SJChick Posted August 26, 2010 Share Posted August 26, 2010 Hi everyone I am looking for some help. We have had a plum tree in the garden for quite a few years now (picture below). Up until now we haven't had any fruit at all from it. This year in spring it had lots of tiny green plums on it but most of them fell off and we were left with 2. We have been watching them for months and ing that they hold on and ripen. They did and tonight we picked them only to find that little beasties have got there before us. So what I really need to know is, should we prune the tree and if so, when and how? Also, should we have picked the plums earlier and let them ripen indoors? Any advice is greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted August 27, 2010 Share Posted August 27, 2010 We haven't had a good crop this year, with them rotting on the tree. And the wild plums nearby aren't anywhere near as plentiful as last year. Not sure why - maybe someone else will have the answer Tricia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tara.F Posted August 28, 2010 Share Posted August 28, 2010 Only prune plum trees in the summer to prevent leaf curl disease. The windy and wet weather has made most plum trees drop their fruit prematurely this year so you are not alone! Next june, prune quite hard removing all obviously dead wood and any branches that look like they will bang into other branches to make the fruit drop.. Allow your chooks to free range round the tree when possible (helps against beasties) and consider protecting some of the fruiting branches from birds. A trickier problem could be that there is no cross pollinating tree nearby. This would account for a poor fruit set if your tree is not self fertile. Very often, after a poor year like this one, the following season provides a bumper crop! So see how next year goes before making any drastic decisions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
batcatz Posted August 28, 2010 Share Posted August 28, 2010 Hi, I pruned my tree when the plums were green. Also cos it was crawling with harlequin ladybird lava. I don't think this is the right way to do it, but the plums are big and plentiful this year. Don't give your chooks the branches or leaves as it's poisonous. I nearly lost a chook this way, but managed to nurse her back to health. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJChick Posted August 28, 2010 Author Share Posted August 28, 2010 Thanks very much both - the girls FR round the garden all the time so I'll encourage them to hunt down the beasties Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
