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Young Victoria Plum tree - what should the bark look like?

WillowBarkWillowBark Posts: 243
in Fruit & veg
Hi all, this may be my ignorance showing, but is it normal for the bark of a young Victoria plum tree to look kind of silver-greyish and slightly hairy/fluffy?

I bought it from Suttons and it was subject to many delays, they said because the trees had taken so long to go dormant this year.

Is this tree healthy? I had a look online and I don't think it looks like silver leaf or powdery mildew, so I am hoping that my tree will be fine. Still, thought it best to check.

Sorry for the rubbish photo quality, my old camera struggles to focus properly in sunlight. I will try to get a better picture later this evening when the light has gone.


Posts

  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    I find young, healthy growth on many fruit trees does have a downy appearance, so probably nothing to worry about.
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • clarke.bruntclarke.brunt Posts: 215
    I'd say nothing to worry about so far. Just looks like a typical dormant twig. Don't think much can go wrong with a dormant stem - other than being dead, and there's nothing to suggest this is dead - won't be long before it's coming into leaf. The diseases you mention affect leaves.
  • WillowBarkWillowBark Posts: 243
    @BobTheGardener Downy! That's exactly the word I was looking for and couldn't think of. Thank you. Good to know that you think this looks pretty normal.

    @clarke.brunt Thank you for the reassurance, definitely don't think it is dead, as there is another, smaller branch that definitely has hints of green to it, so hopefully it is indeed just dormant and getting ready to wake up. I knew that those diseases affected leaves, but wasn't sure if maybe they extended to the bark in severe infections, so I am glad to learn that that's not the case.

    Thank you to you both for your help.
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