring.

Reduce Pesticide Use

Reduce pesticide use to avoid harming pollinators. Remember that pollinators help to support naturally beneficial insects, which reduces your need for additional pest control products.

Other Types of Self Pollinating Fruit Trees

Several other types of trees fall under the self pollinating fruit trees umbrella (or, at least, some varieties do), including the following:

• Pear Tree
• Cherry Tree
• Loquat Tree
• Lemon Tree

Fruit Tree Pollination Chart

The fruit tree pollination chart below can help you understand the essentials of pear tree pollination, lemon tree pollination, Honeycrisp Apple Tree pollination, and more.

(Image: KRiemer³⁸)

If you want to plant additional fruit trees alongside your plum trees, this guide can provide valuable insights into which trees to choose.

When Does Plum Tree Blossom Season Start?

Plum tree blossom typically begins between late January and early March. Because they bloom relatively early, they’re often described as winter flowers or winter blossoms.

(Image: NamHarper⁴²)

Plum tree fruits become ripe enough to pick and enjoy much later in the year. This table breaks down when you can expect to see plums harvested,⁸ based on location:

Plum Tree Pollination Essentials

Plum tree pollination is a critical concept to understand, whether you want to have an entire orchard of plum trees or just want to care for the ones currently on your property.

Some of the most common questions about pollinating plum trees are answered below:

What Is Pollination?

Pollination is a process that involves moving pollen within flowers or pollen being carried from one flower to another by an animal (like bees, birds, bats, butterflies, and moths)⁹ or the wind. Specifically, pollination involves taking pollen from the male “anther” to the female “stigma,” answering the question, “what is pollination?”

Do trees have genders? Kind of.

In most cases (about 90%),¹⁰ plants, including many trees, are male and female simultaneously (this is known as being hermaphroditic). Only about 10% of plant species have exclusively male and female plants, and in even rarer cases, a plant can change from male to female based on its environment.

What Happens During Pollination?

During pollination, three primary components are at play:

1. Anther: The anther is considered the male part of the flower and contains pollen; they are usually oblong or round and sit at the top of the stamen.
2. Stigma: The stigma is considered the female part of the flower; it’s where pollen germinates; it also works as part of the pistil to create mature and fertilized ovaries (fruit).
3. Petal: The petal is the part of the flower people (and pollinators) see first; petals’ size and color help to attract pollinators.

Pollinators like bees collect pollen from the anther and deliver it to the stigma.

Once the pollen lands, it initiates pollen tube formation.¹¹ Pollen tubes then grow downward through the flower’s style until they reach the ovules.

A pollen grain travels down the pollen tubes to intercept an ovule. Afterward, it fertilizes female germ cells and starts the seed development process.

What Is a Pollinizer?

A pollinizer is a plant that acts as a source of pollen (it’s different from a pollinator, which acts as the vehicle for pollen to travel from plant to plant). In the act of cross-pollination, the pollinizer contains the pollen that is delivered to another plant.

What Is Self-Pollination?

Self-pollination is the process of a plant fertilizing itself.¹² In other words, it does not need help from pollinators like bees or butterflies.

Self-pollination happens when the stamen (which holds the anther) and carpel (the plant’s ovule-bearing female reproductive organ) of the plant mature simultaneously. They’re also positioned so the pollen easily lands on the flower’s stigma.

What Is Cross Pollination?

Cross pollination involves a vector, such as the wind or a pollinator, to transfer pollen from one flower to another.

(Image: Seaq68⁴³)

For successful cross-pollination to occur,¹³ these five criteria must be met:

• The pollinizer and main variety bloom periods overlap.
• The pollinizer variety has viable pollen.
• The pollinizer variety is located near the producing tree.
• Bees and other insects are present and active during the blooming period.
• Weed blossoms are not present in large quantities because they attract bees and divert them from fruit tree blossoms.

Why Are Pollinators Important?

Why are pollinators important? They are important because the majority of the world’s plants (over 80%)¹⁴ require them to reproduce.

Furthermore, humans need pollinators because most food — including fruits, vegetables, nuts, spices, chocolate, and coffee — all come from flowering plants.

Pollinators are also in danger as a result of damage to their habitats and exposure to environmental contaminants, diseases, and parasites.

What Are the Most Common Pollinators?

Bees and butterflies are generally considered the most common pollinators (with bees being the most efficient). The types of bees that frequently aid in pollination include solitary bees and bumble bees.¹⁵

One of the most well-known types of butterflies that assist with pollination is the monarch butterfly.¹⁶ However, other varieties of butterflies, as well as moths, are also important pollinators.

The same goes for birds, beetles, and bats.

You might feel intimidated by plum tree pollination at first, especially when it comes to figuring out factors like which plum trees are self-pollinators and which ones require pollinizers.

However, if you follow the guidelines shared above, you’ll feel much more confident in your ability to care for plum trees and ensuring successful plum tree pollination, whether it requires cross-pollination or not.

Frequently Asked Questions About Plum Tree Pollination