Try again: plum tree

 

Howdy

A few days ago I posted a question about what to do about our 3-year old
plum tree. No replies that I've seen, so maybe there's no comment to be
made ... but on the off-chance...

Plum tree is 3 years old.  About 4 plums last year.  NO plums this year
-- but a huge amount of bushy growth in all directions.

Question: should I be pruning it furiously right now, while the bushy
growth is rampant?

[I can't remember what variety it is, but I'd guess that it's a
Victoria, since we're not fruit growers as such, and we'd just have gone
for the bog-standard favourite.]


Cheers
John

 

In article <lalaw44-475A3D.12145612072010@surfnet-
nl.ipv4.ptr.145.109.196.x.invalid>, lalaw44@hotmail.com says...

If I remember correctly you prune Plums and related trees in summer so
the wounds heal quickly and reduce the risk of silverleaf fungus getting
in. There are in fact several specialist web sites that give detail
instructions on fruit tree pruning with illustrations so I think you may
find google is your friend!
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

 



"Another John"  wrote

Try...  http://www.articlesbase.com/videos/5min/166434895

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK  

 



Unfortunately I found the video less than helpful - 90% grumbling about
someone else not pruning the way he would and repeating 'prune in spring'.
Plus continuous 'I've already told you how to do this'.
The last few seconds were O.K. but still not much information specific to
plums.

I have chanced across
http://www.gardenaction.co.uk/fruit_veg_diary/fruit_veg_mini_project_march_2b_plum.asp
which has some interesting things to say about location of the tree etc.
It also says:
"If the tree is being planted in soil which has previously been fertilised
for other crops, do not add more fertiliser - too fertile a soil will result
in too much tree growth at the expense of too little fruit growth."
This could tie in with the OP saying
"NO plums this year  -- but a huge amount of bushy growth in all
directions."

So another possibility is that the ground is too fertile.
In which case it is probably best to let the tree grow out for a year or two
until it has used up some of the extra food and can settle down to producing
fruit.

Read through all the pages on plums atr this site - it does have a
comprehensive guide on what to do and what not to do.

HTH

Dave R
--
No plan survives contact with the enemy.

Helmuth von Moltke the Elder

 



Is there any particular reason why you want to prune it?
IIRC in the early years you can do minor stuff to shape the tree, but major
pruning of plums is not a regular thing (unlike, for instace, apples).

Plums are a bit fickle until they get established and a cold start to the
year can also cause problems with setting fruit.
Was there plenty of blossom?

Cheers

Dave R
--
No plan survives contact with the enemy.

Helmuth von Moltke the Elder