Hi, I’m growing several plums/pluots in containers and they seem to be having some issues. I need some help determining what’s going on here and what I can do to help these guys out.
As for growing conditions:
I’m growing them in 10 Gallon pots, with G+B raised bed and potting mix, fertilized with osmocote plus a couple months ago. I’m in Seattle, so they are probably a bit overwatered as we’re just now coming out of rainy season. I know the pluots are on citation, and I’m pretty sure the plums are too if that helps.
My flavor king is the worst off, new growth/blossoms are turning brown. I got scared and moved this guy far away from the other pluots. (wondering if this could be brown rot?):
My dapple dandy pluot was doing great until it started putting out this spindly yellow growth. It’s a little bit hard to see in this pic, but there’s also a bit of chlorosis in the leaves below the spindly growth
My flavor supreme is the healthiest of the bunch, but has started to put out some spindly growth, and I also noticed that some of the leaves look wet at the tips and are starting to brown (didn’t get a pic of that sorry):
I haven’t seen anything like that. Possibly wet cold soil. Worse yet would be if the mix in the bottom of the pot has gone anaerobic. But that’s all just a guess.
It would be nice to check the roots by removing one from the pot. But they probably don’t have enough roots to make that easy.
It could also be something like you suggest. But looks more like a root issue to me.
Yes I agree it’s a root issue and yes you may have blossom blight caused by brown rot fungus. Your potting soil needs better drainage. Maybe bare root them and redo and add perlite and/or DE (diatomaceous earth) like optisorb sold in auto stores. It’s the size of perlite. Used in ball parks to prevent puddles in the infield. Both aerate the soil and DE returns the water when needed. About a 4 to 1 soil to perlite/DE. No pebbles or gravel at bottom of pot just potting soil. If you did do that ( add gravel at bottom) that is causing this problem. After you’re done cut off ant wilted tips and remove from yard.
I am also seattle area, and I get that on my pluerry and pluots. Although not quite as bad as that first pic. That first pic looks like my peaches when they get it bad and it all defoliates. Mine seem to pull right out of it on their own. And regrow new leaves. I do not spray.
I suspect it’s peach leaf curl affecting them too I should say. I cannot prove this, but, it always shows the exact same day as the peaches show their first symptoms of peach leaf curl. Second, it always clears exactly the same time as my peach leaf curl. 3rd, mine are also on citation (peach hybrid) rootstock. I think peach leaf curl fungus can affect some plum hybrids. I cannot prove this like I said.
The timing and behavior is the exact same as the peaches. To the day.
Thanks for the insight everyone! I’ll probably end up repotting these next winter with some additional perlite and also spray some fungicide then too. I’m hoping once we see some more sun that the pots will dry out a bit
The First three pictures looks like burn from excess fertilization. The rest looks normal, I planted a few pluots in the ground this spring and the leaves start out yellowish before greening up. Spindly/tender growth is how they start and get stiffer as they grow through the summer.
I agree as well. The leaves look “wet” because they’re new and it could be brown because they’re very tender (and prone to physical damage). Looks like normal Zaiger (Flavor XYZ) pluots.
I personally would not repot those again since messing with roots could stunt growth. You mentioned you suspect overwatering. If that’s the problem your time is better spent just ensuring you’re watering the right amount. You might also probe the soil for smells by inserting a small piece of wood (like a spit for bbq). A stink likely indicates lack of oxygen or too much water.
Welling glad more local people chinned in. If my pluots looked like that I would be panicking. The yellow colors never happens here. Peach leaf curl is very distinctive, deformed leaves and red colors. Leaves here grow a dark green when all is well even new leaves. That yellow color only happens when roots are damaged from being to wet. I have found citation can take a lot more wetness than Lovell. Which does not tolerate wet feet at all. Good luck with them.
I would try some real dirt and compost in the soil mix. I dont trust any kind of potting soil to give a fruit tree all it needs.
I hardly ever grow anything long term in a pot or container though. Have lots of land so grow in ground.
I do have 1 apple tree … Novamac on B9 planted in a half whisky barrell container. This is year 3 for it. I filled that container with a mix if real dirt and home made compost (zero store bought potting mix).
It has grown very well and is extremely healthy.
Each spring i remove the wood chip layer on top… and add as much compost as it will hold… give it some plant tone… and a micronutrient mix (gypsum, bone meal, epsom salt, greensand) then put the wood chips back on.
I water it once a week on friday (4 gal)… but only if no rain that week.
I use G&B potting mix and it’s a pretty decent draining well for first year or so, I also add 10 to 20% pumice.
I think this due to our wet weather or thats how Japanese plums start leafing out. I looked into my other hybrid plum (Cuban Comet) from last year, it too leafed out with yellow veins even when we had dry weather. Like I said they become normal after a while. I still think the tender leaf burns are from excess fertilizer. Perhaps OP can remove some or flush the pot when weather is dry.
there is so much less nutrition in that mix, it won’t get a seedling to grow few inches. Their harvest supreme is better but for growing anything (annuals or perennials) additional fertilizing is absolutely required.
I looked at my plums again and the one on citation is slightly yellow most look lighter green with a touch of yellow and a touch of red. So I guess more can be common in your area. All the leaves here just starting really growing about a week ago. Some tips have a touch of red before they turn green on most of my trees. Some yellow too
Do you spray your trees with horticultural oil and copper when they are dormant? I typically spray around Thanksgiving, New Years and later in the spring before they come out of dormancy.
Drew may be right,about the Blossom Blight.Here near Seattle,with the Spring rains,comes the fungus.
It attacks my bush Cherries,Plums and Apricots.Copper won’t work.Chlorothalonil(Daconil,Fung-onil) and Captan are contact fungicides,available to the public.Some systemics,like Immunox and Infuse,may also help.
Flavor king pluot planted early in the Spring. Other pluots and pluerries show similar leaf morphology, they will be fine once the rains are infrequent in next two or three weeks.
I like citation for peaches as it does dwarf them but my one plum tree on citation looks bad. The leaves show some deficiencies. Looks like manganese deficiency. I have three other plum trees each on a different rootstock. All three of those look good.
