Why would anyone want to grow a plum tree from a core? Possibly to test your own patience. But the wait could be in vain. Because a plum seed is not so easy to lure a little tree out of the ignorant. We'll tell you how to get the best chance.

Cores of ripe, healthy mirabelle plums from organic cultivation should be selected for breeding

Reach for ripe fruit

Ripe fruits harbor a fully ripe core. This is important if you want to multiply a plum tree from it. You are on the safe side if you pick up freshly fallen fruit from the ground. Because if a violent storm isn't knocking them down from the tree, they just detach themselves from the branch "ready to reproduce".

tips

Mirabelle trees are plentiful, so you won't be short of suitable fruit. Use the same number of them for your own cultivation to increase the chances of successful germination.

Core and clean mirabelle plums

You have to get rid of the flesh and only work with the inner core surrounded by a hard shell. How you separate the pulp from the pit is up to you, as long as you don't destroy the pit in the process.

  • "Nibbling off" the flesh
  • use a destoner
  • remove with a knife

tips

If a lot of pulp remains stubbornly stuck to the core, it can become moldy due to the moisture. Place the seeds in a towel and rub vigorously until all residue has come loose.

Soak mirabelle seeds

Don't crack the hard shell! In due course, the seedling will free itself from it. Fill a bucket with water and put the seeds in for several days. Place the bucket in a shady place outside.

Find a suitable place

In the meantime, you can look for a suitable place in the garden. The soil should be permeable so that the seeds don't get wet later and start to rot. Alternatively, you can fill pots with normal garden soil, to which you can add some sand to improve permeability. The pot must also have drainage holes.

plant seeds

Stick the seeds about 1-2 cm deep in the soil, depending on their size, and forget about them for a while. Nature will do the rest of the work. Check back in spring next time. If you were lucky, you can admire the first seedlings. Once the saplings are a respectable size
have reached, select the strongest specimen and plant it in its permanent place.

Don't miss harvest 😉

Irrespective of which Mirabelle variety it is and how well it is cared for, you have to wait around 6 years for a Mirabelle tree grown from the core before it gives you the first fruit. Whether they taste the same as those of the mother plant depends on the combination of genes in the core.

Category:

Trees