Is Plum deer resistant?
Prunus domestica
Deer will destroy this. Do not plant it unprotected.
Rating source: Rutgers NJAES E271
Toxic to cats and dogs if eaten
About Plum
Same problems as cherry: browsed foliage, stripped low fruit, and smooth young trunks that bucks rub and girdle in autumn. Trunk guards for the first several years are essential. Most plums need a compatible pollinator variety nearby, so check before buying a single tree.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 6 to 7
- Drainage
- Well drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 142 to 189 in apart
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Maintenance
- High
Deer-resistant alternatives to Plum
Same plant type, hardy in the same zones, but rated better on the Rutgers scale. If Plum keeps getting eaten, these go in the same spot.
Similar to Plum
Other trees with the same deer rating.
Protecting Plum
Deer will destroy this without protection, so the question is which kind you are willing to pay for.
- Protecting a young treeBrowsing costs a season. A buck rubbing a two-inch stem in October girdles it and kills it outright.
- How tall a deer fence needs to beEight feet, and six is the most common expensive mistake in deer fencing.
- What a deer fence costsMaterial ratios are stable even when prices are not, and installation reliably doubles the figure.
- Repellent that actually worksThe egg-based recipe that reproduces the active ingredient in the commercial sprays that win university trials.
Where Plum grows
Hardy across most of these 51 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- New York
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Virginia
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
- Ohio
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Texas
- Colorado
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Delaware
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- South Carolina
- Florida
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
- Hawaii
Browse from here
Every list Plum belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Plum
- Is Plum deer resistant?
- Plum (Prunus domestica) is rated Frequently Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Deer will destroy this. Do not plant it unprotected.
- What hardiness zones does Plum grow in?
- Plum is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 9. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Plum grow in shade?
- No. Plum wants full sun and will grow thin and flop in shade.
- How big does Plum get?
- Mature height is roughly 120–240 in. Growth rate is moderate.
- Is Plum toxic to dogs or cats?
- Yes. The ASPCA lists Plum as toxic to dogs, cats, and horses. Site it away from where animals graze, or choose something else if you have a dog that chews.