cheapo wrote:
Hi folks.
I have a sort of clump of plums at the end of my garden that have
never been maintained in any way. And although there was an insanely
enthusiastic crop of little plums had from them in 2010, I really
feel I should reduce them if I can.
I've been in this place for 10yrs+, and although the neighbours have
never said anything, I feel that they might prefer a little more
daylight. And I actually have to use a ladder to gather the fruit,
despite the 4 to 5 inch thin trunks. It was pretty wobbly up there let
me tell you!

Can't post the image, so here's the link to photobucket.

http://tinyurl.com/4lhovkv

That is just one of the trees, and was after most of the fruit had
been picked. There was so much that the branches were breaking!! My
garden is only 11-ish feet wide, so 5 twenty plus feet high trees is
a bit much.

Thanks in advance people!

I would reduce them. You can cut them quite severely if you do it in later
winter to early spring before the sap rises. Just how far you can cut them
depends a bit on conformation but down to 8-10ft would not be out of the
question. I know some people who would take them down to 5-6ft and then
train the growing branches out instead of up to avoid using a ladder to
harvest again. The crop will be much reduced for a year or two but they will
come back and if you shape them well look better for it. Be careful not to
allow tearing of the bark and soft tissues as you cut larger branches as the
weight will make them tend to pull down as you cut.

David