# Plum Variety identification please!



## Kate_29

Hi All! I am a newbie to the idea of urban homesteading, big time newbie! I have an exsisting plum tree on my new property and was wondering if anyone knows what variety it is, the plums are very tasty and am going to atempt my first batch of plum jelly with them today! Yay! lol The plums have kinda a white film on them but washes off pretty easily as you can see in the picture of the picked and washed ones. As far as I know this tree hasn't had anytype of care at all and it is still heavily producing good sized plums. Hopefully with better care in the future it will do even better! 


I also have a cherry tree I will be posting pics of, I dont have any pictures of the fruit becasue I let them shrivel up and drop becasue I was told by the previous owner they weren't good for anything. But hopefully, someone on here can let me know of a good use for them!


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## rockhound

There are many types of plums, and plums have been crossed with apricots to make "plumcots" and a couple other crosses. What you have looks good. You say they are doing good without much care. I'd say take full advantage of the nice crop and just keep an eye out for any named variety for sale that's the same size and color, etc. In the mean time you got a good deal there, enjoy!


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## thequeensblessing

I've never heard of a cherry that wasn't good for anything...even choke cherries make delightful jelly!


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## partndn

I can't help you, but dang! you just made my mouth water.

They look so good!


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## Kate_29

So I just got new information on the "cherry tree". I was told it was a fruitless plum, but it does have fruit that look like odd little cherries. It is done fruiting for the season so I can't take any pictures. I wonder if I can make jelly out of these odd little cherry/plums? My other plum jam turned out SO GOOD!


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## Harmless Drudge

Kate_29 said:


> So I just got new information on the "cherry tree". I was told it was a fruitless plum, but it does have fruit that look like odd little cherries. It is done fruiting for the season so I can't take any pictures. I wonder if I can make jelly out of these odd little cherry/plums? My other plum jam turned out SO GOOD!


Based upon the shape and color, it is likely a Japanese plum. This can be confusing, as all of the Japanese plum cultivars developed in the US have American names. Japanese plums are partially self-fertile. 

It could have resulted from a cross with an American sand plum, which is more reliably self-fruitful, but less consistent. They are also less prone to disease.

The key with plums, aside from proper pruning, is to grown them in a thicket, or to graft on a different variety of the same kind of plum. Yours seem to be pollenating just fine, and are on a healthy tree, so, unless they are being pollenated by something else that you are risking moving/losing, adding more trees to form a thicket likely won't be necessary.


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## Harmless Drudge

Kate_29 said:


> So I just got new information on the "cherry tree". I was told it was a fruitless plum, but it does have fruit that look like odd little cherries. It is done fruiting for the season so I can't take any pictures. I wonder if I can make jelly out of these odd little cherry/plums? My other plum jam turned out SO GOOD!


It may be a "cherry plum." Cherry plums are not a cross of cherries and plums, just little (usually sour) plums, of the species _Prunus tomentosa_. Many are sold as ornamentals, despite their perfectly acceptable fruit.


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## elkhound

that looks like what is sold here under the name of dinosaur eggs....its a pluot...heres a picture a bit down in article they call it dapple dandy pluot.

Pluot | Ask.com Encyclopedia


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## marytx

I don't know what they are, but I bought pluots in the store that looked like that. And it's what the picture on the tag for my pluot tree looked like. (Even though the actual fruit I got off my pluot was not like that, but black.)


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