where have all the plums gone?

[Gabbie]

I have plum and greengage trees in my garden, the plum tree usually produces loads of fruit every year but the greengage is not so productive, anyway this year they both flowered well and even the fruit started to grow ( about the size of large peas) in early summer, but now there are no fruits growing on either tree , all vanished! is this due to bad weather? or have I got a pest problem?

[Flummery]

Probably a weather thing. There aren't so many wild plums this year in the hedgerows either. A few sloes still around and the haul on our damson looks like being much less than the last couple of years.
Good job next year is a fresh start!

[SarzWix]

Yeah, it seems to be a fairly widespread problem - most of the wild trees I pick from are totally bare. In fact, I only know of 1 cultivated tree with any fruit on it - in my friend's back garden in a pot, well watered through the spring dry spell so this might have made the difference?!

[OverWyreGrower]

None of my 3 plum trees have any on at all!! They flowered, but that was all. Last year we had enough to make 72 jars of jam and still give carrier bags of them away. This year, I can't find even 1 on any of the trees!

[Storm]

I think this problem is wide spread and weather related. I have got a Victoria in my (very sheltered frost free) cottage garden and it was quite literally buckling under the weight of the fruit until we took a few off - yet almost all my friends and neighbours have got very few. I gave the tree a few buckets of washing up water in the dry spell but other than that it has had no special attention.

However just because the tree has got plums does not mean we're getting any harvest. they're big enough but still hard and green - there has been no summer to ripen them off

We had late frosts and a very windy spell a few weeks ago up here in teh midlands and that was when my dad lost his few plumlings - the wind was strong enough on the allotment to snap fruit bushes. Perhaps that could explain the disappearance of the young fruit?

[Headfry]

Victoria has a habit of producing a huge crop one year and then 'resting' the following year.
some apples do this too.
Next year I am sure will be fine!

[Flummery]

Storm's right about the high winds (well, he would be wouldn't he?) I've got quite a lot of little damsons on the ground, all blown off.

[Gabbie]

Thanks everyone , I was just worried it was something I had done, or not done.
It has been very helpful.
Iwill cross my fingers next year is better.