healthly plum tree no fruit

[alistb]

I have a plum tree last year I had only six or seven fruits from it. This year has produced nothing but it has a swarm of wasps crawling over it. I sprayed tree with water so that I could get to my compost bin.

Do I have a problem with my tree that no fruit has set
or does it require a good pruning for next year. if no fruits appear next year should I dig it out and start again plant believed two have been planted 2years ago

[rustylady]

Where is your tree growing - in a pot or in open ground? Do you know what variety it is?

[Shadylane]

We have a large established plum tree which we inherited. Had a lot of plums last year but this year those nasty late frosts knackered the blossoms so nowt this year. Actually I think we did have a few but they got pruned *oops* Did the blossoms go black and drop off? If so, was probably the frost. As for the wasps - we've got them too, not sure if there's some sap or summat coming out of the leaves but they've been going crazy for it, which makes it a bit nervy going to the nearby water butt which they keep falling into

[binley100]

We've actually got some plums this year after none last year and only a few the year before. This is the first year for ages that it hasn't been attacked by aphids and looks healthy. I haven't noticed loads of wasps tho' .

[alistb]

Sorry do not know of the variety I am working on that, it is yellow skinned and it is planted in open ground near a small boundry wall about 2 foot high. I am sorry to hear that others have the same problem. I am wondering should I prune now and hope for a crop next year

[Shadylane]

Does it need pruning? You're supposed to prune plum trees in June to prevent silver leaf disease, though I'm not sure if it would hurt to do it now. Unless it's untidy I think I would leave it. Sorry, not an expert.

[rustylady]

Sorry do not know of the variety I am working on that, it is yellow skinned and it is planted in open ground near a small boundry wall about 2 foot high. I am sorry to hear that others have the same problem. I am wondering should I prune now and hope for a crop next year

Plum trees don't need routine pruning unless you have dead or crossing branches, or it is a young tree and you are trying to establish a good shape. Found this link for you - hope it helps. How to prune your plum tree with step by step pictures

[FB.]

Firstly, young trees need patience, although very dwarf rootstocks should produce fruit at an earlier age.
Fruit trees often crop poorly for the first few years after planting (can depend on your soil and climate - and the variety you're growing), during which time they're building a strong root system that will allow them to supply nutrients and water to a full fruit load in the future.
Trees that are over-cropped tend to have weak roots (blow over, suffer from drought, suffer from nutrient deficiency uptake or suffer from diseases as a result of malnutrition), plus over cropping will cause fruiting only every second year.
Plums and pears are also prone to getting frosted while in bloom, which will result in no crop.
With young trees, even if you get a crop, the fruit is usually of much poorer quality than from a mature tree. Additionally, the small crop of a young tree usually results in complete destruction by pests, whereas the larger crop from a mature tree has enough fruit left for you, once the pests have had their share.

Once the tree is a few years old, close to the size you want and clearly well-established, then you may want to avoid over-feeding nitrogen; nitrogen encourages growth and discourages fruit. Pruning in July will control the size and encourage fruit for the next year. But remember that the best fruits will be produced when the tree is mature, with reduced feeding and reduced watering, which then puts the tree under slight stress and which results in prolific and high-quality fruit production.

[Bigmallly]

But remember that the best fruits will be produced when the tree is mature.

I had the same problem but as it was only planted last year so I wasn't expecting any fruits this year, I planted a victoria plum last year, had loads of bloom but no fruit, it's only about 10' tall at the moment. FB, at what age would you consider to be mature?

[FB.]

Mature is a bit subjective.
For a bush-tree on MM106 (apple), St.Julien A (plum), or Quince A (pear), I'd say that it isn't mature until it is about 7-10 years old and about 3 metres (10ft) in height and spread.

The tree may crop lightly as soon as planted, but while the tree is also growing strongly in its first few years, the fruits will not be high on its priority list for resources. Many young trees actually have reduced fertility of their flowers, until the tree is several years old.
It is my belief that MM111 rootstock gets larger than MM106 mainly because although both flower from a young age, only MM111 flowers have reduced fertility for the first five years or so, meaning that MM111 trees have few fruits to feed (compared to MM106) for the first several years. Less energy going into fruit = more energy going into a bigger and stronger tree.
On a really poor soil - such as mine - MM106/Quince A/St.Julien A is stopped instantly from the stress and starts fruiting heavily - and is very difficult to get growing again as the roots just aren't fast-growing enough to get moisture or nutrients form the soil before they've drained away or dried out.
I have a ten-year-old Victoria St.J.A and a few similar-aged pears on QA and they are all less than 6ft, but flower and fruit heavily for their size. The poorer soil has basically "matured" them from growth to fruit production.
The same thing happens when a tree reaches a large size - sapflow takes longer from shoots-to-roots, heavy branches droop somewhat, which slows sapflow, and the tree simply starts to impoverish the ground in which it grows.
On good soil, you get a big tree with small roots, while on poor soil you get a small tree with big roots. Both trees may be a similar total mass, but one *appears* to be bigger because of what you can see above ground.
Again, referring to my poor soil; my trees are almost twice as large below ground as they are above ground, while most fruit trees would normally be twice as large above ground as below. In other words, my trees are full size, but you can't see it!

Another answer would be that the tree is mature when growth has slowed to just several inches per year. Growth slows when the tree starts to find it more difficult to find nutrients (especially nitrogen), which then encourages fruiting as a result of the slight stress.

Once your tree is cropping heavily, the growth rate will remain slow as the energy gets channeled into fruit production.

If your tree is up to size but still growing like mad, stop feeding/watering and give it a hard summer prune - cutting all new shoots back to just an inch or two in length.

[Bigmallly]

Cheers FB.