Cambridge Gauge

[Pansypots]

Can anyone offer some advice on my Cambridge gauge? It’s planted in an orchard of 30+ trees mainly apple varieties with some cherry and nuts. The gauge has been in the ground for three years and is now around 3m tall and 2 m spread. It looks very healthy and produces loads of leaves but so far not a single blossom. Any suggestions as to why it doesn’t blossom?

[ameno]

What rootstock is it on? Plums can be slow to fruit on larger rootstocks, and even on St Julian A (the most common one) they can take 2-4 years from planting).

[nickdub]

You could try bending one of the branches round in a sort of semi-circle to encourage the production of fruit buds for next year. Check out 'festooning' for more on the subject.

[Pansypots]

Thanks, don’t know what rootstock it’s on but maybe next year will be the year! I’ll try bending one of the branches round and see if that encourages it too.

[Plot70]

I have got a root cutting of what I have been told is a greengage tree from the back garden of a house that I am told was built on an old orchard in Cambridge.
It has been growing for a couple of years now and I am wondering if it might be some kind of regional variety.
I will have to wait and then hope it dodges the frost before I get fruit.

[Derbydal]

I also have green gauge thats a self seeder from a tree on the next allotment from me , its in a large pot and I'm wondering if it would be worth planting out , my concern is it does'nt have a dwarf root stock and will also grow large like the donor tree that was brought from Italy 35yrs ago ,does any one have any thoughts ? atb Dal

[Plot70]

A self seeded tree is likely to cross pollinate with other trees in the local area.
Just plant it out for a play on the hybrid lottery

In my case I have seen the parent tree and feel it unlikely to be grafted.
Does anyone have any idea how long people have been grafting greengages for?

[nickdub]

I think in this country grafting fruit trees goes back about 500 years, I'm not sure about other parts of the world. Grafting because of using standardised roots rocks is much more recent and came in in the 30s or 40s I think.

[Plot70]

The parent tree the root came from is a remnant of an orchard that was built with housing a pretty long time ago perhaps 1930s.
The original tree is not "huge".

[It never rains..it pours]

+1 for festooning. Did a jubilee plum last year, rec on here from Nickdub and co, and now second year its covered in blossom, lot looks to have set vs non festooned that has a lot less. Only comment I would have is best to tie opposite branches, makes a nice heart shape and doesnt put downward weight on young trunk, if its a young tree.