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What to do with my totem pole Victoria plum

Sue & MuttonSue & Mutton Posts: 125
in Plants
Hi, I've just been bought a Victoria plum tree. It's on a St Julien A rootstock which apparently means it its a Pixy and should control itself to being 2-3M tall (with a bit of editing here & there). When I repotted it the rootstock had very little roots - looked very young but healthy. The tree is already 7' tall - where do I prune it? I don't want to espalier it as I'm not allowed to put holes in my husband's new bunker! Take the tip out and some of the lower shoots or alternate ones? Hopefully I'll eventually get some plums that aren't full of grubs. Right, off to dead head and get rid of that snail. Thanks in advance :-)

Posts

  • Sue & MuttonSue & Mutton Posts: 125
    ....and stake it!
  • februarysgirlfebruarysgirl Posts: 835
    Pixy and St Julien are two different rootstocks. Pixy is the smallest and St Julien is the next one up and is supposed to be 4-5 metres. I have a Victoria and a Czar plum on Pixy which, if left to their own devices, would easily top the 3 metres they're supposed to stay at! My tree surgeon scoffed at the idea any plum would stay that small but I'm keeping my fingers crossed 😂 Every year since I've had it, the Victoria plum has been riddled with plum moth larvae and I've had to throw a lot of the fruit away. This year though, I'm attempting to get ahead of the game and have put up some plum moth traps 😈

    I wouldn't like to suggest anything about pruning, the trees I bought were at a later stage than yours.
  • Silver surferSilver surfer Posts: 4,719
    Sue & Mutton said:
    Hi, I've just been bought a Victoria plum tree. It's on a St Julien A rootstock which apparently means it its a Pixy and should control itself to being 2-3M tall (with a bit of editing here & there). 
    More info on the different root stocks below.

    Quote www..
    "St Julien is the most widely-used rootstock for plums in the UK. It is a semi-vigorous rootstock,"


    https://www.orangepippintrees.co.uk/articles/fruit-tree-gardening/rootstocks-for-plum-trees
    Perthshire. SCOTLAND .
  • Sue & MuttonSue & Mutton Posts: 125
    Many thanks Silver surfer and Februarysgirl. I've no idea what the rootstock is on this plum now as the label mentions both -  perhaps that's just for info but it definitely doesn't specify which . Hmmm, still not sure what to do about pruning it.
  • StephenSouthwestStephenSouthwest Posts: 635
    What shape would you like it to be?
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