Prunus domestica (prune)

Japanese name: プルーン
Scientific name: Prunus domestica

[Overview]
A general term for the group of cultivars of Seiyo-sumomo (European plum) that bear fruit suited to drying.
A small deciduous tree.
The leaves are simple and alternate, oblong, with serrations along the margin.
Umbels or corymbs arise from the leaf axils, each bearing 2–3 white 5-petaled flowers.
The fruit ripens to purple.

[Uses]
The fruit usually contains a large amount of sugar; besides being made into dried fruit, it is eaten fresh and also used for fruit liqueurs and the like.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed, grafting, or cuttings.
It prefers sunny, well-drained, fertile soil.
For potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; for plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient unless summer brings a long spell of sunny weather and the soil becomes severely dry.
Apply organic fertilizer three times a year: fertilizer in winter in February, fertilizer after flowering, and in autumn.
Once fruit has set, thin it in April–May.
Prune in winter, thinning out long branches that bear only leaf buds.
Pests and diseases include black spot, plum pockets, powdery mildew, scab, aphids, stink bugs, spider mites and leaf rollers.
In addition, the fruit splits easily in the rain.

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