Note: pretend that the fence on top of the retaining wall is not there; it will be moved.
My 2 new European plums have been growing vigorously and both have the same problem where some branches start bending downwards under the weight of the new growth. I know I can cut off the obvious offenders (downwards looking, etc) when the weather is dry but it doesn’t look it will be enough, especially since it’s only the start of the season.
What do you normally do in this case? Add support and hope that it hardens enough? Or prune off a good chunk of that growth to slow it down? Or is it normal and let the nature figure it out?
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I’d prune them and they’ll branch out more.
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There is a type of management for plums that I believe is called festooning. The various branches are trained into a drooping downward style, this causes precocious fruiting. Looking at your picture it looks like maybe you don’t have a central leader. So maybe tip and clean up the lower growth, get a leader and do some festooning down the road.
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I took a look today and I probably meant for this branch to be a leader but it decided not to go up for some reason. I tried tying it up like this. Do you think this will work or it’s a silly idea? I realized that I never had to tie branches up to straighten them upwards so I am not entirely sure if this is a good idea.
If there is space, I would not shorten them. Once they start fruiting, long flexible branches will bend with the weight where as heavily loaded, shortened and then re-sprouted branches will be far more likely to snap under the weight.
Thanks for the info! Yeah, space here is not an issue - I would need to do some trimming and support to help it get over that concrete retaining wall but the fence will be gone and it can grow freely in that direction.
whatever you do, make a plan- my tree needs a lot of big cuts because I let a few branches size up into forks. the ones that hang down like yours are better branches, than the ones that go up. I would not shorten it, I would tie it to a stake or the fence and let the tree shape itself strangely into a weird bonsai plum
the branches that hang out make fruit more and sooner than the ones that go up, on this tree. mine was growing pretty normally and I tied it over to the side like this on purpose
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To me I’d get rid of the branch to the right of your leader. It’s competeing and too close to the ground anyway. Your permanent structures are already forming on the leader.
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I would not do any pruning during the late spring/summer in order to help the roots on this young tree. Then in late winter prune to stiffen in keeping the lower scaffolds off the ground when heavy with fruit. Okay to remove any lower scaffolds that you think are too low. I like for my lowest scaffold to be at about waist height.
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You can place a stake in the ground and tie them upward. Once the branch grows it should keep the stay. Especially after you pick yhe fruit.
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How to maximize plum fruit production?
I think this question should guide what you do now to gain the best production when the tree comes to bearing age in about 3-5 years depending on variety! With that concept in mind I offer the following tips to maximize your future fruit production:
- When your tree begins to flower and set fruit, Most of the fruit on plums is borne on short spurs located on wood that is 2 to 3 years old. Some older spurs may be thinned out to reduce fruit set. New whip shoots should be pruned back by one-half to stimulate side branching, which is where the new fruit spurs will develop.
- To encourage your trees to branch out from each scaffold, prune off each scaffold about 1/3 immediately so this seasons growth begins to focus on stronger and longer branches closer in to the tree trunk! Once the fruit load begins at 3-5 years you will appreciate the strong scaffolds needed to hold the scaffolds and their respective fruit loadings without breaking off!
- Ideally, plum trees should be pruned so that the full circle around the trunk is filled with branches meajng that to accomplish this goal you need to restrict how long each scaffold is allowed to grow, thus the longer you prop up those long scaffolds, the more you will fail to increase the growth of lateral growth of each scaffolds limbs necessary to fill in the voids around the full circle!
Conclusion, you need to immediately cut those scaffolds back by at least 1/3, now and use this growing season wisely! Keep in mind, over a period of 20 years, you want your tree to be balanced to carry the fruit loads, meaning weight of fruit around the full circle of the trunk is well balanced. You only have a couple of years before fruit production begins to get the shape of your tree balanced!
When you prune: always leave the end bud growing upward, or to the side as necessary to help fill a void, never leave the terminal bud growing downward.
While your scaffolds are young and easy to bend without breaking, use some ties to train them in the best direction to completely fill in the full circle, then prune their individual branches to achieve balance. After a season of growth your scaffold should be growing in their final direction and your training ties removed to prevent girdling.
Finally, if you graft consider adding compatible cross pollinating varieties to your tree to maximize fruit production once your tree is mature enough to set fruit.
Also remember it’s your soil that ultimately feeds your tree, so invest some time now to mulch your tree with a thick bed of woodchips that extends at least a foot beyond the future drip line to keep your topsoil in excellent condition to feed the trees feeder roots. The mulch should be no thicker than an inch or so near the trunk, but increasing up to about 6-8” a foot outside of the drip line. This mulch will create the environment of moisture retention that earthworms and other composting creatures need to breakdown the woodchips into nutrients that feed your feeder roots.
I trust this gives you what you need to do now and until fruit bearing begins!
Best wishes
Dennis
Kent, Wa
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