Plum Tree

[davidjohnsexton]

I took over a plot a couple of years ago and I have couple of plum trees that have not been looked after and the branches are far to high. I am think of giving it a good prune, but could I cut it back to the trunk and basically let it start again??

[snuffer]

Hi davidjohnsexton and welcome to 'The Vine'. It is reccommended that plum trees are only pruned if you absolutely have to. Even then they should only be pruned in the summer months. I know this sounds counter intuitive but plums are very susceptible to fungal deseases if pruned during cold damp weather.

Not sure how far back a plum tree can be pruned I limit my pruning to just preventing it from becoming unruly. No doubt someone a little more knowledgable will be along soon to advise you.

[Capsid]

I agree with snuffer. Prune in summer only; you can remove the high branches to make harvesting easier, as well as any crossing, dead or diseased branches, but cutting back to the trunk is not necessary and you may lose several years before you get a decent harvest again. Do you want the tree to look good or give you fruit?

[FB.]

Plums should not be pruned in winter - prune just as the buds start to swell in spring (to invigorate the tree) or during summer (to de-vigorate the tree).

Plums often fruit on fairly young twigs, so heavy pruning in spring or autumn will remove many of the flower buds for the next crop. Getting the shears out to give it a haircut would be a disaster - you'd be removing all the youngest wood and therefore all the blossom buds.

You could cut them back to the trunk and start again, but........
In an old book which I once read, it suggested that on a mature fruit tree, it is wise to not prune branches which are thicker than two inches across - and ideally not prune branches which are more than an inch across.
Of course, sometimes it is necessary to remove a larger branch than two inches across; if it's gotta be done then it's gotta be done. Better to lose a big but diseased branch if it keeps the tree alive for another couple of decades.
The bigger the branch which is removed, the bigger the wound, the longer it takes to heal and the greater the risk of the wound becoming infected.
Really large pruning wounds often never heal; the inner wood rots and the tree becomes hollow and structurally weakened.

[davidjohnsexton]

I do have 4 trees on the plot, which was a big bonus, two are a great shape and size and good producers, while the other are tall and thin and the fruit too high to pick. I would like to reduce in size. With the other two trees, can sacrifice a year or two of no plums on these trees.

David

[Two_Sheds]

Can you bend the branches down nearer to the ground? Tie some twine to the ends and peg to the ground with tent pegs?

[rustylady]

How tall is tall?

[Two_Sheds]

In your case (and mine) 5ft 4 is tall

[davidjohnsexton]

atleast 10 foot tall

[rustylady]

That's not over tall for fruit trees really, and I suspect it may be the variety of these two that are causing the different growth habit. Any pictures?