How to Plant Purple-Leaf Plum? Planting Methods and Precautions

Purple-leaf plum is a common woody plant. In landscape design, it is often chosen for planting because its plant is relatively large and its leaves are distinctive, so it has high ornamental value. So how exactly is it planted, and what issues do we need to pay attention to when planting it? Let's take a look below.

How to Plant Purple-Leaf Plum

First, soak the selected seeds in warm water for two full days. After the seeds have fully absorbed water, remove them and set aside for later use. Then find a flat, sunny garden plot with fertile soil for sowing. Refine the land in advance. After deep plowing, remove impurities, sterilize with carbendazim, and finally leave soft, fertile garden soil.

Purple-Leaf Plum Planting Methods and Precautions

I. Planting Methods

1. Temperature and Light

Purple-leaf plum likes a warm and humid climate, is not cold-tolerant, and likes sunlight. It should be planted in a sunny place, and must never be planted in a shady place or under a large tree.

2. Soil

Purple-leaf plum grows well in fertile, deep, well-drained clayey neutral and acidic soil. Generally, gravelly soil is better, and clayey soil can also be used.

3. Watering and Fertilizing

Purple-leaf plum likes a humid growing environment and needs sufficient watering during the growing season. In July and August, due to heavy precipitation, watering can be omitted, and drainage work should also be done well to prevent waterlogging and root rot. After entering autumn, watering must be controlled, otherwise excessive water will promote excessive growth of branches, making them very prone to frost damage in winter.

Purple-leaf plum likes fertilizer. Before watering to seal the soil for winter each year, some farmyard manure can be applied to promote lush plant growth. However, although purple-leaf plum has a fertilizer-loving characteristic, it only needs to be fertilized once a year in late autumn in an appropriate amount, because once the number of fertilizations is too many or the amount is too large, it is easy to make the leaf color darker and less bright, reducing its ornamental value.

II. Precautions

The main pests of purple-leaf plum are red spiders, stinging moths, and bagworms. The common disease is mainly bacterial shot hole disease, which occurs widely and is seriously harmful. After onset, it affects the normal growth and ornamental value of the plant, and these can all cause its death, so special attention must be paid.

What to Do If Purple-Leaf Plum Has Root Rot

The main cause of root rot in purple-leaf plum is low soil temperature and excessive soil moisture. Attention should be paid to controlling water. After watering, loosen the soil in time to increase aeration around the roots and promote the formation of new roots. If it is root rot disease, apply 800 times diluted dexon, thiophanate-methyl, etc. for control.

How to Prune Purple-Leaf Plum

The best tree shape for purple-leaf plum is the “open-center layered shape”, and the “natural open-center shape” can also be used. When pruning the main branches of each layer, some side branches should be appropriately retained to achieve the effect of making the crown full without being hollow. After the tree shape is basically formed, only appropriate pruning is needed each year, such as cutting off overly dense, drooping, overlapping, and dead branches.

It seems that various problems will appear during the process of planting purple-leaf plum, especially the symptom of root rot, which can affect its growth and even cause its death, so we must pay attention to this problem. But if you want it to grow safely and also be more luxuriant, it needs to be pruned at the right time.