If you figure it out let me know. Mine grows like a weed but no flowers. I think they are just slow to start bearing. Mine is Bavay's, what's yours?

Mine is on year 3, and it has fruit for the first time this year. Unfortunately it was just labeled "Green Gage" when I bought it bare root, so I have no idea if it is anything special--maybe the plums will give me a clue when they ripen.

Carla in Sac

E plums tend to be much slower to come into bearing than most J plums and on Myro 6 years is about average for me in southeastern NY. Citation will speed up the process a couple years.

The way I sometimes coax earlier fruiting is to pull branches below horizontal.

I grafted mine on a wild plum two years ago,no flowers yet but growing nicely.Got the scion wood from a fried,when I first tasted his Green Gage in his yard.I knew I had to have the plum,one of the best fruits I have ever tasted

European plums take longer to fruit than Asian plums. I grafted three GG scions last spring, all have just bloomed and set some fruit. The three scions came from different sources and possibly different strains of GG. Time will tell.

"Rosy Gage" Isn't too bad about coming into production. Its a Cornell introduction, so it ought to be a solid variety Back East. Cornell has really done some outstanding work with European plums lately. I'm going to try and plant more Cornell varieties.

KEEPITLOW- where did you buy your green gage tree from- most likely its not a true green gage by the way- about 10 years many of the nurserys would sell any green plum as a green gage. I too bought a "green gage"- but i bought it from forest farms nurseries who dont specialize in fruit trees - so the chances that it is a true green gage tree is remote. it started flowering after about 4-5 years- and it looks I should have a decent crop for the first time this year- which is about year 6 or 7 in the ground. Hundreds of flowers and maybe about 150 plums look like they are growing beyond the initial pea size.

Don't know variety. I got it at a coop. Would not be the first time a tree is not right anyway.

I have a Bavay green plum that is now five years old and not a blossom. My Italian plum is seven years old this summer, same result. They just take longer! And I thought I'd have fruit in three years! I live in RI.

My gages took until this year, their 9th, before they set well. I set them back several years by not thinning shoots adequately given how densely I planted them (2' apart). In any planting arrangement make sure there are no areas with too great a density of shoots, that will cause the plant to want to compete with itself for sun by growing yet more shoots instead of settling down for fruiting.

Scott

Based on the productivity of green gage plums along the Wasatch front in Utah (zone 5A - 6A) and in other areas that are colder, I believe that green gages may need colder winters to produce fruit. Stanley is reputed to be nearly as good, if not as good, by the USU Extension master gardener in the Provo area. This may vary in other areas, but if it is almost as good as green gage and consistently produces well, I would call that a winner.

Jake,

Stanley doesn't compare with GG at all. Do you have experience with GG growing in your area? High altitude intense sun and arid climate produced some outstanding GG's for me. Stanley's are dry and boring IMHO.

>>I believe that green gages may need colder winters to produce fruit.That could be ...see link on my Green Gage.

Stanley is different plum,..prune plum, you can process better, dehydrate.

Here is a link that might be useful: Green Gage

Jake,

You are in 5a, that's plenty cold enough for GG. I am sure I don't even have a "good" or "authentic" GG as I purchased it from Costco. It fruited the 3rd year I think.

What Konrad said, they are two different types of plums; like a beefstake v.s. a plum tomato.

Green Gage does not need cold winters- it's grown in England which is a cool maritime climate that doesn't get very cold at all in winter. What it needs is cooler summers, preferably without too much humidity. Pretty much like all European plums that way. Japanese plums do better in hot summer climates.

removing duplicate

This post was edited by milehighgirl on Wed, Nov 19, 14 at 10:25

removing another duplicate?

This post was edited by milehighgirl on Wed, Nov 19, 14 at 10:27

removing another duplicate???

harvestman - I was thinking the very same thing. Mine is loaded and our minimum winter temps are only just below freezing. But it did take some years to really get into its stride.

>>Mine is loaded and our minimum winter temps are only just below freezing.Do you thin them, probalby I should,...any pictures?

Dave Wilson Nursery does mention that Green Gage (Bavay's) is an improved version that requires milder winters than than the common Green Gage. Is the original Green Gage still in circulation such that it could get mixed up with the new one? Or is the original hard to come by?

I planted in a Green Gage last May as part of my wedding ceremony- it was a two year old tree I had gotten from a local nursery. I had three blooms show up on it this spring- one on each branch. Those developed into tiny pencil eraser sized plumlets before those died off. Not sure why that happened.

Now I'm getting worried that perhaps I didn't get a true Green Gage- but I'm hopeful that if it's not, it will still be a tasty plum.

I'm sorry, I think I read it wrong. I think the DWN description is implying that Bavay's Green Gage is more cold hardy than the common Green Gage. That might be why is is more popular.

>>Not sure why that happened. Still way too early to expect fruits..even when flowering, give it 4 years or more.

>>Mine is loaded and our minimum winter temps are only just below freezing.Do you thin them, probalby I should,...any pictures?