25 ft high plum trees. To cut or not to cut that is the Q.

 
Hi folks.

I have a sort of clump of plums at the end of my garden that have never
been maintained in any way. And although there was an insanely
enthusiastic crop of little plums had from them in 2010, I really feel I
should reduce them if I can.

I've been in this place for 10yrs+, and although the neighbours have
never said anything, I feel that they might prefer a little more
daylight. And I actually have to use a ladder to gather the fruit,
despite the 4 to 5 inch thin trunks. It was pretty wobbly up there let
me tell you!


Can't post the image, so here's the link to photobucket.

http://tinyurl.com/4lhovkv

That is just one of the trees, and was after most of the fruit had been
picked. There was so much that the branches were breaking!! My garden is
only 11-ish feet wide, so 5 twenty plus feet high trees is a bit much.


Thanks in advance people! :)




--
cheapo

 cheapo wrote:

I would reduce them.  You can cut them quite severely if you do it in later
winter to early spring before the sap rises.  Just how far you can cut them
depends a bit on conformation but down to 8-10ft would not be out of the
question.  I know some people who would take them down to 5-6ft and then
train the growing branches out instead of up to avoid using a ladder to
harvest again. The crop will be much reduced for a year or two but they will
come back and if you shape them well look better for it.  Be careful not to
allow tearing of the bark and soft tissues as you cut larger branches as the
weight will make them tend to pull down as you cut.

David

 
'David Hare-Scott[_2_ Wrote:

It is generally recommended to prune plum trees, and other stone fruit,
in high summer because of the risk of them getting silver leaf infection
if pruned at any other time of year.




--
echinosum

 echinosum wrote:

Going to my books this seems recommended by some but not others.  Some don't
even mention the disease, I don't know anybody who prunes in summer, perhaps
the fungus is not endemic here.  Well live and learn.  Apparently the fungus
is susceptible to common sprays used for other fungi so that may be a
safeguard.

David

 
Thanks for your replies.

Hmm, they may not actually be 25ft high, but definitely 20 and slender
trunks.

I really do want to totally reduce the height of the trees rather than
just prune them. I think I will try to go for the 5/6 foot level, if I
can find a bud point (I just looked that up) and train the new growth
out sideways.

And I may even get rid of two or three completely as the summer growth
of the 5 trees overhangs both of my neighbours on both sides and those
at the back too. Though they all had lots of fruit, as did a friend
across the road.

I'll cut the trunks off at an angle, so that rain runs off, and coat
the cuts with this special sealer from the garden centre.

Do you reckon I could splice healthy growth into the trunk? Just a
thought  really. Is there a season for that too? I just read "Prune in
June" somewhere. And yes, I had heard about the silverleaf thingy from
someone last year when I mentioned cutting them back.




--
cheapo