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Best time to prune plum trees


Pruning Plum Trees - BBC Gardeners World Magazine

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Pruning fruit trees encourages a good size and shape, keeps the tree productive and helps remove dead and damaged wood. Many fruit trees, such as apples and pears, are pruned in winter, but plum trees can be susceptible to silver leaf disease if pruned at this time. Plum trees are therefore best pruned in spring or summer.

Silver leaf disease is a debilitating fungal disease that affects the whole of the Prunus family, including plums, apricots, cherries, and Portuguese laurel. The fungus enters the plant through wounds, turning the leaves silver. Eventually the whole branch dies back. Pruning plum trees in spring or summer enables the tree’s pruning wounds to heal before the spores of silver leaf disease become active during the damp months of autumn and winter.  

Young plum trees (up to three years old) are best lightly pruned in spring. The most popular way to prune is to create a ‘bush’ shape with an open centre – like a goblet or wine glass. This means that light, air and sun can get to the developing fruits. Prune when the buds are just bursting, or when the tree is just beginning to flower. 

Established plum trees that are more than three years old can be pruned in summer, from mid-June onwards. Again, the aim is to keep the tree a manageable size and shape, while allowing the fruit to ripen. Prune to create an open, wine glass shape. Prune 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. Also pull up any suckers that are growing from the base, and grub out any buds growing on the trunk.

If you want to renovate an old, neglected plum tree, do it gradually, over several years. Again, aim for a good goblet shape. Each pruning cut will result in several thin shoots growing – these will need to be thinned the following summer.

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. Heavy pruning can also affect cropping, as fruits are produced on one- or two-year-old shoots.

Whether it’s a pair of long-handled loppers, pruning saw or secateurs, using the right tool is essential for this task. 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.

In a hurry? Here are some of the best buys from these tests:

More on growing plums:

Remember to always prune on a dry day, using clean and sharp tools, such as secateurs or a pruning saw. Always cut just above a bud and sloping away from it. Don’t worry if you end up pruning out some developing fruit – you may need to thin the fruit in July, anyway. And don’t worry if you don’t get your pruning exactly right – plums are more forgiving than apples or pears.

You Will Need

Step 1

Prune all of the branches back by about a third, cutting to just above a bud. Take side shoots back by one half. 

How to prune a plum tree – pruning side shoots

Step 2

Keep the tree in good health by cutting out any older branches that are weak, damaged, competing or crossing. Prune away any older branches that growing into the centre of the tree. The aim is to create an open, goblet shape.

How to prune a plum tree – pruning out crossing branches

 

Leafy summer prunings can be added straight to the compost heap where they’ll rot down quickly.

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for a healthy plant and harvest |

(Image credit: Alamy)

Plum trees are relatively easy to care for and benefit more from a thoughtful trim than a full crop when it comes to pruning. However, planning when to prune any plum tree in your garden is crucial, as the tree will respond best when it’s in a period of growth. The age of the tree will also make a difference to how and when you prune.

Pruning is just one factor; you'll also need to know how to plant plum trees to fully enjoy the benefits of this fruitful tree in your garden. Add a plum tree to your list of the best fast-growing flowering trees and make it a part of the landscape of your backyard.

When to prune plum trees: get your timing right

Once you’ve factored in when to plant plum trees, and how to plant plum trees for the best results, you can turn your attention to when to prune plum trees for their upkeep and health.

Renowned gardener Monty Don has a number of plum trees in his garden at Longmeadow, and confesses ‘other than planting, I hardly tend them in any way at all’. 

However, pruning is one plum care chore that he doesn’t skimp on. ‘Pruning is the one area where you need to treat plums right,’ says the author of Monty Don Gardening at Longmeadow . ‘The first simple rule is, if in any doubt, do not prune at all. Leaving any kind of plum unpruned will not do much, if any, harm. Pruning one at the wrong time of year, on the other hand, can certainly cause problems and even kill it.’

Why you should prune plum trees

(Image credit: Westend61 / Getty Images)

While plum trees do not need excessive pruning, removing branches when needed is a vital part of the care and maintenance of a healthy tree.

‘It’s important to prune plum trees properly in order to encourage tree health and increase the yield of fruit,’ explains Mark Hewett, pruning expert at garden tools brand WOLF-Garten , which makes a specific tree care range. ‘If not carefully pruned, branches can break under the weight of the fruit, and can become more susceptible to disease and pest infestations.’

Silverleaf is a common prune tree problem and pruning at the correct time can help to reduce risk of this occurring.

When to prune plum trees

(Image credit: Alamy/Nobilior)

Summertime, when plum trees are strong and rich in resources is the best time for pruning as the trees are able to recover quickly. In spring and early summer, the trees resources are devoted to growth, so it is less resilient to disease. In fall and early winter, the tree’s dry and oxygen-rich wood make it an ideal host for fungi.

‘Like all stone fruits, plum trees should only be pruned in their growing season, namely from April to August,’ says Monty Don. ‘If you prune outside this period you risk exposing the plant to infection by silverleaf and bacterial canker, both of which can be serious.’

The exact time to prune will depend upon the age of the tree. ‘It’s best to prune young plums in early spring, before what is known as bud break, as this will protect from the possibility of infection by silverleaf disease,’ explains Mark Hewett. ‘Established trees, however, are best pruned in midsummer.’

If you want to keep the size of your plum tree under control, Laura Sweany a horticulturist from Raintree Nursery advises that summer pruning might be best.

'If you prune in early summer – usually around the end of June – you can remove the actively-growing wood on that year's branch ends, which keeps the branches from getting any longer. So if you want to keep your plums on the small side, remember to "prune in June!"'. 

When should you not prune a plum tree?

You should not prune a plum tree in winter. 'When you prune in the winter, you stimulate the plum to grow more aggressively when it wakes up in the spring,' says Laura.  

‘Fruit trees, known as stone fruit, such as plums and cherries should be pruned after flowering in the spring when the sap is rising and not after September. This will ensure your trees bloom for future years and provide you with a delicious bounty of fruit,' explains Pippa Palmer from Kent Downs .

'However, unlike apple and pear trees, please do not prune your plum trees in the winter. The open wounds on plums are a great breeding place for disease, which will eventually cause their demise.’ 

Pruning plum trees to grow against a wall

(Image credit: Alamy/Tim Gainey)

Plum trees can be trained to grow against a wall – a vertical planting idea that looks beautiful and also means the trees take up less space in the garden.

Plant the plum tree around 20 inches from the wall. Prune the tree as above, then prune the branches to create a fan effect across the wall. For the best results, buy partially trained three-year-old plum trees.

Andrea has been immersed in the world of homes, interiors and lifestyle since her first job in journalism, on Ideal Home. She went from women's magazine Options to Frank. From there it was on to the launch of Red magazine, where she stayed for 10 years and became Assistant Editor. She then shifted into freelancing, and spent 14 years writing for everyone from The Telegraph to The Sunday Times, Livingetc, Stylist and Woman & Home. She was then offered the job as Editor on Country Homes & Interiors, and now combines that role with writing for sister title homesandgardens.com. 

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Proper plum cutting - tips for beginners (diagrams, photos, videos)

The formation of a plum crown is not easy and very important. If the tree is not pruned correctly, the harvest will be poor. To prevent this from happening, find out how and when to prune plums in the garden.

Pruning and shaping of plums is carried out to increase fruiting. A thickened crown negatively affects the condition of the plant. The tree becomes sensitive to cold, in winter it risks freezing. Excess branches create a shadow and thus prevent the proper formation of fruits.

Young plums are pruned for the first time at the moment of planting, after which they are done regularly throughout the life of the plant. At the same time, the crown is formed up to about 15 years, and then only dry and diseased branches are removed, young shoots are not touched. Then the tree bears fruit well even in old age.

Plum pruning in spring

The most important pruning of the plant is in the spring. The tree is pruned in late March - early April, when the frosts have already passed, but the buds of the plant have not yet woken up and sap flow has not begun. In the spring, all frozen, damaged and improperly growing (inside the crown) branches are cut into the ring, and the crown is thinned out and the growth of the previous year is shortened by 1/3. It is on these shoots that the plum will bear fruit.

Plum pruning scheme in spring

In the southern regions, you can start pruning plums in late February - early March, but the air temperature should not be lower than 10°C.

How to properly remove unwanted branches from a tree in spring is shown in a very informative video of plum pruning.

During the first 5 years, a sparse-tiered crown is formed. In the first year, a trunk zone is measured on a seedling (40-60 cm from the ground), 6-7 more buds are counted above it and the top is cut off. In the second year, the first tier is formed from the buds located above the trunk. 2-4 well-located lower shoots are left on the tree, extending from the trunk at an angle of at least 60 degrees. All shoots that appear in the trunk area are regularly cut into a ring.

A year or two later, a second tier is laid above the first tier, consisting of 1-2 branches (at a height of 20-30 cm from the upper branch of the first tier). If necessary, a third tier of 1-2 branches is also formed above.

It is also possible to shape the crown into a bowl. At the same time, 3-4 main branches are left, which are located relative to the trunk at an angle of 60-90 degrees at a height of 40-50 cm from the ground. The central conductor is cut out during this shaping.

Plum pruning is carried out with a sharp pruner, and all cuts are treated with garden pitch.

Summer pruning of plums

Pruning of plums in summer is carried out when planting a seedling. In this case, the main trunk (central conductor) is cut by 1/3, and the side branches are shortened by 2/3.

Mature plants are pruned in June-July. Summer pruning is predominantly sanitary in nature: branches are removed that have frozen during the winter, but were not recognized as damaged during spring pruning. Now, when flowers and fruits have not formed on these shoots, they can be safely cut out.

Also, in summer, young, strictly vertical shoots are cut into a ring (you can break them off with your hands) and branches, on which signs of disease have appeared.

And shoots growing horizontally are left.

Cuts of young shoots heal quickly, so they do not need to be covered with garden pitch.

How to prune a plum in the summer, see the following video:

Plum pruning in autumn

The tree is pruned in mid-September - early October (after leaf fall) so that it has time to prepare for wintering. Long and fast-growing branches are shortened by a third so that they do not break under the weight of snow and gusty winds. If necessary, you can shorten the top of the tree. All damaged and broken shoots are also cut out, since they are more susceptible to frost than others. In addition, dry and diseased branches are pruned at the old plum at this time.

All plum shoots removed in autumn should be burned, because dangerous pests can settle in them for the winter.

In regions with mild winters, not only sanitary, but also formative pruning can be carried out in autumn. However, in the unstable climate of the middle zone, it is better to postpone this matter until spring.

Peculiarities of pruning an old plum tree

When new shoots stop growing on an old tree, old skeletal branches are cut down in early spring, and the places of cuts are carefully cleaned and covered with garden pitch. New shoots soon form at the cut site, of which only 3 or 4 of the strongest are left, the rest are removed in the middle of summer.

Please note: It is not recommended to prune a large number of old branches at the same time. Otherwise, the tree will not survive such severe stress and will die. Anti-aging pruning is best stretched for 2-3 years.

Columnar plum pruning

The columnar plum has a compact crown. The fruits on such a tree do not grow on spreading branches, but along the trunk, so the side shoots are useless. They are pruned annually.

At the same time, it is important to completely preserve the central conductor of the tree; it is not touched at all. If the top of the main shoot freezes, then additional shoots (two or three) will grow in this place over time. In this case, one, the most developed, is left, and the rest are removed.

To get a good harvest of fruits, you need not only to cut the plum correctly, but also to properly care for the tree throughout the year. Read about the intricacies of caring for this plant in the article Growing plums in the garden - all about planting, watering, fertilizing and processing.

Peculiarities of plum tree pruning in different seasons

Contents:

Plum pruning in autumn, as well as in summer and spring, is aimed at increasing the fruitfulness of the tree. After all, getting a bountiful harvest is the goal of every gardener. Inexperienced homeowners often ignore this procedure. Indeed, at first glance, pruning this tree is not needed. It seems that the plum has a rather modest size compared to the pear or apple tree. This approach is fundamentally wrong. Plum, having a small size, is very fond of intertwining its branches, which not only reduces fruitfulness, but can also harm the tree.

Pruning targets

Forming a chaotic weave of branches, the plum becomes sensitive to cold. Ice may form on the branches, eventually breaking the branches.

In addition, by forming various branches, the plant strongly thickens its crown. That is, a shadow is formed, which not only interferes with the normal formation of fruits, but also prevents new fruitful branches from growing. Over time, the tree withers and may even die. There is no mention of any harvest.

Regular and correct pruning of the tree, aimed mainly at the formation of the crown. It is recommended to carry out this event from the moment the seedling is planted and throughout the life of the plant. This way you will be able to get properly growing branches. This will not only make harvesting easier, but will also give your garden an aesthetic and well-groomed look.

Peculiarities of spring pruning of plums

According to experienced gardeners, spring is the most favorable time for pruning plums. It is recommended to do this at the end of March or beginning of April . At this time of the year, there are usually no more severe night frosts, but there is still no movement of sap from the trees.

Plum pruning takes place in the spring according to the following scheme:

For work, a garden saw or pruner is usually used. All sections must be treated with garden pitch. This will help the tree to more comfortably endure the intervention and not get sick.

The formation of a plum crown is as follows. As a frame, it is recommended to leave 5-6 of the strongest branches. Their ideal location should be in the correct inclination relative to the trunk. The optimal angle of inclination should be about 50 degrees. The branches should grow in different directions, and the distance between them should vary within twenty centimeters.

Features of summer plum pruning

In summer, plums are pruned in June or July . These works are carried out on young trees. They are not only formative, but also sanitary in nature.

Summer pruning starts from the moment the seedling is planted. In the first year, all branches are cut by about 20 centimeters. In subsequent years, the procedure is repeated, only all excess shoots are removed to the ground.

Plum pruning at this time of the year has its advantages. For example, looking at a leafy crown, it is easy to visually determine whether it is thickened or not. This allows not only to plan the scheme of work, but also to assess the degree of their need.

If tree branches are affected by the disease, then in the warm season the infection can spread to other plants. Therefore, cutting branches at this time of the year, you also perform preventive actions aimed at the health of the entire backyard.

Features of autumn plum pruning

In autumn, plum pruning is carried out so that the tree is better prepared for winter. This is usually done at the beginning or middle of September . This way the tree will have enough time to prepare for the winter cold.

Before the winter period, the correct pruning consists mainly in the formation of the crown. This is done so that too long branches do not break under the influence of frost and strong winds.

The scheme of the procedure looks like this:

This way the plum will get rid of all diseased or damaged branches. Indeed, in the winter cold, it is the damaged or broken branches that are most susceptible to frost. If plum pruning was not done in autumn, then in spring, instead of a flowering tree, you can see a stunted shrub.

It is recommended to burn all branches removed in autumn.

How to trim an old plum

Trimming an old plum is a very important undertaking. Plum trees are recommended to be pruned within 15 years. The procedure is carried out until the tree reaches the maximum possible height for its species. Usually it is about 2.5-3 meters. After that, the trunk and frame branches are shortened, which serve as the basis for the crown.

Old trees, like older people, need special care. To care for an old plum, a rejuvenating pruning scheme is mainly used. To do this, only dry and diseased branches are removed, the young shoots are not touched. This allows the tree to bear fruit perfectly even in old age.

Experienced gardeners plan rejuvenating pruning at the beginning of spring. First, excess frame branches are removed. Since they usually differ in large diameter compared to the rest, they are usually cut from two sides. This is done so that the saw cut is even.

If sawing from one side only, the branch may break off under its own weight. It is known that cut branches are more easily perceived by a tree than broken ones. This precaution is very relevant when working with old trees. All saw cuts are necessarily processed with garden pitch.

Soon, young shoots will begin to appear on the saw cuts. In order not to overload the tree, it is recommended to leave the two or three strongest ones, and prune the rest in the middle of summer.

It is worth considering the fact that rejuvenation pruning is usually divided into several stages and carried out over 3-4 years. If everything is done in one season, the old plant may simply not endure the stress and finally wither away. Properly carried out event will help the tree to bear fruit for several more years.

Advice for beginner gardeners

  1. When the plum tree begins to bear fruit for the first time, pruning is not recommended. In extreme cases, you can limit yourself to minimal and selective shortening of problematic branches.

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