pruning a plumtree .

[Derbydal]

Do I still have time to prune my plum tree ? ,its still got a few plums on it but it's not done much this year and what fruit iv'e had seemed to be magotty . any advice will be most wellcome ! atb Dal.

[Bluenowhere]

Assuming you are where your name suggests probably just got time but if I were you I wouldn’t do much after the next couple of weeks as could well be too wet. It’s wet that is the problem more than anything as helps the fungus that is the problem in late pruning.

[Derbydal]

thanks for the reply Blue ! its going to be wet over the weekend but looks like it may get warmer next week ! so i'll get stuff ready and hope for a couple of dry warm days . atb Dal from Derbyshire.

[nickdub]

Can I ask why you wan't to prune your tree ? generally plums do better if they are left alone ....

[Derbydal]

nick last year I took out a large main stem to let more light and air into the midle of the tree ,and this year it has grown lots of water shoots thats shot straight up and the rest of the tree has put more growth on plus hight making it hard to havest the few plums that it produced , so I think i'd be better doing something now rather than later and hopefully get a better crop next year! atb Dal.

[nickdub]

Right - I get you - one approach would be to prune out some of the water shoots altogether ie right back to where they sprang from while taking the others, tying string to the ends and festooning them over in semicircles - that should help to keep the center open while diverting some of the strength of growth of the tree in to fruit. What you want to avoid is creating a hedgehog type prune - that never ends well.


Good luck, Nick

[Derbydal]

i'm going to leave the pruning till next year the weather as turned and i'd like to keep the tree so its got a reprive till early sumer ! atb Dal.