Hi guys
I have a 4 year old plum tree, lots of leafs but not fruited yet. I need to prune it as there are plenty of branches thats are growing over each other.
I seem to be getting mixed advice on when to prune it, apparently if I prune it in summer I'm more likely to have no fruit next year, and if I prune it in winter there is a chance of infection.
My question is when can I prune it? Can I prune it now during spring?
Thanks
The basic rule on pruning any of the stone fruits.....plums, cherry..etc......is that they are safest pruned when the sap is in full run.
This is so that the pruned branch actually weeps after being cut as this helps keep the spores of Silver Leaf and Bacterial Canker at bay.
Most commercial orchards do in fact prune them in the winter.....and take the risk, ....but that’s purely because they wouldn’t have the time to do it any other time of the year.
So in the garden, prune at any time dureing the summer months. Because of messing up the cropping this is usually either early spring or straight after cropping.
This is so that the pruned branch actually weeps after being cut as this helps keep the spores of Silver Leaf and Bacterial Canker at bay.
Most commercial orchards do in fact prune them in the winter.....and take the risk, ....but that’s purely because they wouldn’t have the time to do it any other time of the year.
So in the garden, prune at any time dureing the summer months. Because of messing up the cropping this is usually either early spring or straight after cropping.