Overview

Bring the joy of homegrown fruit to your garden with the red plum tree live plant. This particular variety, often referred to as the AU Rubrum plum tree, is renowned for its vigorous growth and prolific production of delectable fruit. Imagine stepping into your backyard and plucking ripe, juicy plums directly from your own tree – a truly rewarding experience for any gardener or fruit enthusiast. These trees are well-adapted to various conditions, particularly thriving in warmer climates, making them an excellent addition to southern gardens. The AU Rubrum plum tree is a true powerhouse, offering both beauty and bounty, delivering a consistent harvest year after year. Its spreading canopy and dark green leaves provide attractive landscaping while yielding a delicious crop.

Developed at Auburn University, the AU Rubrum plum is a testament to horticultural excellence, bred for both its fruit quality and its resilience. This makes it a reliable choice for gardeners looking for a low-maintenance yet highly productive fruit tree. Whether you’re an experienced horticulturist or a budding gardener, this red plum tree live plant offers an accessible and rewarding path to fresh, organic fruit.

Key Benefits

Investing in a red plum tree live plant brings a multitude of benefits, enhancing both your garden and your culinary experiences. This tree is not just a source of food; it’s a living, breathing addition to your landscape that provides aesthetic appeal and ecological value.

• Abundant, High-Quality Fruit Production: The AU Rubrum plum tree is celebrated for producing very large, consistent crops of delicious, sweet, and juicy plums. These plums feature sweet red flesh and very dark red skin, ideal for a variety of culinary uses, from fresh eating to canning and preserves. You’ll enjoy a bountiful harvest every season.
• Disease Resistance: This particular plum cultivar is known for being a highly disease resistant plum tree. In test orchards, trees proved robust and long-lived, showing excellent resilience against common fruit and tree disease problems. This reduces the need for extensive chemical treatments, promoting a healthier garden environment.
• Self-Fertile & Enhanced Yields: While this self fertile plum tree can produce fruit on its own, it will yield significantly larger crops when pollinated with another compatible plum variety, such as another AU plum or a Methley plum. This flexibility allows for excellent fruit set even with a single tree, while offering the option for even greater abundance.
• Early Maturing Cultivar: The AU Rubrum plum is an early maturing cultivar, typically ripening mid-to-late June. This means you can enjoy fresh plums earlier in the season compared to many other varieties, extending your harvest period.
• Hardy & Vigorous Growth: Developed for resilience, this tree is hardy in USDA zones 6-8. It exhibits vigorous growth with a spreading habit and dark green leaves, making it a strong and visually appealing addition to your landscape.
• Versatile Culinary Use: The plums produced are excellent for canning, preserving, and fresh eating. Their sweet flavor and juicy texture make them a favorite for pies, jams, jellies, and simply enjoying straight from the branch.
• Improved Orchard Performance: This cultivar has proven its ability to produce high yields of excellent quality fruit even in areas where certain fruit and tree disease challenges occur, ensuring a successful harvest.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Caring for your red plum tree live plant is straightforward, especially given its inherent resilience. To ensure optimal growth and a bountiful harvest, understanding its specific needs is crucial. Plum trees generally thrive in locations where they can receive ample sunlight, which is essential for fruit development and overall tree health. A well-chosen planting site and consistent care will ensure your tree flourishes for many years.

For sunlight, the AU Rubrum plum tree requires full sun, meaning at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily. This exposure is vital for robust growth and the production of sweet, flavorful fruit. When it comes to soil, this tree prefers well-draining soil with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0. While adaptable, a loamy soil enriched with organic matter will provide the best environment for root development. Avoid heavy clay soils that retain too much water, as this can lead to root rot. Watering should be consistent, especially during dry spells and when the tree is young. Aim for about 1 inch of water per week, either from rainfall or irrigation. Once established, the tree becomes more drought-tolerant, but supplemental watering during prolonged dry periods will benefit fruit quality.

Fertilization can begin in the second year after planting. Use a balanced fertilizer, such as a 10-10-10, in early spring before new growth appears. Follow product instructions for application rates. Pruning is important for maintaining tree structure, promoting air circulation, and encouraging fruit production. Prune in late winter or early spring while the tree is dormant, removing any dead, diseased, or crossing branches. The AU Rubrum plum tree is known for being a highly disease resistant plum tree, reducing the need for extensive pest and disease management. However, regular inspection for any signs of trouble is always recommended. This AU Rubrum plum cultivar is a resilient choice, perfect for gardeners seeking a productive and relatively easy-to-care-for fruit tree.

Size & Details

This red plum tree live plant is shipped as a robust specimen, standing 3-4 feet tall, and is rooted in a #5 pot. This size ensures a well-developed root system, ready for successful transplanting into your garden. The minimum height upon arrival is 2 feet, providing a substantial young tree to start with. Plum trees typically have a moderate growth rate, and with proper care, this tree will quickly establish itself and begin producing fruit in a few years. The spreading habit of the AU Rubrum plum tree means it will develop a wide canopy, offering ample shade and an impressive display when laden with fruit. Expect a mature height of 15-20 feet and a similar spread, depending on pruning and growing conditions. This tree is a long-term investment, offering decades of delicious fruit.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this plant get? A: This red plum tree live plant is shipped at 3-4 feet tall in a #5 pot. With proper care, it can reach a mature height of 15-20 feet with a similar spread, providing a substantial fruit-bearing tree for your landscape.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: This is an outdoor fruit tree, best suited for planting in your garden or orchard. It thrives in full sun conditions and is hardy in USDA zones 6-8, making it ideal for many temperate climates.
• Q: How much sunlight does it need? A: The AU Rubrum plum tree requires full sun, meaning it needs at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day to produce the best fruit and maintain overall health.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, this disease resistant plum tree is considered relatively easy to care for, especially due to its strong disease resistance. Consistent watering, adequate sunlight, and occasional pruning are key to its success.
• Q: What condition will it arrive in? A: Your plum tree will arrive as a live plant, shipped in a #5 pot, with a minimum height of 2 feet. It will be carefully packaged to ensure it reaches you in healthy condition, ready for planting.
• Q: How long until it blooms and produces fruit? A: Plum trees typically begin bearing fruit within 3-5 years of planting. The AU Rubrum is an early maturing cultivar, so you can anticipate your first harvest of delicious plums mid-to-late June once it establishes.
• Q: Will it survive winter in my zone? A: This plum tree is cold hardy in USDA zones 6-8. If you live within these zones, it should successfully overwinter and return each spring. For zones outside this range, winter protection or container growing with indoor overwintering may be necessary.
• Q: Is this a self fertile plum tree? A: Yes, this plum tree is self-fertile, meaning it can produce fruit on its own. However, for a significantly larger and more abundant crop, it is recommended to plant it with another compatible plum variety for cross-pollination.
• Q: What are the best uses for the plums? A: The plums from this tree are versatile. They are excellent for fresh eating, being sweet and juicy. They are also ideal for canning, making preserves, jams, and other culinary creations due to their rich red flesh and flavor.
• Q: Can I grow this AU Rubrum plum in a large container? A: While possible to grow in a very large container (e.g., 25-gallon or larger) for a few years, plum trees ultimately thrive best when planted in the ground where their root systems can expand freely. If container growing, ensure excellent drainage and consistent feeding.