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Diseased plums
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I didn't phrase my last question very well. I have had to get rid of pounds of plums this year which were diseased. Is there an organic way of ensuring that this does not happen to my trees again next year.
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What disease did they have? Do you have any photo's?
Unfortunately I have no photo's and have stripped my trees, would you believe the rubbish went out today so I cannot retrieve any. The plums turn dark purple and are then covered in mildew. If I don't get to them in time they shrivel and go hard. Most have been gathered before they fall and from two trees I have had 12 decent plums, losing pounds and pounds from great prolific croppers.
That sounds very frustrating. I've had a poor fruit year too but not due to any kind of fungus. I'm not sure I can offer much advice you haven't already thought of; usually the problem with fungus is a lack of air (or more specifically too much moisture), so perhaps a heavy pruning (now is the right time to do so for plums) and similar disposal [as your infected zombies] of the cuttings might improve things. If you feel there could be some spores lurking on the ground then maybe covering or replacing the top part of the soil could help suppress it next year?
I'm not sure what fungicide you could use if you haven't identified exactly what it is but maybe a general purpose disinfectant suitable for plants, used on the remaining leaves, might finish off the job.