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Beach Plum Seeds-Ecos

Product	Price	Qty
300 Seeds, BEPL_S-300	$220.00	Out of stock

Tags: beach, plums

Plant Description
Plant Specs

Native East Coast Species- Highly Productive-Thrives Beyond the Beach

Found in sandy areas on the eastern seaboard from Virginia to Maine. Fruit can be eaten fresh and terrific for jam. Beautiful white flowers, compact growing and extremely productive. Can be pruned to attain a small tree to 6 feet or used for an informal hedge up to 10 feet wide.

High in vitamin A; about 1000 IU in a cup and cholesterol-lowering pectin.

The last Prunus species to flower missing frosts so there is always a crop. Can grow in pure sand or your average loam soil. Plant two for pollination and best fruit set. For this selection we are using seeds from what would be considered wild beach plum under cultivation. They are not hybrids and contain the typical wild and crazy trunk structure that dips to one side after a particularly heavy fruit year which then keeps the plant on a tilt for the rest of its life. Keep in mind that beach plums by their nature are not a tree but a shrub that naturally produces multiple trunks over many years so 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.

Much like hazelnuts and lilacs the plants naturally balance flower and fruit production with vigor and health of new growth. Staking helps in keeping the fruit up off the ground and pruning helps in maintaining full sun reaches the whole branches of the fruiting plants.

Compared to other selections I have at the farm, this one is taken from the most productive seedlings grown from our selections of east coast seed sources including the original New Jersey nursery Hess Nurseries that supplied me with the original seed stock. . All beach plums show a great variety of colors. This is one of the best for fruit production with clustering type of fruiting.

Plant Specs
Genus & Species	Prunus maritima
Seed Source	Michigan, From highest producing individuals with a clustering fruit habit.
Hardiness	-35 F
Height (ft)	10
Width (ft)	10
Pollination Requirements	Any two plants will cross pollinate. As long as they are genetically different. I have never known to see plants that are sterile or isolated to the point they did not produce fruit so likely they are self fertile to some extent.
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.
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.