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Plum disease - is it treatable?

KatharineproudKatharineproud Posts: 4
in Fruit & veg
We were very excited to find fruit trees in the garden of the home we recently moved to, but sadly our plum trees have some fruit that looks very diseased. I’m totally new to fruit gardening. Could anyone tell me what type of disease it is and whether we can treat it? Thank you!

Posts

  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    edited July 2019
    That's brown rot.  All you can do is regularly inspect and pick-off and dispose of any affected fruit (put them in the domestic waste, not compost heap.)  The important thing is to make sure there are no infected, shrivelled fruit left on the tree after fruiting has finished.  These overwinter and are known as 'mummified' fruit which contain the fungus. Spores will be released from these 'mummies' during flowering in the following spring, and so infecting the next crop.
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • KatharineproudKatharineproud Posts: 4
    Thank you Bob - that’s very helpful. Much appreciated 
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    Youu are welcome, Katharine. :)
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
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