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PLUM TREES

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Plum TreesA good reason to grow plum trees is that they are an excellent source of nutrition. They have good supplies of vitamin A and C, calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium and fiber. They are often used as a dried fruit and then referred to as a prune. Plums are also used to make one of the best tasting jellies or jams in the world.
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Plum trees bloom in early spring and you can count on almost half of their flowers turning into plums. Keep in mind you need at least two plum trees as they do require cross pollination to yield fruit. There are many varieties available with fruit which can be yellow, red, blue or even green.

Grow your plum trees in a sunny area with good drainage. You will find that by visiting your local garden centre you can purchase the root stock from a plum tree, (these are referred to as whips and are merely young specimens without branches). They need to be ½ to ¾ inches diameter, ask for advice as to what is suitable for your zone.

It’s a fact that if properly trained your plum trees will yield high quality fruit much earlier in their lives and live significantly longer. However growers often neglect the annual training and pruning of plum trees. It is very beneficial that you start pruning early to establish a strong specimen which will support fruit loads without breaking the branches. Failure to summer prune the first year will result in improperly trained plum trees and drastic dormant pruning will be required to correct their structure.

Young plum trees should be summer trained and pruned once a month through to July; without training and pruning they will not develop proper shape which needs to be open as this permits adequate air movement through the branches. This in turn promotes rapid drying to minimize disease infection and allows good light penetration, essential for flower bud development and optimal fruit set, flavor, and quality. Additionally, well shaped plum trees are aesthetically pleasing.
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Plum trees generally have very upright branch angles, which can result in serious limb breakage under a heavy fruit load; this can significantly reduces productivity and may greatly reduce its life. Another goal of annual training and pruning is to remove dead, diseased, or broken limbs, along with branches which are growing lower than the desired height; this will properly balance young branches. Summer pruning will greatly reduce the amount of dormant pruning needed.

The plum trees should be planted in early winter with the graft union 2 inches above the soil surface. Just before the buds start to grow in the spring, they should be headed, or cut off, at 30 to 34 inches above the soil surface. The height at which the heading takes place depends upon where you want the first ring of branches. Then, permanent branches will be selected from buds growing within 4 to 12 inches below the heading.

Growing Fruit
Types of Pruning Cuts:

Thinning Cut - removes an entire shoot back to a side shoot. Thinning cuts do not invigorate the plum trees in comparison to some of the other pruning cuts.

Heading Cut - removes only the terminal portion of a shoot. This type of cut promotes the growth of lower buds as well as several terminal buds below the cut. When lateral branches are headed into one year old wood, the area near the cut is invigorated.

Bench Cut - use this cut sparingly to remove vigorous, upright shoots back to side branches that are relatively flat and outward growing. Bench cuts are used to open up the center and spread the branches outward.

When making pruning cuts, it is important to use techniques that will allow the cut surface to heal quickly. Rapid healing minimizes the incidence of disease and insect infection. Pruning cuts should be flush with the adjacent branch without leaving stubs. Also, when large horizontal cuts are made, they should be slightly angled so that water does not set on the cut surface, allowing the growth of rot and disease organisms. To allow the plum tree to heal naturally without the use of paints or dressings make sure you use the correct method when cutting.

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