Beach Plum Seeds-ECOS

Product	Price	Qty
100 Seeds, BEPL-E_S-100	$120.00

Plant Description
Plant Specs

Highly Productive Plum Species -Beach is Not Required

Found on the eastern seaboard from Virginia to Maine, beach plums are well known as a processed fruit for jams and jellies. Starting in the mid 80's I began plantings of them at my farm and found them easy to cultivate and highly fruitful. Over time I began to make seedling selections of them and planted them throughout my farm as a source for seeds. These were seed strains from within the natural range of the beach plum and hybrids of it created and found at my farm. During this time, I made dozens of 'grow outs' and planted these at my farm as a source of improved or selected seed. This Ecos seed is currently the source of my seeds today and have proved to make excellent populations of healthy plants with good fruiting capabilities.

Beach plums are high in vitamin A and contain 1000 IU in a cup along with cholesterol-lowering pectin. The fruits are the easiest to eat fresh compared to other wild plums because they have very little natural astringency.

Beach plums are the last Prunus species to flower missing frosts so there is almost always a crop. Can grow in pure sand or your average loam soil. Plant two for pollination and best fruit set. For this selection, the seeds are harvested from the best plants with good fruit even without processing with sugar. Keep in mind that beach plums by their nature are not a tree but a small to medium sized shrub that naturally produces multiple trunks over many years. Eventually the main trunk begins to loose production you will need to keep it going by selecting a new trunk every 10-15 years or so.

To Germinate the Seeds: Seeds normally take the usual cold dormancy of 90 days cold 34F to 38F and slightly moist medium like Canadian peat moss. After put at room temperature, they will sprout over a month period. If there is little or only partial sprouting, then they will need the warmth of the summer months to grow the embryo more. Then another cold dormancy will cause the remainder of the seeds to sprout in the second cold period. This is normal however many beach plums do not require this but it does happen.

Seeds can be soaked over night to imbibe water fully before the cold period. This crop is from the 2023 crop year. Last year a frost really nailed them which was a rare occurence here. All seeds are cold refrigerated cold store at my farm so there is no loss in vitality.

Plant Specs
Genus & Species	Prunus maritima
Seed Source	Michigan, From highest producing individuals with a clustering fruit habit with clean fruit. Selected for fruit quality over several generations.
Hardiness	-35 F
Height (ft)	10
Width (ft)	10
Pollination Requirements	Any two plants will cross pollinate. As long as they are genetically different. Self fertile usually.
Soil	Sand to loam. You don't need sand to grow and fruit it.
Climate	Zone 3-8. Once established very drought tolerant. High humidity in July or August during ripening can be tricky as it causes mildew and a type of soot mold on the fruit. But not a common occurence at my farm.
Ease of Cultivation	Anyone can grow it. Full sun, Low fertility soils ideal. Rarely has insects or disease issues. Tap rooted so give it time to reestablish and grow a new tap root. Usually will fruit by the third year from seed or seedling. Keep in mind, sprouts near the base of the plant helps replenish the top of the bush to keep it going longer.