Garden Care Guide

European Plum Care

Prunus domestica

One of the most common plum species, grown for fresh eating or for drying (prunes). For abundant, good-quality fruit it needs full sun and fertile, well-drained soil. It requires regular care and spraying against fungal diseases such as brown rot (mummy disease) and fruit moths.

Hardy · -25 °C / -13 °F

Monthly care calendar

Timings are for a temperate Northern Hemisphere climate. In warmer areas tasks start earlier, in colder areas later; in the Southern Hemisphere shift them by six months.

January
  • Pruning: Main pruning time. Shape pruning is carried out to open up the crown, improve light penetration, and remove branches that have lost productivity.
  • Plant protection: 2% Bordeaux mixture or copper-based preparations; applied against overwintering pest eggs (aphids, scale insects) and disease spores (peach leaf curl, brown rot).
  • General care: Pruning debris and mummified fruit should be removed from the garden.
  • Pests & diseases: Check the trunk and branches for scale insects (Coccoidea) and cankers.
  • Frost risk: The tree is hardy, but flower buds are sensitive.
February
  • Watering: Water a newly planted specimen more often than established plants during its first year, as its root system is still shallow.
  • Pruning: While dormant, remove dry, broken, crossing and inward-growing branches so that air and light reach the inside of the crown. Prune at the end of winter, after the risk of severe frost has passed. Pruning early and in the cold leads to gum flow and infection at the cuts.
  • Plant protection: Just before the buds swell, repeat the Bordeaux mixture for Peach Leaf Curl (Taphrina deformans) and Brown Rot (Monilinia spp.).
  • General care: Good time for planting and transplanting.
  • Frost risk: As the buds swell, sensitivity to frost increases.
March
  • Watering: Water a newly planted specimen more often than established plants during its first year, as its root system is still shallow.
  • Fertilizing: Apply a balanced fertilizer when it wakes from dormancy. Because yield and fruit quality depend on nutrient balance, having a soil analysis done is especially useful for this plant.
  • Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
  • General care: Suitable period for planting and transplanting. Flowering begins.
  • Pests & diseases: During humid and cool periods, monitor the leaves and trunk for signs of mold, spots and rot. Check the branches and trunk for brown, stationary bumps (scale insects).
  • Frost risk: Flowers are very sensitive to frost; it is the riskiest month.
April
  • Watering: If there is no rainfall, water every 15 days.
  • Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
  • General care: Flowering continues.
  • Pests & diseases: Look for aphids (green or black clusters of small insects) on fresh shoot tips. If there are only a few, you can knock them off with a strong jet of water.
May
  • Watering: If there is no rainfall, water once a week.
  • Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
  • General care: Spread a 5-7 cm layer of mulch over the root zone; it retains soil moisture and suppresses weeds. Do not pile mulch against the trunk.
  • Pests & diseases: Check fresh shoot tips for aphids (small clusters of green or black insects). If there are few, you can knock them off with a strong spray of water. Check branches and stems for brown, stationary bumps (scale insects).
June
  • Watering: Water deeply twice a week; prefer infrequent and generous watering over small and frequent. The root zone should be wetted to a depth of 30-40 cm.
  • Fertilizing: Apply the second fertilizer dose during the growing season. Do not fertilize after August; late growth will not survive winter.
  • Pruning: After harvest, summer pruning can be done to remove sucker branches that have grown too long.
  • Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
  • General care: Harvest of early-maturing varieties begins.
  • Pests & diseases: Look for aphids (green or black clusters of small insects) on fresh shoot tips. If there are only a few, you can knock them off with a strong jet of water.
July
  • Watering: Water deeply twice a week; prefer infrequent and generous watering over small and frequent. The root zone should be wetted to a depth of 30-40 cm.
  • Pruning: Summer pruning can continue.
  • General care: Harvest of main-season cultivars. Help the tree store energy for the following year.
  • Pests & diseases: In hot and dry weather, check the leaves for spider mites (Tetranychidae).
August
  • Watering: Water deeply twice a week; prefer infrequent and generous watering over small and frequent. The root zone should be wetted to a depth of 30-40 cm.
  • General care: Harvest of mid-late varieties.
September
  • Watering: If there is no rainfall, water once a week.
  • Fertilizing: As post-harvest fertilizing, a phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) heavy fertilizer can be given.
  • General care: Late varieties are harvested. This helps the tree store nutrients for next year.
October
  • Watering: If there is no rainfall, water every 15 days.
  • Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
  • General care: The leaves begin to fall. Collect and destroy all the leaves and mummified fruits that have fallen to the ground.
  • Pests & diseases: During humid and cool periods, monitor the leaves and trunk for signs of mold, spots and rot.
November
  • Watering: Water a newly planted specimen more often than established plants during its first year, as its root system is still shallow.
  • Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
  • General care: Good time for planting and transplanting. Collect fallen leaves; many disease agents and pests overwinter under them.
  • Pests & diseases: During humid and cool periods, monitor the leaves and trunk for signs of mold, spots and rot.
December
  • Watering: Water a newly planted specimen more often than established plants during its first year, as its root system is still shallow.
  • Pruning: Once the tree is fully dormant, major pruning can begin toward the end of the month.
  • General care: Good time for planting and transplanting.

The care advice on this page is general and for information only; it is not professional advice. Plant age, soil and your garden’s microclimate can change the outcome. Plant protection products are mentioned only as general information; they are regulated, and the choice, dose and timing must be decided by a qualified professional under local rules. Consult a landscape architect or agronomist before applying.

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