"Helen Deborah Vecht" wrote in message
...
"David \(in Normandy\)" typed


Can plums be grown "true" from stones? A neighbour gave us some small
but
really nice sweet plums, grown locally. I've no idea what variety they
are,
but would like to have a go at growing some from the stones - if they
come
true?

I suspect not.

Some 'accidental' plum trees have sprung up around our Victoria plum
tree and the fruit is rather disappointing.

....

You'll probably find the "accidental" trees are actually suckers growing
from the rootstock. Which is presumably a dwarfing rootstock. The fruit
on the rootstock will usually be of far inferior quality, otherwise there
would be no point in grafting on a fruiting variety.

But all other things being equal, trees grown from Victoria stones will
eventually produce Victoria fruit, but possibly on 30 ft high trees.

Suckers can be a perennial problem with cherries and other prunus.
Damaging the often shallow roots in any way, stimulates the formation
of suckers. Although IME not even this is necessary. IME to stop suckers
showing up all over the place, the only real solution is to dig a 2ft deep
narrow trench around the tree and insert a physical barrier of some kind -
sections of shuttering plywood etc.


michael adams

....









If the original plant is truly wild, you may be in luck, but most
cultivated fruit are hybrids.

--
Helen D. Vecht:
Edgware.