Something a bit less depressing to talk about.

I have a lovely friend at work who has suddenly become a very enthusiastic food gardener.

Anyway, she has a plum tree, and hasn’t had many fruit so far – but the ones she has had have been white! This is on the outside – she showed me a picture, and it’s just like a normal plum but with no colour at all in the skin. I think she also mentioned today that one of her other stone fruits (nectarine or peach, I think) is also making white fruit.

Any ideas what the problem could be?? She thinks it has something to do with her two dogs peeing under those trees, but I would have thought white fruit would be more common, if that were the case.

bon008 said:

Something a bit less depressing to talk about.

I have a lovely friend at work who has suddenly become a very enthusiastic food gardener.

Anyway, she has a plum tree, and hasn’t had many fruit so far – but the ones she has had have been white! This is on the outside – she showed me a picture, and it’s just like a normal plum but with no colour at all in the skin. I think she also mentioned today that one of her other stone fruits (nectarine or peach, I think) is also making white fruit.

Any ideas what the problem could be?? She thinks it has something to do with her two dogs peeing under those trees, but I would have thought white fruit would be more common, if that were the case.

What do they taste like?

bubba louie said:

bon008 said:

Something a bit less depressing to talk about.

I have a lovely friend at work who has suddenly become a very enthusiastic food gardener.

Anyway, she has a plum tree, and hasn’t had many fruit so far – but the ones she has had have been white! This is on the outside – she showed me a picture, and it’s just like a normal plum but with no colour at all in the skin. I think she also mentioned today that one of her other stone fruits (nectarine or peach, I think) is also making white fruit.

Any ideas what the problem could be?? She thinks it has something to do with her two dogs peeing under those trees, but I would have thought white fruit would be more common, if that were the case.

What do they taste like?

I don’t think she would have been brave enough to taste them! She is a bit.. squeamish, in some areas, although gardening seems to have mellowed her :)

I will ask though.

it’s not that it has a heavy bloom?

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_G8eSh_l6crI/TFxQDYkIqUI/AAAAAAAADdQ/sWvM6vBB3V4/s1600/P8043809.JPG

I used to buy Mirabelle Plum Jam. Best jam ever but the stupidmarket doesn’t stock it anymore.

http://www.photographersdirect.com/buyers/stockphoto.asp?imageid=1512236

bubba louie said:

I used to buy Mirabelle Plum Jam. Best jam ever but the stupidmarket doesn’t stock it anymore.

http://www.photographersdirect.com/buyers/stockphoto.asp?imageid=1512236

Woops. I think I should have read the print before I posted that.

It definitely hs nothing to do with the dogs.

tell her to give you photos you can post here if you like but there are a number of plum and nectarine species that could fill the bill.

I’ve learnt something for today. I never knew there were white plums. Aren’t they any good for eating? Maybe not a good commercial crop? Just wondering!

i have some memory, or perhaps a dream, of seeing a pure white ie. brilliant white plum eg. actual white not like in the picture link i posted, small about 25mm in dia. but i’m not so sure of that :)

bluegreen said:

it’s not that it has a heavy bloom?

No, I did ask that, but on the photo it looks really, properly white!

Just catching up with the LHC…

pomolo said:

I’ve learnt something for today. I never knew there were white plums. Aren’t they any good for eating? Maybe not a good commercial crop? Just wondering!

Me either! I’ll see if she still has the tag that came with the plant. I think she has a picture on Facebook – so I can’t get to it, but you lot probably can! :)

bon008 said:

pomolo said:

I’ve learnt something for today. I never knew there were white plums. Aren’t they any good for eating? Maybe not a good commercial crop? Just wondering!

Me either! I’ll see if she still has the tag that came with the plant. I think she has a picture on Facebook – so I can’t get to it, but you lot probably can! :)

There are a range of issues here. Obviously plums or any fruit will start out green then go through colour phase changes as they ripen.
Conditions of light falling on fruit may have an effect. ie: good strong evenly spread light will obviously bring out the strongest colourations as also may temperatures. Many plums have yellow to pink colourations when fully ripened in full sun. Quite a few of these varieties will look white at some stage. This doesn’t mean that all the plums on any one tree will end up as white when ripe. Yet I could take my camera to the nursery now and show me eating plums that look white while others on the tree are pinkish.. This is primarily about availabilty of light on the fruit, in some varieties.

roughbarked said:

bon008 said:

pomolo said:

I’ve learnt something for today. I never knew there were white plums. Aren’t they any good for eating? Maybe not a good commercial crop? Just wondering!

Me either! I’ll see if she still has the tag that came with the plant. I think she has a picture on Facebook – so I can’t get to it, but you lot probably can! :)

There are a range of issues here. Obviously plums or any fruit will start out green then go through colour phase changes as they ripen.
Conditions of light falling on fruit may have an effect. ie: good strong evenly spread light will obviously bring out the strongest colourations as also may temperatures. Many plums have yellow to pink colourations when fully ripened in full sun. Quite a few of these varieties will look white at some stage. This doesn’t mean that all the plums on any one tree will end up as white when ripe. Yet I could take my camera to the nursery now and show me eating plums that look white while others on the tree are pinkish.. This is primarily about availabilty of light on the fruit, in some varieties.

Thanks RB, I’ll pass that info on :)

bon008 said:

roughbarked said:

bon008 said:

Me either! I’ll see if she still has the tag that came with the plant. I think she has a picture on Facebook – so I can’t get to it, but you lot probably can! :)

There are a range of issues here. Obviously plums or any fruit will start out green then go through colour phase changes as they ripen.
Conditions of light falling on fruit may have an effect. ie: good strong evenly spread light will obviously bring out the strongest colourations as also may temperatures. Many plums have yellow to pink colourations when fully ripened in full sun. Quite a few of these varieties will look white at some stage. This doesn’t mean that all the plums on any one tree will end up as white when ripe. Yet I could take my camera to the nursery now and show me eating plums that look white while others on the tree are pinkish.. This is primarily about availabilty of light on the fruit, in some varieties.

Thanks RB, I’ll pass that info on :)

Her plum tree is in the shade – she’s going to do some pruning to try to get more light in.

can we get a picture of them at this stage then after prune?

i have this weird memory of a brilliant white fig :)

trichome said:

can we get a picture of them at this stage then after prune?

i have this weird memory of a brilliant white fig :)

probably white adriatic.

trichome said:

can we get a picture of them at this stage then after prune?

i have this weird memory of a brilliant white fig :)

She has sent me a picture, but she didn’t say if it’s OK for me to put it online.. I’ll ask :)

The next quwestion would be. Does your friend know that the trees have been planted by her or were they in the garden when she moved in? Older varieties not so commonly grown which could fit the bill were Coes golden drop, gorgeous golden drop. Ended up a pale yellow at ripe stage.

roughbarked said:

The next quwestion would be. Does your friend know that the trees have been planted by her or were they in the garden when she moved in? Older varieties not so commonly grown which could fit the bill were Coes golden drop, gorgeous golden drop. Ended up a pale yellow at ripe stage.

Oh, you just reminded me – she said I could put the photo on PhotoBucket. Just a moment..

That should be clickable to take you to the full size version.

I think she bought it herself but I’ll ask tomorrow – she isn’t in the office today.

i knew it, thanks for that :)
is it possible to have photos of when it is ripe and cut open ?

trichome said:

i knew it, thanks for that :)
is it possible to have photos of when it is ripe and cut open ?

I’ll ask, but how will she know when it’s ripe? Just from the softness?

bon008 said:

trichome said:

i knew it, thanks for that :)
is it possible to have photos of when it is ripe and cut open ?

I’ll ask, but how will she know when it’s ripe? Just from the softness?

yes when it is softer, in that picture it looks quite white, do i see a hint of yellow in the skin? when looking at it does it actually look a lot whiter?