Underplanting makes a good contribution to maintaining the he alth of a plum tree. With the help of some plants, moisture can be stored better in the soil, weeds are pushed out and diseases and pests can even be kept at a distance.
Which plants are suitable for underplanting plum trees?
Shade-tolerant,shallow-rootedandundemandingGround covers, perennials, early bloomers, woody plants and grasses are suitable for planting under a plum tree. These include, among others:
- Nasturtium and cranesbill
- Honas and fairy flowers
- Lily of the valley and lily of the hare
- Mahony and wild raspberry
- Japan sedge and mountain sedge
Planting plum trees with ground cover plants
The plum tree does have a deep main root. But there are several lateralrootsattached to it, which areclose to the surface. Therefore, the ground cover for underplanting should have shallow roots and be planted in the ground as early as possible, before the plum tree has developed an increasingly dense network of roots over the years. Ground cover plants that are fantastically suitable for underplanting are:
- Nasturtium
- Storksbill
- Ivy
- wood anemones
- Blue Periwinkle
- Cotoneaster
- Golden strawberry
Planting plum trees with perennials
A variety of perennials can adapt to partially shaded to shady conditions. They can also deal with the temporary dryness under the crown of the plum tree. It is also important that they tolerate theroot pressureand settle themselvesshallow-rooted. Excellent fit:
- Elf Flower
- Autumn Anemone
- Aquilegia
- Foam Blossom
- Sedum
- Phacelia
- Funkie
- Blue Monkshood
Planting a plum tree with early bloomers
Early bloomers attract nectar-hungry bees. These also like to indulge in the blossoms of the plum tree and help with theirPollinationBut also because the early bloomers have adecorative value under the plum tree, they make sense as underplanting. These specimens fit in well:
- Lily of the valley
- Snowdrops
- Daffodils
- Tulips
- Harebells
Planting plum trees with shrubs
You can also use shallow-rooted, undemanding and shade-tolerant trees to underplant the plum tree. However, do not place itdirectlyon thetree disk, but rather at a distance from it. If the trees arerobust so that they can tolerate the falling leaves of the plum tree in autumn and the falling of fruit, they are almost predestined.
- Mahony
- Blackberry
- Wild Raspberry
- Spindle bush
Planting a plum tree with grasses
Grasses may be simple, but they still effectively cover the ground below the crown of the plum tree andpreserveitfrom drought. They also have shallow roots and some of them can even tolerate shading. For example, the following are suitable:
- Japan sedge
- Mountain sedge
- Forest Marbel
- Snow Marbel
- Rasen-Schmiele
Tip
Fertilize regularly when underplanting
In order not to deplete the soil too much, it is advisable to fertilize the plum tree and its underplanting with compost (€10.00 at Amazon) once or twice a year. Otherwise, the dwindling amount of nutrients could harm the growth of the fruit tree and the yields could soon become poorer.
