Prune Your Plum Tree
(continued - page 5)

Pruning Plum Trees
There are two considerations when pruning plum trees. The first is to establish a good shape. The second is to avoid any infection with silver leaf disease. The key to avoiding this infection is to prune plum trees at the correct time of year (see below). Click on pests and disease in the left hand menu for a detailed description of silver leaf disease.

To avoid silver leaf disease, prune plum trees in June when they are growing strongly, do not prune in the winter. Try to make the pruning cuts as cleanly as possible, and avoid crushing the wood. If any larger sections of branch are to be pruned, seal the cut with a protective sealer available from garden centres. Burn any diseased or dead wood.

Pruning of plum trees depends on the form wanted - pyramid, bush, standard or half standard. Pyramid trees are pruned in a different way from the other forms.

Pruning Pyramid Trees

	MAIDEN	Prune in June to avoid the risk of silver leaf disease. The stem should should be cut back to approximately 60cm (2 ft) above soil level. Make the cut (point A) just above a bud. Remove (rub out) the bud (at point B) below the top bud, making sure that there at least three or four buds remaining below.
SECOND YEAR		Prune in June to avoid the risk of silver leaf disease. In the second year's pruning, cut back the main stem by about 45cm (18 in), just above a bud (point A). Below this cut, there should be three or four buds above the branches from last year. Prune all the remaining branches so that they are about 25cm (10in) long. The cut should be immediately above a healthy looking bud.
	THIRD YEAR	Prune in June to avoid the risk of silver leaf disease. In the third year's pruning, again cut back the main stem by about 45cm (18 in), just above a bud (point A). Below this cut, there should be three or four buds above the branches from last year. Prune the branches which have grown this year so that they are about 25cm (10in) long (points B). The cut should be immediately above a healthy looking bud.

Established plum trees should be pruned in June and the pruning is restricted to new growth not bearing fruit this year. The aim is to keep the tree size within the available space. Pinch out strong-growing side shoots (grown this year) to 6 leaves from their parent branch - this will encourage fruit next year. When the central stem gets to about 2.5 m (8ft) high, prune it back into old wood, 1m (3ft) above the highest branch.

Whilst pruning this new growth, look for any dead wood, prune this out and burn it.

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Name: roger stockwell
E-mail: Private
Date posted: September 02, 2010 - 03:53 am
Message: I have a very large mature plum tree. It has been very fruitful every year. I need to cut it back as it is very over grown but I do not want to spoil its flowering and fruit please can you help how I prune and shape it the tree is about 30foot high and a majestic sight in our garden
Regards Roger Stockwell

Name: Stacy
E-mail: Private
Date posted: August 24, 2010 - 10:44 pm
Message: Jo and Liz, I have the same issue. Please let me know if you got an answer.

Name: liz hagan
E-mail: Private
Date posted: August 20, 2010 - 06:19 am
Message: Jo,

Did you get an answer to your question as I am having the same problem.

Name: eddie
E-mail: rumblezoomkat@aol.com
Date posted: August 17, 2010 - 03:39 pm
Message: victoria plum trees,laden with fruit. problem is, before the fruit fully ripens, a black bruise appears on some of the plums and begins to rot the surrounding fruit, and before long the rot seems to spread throughout the rest of the fruit

Name: Jo Dolman
E-mail: jodolman@ymail.com
Date posted: August 17, 2010 - 05:28 am
Message: We have just moved into a house with a plum tree. I have taken off all the diseased fruit and some plums are ready (and delicious!) already. However, it is in serious need of pruning because some non fruiting branches are touching the ground. Is it too late to prune it now (today is 17th August) or should I leave it until June next year?

Name: irina
E-mail: irinal@telus.net
Date posted: August 16, 2010 - 01:50 pm
Message: Who knows how to get rid of a black fungies on the plum tree?

Prune Your Plum Tree (continued - page 5)

Prune Your Plum Tree
(continued - page 5)