On 29 Mar 2004 04:59:54 -0800, (Alastair) wrote:

Hi there,

Moved into my new house back in December and the garden contains a
mature plum tree (no idea of age or type). I recall when viewing the
house last summer that it seemed to have a lot of dead branches and
the previous owner had admitted to doing some pruning.
Come this spring, one of the branches developed some distinct fungal
growths and for quite a while I was convinced the whole tree was dead.
To my joy though, I have spotted emergent leaves on several branches.
I now plan to cut out the dead wood and hopefully save the tree.
My main question is, should I still wait till later in the spring
before I do any pruning, or would it be better to cut out the bad wood
straight away?

Are you certain it's a fungus?
Plum trees can be shabby beasts at the best of times - the wood is
very brittle and gives the appearance of being dead when it's actually
still viable. My collection of plum trees look frankly awful, and yet
still yield a significant crop in a good year.
They seem rather susceptible to lichen - which some people might
mistake for fungal growth. The lichen forms small, pale to white
fungus-like bracts on the branches. It does no harm, rather it
indicates good air quality.

Given that you've not seen the plum tree "in action" I would be
inclined to hold off on any treatment this year and see what the
summer brings. Once the tree is in full leaf you'll have a better idea
of its condition. It might surprise you and fruit magnificently.

If you're sure it's under attack then the standard advice is not to
prune any wood until after the last frost has passed.

Regards,



--
Stephen Howard - Woodwind repairs & period restorations
www.shwoodwind.co.uk
Emails to: showard{whoisat}shwoodwind{dot}co{dot}uk