How to Grow a Dwarf Plum in a Container

Fill a large container, such as a half wine barrel, halfway to the top with well-draining potting soil. If your container lacks drainage holes, make some with an electric drill or a hammer and nail before you add the soil.

Remove the dwarf plum from its container and massage the root ball gently to break it apart. Unwind tangled roots, then place the plum in its new container and spread the roots out against the soil. Top off the soil, pushing dirt against the roots and trunk of the tree. Add soil until the plum rests at the same level it did in the container.

Move the container to a location that gets full sun.

Water the plum tree to saturate the soil. Thereafter, give the tree 1 inch of water per week.

Fertilize the tree using water-soluble 10-10-10 fertilizer. Combine the correct dose for your size tree with water, and then pour it onto the soil to water the roots. Do this soon after planting and again in late spring to early summer. Fertilize with 10-10-10 annually, adjusting the amount based on the size of your tree.

Prune the tree to shape it in the late spring. Remove branches that rub against other branches, as well as branches growing too close to the trunk and water sprouts emerging from the trunk. Thin out the canopy to allow light penetration by removing branches from crowded areas. Clip off damaged branches, plus any dead or diseased wood you find. Prune the dwarf plum each year to keep it healthy.

Harvest fruit by plucking it off the tree when it is ripe. Depending on the plum type you planted, fruits may soften when they're ripe without changing color, or they may change in hue. Test the fruit by picking one and tasting it, and harvest when the sample fruit has the right sweetness.