m the plum bushes at the home i bought last year are so heavy with
plums that branches are breaking.

i've mentioned before about pruning, wanting to transplant, now i
gotta figgure out ways to fix the broken branches.

got them propped up, and enough bark and such is keeping the branches
alive.

I suppose after the fruits ripen i can try to graft them to shorten
the branch length and reduce the force/lever arm and such. any
suggestions?

next year i think i am really gonna prune them, I thought i did a
violent enough job last year but i guess not.......

On Jul 6, 4:03 pm, Tater wrote:
m the plum bushes at the home i bought last year are so heavy with
plums that branches are breaking.

i've mentioned before about pruning, wanting to transplant, now i
gotta figgure out ways to fix the broken branches.

got them propped up, and enough bark and such is keeping the branches
alive.

I suppose after the fruits ripen i can try to graft them to shorten
the branch length and reduce the force/lever arm and such. any
suggestions?

next year i think i am really gonna prune them, I thought i did a
violent enough job last year but i guess not.......


What kind of plum do you have?
You did thin the fruit early on, didn't you?
Emilie

On Jul 7, 5:17 pm, mleblanca wrote:

What kind of plum do you have?

and edible yummy type. I bought the place last year, the plums have
been there for over 10, I got leaking roofs and such to worry about
before plum identification.

You did thin the fruit early on, didn't you?

ummm am i supposed to do this? I wasnt told. I expect no one has for
the past 10 years as the place was a rental(a "wrong side of the
tracks" rental at that)

on one side, we did have some wrechted windstorms that did knock off a
bit, maybe it does self thinning? no clue. was hoping for some
grafting advice to fix some long neglected trees.

boy the above sound offensive and insulting. Not trying to be. got a
link to tell me about thinning my crop and other things I should be
doing but havent found yet?

On Jul 7, 3:40 pm, Tater wrote:
On Jul 7, 5:17 pm, mleblanca wrote:


What kind of plum do you have

and edible yummy type. I bought the place last year, the plums have
been there for over 10, I got leaking roofs and such to worry about
before plum identification.
no problem, just wondered. Thought maybe a neighbor might have told
you.

You did thin the fruit early on, didn't you?

ummm am i supposed to do this?

Yes, generally plums need to be thinned unless there is a small crop.
Usually plums, peaches, apricots set much more fruit than is needed
or is healthy to be borne by the branches (as you now know :^)
In the early spring, when the fruits are still quite small, about
marble size,
you start removing most. They tend to grow in bunches. You need to
remove
until there is about 1 fruit for every 4-6 inches. This accomplishses
2 things:
it lightens the branch load later on when fruit gets large, preventing
broken
branches. It will also produce larger fruits, rather than dinky things
(technical agricultural term::dinky things Ha ha)
You can still thin. Just remove some of the fruit so there is space
between
the existing plums and take some of the removed ones inside and let
them
finish ripening indoors ( in a warm place, but not direct sun) They
will be ok
maybe not like tree ripened, but good.Thinning is probably the most
difficult
thing with fruit trees. Psychologically it is hard to remove all those
fruits and
throw them away!!

maybe it does self thinning? no clue. was hoping for some
grafting advice to fix some long neglected trees.
there is some self thinning but usually not enough.So you do it.
You really cannot graft broken branches together if that is what you
mean
Fixing neglected trees comes more from pruning.
Grafting is used to put a desirable fruiting tree onto a hardy and
more sturdy
rootstock. Done when trees are young

boy the above sound offensive and insulting. Not trying to be.
No not at all. I understand about new house priorities!! None of us
were
born knowing this stuff. You learn by your mistakes, and we all have
made
them.

link to tell me about thinning my crop and other things I should be
doing but havent found yet?
Don't know where you are, but most states have a Cooperative Extension
service provided by state university. Calif UC Davis is good.
below.......

http://homeorchard.ucdavis.edu
:
You can google for your state Coop:
"Your state Cooperative Extension"

Good book: Sunset Western Garden Book
Good luck.........more questions? just ask!
Emilie
NorCal