3.6m Omlet Chicken Run for sale, Brand New in Boxes, Milton Keynes (MK19)

[beach chick]

my plum tree is 3 or 4 years old, and cropping heavily - so heavily that the branches are all pointing downwards. some of them are not very convenient either, sticking out the wrong way etc.

 

should I thin the fruit I can get to? and can I just chop off the inconvenient branches?

[chickencam]

I will be watching this thread keenly because we have the same situation. Sorry I can't help except to say that we did cut the top leader out of ours last autumn. Our tree is probably about 8 years old they are best pruned when the sap has gone down ie autumn early winter I think, then the cut edges sealed with a prune sealing product to prevent disease getting in.

[sjp]

plums should only be pruned mid to late summer to avoid them catching silver leaf disease while the weather is still warm

[Chickpea]

You can thin the fruit if you wish, advisable to do so to prevent any branches from damage. Plums can be pruned between March & October without fear from silver leaf etc. treating the pruned areas with a protective paint is not usually necessary.

[Saronne]

I was told by a very experienced fruit grower that thinning out the fruit ensures your tree doesn't go 'biennial' . For years,

my small Victoria plum did this. Once I started thinning out the fruit, it started producing every year and the fruit was better size and quality.

 

Saronne