My plums are falling off

[meddyliol]

I have one of those small Victoria Plum trees. There are loads of fruit on it but some of the plums are falling off. I water it regularly so don't know what the problem is.

Thanks

Brian

[Mumbles]

I know some trees naturally shed fruit in June (the June drop) not sure if it applies to plums but the tree could be confused by this crazy weather?
Could be completely wrong I'm just guessing 😕


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[meddyliol]

Yes, I have heard of the June drop as well. It could be that I suppose. I am not losing too many. Last year they tasted better than anything bought from a shop, we had about 50 odd which isn't bad for the first year.

[boundtothesoil]

I wouldn't worry too much as the tree is probably undergoing a needed round of late self-thinning, especially if the branches are laden with fruit every inch or so. It's also quite common to see a few, usually relatively small plums, ripening prematurely then dropping off. Sometimes the ones that drop off have an internal disorder (e.g. improperly developed stone, or have suffered a pest/disease attack at an earlier stage of development).

Early thinning helps to increase the size of the remaining fruit, but even a week or so before harvest removing badly split and diseased fruit is worth while in my opinion.
Also, too much watering at this late stage may result in more plums splitting, then rotting on the branch.