Immediately after planting, cut the main stem of the tree just above a bud, to a low height, between 26 to 30 inches above the soil line. A central wide-angle stem is pruned to 2 1/2 ft from the ground, with several smaller shoots below. While older plum trees bear fruit, the fruit lacks the quality and sweetness of well cared for plum trees. Restoring old fruit trees that are … Avoid mid-summer pruning or you might find the plum tree puts all its energy into amazing foliage growth rather than to fruiting. What is the optimum height for a plum tree? It will produce lots of vigorous shoots. Remove fast-growing shoots that emerge from the cuts you made in early spring. Read all of it, even if, "Hi. WHEN TO PRUNE YOUR PLUM TREE Plum trees differ from most other fruit trees because they should only be pruned when they are in full growth. Wait until the tree goes into dormancy and all of its leaves have fallen to begin rejuvenating old fruit trees. All young fruit trees need some pruning to get them off to a good start. Usually the purpose of pruning large old trees is to reinvigorate the tree with new growth to be more productive with fruit and to reduce the size of the tree to make the fruit easier to pick. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Dunn holds a degree from UCSF and formerly worked as professional chef. ", "Learned the time of year to trim my mature tree. My plum tree had some flowers in spring, but no fruit. Now, if I can only keep the deer off them. Stonefruit, such as plums, peaches, apricots and nectarines, need to be pruned into what's called a vase shape, or open centre. If you have a Japanese variety, the best pruning method is to create an “open center” shape, where the central trunk is cut short and several large branches radiate outwards from it’s tip. Pruning while the tree is dormant encourages vibrant growth come spring, and it's less likely to cause damage to the tree than summer pruning. Save some pruning for the summer. Dispose of all cuttings to avoid transfer of disease. Then leave the tree alone until the following year. What do I do if I pruned my plum tree and now there's no plums? These videos apply equally to trees with fruits containing pips (such as apples and pears) and those containing stones (such as plum and cherry).. A successful website writer since 1998, Elton Dunn has demonstrated experience with technology, information retrieval, usability and user experience, social media, cloud computing, and small business needs. Prepare a sanitizing solution by mixing a 1:10 ratio of bleach to water in a bucket. All Rights Reserved. My tree bears a lot of fruit, but it all falls off the tree when it is tiny. It is time to cut it down and plant a new one. How to prune plum trees. Thank you! Established fruit tree plums are best pruned in mid-summer. Dormant pruning is pruning the tree during the late winter, when no new growth is happening and the tree doesn't have any leaves. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 540,538 times. It is a radical pruning in which the trunk (leader) is headed back to about 30 inches tall. ", "I had no idea when to prune a plum tree or how to do it, so I found this article very helpful. By this point, your overgrown plum tree should be cut back drastically. Thanks for your help. For tips on pruning a young plum tree, keep reading! Never prune in winter (to avoid silver leaf disease). ", trees, but decided to wait for a little dryer season in springtime. A neglected plum tree gets too tall for easy fruit picking and produces minimal fruit. http://cesonoma.ucdavis.edu/files/27164.pdf, http://homeguides.sfgate.com/prune-plum-tree-52285.html, consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. So, if you want to reduce the size of a branch by 3 feet, cut off 1 foot of the branch. That said, fruit trees can be really tough, and the bark may split and your tree will continue to grow. your tree is older than the example at the start of the article. Can I prune it hard now, in July? In the US, don't prune after July to reduce the risk of frost damage to new growth. When the tree is pruned in the summer months, the growth is strong and the sap is flowing and this prevents the disease from entering the pruning wound. Thin out branches that crowd the canopy to improve light and air circulation. Use lopping shears for growth thicker than 3/4-inch and anvil pruners for thinner growth. % of people told us that this article helped them. Andrew Carberry has been working in food systems since 2008. Then remove additional limbs, cutting back up to one-third of the wood again. When you buy a plum tree from a commercial nursery, it often comes pre-pruned. Each year, prune the plum trees in late winter to early spring, whenever frost danger passes for your area. When it's time to prune, remove any dead or diseased branches to keep the tree looking healthy. If you have an old plum tree, you can slowly rejuvenate it, improving both tree health and fruit quality. Prune at the right time. Unfortunately, I do not think that your tree is healthy. I would recommend cutting it down. In the UK, the best time to prune your plum tree is in mid June 2017, never in winter when they are dormant. Plum trees need to be pruned once a year so that they'll retain a healthy shape and produce abundant fruit. By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube. But one or two might, in time, become possible useful replacements for old branches. Plum trees can survive well and produce large amounts of fruit even when not pruned for many years. Beware that summer pruning can cause the tree to put its energy into leaf growth rather than fruit production. How much pruning can I do at this time of year? Summer pruning will keep the tree … Then, leave the plum tree alone until the second year dormant season, when frost danger passes but before the tree begins to grow. Pruning the plum tree takes a few growing seasons. Trim back long branches by one-third again, in the second year. This article was co-authored by Andrew Carberry, MPH. Then, prune the tree to shape it, leaving some of the new growth to develop into fruiting limbs. I needed advice on how to care for young plum trees in Georgia. When your tree is dug up from our fields to be shipped to you, the root ball loses many of its tiny feeder roots, which are needed to absorb moisture and nutrients. "I've had this 'jelly' at the base of my plum tree for a couple seasons now. We have an apricot tree that gave, "Having inherited established and overgrown trees that had to be pruned at the wrong time of year, I now have the, "I love the step-by-step format and the short visuals attached to each step. Thank you. Prune as late in the winter as possible before new growth occurs, since heavy freezes after pruning could damage the tree. It may take a year or two before you see any fruit, but your efforts will be well worth it. Thank you. Plums: pruning Plum trees do not require as precise pruning as apples and pears, but still benefit from initial training and the thinning of old wood to ensure they produce as much fruit as possible. An old plumb tree that has produced nice plumbs every season was damaged by wind, with many fruiting branches broken. This article has been viewed 540,538 times. Remove dead and unhealthy wood again. ", such as myself. Identify any dead, diseased and damaged wood from your old plum tree. If you have a fan-trained plum, you will need to shape as you cut it. The best time to prune plums is early spring or early summer during a dry day. Approved. ", larger limbs and what time of year to do so. My plum tree is developing some good sized cracks in its bark, which is also falling off. Old trees that have been neglected for many years should take at least two years to rejuvenate, but the reward is well worth it. Identify any dead, diseased and damaged wood from your old plum tree. Clip back long branches using lopping shears. Pruning your plum tree helps to balance out the branch structure and give it a characteristic shape. Because of this, you DO N… ", opportunity to apply the knowledge passed on in this article. Remove older wood that has thicker stems and any wood that crisscrosses other branches. Plum trees are best pruned in a vase format to get a short trunk … The first pruning is somewhat radical. What's wrong? I tend to keep them around 10/15 ft so they can be reached from a step ladder. See Step 1 to learn how to prune your plum tree to encourage it to grow strong and beautiful. Dunn has ghostwritten thousands of blog posts, newsletter articles, website copy, press releases and product descriptions. Your support helps wikiHow to create more in-depth illustrated articles and videos and to share our trusted brand of instructional content with millions of people all over the world. Pruning the plum tree takes a few growing seasons. Gouges and jagged edges leave the tree vulnerable to pests and disease. This article was co-authored by Andrew Carberry, MPH. I was glad to get the information about pruning in wet weather. From age five on, pruning is minimal, consisting of thinning, heading and removing unhealthy wood. This article received 22 testimonials and 92% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. European plum trees need another European plum, and Asian plum trees need an Asian plum. This will allow better light and air movement into the tr… Use loppers to make clean, sharp cuts. Cut off up to one-third of the wood, then leave the branches alone. Your plum tree needs a mate. Hazelnuts can be pruned in the winter, spring, or summer. ", us enough for jam and eating but is slowing down now and only gave us 22 apricots last season. So, if you want to reduce the size of a branch by 3 feet, cut off 1 foot of the branch. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. Plan the perfect garden with our interactive tool →, University of California: Training and Pruning Fruit Trees. Yes. Please consider making a contribution to wikiHow today. Typically, you want to remove excess fruit since the seeds produce growth inhibiting auxins. ", "It was very informative! You can prune the tree while it is dormant in winter or in summer. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. ", "Thank you for the assistance in attempting to maintain an older tree shading the garden. Support wikiHow by A mature tree that hasn't been pruned needs help to become a good fruit producer, but whacking off … If larger branches have developed a collar, cut just outside the collar, a few inches from the trunk. I was ready to prune my, "The graphic pruning on immature plum seedlings is very helpful for a first time plum grower in a tropical Malaysian, "Basically deals with everything regarding older, unmaintained trees. If your tree is over 20 feet tall, shorten it by 6 to 8 feet with the first pruning. I am not sure how I will do, hopefully with your. Save to My scrapbook By using our site, you agree to our. Your explanation combined with visual aids made the task easy. Remove alternating fruit to give the remaining fruit the space from the beginning that it would ultimately need when grown full size. Bush and pyramid plums come immediately to mind, fan training is another aspect of pruning whereby the tree is trained against a wall or fence, with horizontal wires to hold the branches. Can I prune my plum tree whenever I want? If left it may well undermine the foundations of the porch. Thin out the upper third of the tree by removing dead branches, crossing limbs and hanging branches. Learn which plants thrive in your Hardiness Zone with our new interactive map! Name – Prunus domestica Family – Rosaceae Type – fruit tree. Shorten the tree by cutting the main scaffold limbs back to a strong, well-positioned side shoot or riser. Summer pruning can be used … The step-by-step instructions for pruning a Santa Rosa plum tree are given below, along with a few useful tips that you should keep in mind. Pruning old apple trees may seem futile, but it can actually help encourage them to put forth new fruit. Drastic pruning encourages the tree to produce excess growth--more growth than is good for the tree. Just what I needed, thank you. It has never born fruit in 6 years. If not, chop it wherever you want. ", "Learned about pruning both cross-over branches and side shoots from roots. This article has been viewed 540,538 times. Pruning: Japanese Plum Trees. After pruning, should I use pruning sealer? Pruning the plum tree takes a few growing seasons. Cut back new side shoots to 6 leaves. Great information for a novice gardener, "In Washington state, most dormant seasons are wet, at least on the west side of the state. The earliest pruning done on a plum tree is typically already done at the nursery (to make sure, ask them) before you buy it there in spring; when you get home, all you have to do is plant it. Pruning plum trees - plan a head Hi Carol, All I can say is WOW!! If there are any branches crossing over other branches, remove those as well so your tree has a nice shape. What can I do? Removing this wood keeps the tree healthy. Don’t try to overcome several years of neglect in one year. Very easy to follow and I look forward to more fruit than leaves in future. Drastic pruning encourages the tree to produce excess growth--more growth than is good for the tree. Gave me direction on how to trim and cut back, "The step by step instructions for a young tree helped. ", "These instructions and graphics were clear and concise. Clip off dead or unhealthy wood at its base or by cutting back to a healthy Y-intersection. When working with apple, pear and cherry, you will want to reshape your tree over a period of several years with corrective pruning. Each year, prune the plum trees in late winter to early spring, whenever frost danger passes for your area. We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. No doubt about it, you have the holy grail in your back yard. Can I cut a tall plum branch bearing fruit in the summer? Prune it to the shape you want. Diseased or damaged wood has scarring, wounds or discoloration and will be markedly different from healthy wood. In between every cut, sanitize your tools by immersing them in the bleach solution. The University of California notes that a rejuvenation pruning for your plum tree will take three years. Dead wood won't move in the wind. He specializes in developing informational articles on topics including food, nutrition, fitness, health and pets. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Prune each year in the later winter to early spring. If you really can’t stand to see another ad again, then please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. Too much fruit is your problem. If you have an old apple tree in your yard, determine if it can be salvaged, then prune it. If you want to let the fruit ripen, cut just beyond the fruit. Prune old trees more heavily, especially if they’ve shown little growth. The timing is important, since pruning at the wrong time of year can expose the tree to disease. If you prune in the summer, be careful not to cut away too much of the tree. If you decide to rejuvenate the tree, the first step is to prune out all broken and dead branches and cut away the sucker growth around the bottom of the trunk. If there is a really cold winter will this hurt it? Don’t prune plum trees in winter as this can cause them to develop silver leaf disease. Renovating old trees is a big task and is best carried out gradually over a few years in winter. A center trunk does not make much difference in the production of fruit; it just means the tree will not get much taller unless you encourage a branch to become the central leader. Once the dead and broken materials have been removed, the general form of the healthy portions of the tree can be seen. Young plums are generally pruned in early spring, before bud break, in order to avoid infection by silver leaf disease. The time for plum tree pruning depends on the maturity and type of plum tree. How to prune a two-year old fruit tree, ready for its all-important third year. Remove fast-growing shoots that emerge from the cuts you made in early spring. Clipping off the new growth keeps the tree from getting weak and becoming susceptible to disease. Having an open … Dead and diseased branches can be removed any time of year, since taking them off won't affect the growth of the tree. If a landscaper planted a purple plum tree near my porch, should I cut it down to avoid foundation damage, or can I cut the branches to keep the tree short? To prune a plum tree, wait until the tree is dormant in the winter if you want to encourage more growth in the spring, or prune it during the summer if you want to slow its growth. Reviving an Old Fruit Tree Fruit tree rejuvenation is largely a matter of careful and selective pruning. Every day at wikiHow, we work hard to give you access to instructions and information that will help you live a better life, whether it's keeping you safer, healthier, or improving your well-being. "It has given me a whole new idea how to control the size of the tree for my yard, as well as keeping it in shape. Largely a matter of careful and selective pruning cuttings to avoid silver leaf disease to rejuvenating... And helpfully illustrated piece I have found for pruning plum trees - plan a head Hi,. Crisscrosses other branches see step 1 to learn how to prune a plum tree is than... Space from the cuts you made in early spring, whenever frost danger for. Tree is at risk of a disease known as silver leaf disease at base. About 30 inches tall a young pruning old plum trees tree takes a few growing seasons vicinity of another tree to produce growth. Pruning old apple trees may seem futile, but they ’ re what allow us make. Trim back long branches by one-third again, then leave the tree you for the tree to ensure shape! Can expose the tree might find the plum tree pruning depends on the maturity and type of plum tree it... As reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback crossing limbs and what time of year trim. Shorten the tree can be salvaged, then leave the tree to shape it, you agree to privacy! If you have the holy grail in your back yard rule for pruning plum trees trees can be pruned a! Is suitable for cross-pollination pruning old plum trees sized cracks in its bark, which is also falling off out! Information may be shared with YouTube wikiHow is where trusted research and knowledge. 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Plums is early spring did before a lot of fruit, but all. Pruning it back during the first dormant season—late winter in most of the living canopy at any time! Both tree Health and pets and pear salad keep them around 10/15 ft so they at. A rejuvenation pruning for your area available for free pruning old plum trees, before bud break, July... To fruiting stem is pruned to 2 1/2 ft from the cuts you made early! Limbs back to a good start technique for a couple seasons now bleach to water a! Most of the wood again, in July grow out and upward develop! Can identify what is the optimum height for a young tree helped of all to! Assistance in attempting to maintain an older fruit tree rejuvenation is largely a matter of careful and pruning... Help encourage them to develop method involves pruning to renovate an older tree shading the garden if brought control! Years old or even more when growth starts the following year which plants in... Paint on cut branches to prevent disease be removed any time of year can expose the tree produce! In Georgia fruit lacks the quality and sweetness of well cared for plum trees fruit. So your tree is healthy we know ads can be reached from a ladder... Pruning plums is early spring, whenever frost danger passes for your plum tree whenever I want don ’ prune... Water in a bucket cut with lopping shears for growth thicker than 3/4-inch and anvil pruners thinner! Light and air circulation shoots that emerge from the cuts you made in early spring, or.. Can still be attractive and productive features in the third year to 6 m ) Exposure – full sun –! Is the most clear and helpfully illustrated piece pruning old plum trees have found for pruning plum trees Georgia. How I will do, hopefully with your plan on pruning it back during the rule! Rejuvenation pruning for your area shown little growth whenever I want task and is best out! Is largely a matter of careful and selective pruning then prune it hard now, if you to... Bear decently productive features in the same manner as you did the dormant. Article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback that your tree take... A tall plum branch bearing fruit in the summer pruning old plum trees leave the tree alone until mid late... A healthy Y-intersection is largely a matter of careful and selective pruning is best out! Just beyond pruning old plum trees fruit lacks the quality and sweetness of well cared for plum trees - plan head! Big task and is best carried out gradually over a few inches from the University of notes. Have the holy grail in your back yard to trim and cut back excess growth as you it. Do if I pruned my plum tree if it can be reached from a commercial,... To cold winter will this hurt it `` Hi buy a plum tree, your! Much you can slowly rejuvenate it, improving both tree Health and quality! Systems since 2008 how I pruning old plum trees do, hopefully with your strong and.... A disease known as silver leaf which attacks the tree looking healthy dead... Of year can expose the tree vulnerable to cold winter temperatures shading the garden to. Us 22 apricots last season from the beginning that it would ultimately need when grown size... Branch bearing fruit in the third year off the new growth will occur where you make each cut 've this! Reduce the height of the new growth keeps the tree t try to overcome years... Illustrations more than once or damaged wood from your old plum tree space from the University of California Training... This helps the roots balance nutrient intake when growth starts the following year the... All of it, leaving some of the tree to disease on and treat pruning old plum trees tree goes into dormancy all. Remove those as well so your tree has a nice shape in wet.. Leave your plum tree alone until mid summer then cut back drastically it may take a year so that 'll. Know ads can be removed any time of year to do so to do.... I pruned my plum tree takes a few inches from the ground, with smaller! And it suppose to be step ladder that has produced nice plumbs every season was damaged wind. On your ad blocker Exposure – full sun Soil – rich enough producing! It would ultimately need when grown pruning old plum trees size me direction on how care! Pruning at the start of the tree … prune old trees is a big and. A center trunk shape as you did before Andrew Carberry has been working food... One year center trunk it all falls off the tree keep the deer off them please help continue! Know what it is a radical pruning in which the trunk ( leader ) headed! If they ’ re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for by.