Name: 5ft 'Gypsy' Mirabelle Tree | 12L Pot | St. Julien A Semi-Vigorous Rootstock | By Frank P Matthews
SKU: TR9015
Availability: InStock

Gypsy is a modern variety, produces a heavy crop of large, bright red fruits with a sweet orange flesh; sugary rich and juicy in flavour. One of the best fruits for eating fresh, but can also be used for cooking too. Stunning white blossom early in the spring and large dark green leaves.

Variety Information

Pollination Group Fruit trees benefit from a pollination partner in the same or neighbouring pollination group.	1
Self-Fertile Self-fertile trees will produce fruit without a partner, but benefit from one for bigger crops.	No
Harvesting Period	Mid (August)
Estimated Time to Cropping	2 Years
Estimated Time to Best Yields	5 Years
Uses	Eating Fresh, Cooking

Size Information

Supplied As	12L Pot
Height on Arrival Height can vary depending on when you purchase your tree, and what rootstock and variety combination you buy.	1.5m (5ft)
Age	2 Years with 4 Year Rootstock
Rootstock Rootstocks determine the eventual size of your tree.	St. Julien A
Eventual Height & Spread Eventual size depends on both environmental and genetic conditions.	4m x 4m (13 x 13ft)

How Your Plant Will Arrive

Rootstocks

Pollination

Planting Requirements

Planting Guide

Planting Essentials

We have developed an eco friendly polypot currently in use across our 9L range. The polypot uses less than 20% of the plastic compared with a normal pot and, unlike most garden center pots, is recyclable. Polypots also prevent root spiraling to encourage a healthier root system.

All trees arrive in a specially made, extra thick, cardboard box with a clamp to hold the pot in place at the bottom of the box. This prevents any movement during transit, keeping your plant safe.

We wrap the roots of our bare root trees and use compost to keep them moist during transport. This extra bit of protection prevents them from drying out and makes sure your tree gets off to a flying start.

We use the same specialised box as our potted trees to ensure safe transit.

Key is to regularly water newly-planted trees, at least bimonthly for two months. It is also important to ensure adequate spacing between trees with 3-3.5m between Pixy/VVA-1 and 3.5-4.5m between St. Julien A/Wavit rootstock trees.

Bare root & containerised trees have different planting requirements. With bare root, it is important to soak your tree’s roots in water for up to 2 hours before planting, while with containerised trees it is important to drench your tree’s rootball. With bare root it can be useful to prune woody roots back a few inches, while with containerised trees, it is important to free any spiralized roots growing around the rootball’s circumference. With bare root trees, dig a hole so as to ensure the graft point is above the soil, while with containerised trees, ensure the pot sits no lower than an inch below ground.

Bare root & containerised trees also share planting requirements. Dig a hole twice the radius of the rootball. Stake your tree no more than 2-3 inches from the stem, pointing away from the prevailing wind. Fill the hole with a mix of compost and garden soil, and add fertiliser and mycorrhizal fungi. Do not compress the soil. Give your tree a good watering. Add mulch on top whether bark and wood chippings, compost, manure, leaf-mould and stones. Make sure mulch doesn’t touch the stem. Tie the stake to your tree, leaving space for growth. Place a rabbit guard around your tree.

Apply fertiliser and replace decomposed mulch come spring. Check ties to ensure there is no rubbing. Collect fallen leaves in autumn.

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Fruit trees are generally budded or grafted onto a rootstock by the nursery, which means the roots of the tree are a different plant to that of the trunk, branches and fruit. Rootstocks, among other things, determine the eventual size of your tree with dwarfing rootstocks producing smaller trees than one grown on its own roots. Some rootstocks have a greater dwarfing effect than others, with the Pixy/VVA-1 producing the smallest tree going.

While having a smaller tree may sound like a bad thing, it is actually a huge benefit. Dwarfing trees produce earlier in their lives and put more energy into fruiting at the expense of vegetative growth. This allows one to maximise space. A downside is that some dwarfing rootstocks such as Pixy and VVA-1 will need permanent staking to ensure they aren’t uprooted by strong winds.

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Fruit trees will only produce fruit if their flowers have been pollinated. This is usually done by pollinating insects, which transfer pollen from one flower to another. Honeybees, the main pollinating insect, will travel several miles in search of blossom, so if there is another plum in that radius your tree will produce fruit.

Some plum trees are self-fertile while others require a pollination partner from the same or neighbouring pollination group. Self-fertile varieties will produce fruit without a pollination partner, but benefit from a partner for heavier crops. Japanese plums can’t pollinate plums as they are of a different species.
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Plum trees are easy to grow. Your treeâ€™s growth and output will likely be fine providing you followed our planting and care instructions. Below we address some common queries:

Hardiness: Plum trees can be found growing in far colder regions than the UK and therefore the UKâ€™s mild winters will not affect your tree. One issue that can affect plum trees is frost-damaged blossom, which can prevent a tree fruiting. For more information, please consult our pollination guide.
Position: In the UK, the greatest barrier to successful fruiting is a lack of sunlight, so be sure to plant your tree in full sun. Planting your tree in a sheltered spot will help prevent uprooting and allow the tree to put more resources into fruiting.
Soil Types: Soil types are best ignored and remain an unwelcome confusion. Every plant will adapt to its conditions. Having said that, less than ideal conditions will reduce growth. Every plant is suited to a specific pH and plum trees prefer soils with a pH between 5.5-6.5. pHs beyond this range will reduce nutrient uptake. Waterlogged soils will starve your tree of oxygen, which plays a key role in photosynthesis, cause its roots to rot and create the perfect environment for many diseases. Similarly, compressed soils can starve a tree of oxygen and water, so do not compress the soil when planting. Aeration can be improved further with mulching.