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Plum tree in distress

pipsi_brookpipsi_brook Posts: 3
in Problem solving
Hi, I’m after some advice about my young plum tree. We planted it about 2 years ago. It’s leaves are looking very unhappy - yellow spots which are leading to brown/almost burnt patches then dropping. We have no fruit this year which I think is pigeon related but not sure if this would contribute to it in any way.
Photos attached - anyone know what has caused this and what I can do to help/protect the tree?
thank you in advance

Posts

  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,384
    edited September 2018
    I can't see the base of the trunk in your photo but make sure no grass or other plants are growing within about 50cm of the trunk in any direction as anything growing there will be competing for nutrients and the tree does look like it may be short on those.  Give the ground under it a mulch of some 5 to 10cm of well-rotted manure (making sure none touches the trunk) in about October/November which the worms will take down over winter, providing nutrients ready for spring growth.  You can also gently fork in a sprinkling of fish, blood & bone when the blossom shows to help things along
    PS, I don't think it has any serious diseases but it could possibly be a rust.  Treatment would be the same as you want the tree to be strong enough to fend off infections by itself.
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Hi, were you giving it any water over the summer?
  • pipsi_brookpipsi_brook Posts: 3
    Some... perhaps not watering as much as it needed?
  • pipsi_brookpipsi_brook Posts: 3
    Thanks BobTheGardener - will give this a try. Reassuring that it doesn’t sound too serious as long as we give it the best chance 
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