Pruning the Plum. Prune your purple leaf plum annually to encourage the growth of new flowering wood. The two most important aspects of pruning a plum tree are how it’s pruned – for shape and for yield – and when it is pruned. Different types of plum tree require slightly different pruning processes, although most are relatively straight-forward to do, while the age of the tree also influences the type of pruning required. Pruning helps balance the top growth of your tree with the root system, giving the roots time to re-establish in your yard before spring growth. Pruning also helps keep the tree at a manageable size for easy harvesting. Choose a … Do this in April. They are spaced at about an equal distance from each other on the horizontal plane (for example, think of a North-facing, an East-facing, a South-facing, and a West-facing limb). The type of tool used to prune your tree will depend on the size of the branch to be pruned. Plum & Prune Trees Plums grow in a rainbow of jewel colors, having been grown and hybridized by orchardists for millennia from a variety of parent species. To produce healthy fruit, plum trees will benefit from a yearly pruning. You'll want to prune plum trees in late winter before new leaves begin to emerge. Plum trees are deciduous, flowering trees. The aim is to keep the tree size within the available space. Choose a period when there is no rain or fog in the forecast as heavy moisture in the air after pruning makes the plum tree susceptible to the fungal pathogen that causes silver leaf disease (Chondrostereum purpureum). At this time it will be easier to detect buds that have been damaged by cold weather. Opening up the canopy of the tree (and restricting its size) through pruning, will, in turn, help in a number of ways: Opening up the canopy is hugely important for older trees but obviously is not applicable to young trees (which have no canopy to speak of yet). It’s important to choose a type of plum that will work with your location. Why European Plum Trees Are a Great Choice, Create Second Scaffold Whorl on Plum Tree, Perform Maintenance Pruning on Older Plum Trees. The fruit gets more sunlight, helping it grow larger and improving its flavor. Early Italian prune plum trees mature around 15 days ahead of Italian prune trees, making it a good choice for regions prone to early frost that may damage ripening fruit. It can eventually kill the branch. For larger stems and branches use a pruning saw. Make your cuts back to outward facing leaf buds, because you want new growth to radiate out from the center of the canopy to prevent overcrowding. Plum tree is magnificent from spring to fall, and offers abundant harvests of plums.. Main Plum tree facts. Larger branches can be pruned with a pair of loppers, a hand saw, or a pole pruner. Step 1. Once you’ve trimmed the height, if there are competing leaders, or stems that are very close to the main stem, cut them off completely flush with the main stem. However, their fruit has a much hig… This is called cross-pollination. Some suggest that it’s best to prune young trees in the early spring. Dead plum tree before removal. If the plum tree is 8 feet or taller, cut the main branch back so that it rises 3 feet above the top set of branches. How to prune plum trees. The pruning operation the next spring will be similar. Don’t let it scare you. Pruning while the tree is dormant encourages vibrant growth come spring, and it's less likely to cause damage to the tree than summer pruning. Our new plum tree will be a companion for the other mature plum tree on the site. Tips on Planting, Pruning, and Taking Care of Japanese Plum Trees. It is best grown in zones 5 to 9. That said, you don't have to prune them. Even European plum trees need some pruning to achieve the best harvest possible. How to Prune a Plum Tree: The First Three Years. The plum used to prepare the famed Agen dried prune is the ‘Prune d’Ente‘. Tools to use when pruning your Santa Rosa Plum Tree. The result is a Christmas tree shape. A bush tree is the most common form of fruit tree, with an open arrangement of branches growing from a short trunk. Young plums are generally pruned in early spring, before bud break, in order to avoid infection by silver leaf disease. Larger branches can be pruned with a pair of loppers, a hand saw, or a pole pruner. They can be grown in soil of average fertility and moisture levels. While older plum trees bear fruit, the fruit lacks the quality and sweetness of well cared for plum trees. To produce healthy fruit, plum trees will benefit from a yearly pruning. The difference this time is that you also have to ensure that this second set is situated such that none of the four branches is growing directly over a scaffold branch in the first set. You can then train and prune the plant to any of the popular tree forms. Shaping. Removing. The increased sunlight also helps the newest branches to prosper. First year pruning is very easy, simply prune back the stem to about 1m / 3ft high in early to late March (see below for why at this time of year). Since pruning and fungal disease go hand in hand with the plum tree, not only is it important to prune to allow sunlight to penetrate the tree, but pruning at the correct time is essential. Plum trees are best pruned in a vase format to get a short trunk … You’ll need pruning shears to cut branches less than 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter and a hand saw to remove branches up to 4 inches (10 cm) in diameter. Summer Pruning Plum Trees. European plum trees require less pruning than the more vigorous Japanese plum trees (P. salicina) and are thus a better choice for those who place a high priority on lower landscape maintenance. Start by cutting off dead or diseased branches. Established fruit tree plums are best pruned in mid-summer. apples, pears and quince) and those that produce stone fruits (e.g. Pruning the young plum tree is easy.

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