King Billy Plum
European Plum
 
Fruit ripening time: Late January – Early February
 
King Billy is a sweet plum with a slightly tart flavour. 
 
The fruit are medium in size and oval. The skin is a deep purple, with a firm, pale green to yellow flesh. A clingstone variety.
 
Trees are vigorous and will yield excellent crops once they reach fruit bearing age. 
 
Uses: Fresh eating, preserves, puddings, jams and drying. 
 
Storage: Plums generally have a short storage time once they are ripe and are best kept refrigerated. 
 
Fruit will ripen on the tree over a period of 1 to 2 weeks, ensuring that fresh fruit can picked and enjoyed for a good length of time.
 
Pollinators: Angelina, Coe’s Golden Drop, Greengage, D’Agen, President, Purple Gage, Victoria
 
Tree Size: Approximately 3 - 5 m tall and 4 m wide, depending on the shape.
 
Tree Care:
For best results plant in full sun, in fertile, free draining soil, preferably a friable loam with good aeration. 
If the soil is free draining, dig a hole twice the size of the root ball, plant the tree so the top of the root ball is level with the soil line and back fill with a soil and compost mixture. If the soil is not free draining, plant the tree in a raised mound of soil and compost mix, to prevent water logging.
 
Choose a sheltered position, out of strong winds. 
 
Water in well at planting, and water regularly, especially in dry spells. Young trees will benefit from being mulched. Apply mulch in a ring around the tree base, keeping clear of the trunk.
 
Plums are produced on spurs on 2-year and older wood. Prune in dry weather in winter, to shape your tree and develop a good framework.