The Trick to Growing Plums from Pits

Learn how to germinate a plum pit and you'll grow thousands of future plums!
Join us on Patreon for exclusive content: / davidthegood
Get tickets for the Spring Good Gardening Superclass: thesurvivalgardener.com/sprin...
Get FREE PLANTS FOR EVERYONE and learn how to propagate almost any plant: amzn.to/3HsBPFs
How to Germinate Stone Fruit: • How To Germinate Peach...
Subscribe to the newsletter: thesurvivalgardener.us3.list-...
Compost Your Enemies t-shirts: www.aardvarktees.com/products...
David's gardening blog: www.thesurvivalgardener.com
Today I share how we germinate plums via the method of "stratifying." If you stratify plum pits in the fridge, they'll sprout in a few months. Today you'll hear why you should grow fruit trees from seed and see how baby plum trees can be easily started at home, with no special requirements.

[@loves2spin2]

Years ago, when one of our daughters and her family were living in Las Vegas, her little girl planted ONE pomegranate seed in their flower bed in the backyard. It grew and they had LOADS of pomegranates!

[@davidthegood]

That is really awesome

[@agapefield]

❤when I was a little girl my Dad took a grafting class and started grafting pecans, fruit trees, citrus...he would put his slips in the crisper drawer of the fridge til he could be off on a weekend to actually graft. My Mom was a very petite & fiesty Cajun lady. She got aggravated at having no room for the veggies and went and bought a really nice much bigger refrigerator to replace the old one in the kitchen. She put the old one in the garage next to the deep freeze and told Daddy. That old one's for you to put your sticks and seeds in...not in the house...He was so happy!

[@naty-dere-5739]

I feel joy when a plant grows from seed. I also have peach fruiting in less than two years.Love and respect from Ethiopia Africa.

[@CamoJan]

I never thought about looking for discarded Christmas poinsettia plants before! Guess we could be looking for every holiday plants for their soil now! Thanks for a great tip!

[@almostoily7541]

I bought a couple of them on sale because I need pots. The discount plants were in pretty ones and cost less than just buying pots. They had cute decorations, too. I am going to try and propagate the poinsettias.

[@jeancampbell4341]

In South Africa we call it earth or soil. Dirt is such a strange name to me or such a life giving substance.. I love your videos.

[@ursamajor1936]

Yup. I plant every seed I find. It's fun to see what happens.

[@melanieallen3655]

Go chase a stick!!😂talking2 the dog!!😅good video!

[@mariakasstan]

Thank you so much for growing from seed. The really crucial aspect of this is that qualities like climate adaptation and disease resistance are passed on genetically while orchards planted with rows of grafted clones have little innate variation in what environmental stresses they can tolerate. This tends to lead to more pesticide use which is not healthy for people or the environment.

[@redbeard7094]

It's funny, I did this same thing this year. On some property that has been in my wifes family for at least 7 generations now, there are wild plum trees. This past September she picked a small bag full and dug up one small tree that was sprouting near a larger plum. We put 7 pits in the refrigerator in mid September and planted them out before the sprouted in early January. We now have 4 sprouting and under grow lights until we plant them out. I have the wonderful dilemma of figuring out where to plant several plum trees in my backyard.

[@GrandmomZoo]

❤ you always make me smile, as well as teach me stuff. 😊

[@midwestribeye7820]

I'm actually checking my seeds/pits that I'm stratifying when I saw your video! The timing is so funny! My Bubble Gum plum pit sprouted. Yay! Who knows how it will turn out. Life and gardening is always an adventure!

[@davidthegood]

Congratulations!!!

[@thehillsidegardener3961]

We have so many volunteers from our plum and cherry trees which I have left for the last few years instead of mowing over like I used to. I can't wait to see if they produce anything worthwhile, but even if they don't they are incredibly vigorous so to my mind will make great rootstock to graft a known variety onto so, free trees, win-win.

[@DixieLivingHomestead]

So grateful you posted this. We collected a bunch of seeds and pits this fall and are eager to see how hybrid cherry plums and plumcots do down here in Lower Alabama.

[@benjamin593]

Most named varities won't produce true to type. It will take many many years to get production from them and it's about 1 in 1000 to get one worth keeping. However, those that produce garbage will most likely produce good rootstock, which you can graft scion wood from multiple varities to. What David is doing is collecting wild non-hybridized fruit, which behaves much differently. For example, apple trees take about 10 years to produce fruit from seed. However, after 2 years of growth, you can cut the sapling whip off and graft them to an existing established apple tree. If it is a mature tree you've grafted it to, you can get fruit from the scion whip you grafted in a year or two. The best way (meaning fastest) to propagate rootstock to graft to, is to use a method called stooling. Stooling involves growing a whip, then burying it halfway up the trunk after a year of growth. Cut the top off of the tree at the top of the mound. It will send up shoots from the sides of the buried portion of the trunk. Since these shoots are in contact with the earth they will sprout roots in the mound. Each one can be separated from the parent, each containing their own roots. These can have known good varities or cuttings from seedlings grafted to them.

[@Blynn-md4dx]

David...went into garden yesterday and found a plum tree pruning that I had stuck in the ground last fall...completely forgot about it... It is growing amazingly well!

[@agapefield]

❤that's how we started several fruits from seeds (mostly native fruit trees and some non-native.) I like the idea of reusing potting soil.

[@ravenpineshomestead]

I'm stratifying American plumb right now! The strains here are a mile above domestic plumbs we find in our grocery store in terms of flavor!

[@sastuntgirl]

I’ve been inspired by your earlier videos to grow all sorts of fruit from seed. Got nectarines this summer from a volunteer tree (in a pot that we almost threw out when we moved house because we weren’t even sure if was a tree 😮) So far we’ve got peaches, nectarines, apricots, litchis, pears and more in pots to grow big enough to plant out (they’re almost all 1 year old now). I’ve given so many away to other gardeners. Spreading food trees!

[@user-ic2ug8ys1z]

#28! Guilty...I have a refrigerator dedicated to seeds. Pro tip DTG, buy a cheap concrete mixer at HF. It is worse every penny! Mixxing potting soil is a breeze now. 😀🌱🐢

[@davidthegood]

I have one. I should use it for that!

[@user-ic2ug8ys1z]

@@davidthegood I can't mix by hand because of physical limits. The mixer saves me from pain. It also allows me to custom mix my soil which is plus!

[@davidthegood]

That's great. The previous owners left one in the garage that I haven't used.@@user-ic2ug8ys1z

[@jholcomb9532]

Our neighbor down the street has a wild plum tree and they just let them fall and rot on the sidewalk. Think I will grab some and try this! NC FL, zone 9a.

[@petekooshian5595]

I'm growing some of Skillcult's apples from seed this year!

[@magicmantis]

Thank you for the logic on growing from seed. I agree with everything you said.

[@Ok-vj3dw]

Its not just "They" who say you shouldnt do it. Its Dr.Pinkerton! A true Man Of Science!

[@tezzymurphy8730]

I do the same, plant seeds from what ever I can get my hands on. UK is bad for most fruits but I do try to plant and give out the plants to people that have a bigger garden than myself. Great tips and thanks for.sharing your insight on how to do the seeds in a refrigerator. I never thought of that one before..

[@akblg5763]

I've planted a few trees from seed. I will leave one branch to grow and graft a second branch from a known variety. So I will have a few fruits in a short period and later when the branch of the seed will have fruits I can still decide if I want to cut one of them away or not.

[@ptngarden]

Thank you for sharing. Wish you good health

[@melanielinkous8746]

I have a refrigerator that's dedicated to beer. 😅

[@WilliamMiller-nr5gb]

Well, sure... but who doesn't?

[@DanlowMusic]

Hey now, I just got a 2nd fridge that is now dedicated to drinks. Lol​@@WilliamMiller-nr5gb

[@emilyneal7888]

I one American Plum. It’s about three years old. Should make a few fruits this year. 🤞🏻

[@kabbak]

I put some gala and pink lady apple seeds in the fridge and they sprouted in 1 to 2 weeks. Guess they were stratfied already over winter. A pleasant surprise,

[@bonsaigroves4475]

hopefully we will get to see some of these seedlings at a future plant sale!

[@jelena8357]

I started peach, necarines, apricot and wild plum from seed. Now they all have a flowers buds, they are aged 2-4, I can't wait spring and summer to see what is going to be. I have a grafted fruit trees too. Greetings from Europe.

[@davidthegood]

Good work! I bet you get some fruit soon.

[@magpier.5761]

if you have a bench vise, you can crack the shells open very precisely.

[@jackielance8421]

Thank I am trying to plant plum from seed I will try it

[@blessildajoy]

Brilliant as ever

[@ColRubyDimplesManacha]

@7:03 Love the haircut! 😆Thanks for the tips and reminder!

[@babetteisinthegarden6920]

Because of you I have 4 Cherry Tree babies. Last year I put out several seeds. The birds left me one and it's over a foot tall. So, from the same batch of seeds, I started 4 this year. After having them in the refrigerator and 3 of the 4 Sprouted. One is yellow, it's not green, so it's not gonna make it, but the other two are really pretty. They're about two inches tall with some leaves.

[@davidthegood]

That is awesome!

[@emilyneal7888]

Digging that new haircut. Didn’t realize your hair was that thick. 😜

[@davidthegood]

Thanks

[@rickershomesteadahobbyfarm3291]

I plan on starting a 2nd food forest. I am going to start it with stuff grown from seed. I’ve already started pecan trees from seeds. I will probably graft onto some of them. I figured that it will probably do a little better if I promote things that grow well in my local environment.

[@marycampbell4160]

Amen!! Amen!! Thanks for sharing

[@anthonyjensen669]

I've got a small Thicket of those little plums on my property, it's back in my horse pasture. I missed harvesting them last year, checked on them and they weren't quite ripe, 2 weeks later the birds had eaten them all and the trees were picked bare.

[@davidthegood]

The birds love 'em.

[@cinbob00]

Thank you😊

[@abcxyz-io7wt]

Awesome 👍💝

[@artstamper316]

What great ideas. Thanks.

[@pavlovssheep5548]

research is finding , that if tree / perennial seeds germinate in very poor soil ( equivalent of Florida dirt ) , the seedling switches on the genes for extreme condition survival , so if after growing in the poor soil for a few months, when they are planted in good soil , they grow more vigorously than seedlings germinated in good soil .

[@user-yt6xj1xi5z]

Thanks, David! Yeah for Bafeemus!

[@Carolynfoodforest355]

Good video, I shared on FB.

[@agapefield]

❤We also have grown some more difficult fruit trees by cuttings.

[@TonysSunnyGarden]

Thanks for sharing so much information 🙏 I need a hat like yours😁

[@davidthegood]

One of the kids left it in my office.

[@northerngirlhobbies]

Heck yeah free stuff matters!

[@thadrobinson8343]

I dig that Spetsnaz shovel.

[@charliecat8891]

I've been doing this with much success..peach.. apricot.. hummingbird vine seeds...lu in idaho

[@PAULREADDY]

At the end when you always say met your thumbs always be green that'd be really cool if you had it painted green or some type of a green cover on it

[@elusive323]

"They" hahahaha

[@dovinhgarden05]

Tuyệt vời

[@ritarichardson3881]

Enjoyed this video!!! I agree with you. I.used to go to food giveaways and I would ask for their leftover produce of many kinds. I'd even take their half rotten lettuce (whatever) and put the produce that was far gone into my mulch pile. Then get a ton of free seeds!!! I had a fabulous garden with fruits grown from seeds. Totally enjoy being a new subscriber to your channel. ❤♡♡

[@davidthegood]

Thank you. And welcome!

[@The_Hairy_Farmer]

I'n not so sure about this 'Beaver on the Head' thing - maybe Peta should know about this...🤣

[@Kevs2tuff]

Great for Bonzai, also!

[@MynewTennesseeHome]

I'm starting gingko biloba currently that way. I have three wild plumbs but they haven't started fruiting yet. I regularly start stuff from seed to see what I get.

[@essentialcomforts2166]

How far apart or how far away from structures should one plant these homegrown fruit trees? Do you plant them in spring after danger of frost? What a fun experiment to do on our flat 9 acres! I never knew about cracking them open!

[@davidthegood]

I plant after danger of frost, if they are still little. I would plant them at least a few feet away from buildings, if they are small trees.

[@marybrouwer2315]

We have a large variety of wild plums in our area of Nebraska. Unfortunately we have clay soil around our house so they don't grow well in my garden. But they grow really well in our hills. But I have to beat the deer to them. A losing battle Lol! I might try to fence some off this year.

[@davehendricks4824]

I fill pots with soil in fall and plant peach and American plum pits. In spring they pop up and I give them away.

[@WilliamMiller-nr5gb]

I'm not sure that we should do that... better check with the Professor.

[@betty8173]

I have peach pits in my frig, but I didn’t crack them open. They've been there awhile. Should I take them out and crack them open now, put them back? Or just try again at peach season? Thankful for all your videos, God bless you.

[@davidthegood]

They often sprout without cracking. I would just wait if they are already in a damp medium.

[@artstamper316]

@@davidthegood Is that the procedure for any seed you want to grow, like grapes even?

[@bigbendmarine]

@artstamper316, few things about grapes... they can be grown from seeds but are often not true to type so that fruit may taste different from the parent fruit (know David spoke to this point - so if want to experiment, sure can do). Known varieties are most often propogated from cloning a portion of vine (via cuttings, burying portion of vine to root, etc). Also, if you're anywhere near the hot and humid southeast US, traditional grapes wont do well due to Pierce's disease... muscadine and scuppernong grape varieties are definitely the way to go if so.

[@tommyknockerparanormalinc]

I have one refrigerator and yes,most of it is dedicated to seeds lol

[@mio.giardino]

The trick that I’ve been using to crack open hard shells is not a hammer but device on my husband’s workbench. I find that I can control the force on that very easily and I don’t damage the pit.

[@artstamper316]

Details, please. Thank you.

[@davehendricks4824]

Could it be his vice?

[@jholcomb9532]

@@davehendricks4824 vise

[@charlesdevier8203]

My wife says that I always have seeds in "her" refrigerator.

[@lelandshanks3590]

Jonnie apple seed didn't carry nursery trees on his back.

[@ForagerLife]

Cool, I put all my seeds in the ground. At least 100 trees coming up next year, figure I'll worry about if they get in the way later😊

[@artstamper316]

What a visual that creates. You eat your food, go out and dig holes and put a seed in it? Anytime of year?

[@ForagerLife]

@artstamper316 I just poke a hole with a stick and drop a seed in, I buy fruit that grows in this zone to try and make sure it'll work, wouldn't want a 1500chill hr apple since I only get about 650~700here, I save the fall seeds through about now to poke then in.

[@joanneoverstreet72]

😊🌱💚🌻🐝

[@cynthiacollins2668]

I just had a brainwave! Several years ago, i bought an Asian persimmon tree. I haven't gotten fruit yet, but I could graft branches from it onto my American persimmon seedlings, right? Then I'll get may persimmons whenever they start producing!!

[@davidthegood]

Yes, you can!

[@1boortzfan]

I like the hat. Any tips for growing apples in zone 9B?

[@davidthegood]

Look up Kuffell Creek Apple Nursery. They have a book on growing apples in the tropics.

[@1boortzfan]

@@davidthegood thank you

[@buckaroobonzai2909]

I've done this so many times and it never works for me. Lol.... idk why. Mine usually mold, and I have been putting them in with paper towels. Last time, I used paper towels and cinnamon to prevent mold. They molded a lot less and slower, but no roots mold eventually still. Not sure what I am doing wrong. I think that next time, I will just buy a bunch of plums and eat them and bury the seeds all in one really fertile spot in the fall and then come back to see if anything sprouted....

[@baddriversofcolga]

That's pretty disturbing they just throw out pots of soil. What a wonderfully wasteful world we live in! Glad you could make use of them, though.

[@heathbootle6086]

Hey David the Good. I want to go to your talk in February. Where can I sign up, or purchase a ticket. Or do we just show up that day.

[@davidthegood]

The details are here - thank you! thesurvivalgardener.com/spring-good-gardening-superclass-february-17-2024/

[@kaddydid9]

Will you have these to sale in Atmore

[@davidthegood]

Probably in Pensacola - we're probably not going to be selling over west in Atmore this year. Going to drive south instead.

[@St.IsaacOfSyria]

Hey David you said you did this with Pluots, what was the result? Did it grow relatively true or more plum than pluot

[@davidthegood]

They are big now, but no fruit yet

[@deborahniemoth6475]

Did you seal the baggie while it was in the fridge?

[@davidthegood]

Yes

[@TheTroothseekr]

Tell me where..o don’t live far from Memphis!

[@Kissypooh]

Every time I put seeds in the fridge they become covered in mold. What am I doing wrong?

[@davidthegood]

They need to be dry enough to not mold over.

[@kveale17]

Do you know how long it will take a Prunus domestica seedling to bear fruit?

[@davidthegood]

No, not sure.

[@kaddydid9]

Will you be at gulf shores zoo this year?

[@davidthegood]

No, not this year

[@oliveeisner8964]

I got free wild Mexican plums (very small) from my food pantry church tree and I saved all the seeds! I wonder if it's the same variety. ANYWAY I used wet paper towel method into the fridge. It's only been a few weeks, still nothing. I cracked the pits and used half still in pit, half naked. Should I use soil? Just take a chill pill and wait a couple more months? Both? Lol Love your channel David❤.

[@davidthegood]

It can take 4 months

[@davidthegood]

I prefer soil

[@oliveeisner8964]

@@davidthegood thank you kindly.

[@pattiscarola3594]

I live in Central FL and are growing a FL variety of peach (new tree planted last year). Can we graft a GA variety of peach onto the FL tree? Thanks, as always.

[@davidthegood]

Yes, you can. However, the chill hours may not line up to your climate. It's worth the experiment.

[@pattiscarola3594]

Ahhhh - I didn’t think of that. Thanks much.

[@rachaelyounger5657]

Who is the guy growing apples from seed? Could you share a link? My 7 yr old wanted to sprout apple seeds, so we did. Now we have about 14 baby apple trees. I tried to sprout stone fruit, but they all rotted. Blah. But they were mostly store bought fruits. Gotta find a local tree!

[@davidthegood]

That is awesome. Yes, his channel is here: www.youtube.com/@SkillCult

[@derekclawson4236]

If you need sone very prolific chickasaw plum trees I can send some bare root pieces or seedlings. Also have some wild peaches that are really good and super prolific. So vigorous they self seed without help readily. Have some seedlings of those too. Let me know.

[@thadrobinson8343]

I'm not David, but I'm very interested in your offerings, Derek.

[@derekclawson4236]

​@@thadrobinson8343 I can send you any of the plants I mentioned if you will cover your own shipping costs. I always try to give David the opportunity to get stuff I think he might want or need. Trying to give back for all his hard work and good content. I've been following his blog since before his KZbin channel. He's helped push me into learning to graft and such.

[@katieanneozarkhollowhomestead]

I’ve got cherry pits I’ve had in the fridge since fall. Do you split them open as well?

[@davidthegood]

Yes

[@katieanneozarkhollowhomestead]

Thanks!

[@paulineackermann2598]

How do you create dwarf fruit trees?

[@davidthegood]

Prune them at the summer solstice. See: amzn.to/495ePIA for details. That book was a big help to us.

[@paulineackermann2598]

@@davidthegood Thanks!

[@breaking_bear]

Did you say there is more than one seed in each plumpit?

[@davidthegood]

No, just one - usually. Occasionally you get a double in peaches. Not sure about plums. I've not come across a double yet.

[@47retta]

But David, here in S central fla, we don't get enough chill hours to grow plums, peaches, apples.

[@almostoily7541]

What about the floridade peach? Edit: It's named Florida King peach. I may need to look that up to make sure that name is correct. I saw one in my Lowe's here in Texas and looked it up. It was bred for humidity and low chill hours, I believe. If you look up Legg Creek farm, they have a chill hours chart. When I get anything I'm not sure about I look at the map and chart there.

[@47retta]

@@almostoily7541 thanks, I'll look into it. I wonder if it has to be grafted for the low chill?

[@artstamper316]

@@almostoily7541😢I couldn’t find such a chart on their website.

[@davidthegood]

That's okay - plenty of other things to plant. Apple chill hours are actually variable, however. They'll grow in the tropics. See: Kuffell Creek Nursery

[@comfortablynumb9342]

I'm surprised that you use that potting soil from old store bought plants. I guess it's okay for trees when it's mixed with some good stuff. I hope all those sprouts turn into healthy trees for you. You could use branches to graft on other plums too.

[@davidthegood]

I recycle when I can.

[@theplanelife4097]

I sprouted some of the seeds from a persimmon tree that are now just small seedlings. Will they produce the same fruit as the tree I took the seeds from. I believe the tree is a native American persimmon. But I am not certain.

[@baddriversofcolga]

The issue with Persimmons is that they are usually dioecious meaning that the tree is either male or female and you only get fruit with a female. But if they are female the fruit should be very similar to the parent as is generally the case with wild, uncultivated trees. You can also just use the seedlings as rootstock and graft a named variety which will guarantee you get fruit.

[@theplanelife4097]

Thank you. I have 5 so far that have sprouted. So maybe one will be female. How will I know if male of female and Can I graft a female onto a male root stock? TIA@@baddriversofcolga

[@baddriversofcolga]

@@theplanelife4097 You're welcome! You'll know once they flower which could be a while. And yes, you can graft a female onto a male rootstock.

[@ericscott7335]

David, love your content and have been a long time subscriber. Great video but this new lens has me trying to duck your nose in my living room. Freaky 3D fishbowl thing

[@davidthegood]

It really is weird.

[@CharlMarais247]

The title. How to grow plants from seeds 😂

[@johnstonj92]

I would love to see all the amazing trees u have grown from seed. I grow hundreds every year. People don't realize that cloning is am evolutionary dead end.

[@davidthegood]

I have them spread across a few countries and states!

[@aworldreborn881]

Free talks? I thought the tickets were 40$🤔

[@davidthegood]

THREE talks

[@davidthegood]

The free talks are here on YT

[@sonofdavid1129]

Sow something good. You won't regret it.

[@Adnancorner]

clones ha ha ha yea... lol nobody like uniformity

[@kaddydid9]

Will you be at gulf shores zoo this year?

[@davidthegood]

No, thank you