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Plum tree

sandy45sandy45 Posts: 5
in Problem solving
Ive just moved to a new house and there is a plum and greengage tree in the garden but not a sign of any fruit on either of them. They are sheltered by a fence and shed with free draining soil which was full of weeds. The plum has some brown dead leaves on the tips of the branches but the greengage has new growth. Any ideas how to produce more fruit next year?

Posts

  • sandy45sandy45 Posts: 5
    Could have been but to have none at all on either is a bit odd. Will watch them carefully next spring.
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    Now is the time to prune them, so I'd at least cut-off those damaged tips and any other dead or damaged wood you can see.  If the foliage is dense on either tree, you could try opening-up the centres a bit.  It might be worth nipping out some of the tips on the fresh gage growth, just to see if it promotes any short fruiting spurs to form.
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • IlikeplantsIlikeplants Posts: 894
    pansyface said:
    Hope that there isn’t a late frost that kills the flowers would be my first thought.
    I’m hoping it was the frost that stopped mine fruiting too but it’s always disappointing when it’s two summers in a row that plums don’t fruit. But then again no cherries either despite blossoms forming. I’m blaming the wood pigeons too as they peck the new shoots. Anyway my plum tree is rather too tall so I’m going to try and prune it a fair bit.
  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Posts: 8,328
    Bullfinches love to eat fruit tree buds, so they may have contributed to your lack of fruit too, @sandy45.
    Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
  • sandy45sandy45 Posts: 5
    No Bullfinches and only a few Pigeons but loads of Starlings so they might be to blame but will certainly have a go at pruning out the damage. Thanks for the prompting and thoughts. 
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