Q&A for How to Plant a Plum Seed

Not nearly as successfully. Leave it half-covered in water until roots have emerged, then proceed to plant it, leaving it close to the surface.

Yes, it will need to go there soon anyway. As long as it is big enough to survive the winter, you'll be fine.

You can plant them and they might grow, but plums and other stone fruits require the cold to activate the enzymes needed for the seed to sprout. The trees also require a period of cold dormancy in order to set fruit. The tree might survive for a year, maybe two, then die.

Most stone fruits are very tolerant of hot and dry conditions, the determining factor will be the amount of cold the tree needs in winter to put the tree in and out of dormancy for normal flowering. The cold unit requirement varies between the cultivars but generally, plums don't have too high a cold requirement.

Yes.

Look at the leaves and compare them with images of plum tree leaves on the internet. Do a Google image search and you should find plenty of results.

Rich and fertile soil that is well-drained would work best to grow the plum tree.

Plums don't make vines -- they are trees. Their flowers are usually white. You must have confused the plum with something else.

Remove the seed from the jar or bag once healthy, white roots form. Take care not to break these roots when transplanting to soil.

Plums come in a variety of flavors. Each has different characteristics, such as storage life, bug resistance, when they ripen, size, meatiness, etc . Google the different varieties and you can see. No variety is "better" than any other, it just depends on what you're looking for.

Apply neem oil first thing in spring on the tree and the soil around the tree. Later, apply it again, especially if you see signs of bugs. Neem is natural and it works. Just wear gloves and protect your eyes when spraying.

Plant them in the early spring once the weather has warmed up a bit. Mississippi has fairly temperate weather, so late April to early May would be a good time since you most likely don't have to worry about late-season frosts.

In the early springtime once the last threat of frost has passed. Luckily, if you're using pots you can always bring them indoors if there is a late-season chill. Bring the pots back inside in the fall when the temperatures drop again.

This depends on how long it takes the seeds to start growing roots. It could be anywhere from 4-12 weeks. In nature, plums fall to the ground in the fall and the seeds germinate in the ground throughout the entire winter while preparing to grow roots, so the process in the fridge is very similar. Check them every 2 weeks or so to see if they have started to grow.

Yes you need to crack them. Use a vise and slowly crush it until you can hear it snap. This way it is not likely to harm the embryo.

Yes, mulch keeps the roots cool and use permaculture methods, close planting of different species that are taller may reduce crop production but for different situations-different methods.

So you can break the nut and get the seed inside of it, which will be needed for planting.