Billy has done a silly thing.

[Bill HH]

I have just taken delivery of a Victoria plum tree. I intended to plant it against a wall and fan train it. However I had for some reason assumed it would be about 3ft tall but its more in the region of 6ft tall with no branches for the first 3 ft.
It would appear I have a few options. Chop it off at 3ft and hope it sprouts new branches, plant it at 45 degrees to reduce its height, plant it as it is and gradually prune the top down hoping it will produce lower shoots, or get rid of it. I cant let it become a proper tree due to lack of space. I need some sound advice.

[Bigmallly]

Festooning?...................

[Jungle Jane]

I chopped the top off mine when I first got it & that's stayed at about 5 foot for a few years-I'm not sure but I think it stopped growing where I cut it? So 3 foot sounds a bit short? All the side branches have grown well,they needed supporting when it was young,but now mine stands free from any support & is quite small/easy to manage (it's about 6years old). Prune plum trees in the summer to avoid silver leaf disease. I'd plant it as it is for now with a bit of bonemeal maybe.

[Bill Door]

Ok Bill

All is not lost. DO NOT prune it now. May introduce silver leaf in the cut wood.

Suggest you plant the tree as it is in the position that you want it. Watchout that you do not plant it with the join below the soil. Then at the end of April I would cut back the leader by about 2 feet. Leave some (at least one each side) branches and try to get them fanned out. Cutting out the leader may force more buds below the current branches. You might be able to get the branches fairly long and they will produce side shoots going upwards.

If you plant it then remember to water through the summer don't flood it but don't let it dry out.

If the two foot cut is lees than you want then you could cut it back even further and see what you get but don't expect fruit for a few years.

Remember, if it does not work you were willing to throw it away anyway.

Good luck

Bill

[Nicos]

Any chance of a piccie Bill- so we can see which direction the branches are facing etc- it might make a difference to what you want/need to do?

[Scarlet]

Plant it up now, on a slight angle facing the wall and prune in Spring. How low down down is your first branch? Pics would help as Nicos has said.

This is a great link :http://www.kenmuir.co.uk/image/data/...%20Reduced.pdf

[Bill HH]

Thank you all, there is hope yet then. I will take a pic tomorrow.

[TrixC]

It sounds like the tree you were delivered has been pruned as a half standard, designed to grow into a large freestanding tree. For fan training you either need a maiden or a tree that has been partly fan trained already. Is it possible the nursery sent you the wrong product? You can try pruning it as described by others (best to wait until early spring to prune stone fruit) but it will be difficult to achieve your desired shape.

[Alison]

It sounds like the tree you were delivered has been pruned as a half standard, designed to grow into a large freestanding tree. For fan training you either need a maiden or a tree that has been partly fan trained already. Is it possible the nursery sent you the wrong product? You can try pruning it as described by others (best to wait until early spring to prune stone fruit) but it will be difficult to achieve your desired shape.

It doesn't sound like it's been trained at all to me, guess the photos will explain more.

[Bill HH]

It doesn't sound like it's been trained at all to me, guess the photos will explain more.

I don't think it has been trained apart from at the very top the leading shoot has been cut off. Further research tells me it is on st julian A, root stock. it has about 8 side branches starting at about 3 ft from the ground. Overall height is 6ft. I am going to plant it against an 8ft stone wall which faces east with a wooden trellis behind it. I think I will be able to run the branches straight out along the trellis (Or would they be better angled upwards?).
I couldnt take a pic today owing to my grandaughter taking the house over. Could i expect shoots lower down in the lower bare 3ft section?
Regarding fertilser i have BFBmeal and chicken pellets, would the chicken pellets be too much for it?

[Bigmallly]

Re Training Bill. I read somewhere to do it gradually so starting at 45 degrees then working there way down to horizontal. Tie the branch to a cane, the cane to the trellis then every few weeks keep lowering the cane till it's horizontal. The branches have amazing memory properties from my experience with festooning.

[TrixC]

I could be wrong but I don't think plums normally take well to horizontal (espalier) training, it would be more usual to train the branches in a fan shape.

[Jungle Jane]

I am going to plant it against an 8ft stone wall which faces east with a wooden trellis behind it. I think I will be able to run the branches straight out along the trellis (Or would they be better angled upwards?).

Mines facing east too,with a 6 foot fence behind it,shelter from the winds. Branches straight out will be best,you'll get side shoots that grow upwards from those branches. With 8 branches you could attach the tree to a bamboo frame so it's extra close to the branches,then each branch could be tied on & shaped to where you want them to go? (How fan trained trees are sold at garden centres) Then when happy with the shape tie onto the trellis behind & remove bamboo?

[BUFFS]

I put my aldi victoria plum into the ground and trained it as an espalier, 4 tiers which give us a good crop, depending on the weather these days, it does throw out a lot of side shoots, but I trim out what I don't want and it has been there now 12/13yrs, so I think that was a well spent £3, loads of plum bake and crumbles and other lovely things that OH does with them..........

[Bill HH]

Today was planting day but the heavens have opened up, now it will be tomorrow.