![]() Once you get the hang of it, you can prune a single fruit tree in 15 minutes or less, depending on size of course. Removing a lower branch to allow more light to enter. ![]() Use the proper tools for the right girth and density of wood, and your pruning job will be easy and enjoyable. In order to do this, make sure that your most trusted pair of pruners ( these are ours) are sharp, and that your loppers and handsaw are too. When pruning, make as few cuts as possible to achieve your end goal. Once you’ve done that, begin pruning at the bottom of the tree and work your way up to the top as you remove branches to increase air circulation and benefit the overall health of the plum tree. Bacterial cankers in plum trees is categorized by sunken, dead and oozing areas of bark as shown in the image above. Silver leaf disease is categorized by the leaves of the plum tree taking on a silvery sheen in summer and the above fungi appears on the wood once it dies. On plums you may need to look out for silver leaf disease and bacterial canker. The dead, diseased and dying wood (if there is any). Start with identifying and eliminating the 3D’s. Is it touching anything that it shouldn’t (a building, another tree, wires, etc.)?Īre there overlapping (crossing) branches? Branches that rub on one another may be the future sites of diseased wounds.ĭo the branches tend to lean too heavy on one side?ĭoes the location of the tree call for it to be limbed up? Step 2 – Develop a pruning plan Take a step back and look at the shape and structure of the tree. Step 1 – Examine the tree with a critical eye It is only logical that you wouldn’t want to work out in the rain, the tree doesn’t like it either. One simple step that often goes missing is this: prune your fruit trees on a dry, sunny day. Learn how to trim one and the rest will be easy, as the base principles of pruning are the same. While winter pruning is recommended for many fruit trees, you will find that plum trees are best pruned in late summer/early fall.Īpple trees are among the easiest, and most forgiving, trees to prune, but plums are just as easy. Give yourself quite a few seasons of close observation and jot down your findings in a notebook, so that you too, can follow the rhythms of nature. Apples and pears often stick to this routine too. This is called alternate or biennial bearing, and there is nothing unnatural about it. Plums are known to produce a generous crop one year, then they take a year off of fruiting – or sometimes 2! So, when a bountiful plum harvest is yours for the picking, take advantage of it and preserve as much plum jam as you have jars and pantry space for. If you stop to think about it, many crops act this way, especially in the realm of perennial fruit trees. Just in case you are thinking of planting an orchard… That is life in the world of fruit production. One summer you will harvest buckets and bowlfuls of the sweetest purple gems, the next year just a few sad, bitter, wrinkly little things. You will never harvest the same amount from year to year. For more information read our guide to tools for pruning, and if you’re looking to update your kit, our experts have been busy testing the best pruning saws, the best secateurs and the best anvil loppers, so you can buy with confidence.Plum production has its ups and downs. Whether it’s a pair of long-handled loppers, pruning saw or secateurs, using the right tool is essential for this task. Heavy pruning can also affect cropping, as fruits are produced on one- or two-year-old shoots. If your plum tree is unproductive or is only producing fruit every two years (known as biennial bearing), the cause may be lack of moisture at the roots, or a late frost affecting the flowers in spring. Each pruning cut will result in several thin shoots growing – these will need to be thinned the following summer. If you want to renovate an old, neglected plum tree, do it gradually, over several years. Also pull up any suckers that are growing from the base, and grub out any buds growing on the trunk. P rune the branches by about a third, then prune away shoots growing into the centre of the tree, plus any that are dead, damaged or crossing. Prune to create an open, wine glass shape. Again, the aim is to keep the tree a manageable size and shape, while allowing the fruit to ripen. Established plum trees that are more than three years old can be pruned in summer, from mid-June onwards.
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