I want to prune a couple of plum trees which have got a bit tangled.
I have read that the best time to do this is June because of the risk of
silver leaf infection.

However I'm keen to do it now. Is there something I could paint on the
cuts/wounds to compensate for non-ideal time of year?

mark

"mark" wrote in message
o.uk...
I want to prune a couple of plum trees which have got a bit tangled.
I have read that the best time to do this is June because of the risk of
silver leaf infection.

However I'm keen to do it now. Is there something I could paint on the
cuts/wounds to compensate for non-ideal time of year?


If you get a good reply from this I'd be interested,
I'm terrified to prune my plum trees - they so hate it, and like yours they
are getting a bit tangled.
Tina

"mark" wrote in message
o.uk...
I want to prune a couple of plum trees which have got a bit tangled.
I have read that the best time to do this is June because of the risk of
silver leaf infection.

However I'm keen to do it now. Is there something I could paint on the
cuts/wounds to compensate for non-ideal time of year?

Realistically you take a view on how many other plum (and similar) trees
there are near you which may already have silverleaf and how great is the
risk of infection.
You can buy wound sealer or just paint on emulsion to help protect the
wound.
Whatever, you should really only prune when the tree is growing strongly and
can heal itself easily.
What is the problem with waiting a few months?
Read a book, sow some seeds, go for a walk.
Breathe deeply and relax.

Step away from the tree. Nothing for you here.

;-)

On Mon, 1 Mar 2010 Christina Websell wrote:

I want to prune a couple of plum trees which have got a bit tangled.
I have read that the best time to do this is June because of the risk of
silver leaf infection.

However I'm keen to do it now. Is there something I could paint on the
cuts/wounds to compensate for non-ideal time of year?

If you get a good reply from this I'd be interested,
I'm terrified to prune my plum trees - they so hate it, and like yours they
are getting a bit tangled.

Well, that's what I've actually been doing today. Admittedly one of
them, a greengage, is a bit sick. Not silver leaf but the trunk is a bit
rotten. I'll let you know in a year's time whether it was successful!

David

--
David Rance writing from Caversham, Reading, UK
http://rance.org.uk

David WE Roberts wrote:

Step away from the tree. Nothing for you here.

;-)

LOL! - but so true

Jim
NE England

"mark" wrote in message
o.uk...
I want to prune a couple of plum trees which have got a bit tangled.
I have read that the best time to do this is June because of the risk of
silver leaf infection.

However I'm keen to do it now. Is there something I could paint on the
cuts/wounds to compensate for non-ideal time of year?

mark


It really isn't worth the risk. Even if you use wound paint, you could be
sealing the disease in, rather than out. Wait until a hot, dry April day
*at the earliest*.

Spider

"David WE Roberts" wrote in message
...

"mark" wrote in message
o.uk...
I want to prune a couple of plum trees which have got a bit tangled.
I have read that the best time to do this is June because of the risk of
silver leaf infection.

However I'm keen to do it now. Is there something I could paint on the
cuts/wounds to compensate for non-ideal time of year?

Realistically you take a view on how many other plum (and similar) trees
there are near you which may already have silverleaf and how great is the
risk of infection.
You can buy wound sealer or just paint on emulsion to help protect the
wound.
Whatever, you should really only prune when the tree is growing strongly
and can heal itself easily.
What is the problem with waiting a few months?
Read a book, sow some seeds, go for a walk.
Breathe deeply and relax.

Step away from the tree. Nothing for you here.

;-)


Okay. I'm going with this advice thank you.

mark

"mark" wrote in message
o.uk...
I want to prune a couple of plum trees which have got a bit tangled.
I have read that the best time to do this is June because of the risk of
silver leaf infection.

However I'm keen to do it now. Is there something I could paint on the
cuts/wounds to compensate for non-ideal time of year?

mark

I moved house in September and have a plum tree in my new garden. There
were a lot of climbers plus a willow which all needed cutting back so I
asked a tree management expert about all of these. He told me that
October time was the ideal time to prune the plum tree and I had him do
this accordingly.

Jo