Planted the exchange the gave me the root ball is better but still not good but at lest it has roots

If you are too far south tree won't be able to function whether it has roots at planting time or not. This is a European tree, grown in places like Britain - do you see any other stone fruits (apricots, cherries, peaches, plums, nectarines) in your part of Florida? In addition to unsuitable climates other factors like pest nematodes can effectively exclude some of them from large areas.

Hopefully the tag is right it says to zone 10a but gives no chill hour

In Florida Hardiness Zone 10 is way down at the south tip. Such a tree being able to survive the complete package of other conditions that occurs where the winters result in a Zone 10 designation highly doubtful.

One good quality print gardening encyclopedia I have here indicates a Zone 8 hardiness level for the Orchard Plum (Prunus domestica), of which the Bullace or Damson (P. insititia) has been considered a subspecies in the past. And a maximum AHS Heat Zone rating of 8. Only a couple comparatively small and coastal portions of the uppermost part of Florida were mapped as 8 by the AHS. So unless you happen to be in one of these cooler sections Florida is likely to be too hot for a tree like this. And that is just summer temperatures, without summer humidity, soils, diseases and pests also being considered.

I'm in 9b in Palm bay 60 miles south east of Orlando.

I've been to Orlando and vicinity, including Leu Gardens and up to the excellent Bok Tower site - but not down where you are. If you can't get a feel for local suitability by looking around (people tend to plant fruit trees a lot most places I have been) try your local USDA Cooperative Extension Service office or web site. Search something like "_ County Cooperative Extension". Extension sources tend to be big on fruit tree information, both for commercial and home growers.

I'm a native floridian so i know what most people grow here. But sometimes you find the most surprising things in someone's back yard doing well here. I'm a member of Brevard rare fruit council so i play with all kinds of stuff but i don't have a lot experience with plums but some. I got a Santa Rosa for my mother and its doing very well. I also have had plums from the gulf series and a unknown plum that looks a lot like a blue damson. I'm hoping someone in Florida has experience with this type ?

Glenn, few years ago I bought a bare root low chill cocktail plum from Bay Laurel nursery. It did very well and I had a very delicious fruits. But because it was planted in the wrong spot, it grew to big for the area and we took it out. The problem with the different fruits was that some were hardier than the others and eventually they took over, from 5 only 2 were left in the tree but they were tasty.

Silvia

https://baylaurelnursery.com/low-chill-bare-root-varieties.html

Thank you Silvia,they didn't have it listed which is not a good sign. The did have 1 of my pears listed with a very low chill hour so that makes me happy now that i know it will produce.

Glenn, remember that there is a Z10 in CA too, and it is not tropical, but Mediterranean, which is a bit cooler and much drier. I wish you luck with your plum, but I do believe that is the Z10 it is suited for.

That is true, the trees that I bought there and they were mix of apricots and plums did not do well here. When I lived in Phoenix I had a Katy apricot that had the most delicious fruit ever, I wish I could replicate something like that here. And I am not substituting for the loquats, it is not the same thing.

I also had a pear cocktail that after many years was not doing well, I heard that gardeners are having luck with the asian type of pears, I am tempted to try it.:)

I just saw 2.99 for star fruit at Publix, and I am giving away by the buckets! lol

Silvia

I guess this one will be experimental worst case I'm out $12

Glen, You said you bought your mom a Santa Rosa Plum that is doing well. Is she in FL? What zone? I plan on hitting the USF plant festival in a couple of weeks and am doing my homework now. I planted a tropic beauty peach and what was labeled as a FL Prince peach 6 months ago in Sept, and both are loaded with fruit. I picked off about 80 fruits so far, leaving only 20 or 30 between both trees to try. The tropic beauty has fuzzy fruit, while my FL prince is very smooth. I'm thinking it may be a nectarine. I also planted a Katy apricot at the same time. It grew very tall in the 6 months, but it is either still dormant or dead. I am wondering if I should chance growing plums. I'm in Tampa 9B. Are there any other red meat plums you know of that are low chill and may do ok in Tampa? I used to live in CA, and the Santa Rosa plum is one of my favorites. I think I also read in another post that your dad has a cherry tree that is a big producer after 5 yrs. Do you know the exact variety?

T Smalz. My mother is in brooksville about a 2 hour drive north of you and her Santa Rosa is doing great. For you in Tampa I would recommend gulf beauty,gulf blaze.and gulf rose. You will need 2 for cross pollination not of the same type. My dads cherry is a lapins and it would do great for you. I will be getting one when i can. The Katy you have should do fine it sould come out of dormancy in a couple of weeks. I have a Florida Prince and it is fuzzy and it is the best producer I have. Some times it will produce 2 times a year. It seam like any excuse it will drop its leaves and bloom. And if you are interested my club is going to do there tree sale on Saturday April 22 from 830-4 at the Melbourne auditorium on hibiscus. This year was a very mild winter so somethings that are zoned here didn't get there chill hours. I hope i got everything.

Thank you so much for all the info! If your FL Prince is fuzzy, then mine is definitely some kind of nectarine. I hope I didn't mess up by planting it next to the tropic beauty peach. The seller told me to plant the two peaches together in the same hole, so they are barely 10"apart. Will your club have the gulf plums and/or the Lapis cherry?

Your peaches and nectarines should be planted 10 ft or more apart. Mine are 7 ft and that's pushing it. Most fruit trees should be at min 12 to max 25 ft apart. I don't know what the club is going to sell this year I haven't seen the list but I do know they will only sell what will grow here and Tampa is very similar. And so you will know peach and nectarines will cross pollinate. A nectarine is just a fuzzless peach. If you come to the sale come early there's more to choose from.

It's starting to grow

Glenn Jones, If you don't mind my asking. Do you think that I could plant a Santa Rosa plum in Saint Cloud FL (chill hours average 210-310) or should I plant the Gulf series like you told T Smalz? My husband loves plums, but I only have room for one more tree, so has to self pollinate or I am going to have to get a tree with two grafted varieties. Thanks for your time :)

Flofli Santa Rosa should do fine for you. The first time I saw one was in narcusee not far from st cloud the gulf plums do better but you need 2 with over lapping bloom. The problem with multiple grafted trees is that one will out grow the other grafts and you can end up with only that type. Even the best of us can have that problem. With all the care in the world. Or the grafts can just die. If you only have room for one[a problem I know well] go with Santa Rosa. They are also normally a cheaper tree because there not patented. I found my dads at tractor supply for $12 but it was very small.

it's still growing

Glenn Jones, the plum is doing great! Keep me posted on how it grows. Thanks for the advice with the plum tree. You also helped me with a question about apple trees recently and I really appreciate it. My wish list is done because I have run out of room LOL. Now time to start buying as I can :). I am going to be able to avoid grafted trees and that is a blessing because this is my first time planting fruit.

good info

it's still growing and doing good something is eating the lower leaves. I think it's grasshoppers but other than that doing well.

I have a few plum varieties from California growing in my backyard, which include Burgundy, Hollywood, and Weeping Santa Rosa. Burgundy has a sweet red flesh and no tart skin. Here's a picture of my Burgundy plum at the beginning of bloom time.