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What is the best time to prune plum trees?
When to prune plums Avoid pruning plums in winter, as it increases the risk of infection by silver leaf disease to which plums and other Prunus species are prone. The best time for pruning is usually spring for young trees and mid-summer for established ones.
What is the best way to prune a plum tree?
Pruning established plum trees Prune every year in early spring (April), before bud break. Remove any suckers growing from the rootstock. Rub out any buds growing on the lower trunk. Cut out any dead, damaged or diseased wood, and dispose of it as appropriate, removing it from the garden.
Can you trim the top of a plum tree?
If your plum is not unreasonably tall and is basically healthy, you can leave the tree at its existing height and prune it to clear away branches that don’t bear fruit. The first branches to remove are those that are dead, damaged, broken or infected. This type of pruning should be done annually.
How much can you prune a plum tree?
Cut off one half to one third of one-year-old shoots from the previous season to avoid overproduction of fruit. Head back scaffold limbs and upright limbs to a manageable height. Non-dwarf plum trees can grow twenty to thirty feet tall, so cut back tree height so you can pick plums.
How do you reduce the height of a tree?
There are recommended arboricultural techniques to reduce the height or spread of a tree. Known as crown reduction, branches can be removed back to their point of origin or cut back to a lateral that is large enough to assume the terminal role.
How do you take care of a plum tree?
How to Care for Plum Trees. Be sure to water the young trees heavily every week during the first growing season to help promote growth. Then, water regularly. It’s best to water the plant deeply at the soil line, then let the soil dry out (though not completely) and water again.
How long do plum trees live?
Like peach and nectarine trees, plum trees are among the shorter-lived species of fruit tree. On average, they may only live for 20-30 years, even less if they fall victim to a storm or an invasion of insects or disease.
How do I make my plum tree smaller?
Prune to open up the center of the tree and remove crossing or crowded limbs. These cuts encourage a vase-like shape. To spur growth of thinner limbs, head back by two-thirds; to slow growth of thicker limbs, head back by one-half.
How do you prune an overgrown fruit tree?
Remove Bad Branches. Start by removing any obviously dead, damaged, or diseased branches. Remove Suckers. Woody plants are often pruned with the goal of encouraging more growth, but not all growth is welcome. Remove Low Branches. Remove Problem Branches. Remove Competing Main Branches. Clear Out the Clutter. Inspect the Tree.
How do you prune a Santa Rosa plum tree?
How to Trim a Dwarf Santa Rosa Plum Tree Cut the tree back immediately after planting. Allow the tree to grow for the summer before choosing three or four branches to become permanent scaffolds, or the primary sideways branches of the tree. Wait to prune the tree again until late in the winter after planting.
What happens if you prune a tree too much?
Over time, continued over pruning may lead to branches that are too weak to tolerate wind or ice loads, or the plant may simply exhaust itself trying to replenish its canopy. The plant may become extremely weak, allowing a variety of pathogens and insects to invade.
How tall should a plum tree be?
Most plum trees will reach 16 feet (5 m.) at maturity or 14 feet (4 m.) if they are a dwarf variety. If you live in a more northerly climate, you may consider planting your plum tree in a location where it will have protection from cold winds, as they are prone to late frost damage.
Do plums fruit on new wood?
But remember, plums fruit on young wood. Avoid removing branches that are less than three years old unless you have to. Don’t leave a stub of branch sticking out – it will only die back and could introduce disease.
How do you train a plum tree?
Initial training The angle of the main stem slows the movement of sap and encourages more even growth. Trim any side shoots back to three or four buds in March to April. Prune the leading shoot by one third to a suitable bud and thereafter prune in summer. Tie the cordon to a bamboo cane fixed to the wires.
How do you look after Victoria plum trees?
The site should get full sun but it should also be sheltered from wind and weather. This will keep high winds and late frosts from damaging the crop. Growing Victoria plums is far easier if you start with excellent soil. Make sure it is well-worked and add in organic compost before you plant.
When should you lower the height of a tree?
When a tree has outgrown its space in the garden, it will need to be reduced in size. It is better to do this sooner, rather than later, as the longer it is left, the harder it is to prune and less likely to recover.
How much of a tree can you cut without killing it?
If a tree repeatedly loses too much of its canopy at one time, it can become weak or even die from the stress. That’s why you shouldn’t trim more than 25% of a tree’s canopy at one time. Cutting the branch collar can also be a nasty error.
