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://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...ees/uptree.jpg

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 should have said, that, IF, I cut my plum trees, is there a good and bad time to reduce them? I'd prefer them bushy instead of tall. Will they, 'bush out' if I cut them down to 3 or 4 feet when there are no branches at all up to that level?

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

It is generally recommended to prune plum trees, and other stone fruit, in high summer because of the risk of them getting silver leaf infection if pruned at any other time of year.

echinosum wrote:
'David Hare-Scott[_2_ Wrote:
;914363']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.
It is generally recommended to prune plum trees, and other stone
fruit, in high summer because of the risk of them getting silver leaf
infection if pruned at any other time of year.

Going to my books this seems recommended by some but not others. Some don't
even mention the disease, I don't know anybody who prunes in summer, perhaps
the fungus is not endemic here. Well live and learn. Apparently the fungus
is susceptible to common sprays used for other fungi so that may be a
safeguard.

David

Thanks for your replies.
Hmm, they may not actually be 25ft high, but definitely 20 and slender trunks.
I really do want to totally reduce the height of the trees rather than just prune them. I think I will try to go for the 5/6 foot level, if I can find a bud point (I just looked that up) and train the new growth out sideways.
And I may even get rid of two or three completely as the summer growth of the 5 trees overhangs both of my neighbours on both sides and those at the back too. Though they all had lots of fruit, as did a friend across the road.
I'll cut the trunks off at an angle, so that rain runs off, and coat the cuts with this special sealer from the garden centre.
Do you reckon I could splice healthy growth into the trunk? Just a thought really. Is there a season for that too? I just read "Prune in June" somewhere. And yes, I had heard about the silverleaf thingy from someone last year when I mentioned cutting them back.

On Mar 6, 6:55*am, 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!

--
cheapo

You know your height need to come down, just don't do it too fast or
cut too much....Maybe 3-5 years to get it to a trainable height...

this is some info on summer and dormant pruning that may help guide
you:
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/ag29.html
http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/files/filelibrary/2002/3363.pdf

Gunner wrote:
On Mar 6, 6:55 am, 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!

--
cheapo

You know your height need to come down, just don't do it too fast or
cut too much....Maybe 3-5 years to get it to a trainable height...


I am not trying to start an argument because I have never done very heavy
pruning of fruit trees. I do know of cases where very heavy pruning has
been done in one go and the trees survived.

One was a case of severe drought where the owner saved a citrus orchard by
cutting the mature trees down to pretty well leafless stumps about 1.2m
(4ft) high. When it rained they all re-sprouted and in two years he was
back in production. The other was a bloke who experiments with many exotic
fruit trees (his orchard has 100s of trees) who moves mature trees if he
thinks they could do better in another spot. He cuts them down to a stump
about 1.2 to 1.8 m(4 to 6ft) before digging them up. He will try this with
any kind of tree and reports high success rates.

David

On Mar 7, 3:11*pm, cheapo wrote:
Thanks for your replies.
Hmm, they may not actually be 25ft high, but definitely 20 and slender
trunks.
I really do want to totally reduce the height of the trees rather than
just prune them. I think I will try to go for the 5/6 foot level, if I
can find a bud point (I just looked that up) and train the new growth
out sideways.
And I may even get rid of two or three completely as the summer growth
of the 5 trees overhangs both of my neighbours on both sides and those
at the back too. Though they all had lots of fruit, as did a friend
across the road.
I'll cut the trunks off at an angle, so that rain runs off, and coat
the cuts with this special sealer from the garden centre.
Do you reckon I could splice healthy growth into the trunk? Just a
thought *really. Is there a season for that too? I just read "Prune in
June" somewhere. And yes, I had heard about the silverleaf thingy from
someone last year when I mentioned cutting them back.

--
cheapo

Didn't think of grafting but that is a good option. Here is some info
you may not have found as yet:

http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/.../grafting.html

do watch cutting branches back properly to get a good wound seal. It
is more than just a quick cut and some wax.

A good point. You can prune most fruit trees back very heavily with a
wide degree of success. No argument there. Your guy was back to a crop
in a couple of years and I'm sure in 3-5 he is back to his old yield
levels, my suggestion keeps it averaged out and less risky to the tree
overall. It’s just a different and vastly more cautious approach.
As a rule I do not remove more than 1/3 of any tree at any one time,
and only then with a specific reason for such. I admit I’m much more
influenced by the bonsai philosophy these days than in the past.
Takes a long time to grow a good tree. Now if the trees have
"climbed to the light" and are overly stretched (thin or slender) and
there are a strong branch or two to pull nutes and PGH, I would not
hesitate to do a whack job to height on them to bring them back into
training. Regardless, I read his questions and facts and viewed the
pic perhaps a bit differently. A known reference point(s) in the
pic would help but I do not think I would change my recommendation to
go slow, especially not knowing the long term goal. If ya screw up it
will be dead for a long time!

I feel its better to build up the tree trunk/branches a bit more
before you start getting the big flush of growth that follows a
serious pruning. Cheapo had stated already the branches were breaking
with so much fruit. Also, note that the excess vigor that can result
from severe pruning can decrease fruit quality.

This from the AZ Master Gardener website explains my thoughts on
this:
http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/mg...ng/fruit.html:

“Future pruning of an apple tree is greatly affected by early
training. Much of the pruning of young, bearing trees is the result of
errors made in training in the early life of the tree. Thus, it is
imperative that training begin early. A delay for the first 3 to 4
years will result in a poorly-developed, weak tree. Correction of such
a problem, usually with heavy pruning, will only further delay and
decrease fruit production.”

But, again not to say your guy’s methodology will not work either.
G

In article
,
Gunner wrote:

On Mar 7, 3:11*pm, cheapo wrote:
Thanks for your replies.
Hmm, they may not actually be 25ft high, but definitely 20 and slender
trunks.
I really do want to totally reduce the height of the trees rather than
just prune them. I think I will try to go for the 5/6 foot level, if I
can find a bud point (I just looked that up) and train the new growth
out sideways.
And I may even get rid of two or three completely as the summer growth
of the 5 trees overhangs both of my neighbours on both sides and those
at the back too. Though they all had lots of fruit, as did a friend
across the road.
I'll cut the trunks off at an angle, so that rain runs off, and coat
the cuts with this special sealer from the garden centre.
Do you reckon I could splice healthy growth into the trunk? Just a
thought *really. Is there a season for that too? I just read "Prune in
June" somewhere. And yes, I had heard about the silverleaf thingy from
someone last year when I mentioned cutting them back.

--
cheapo

Didn't think of grafting but that is a good option. Here is some info
you may not have found as yet:

http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/.../grafting.html

do watch cutting branches back properly to get a good wound seal. It
is more than just a quick cut and some wax.

Plum branches make wonderful forced flowers for a early taste of spring.

http://thurly.net/10u3

--
Bill S. Jersey USA zone 5 shade garden

³Every conflict in the world today has its origin in the
imagination of British map drawers,² Author Unknown

In article ,
Bill who putters wrote:

I'll cut the trunks off at an angle, so that rain runs off, and coat
the cuts with this special sealer from the garden centre.

Bad idea.
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/art...-garden-expert
s-about-pruning-trees
Painting pruning wounds
Should I paint the pruning wounds on my trees?*
Do not apply a pruning paint or wound dressing to pruning wounds. The
application of a pruning paint or wound dressing does not prevent wood
decay and may actually interfere with the tree¹s natural wound
responses. Oak trees are an exception to the no paint recommendation. To
prevent the transmission of oak wilt, oak trees should not be pruned in
spring and summer. If an oak tree needs to be pruned during the growing
season, for example to correct storm damage, immediately (within 15
minutes) paint the pruning cuts with a latex house paint. Winter
(December, January and February) is the best time to prune oak trees in
Iowa. There is no need to paint the pruning wounds when oaks are pruned
in winter.*

--
cheapo

Didn't think of grafting but that is a good option. Here is some info
you may not have found as yet:

http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/.../grafting.html

do watch cutting branches back properly to get a good wound seal. It
is more than just a quick cut and some wax.

Plum branches make wonderful forced flowers for a early taste of spring.

http://thurly.net/10u3
--
http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2011/3/7/michael_moore
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyE5wjc4XOw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZkDikRLQrw

Billy wrote:
In article ,
Bill who putters wrote:

I'll cut the trunks off at an angle, so that rain runs off, and
coat the cuts with this special sealer from the garden centre.

Bad idea.
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/art...-garden-expert
s-about-pruning-trees
Painting pruning wounds
Should I paint the pruning wounds on my trees?
Do not apply a pruning paint or wound dressing to pruning wounds. The
application of a pruning paint or wound dressing does not prevent wood
decay and may actually interfere with the tree¹s natural wound
responses. Oak trees are an exception to the no paint recommendation.
To prevent the transmission of oak wilt, oak trees should not be
pruned in spring and summer. If an oak tree needs to be pruned during
the growing season, for example to correct storm damage, immediately
(within 15 minutes) paint the pruning cuts with a latex house paint.
Winter (December, January and February) is the best time to prune oak
trees in Iowa. There is no need to paint the pruning wounds when oaks
are pruned in winter.

--
cheapo


Is there a difference depending on what you paint with? There are
preparations around that are supposed to seal the wound, these are out of
fashion with horticulturists as they say such sealant just locks the fungi
and spores inside and ultimately don't do much good. But what about a
fungicide that doesn't seal, eg bordeaux mix? The aim there is to reduce
the chance of infection by reducing the count of spores etc. Does that sort
of treatment qualify as "painting'?

David
Didn't think of grafting but that is a good option. Here is some
info you may not have found as yet:

http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/.../grafting.html

do watch cutting branches back properly to get a good wound seal. It
is more than just a quick cut and some wax.

Plum branches make wonderful forced flowers for a early taste of
spring.

http://thurly.net/10u3

In article
,
Billy wrote:

In article ,
Bill who putters wrote:

I'll cut the trunks off at an angle, so that rain runs off, and coat
the cuts with this special sealer from the garden centre.

Bad idea.
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/art...-garden-expert
s-about-pruning-trees
Painting pruning wounds
Should I paint the pruning wounds on my trees?*
Do not apply a pruning paint or wound dressing to pruning wounds. The
application of a pruning paint or wound dressing does not prevent wood
decay and may actually interfere with the tree¹s natural wound
responses. Oak trees are an exception to the no paint recommendation. To
prevent the transmission of oak wilt, oak trees should not be pruned in
spring and summer. If an oak tree needs to be pruned during the growing
season, for example to correct storm damage, immediately (within 15
minutes) paint the pruning cuts with a latex house paint. Winter
(December, January and February) is the best time to prune oak trees in
Iowa. There is no need to paint the pruning wounds when oaks are pruned
in winter.*

--
cheapo

Didn't think of grafting but that is a good option. Here is some info
you may not have found as yet:

http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/.../grafting.html

do watch cutting branches back properly to get a good wound seal. It
is more than just a quick cut and some wax.

Plum branches make wonderful forced flowers for a early taste of spring.

http://thurly.net/10u3

I posted only about what to do with the pruned branches. Forcing
them.

--
Bill S. Jersey USA zone 5 shade garden

³Every conflict in the world today has its origin in the
imagination of British map drawers,² Author Unknown

On Mar 8, 1:30 pm, Billy wrote:

...Oak trees are an exception
...oak wilt,
...oak trees should not be pruned in
... an oak tree needs to be pruned during the growing
...prune oak trees in
...oaks are pruned


billy made a fair point made about oaks that may translate to most
deciduous.

However, there are many theories as well as materials for wound
painting such as the three methods from UC Davis for fruit trees:
http://homeorchard.ucdavis.edu/8058.pdf

Here is my mentor's take on it:
http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/~linda%2...d%20sealer.pdf
some others similar:
http://www.extension.org/faq/1284
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT20..._13/index.html

I read most of the Bonsai community don't seal branch cuts much these
days. yet some still do, but most all do use lime sulfur (lime
sulphur for you) on their trees especially when they create a jin* or
a shari. So is it a matter of ingredients? I still search info on
that with the worry about phytotoxicity. (BTW, there is an article in
the site below that addresses preserving deadwood that could be of
interest : http://www.bonsai4me.com/AdvTech/ATP...0Deadwood.html)

*Jin: http://www.bonsai4me.com/AdvTech/ATC...0Deadwood.html