Methley plum tree

Prunus salicina 'Methley'

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• Picking season: Early
• Gardening skill: Average
• Self-fertility: Self-fertile
• Pollination group: 1

Methley is an early-season Japanese plum. It is reliably self-fertile, and crops heavily from a young age.

Methley japanese plums for sale

• Full-size 1-year bare-root tree $37.95
  Mature height: 16ft-24ft after 10 years
  Myrobalan rootstock
  

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Methley is a popular early-season Japanese-style plum with a light purple skin and dark red flesh.

How to grow

Methley is self-fertile and easy to grow provided you have a warm sheltered situation, and is a good introduction to growing Japanese-style plums.

Methley is potentially a heavy cropper. However, it flowers very early (well before European varieties) and this can put the blossom at risk from frosts or bad weather. For this reason it is best grown in a sheltered location with a warm south-facing aspect. The blossom is more abundant than with European varieties, and this adds some ornamental interest.

Methley is a low-chill variety, and can therefore be grown in climates where temperatures rarely get down to freezing in the winter.

Advice on fruit tree pollination.

History

Although generally considered a Japanese-style plum, Methley is actually a hybrid of Prunus salicina (the Japanese plum) and Prunus cerasifera (the cherry plum). It was introduced to the USA in the 1920s from South Africa.

Methley characteristics

• Gardening skillAverage
• Self-fertilitySelf-fertile
• Pollination group1
• Pollinating othersAverage
• Bearing regularityRegular
• Picking seasonEarly
• UsesEating fresh
• CroppingHeavy
• Keeping (of fruit)1 week
• Cold hardiness (USDA)(5) -20F / -29C
• Summer maximum temperaturesCool ( 20-24C / 68-75F)Warm (25-30C / 76-85F)
• Chill requirementLow-chill
• Country of originSouth Africa
• Period of origin1900 - 1949
• Flesh colourDark red
• Fruit colorPurple - light
• Fruit sizeAverage
• Cling-stoneClingstone