Plum Tree Question

[lwcreations]

Hi,

I hope someone can help me with this, I am quite new to allotments got mine in June this year and one of my allotment neighbour's got his in March this year. He has inherited on his plot a plum tree which appears to be rooting itself everywhere. There is some very new growth appearing which ranges from 12-24 inches tall, can we take a cutting from this and make a new tree (not sure of correct terminology)? Or how do you stop the re-rooting and can you take a cutting to make new trees?

Any help appreciated

Many thanks

[rustylady]

where is the new growth? If it's coming up some distance from the main tree it's probably seedlings which have grown from fallen plums. A picture would be good.

[lwcreations]

Thanks Rustylady, I didn't think to take a photo but will try and get some the weekend. Some are a distance away and some are close to the main tree, but what you are saying about fallen fruit makes sense really as no one has been looking after the plot until the guy took it on in March this year.
I will definately try and get some photos though as I am interested to know if I can obtain a tree like this.

[rustylady]

If they're seedlings then they probably won't be the same variety as the original tree, and they'll take years to fruit. If you want a tree then buy one - that way you'll be sure of what you're getting

[vicky]

I think they could be suckers growing up from the roots. The plum family is notorious for this habit. If the tree is grafted onto the rootstock then the suckers coming from the roots will not be the same as the fruiting part of the tree. Sometimes they can be quite nice fruits but you'd have to wait a few years to find out - it might be disappointing if they aren't good or fruit poorly!

[lwcreations]

Thanks Rustylady and Vicky I will take your advice and just buy a tree. How can he stop the suckers or this new growth?

[FB.]

As Vicky says......

Plums can sometimes start to send up new trees from the rootstock - called "root suckers". Suckers can become a serious, spreading problem. It is made worse by cutting them back to ground level, since it encouragres more.
the best way to stop suckers is dig down to where they join the root and rip them off in a destructive kind of way.

Since a plum tree is made up of two parts (the roots and the variety grafted on top), you would need to take one of those suckers and then graft a piece from the top of the tree. Otherwise, the rootstock will produce fruits that may be very different from the fruits that the top of the tree produces.

[lwcreations]

Thanks FB it sounds like they have some serious digging to do then

[FB.]

Thanks FB it sounds like they have some serious digging to do then

The suckers are probably severe because someone took the easy option of cutting them down to the ground - not realising that every time they're cut down, the tree will produce twice as many the following season, until the whole area around the tree becomes a mass of twigs growing out of the ground.