Does this plum tree look right?

[WeeGarden]

Hello,

I've had this Ariel Pixy for 3 years now, and was bought as a 2-5 year old tree.
Now that I'm understanding a bit more about rootstocks/grafting, and having had a closer look at my tree, I'm slightly concerned about the way it's growing?

All the growth comes from the part of the tree that looks as though it's 'wrapped around' a stick in the shape of a Y. The Y bit is dead. I'm wondering if this is the graft. I'd always assumed that the knobbly bit further down was where the graft was, the bit where the tree bends slightly.

Please can someone (FB? advise? )

Thanks in advance

[rinabean]

I think you are right, but it's hard to see on the pictures. You can see that it's a different colour. The "y bit" is the v-shaped notch you're meant to cut (though I've never seen that one deep - maybe it's a plum tree thing, I don't have any, or maybe it's why it failed!).

Has it always been dead? That's dreadful. They should have noticed the grafted tree wasn't alive before they tried to sell it to you.

[Nicos]

You can have a tree grafted at 2 levels- one near the ground and one higher up- could this be the case with yours?

[FB.]

Fruit trees are usually grafted within 1ft of the ground and more usually 2-8 inches of the ground.
That looks to be where there's a slight bulge and then a kink on your tree, just above the level of the garden lantern and decking.

So unless I've missed something, it looks to me as if the growth is coming from above the graft, therefore everything is OK.

Or have I missed something because it's a bit difficult to see detail in the area from the ground to where the lower branches start?

[FB.]

Oh, hang on....there are two pictures!
Yes, there's a problem in the second picture, but it's a bit confusing regarding which bit it's zooming-in on.

Is it possible to take a picture from an in-between distance of the two already taken?

Also a picture of the upper half of the trunk, which also includes the area where the lowest branches join.

[WeeGarden]

Thank you!

Yes, the Y bit has always been dead, I have never pruned it so it hasn't had any growth since I've had it.

FB - thanks for that - I'd always assumed that the kink was the graft, I will take a more detailed picture of the lower trunk tomorrow. Why would there be a stick stuck in the middle of the tree, the 'Y'?

added: The zooming in is the bit where the Y stick is tied to the bamboo cane, where the yellow label is - the bit that I'm worried is the actual tree I'm supposed to have bought!

[FB.]

I've highlighted an area which it would be great to have all in one picture:


.

[FB.]

Thank you!

Why would there be a stick stuck in the middle of the tree, the 'Y'?

While awaiting the picture tomorrow, I would make a guess that part of the tree has died back.

I would attempt to determine if it is silverleaf, which, on certain plum varieties (and cherries) is very serious if not dealt with promptly and decisively.

Victoria is very prone to silverleaf.

[FB.]

I don't know much about Ariel, but Keepers nursery
Ariel - Plum - Fruit Trees

say:

"......Very susceptible to bacterial canker and therefore not suitable for humid locations....."