2-in-1 Plum Surprise Tree

1. Planting: Plant your Plum Tree in a location with full sun exposure (6 to 8 hours of sunlight daily) and well-drained soil.

Dig your hole three times as wide as the root ball and just as deep. Place your tree, backfill the soil, and tamp down to eliminate air pockets. Once the hole has been completely filled, add a layer of organic mulch around the tree to help conserve water.

2. Watering: Water your tree twice a week for the first growing season to help promote growth. Deep watering encourages the roots to extend more deeply into the soil, which in turn makes the tree more drought resistant.

If you're not sure when to water, simply check the surrounding soil about 3 inches down for dryness.

3. Fertilizing: Young trees that are three years or younger will benefit from about a half cup of balanced 10-10-10 fertilizer formula applied once in around mid-April and again in early June. More established plum trees will require one annual application of the same balanced formula mid-April.

4. Pruning: Give your tree a full year to get situated in its new home before attempting to prune. Young plum trees are typically pruned in the late winter to early spring seasons before buds begin to break. More established plum trees will benefit from a midsummer pruning.

5. Harvesting: The best-tasting plums are left on the tree to fully ripen before picking. Apply gentle pressure with your fingers to determine ripeness. They should easily come off of the tree when ripened using a slight twist.