When to plant plums in Hong Kong

Why these dates

Plant dormant. Plums bloom early, often before the leaves, so a frost pocket costs the crop even in a mild region. Thin the fruit in early summer to one every 5 to 8 cm along the branch; the tree will not do it for you and the fruit that remains will be twice the size.

Wood is very hardy. Blossom is not, and plum blossom arrives earlier than almost any other orchard fruit, which is why the crop is the first casualty of a warm February followed by a cold March.

Plums are planted once and then left in place, so there is no sowing offset to resolve. What matters in Hong Kong is the shape of the year: this crop is dormant through the winter and is planted while it sleeps, any time between leaf fall in autumn and the restart of growth in spring, so long as the ground is neither frozen nor waterlogged. That is why the window below spans the cold months rather than sitting in the middle of the growing season.

Hong Kong sits in zone 11a, which is milder than this crop wants, and a winter that never really arrives is its own problem. The dates below still describe the right time of year; the open question is survival rather than timing.

One caution specific to warm climates: this crop needs roughly 700 hours below 7.2°C (45°F) over winter before it will flower properly, and the coldest month in Hong Kong averages 16.4°C (61.5°F). Low-chill varieties exist for exactly this situation and are worth seeking out by name.

Do not expect a crop in the first year. A plant set out now should give its first worthwhile pick around year 3, and will then produce every year after that, which is what makes the planting decision worth getting right the first time.

See every crop timed for Hong Kong →