A plum tree does not form a light-flooded crown with productive fruit wood of its own accord. Without regular pruning, the stone fruit tree will grow old in no time. In this tutorial, read instructions for all types of pruning that are important for a bountiful harvest of juicy plums.

Many pruning measures on plums are carried out in autumn or winter

Table of Contents

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  1. Types of cuts and dates
  2. plant cutting
  3. education cut
  4. maintenance cut
  5. taper cut
  6. frequently asked Questions

    7. Types of cuts and dates

    The most productive is on the plum tree Fruiting wood on two to four year old shoots. Older wood rapidly loses vitality and fertility. Regular pruning measures effectively prevent premature aging. A plum tree makes its first acquaintance with the pruning shears in the year of planting, in order to initiate the formation of a productive crown. The following table summarizes all the important types of cuts with tips for choosing the best date:

    cut type goal/occasion best appointment
    plant cutting vital branching, prologue to crown parenting spring after planting
    education cut crown build-up 2nd and 3rd year in February to early March
    maintenance cut Promote fruit wood from the 4th year in October/November
    taper cut revitalize old plum tree October 1st to February 28th

    plant cutting

    Regardless of whether you plant a plum tree in autumn or spring: the pruning date is always in early spring. Please choose a day with temperatures above freezing and dry weather with overcast skies. How to cut correctly:

    • Initiate crown development: 1 straight central shoot and 4 evenly distributed leading shoots
    • Excess shoots: remove or shorten to 10 cm spigots
    • Strong leaders: cut back by a third
    • Weaker leading branches: shorten by half

    In order for cut shoots to grow in the desired direction, expert pruning is essential. Always cut 3 to 5 millimeters above an outward and upward pointing eye. The cut causes a sap accumulation, which causes an adequate sprouting. The harder the pruning, the stronger the subsequent growth. For this reason, prune an already vigorous leader more cautiously than a weak branch.

    tips

    Cutting plum trees in rainy weather is taboo. The combination of cuts and damp wood brings fatal pathogens and wound parasites onto the scene. The focus is on fungal infections and fruit tree canker, which multiply explosively on moist wood tissue.

    education cut

    In the second and third year of growth, the pruning of a plum is devoted to the further growth of the crown. The figure below illustrates the correct incision. This is how you complete an impeccable parenting cut:

    • Best time is in February
    • Per leading branch: Leave 4 to 8 outward-facing side shoots
    • Side shoots: den previous year's increase cut back by half
    • Surplus shoots: remove or shorten to cones
    • Main branches: cut off last year's growth so that the shoot tips are in the juice balance

    Also, during the summer, remove any water shoots that sprout from the trunk or game root. Ideally, these shoots should unlignified stage be cut off or torn off because they compete with the crown of plums for light and nutrients.

    Cultivate a crown of plums with a central shoot and four evenly arranged main branches. The terminal buds of the leading branches are located in sap scales. The tip of the middle is slightly higher, resulting in an ideal angle of 90° to 120°.

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    Keep leading branches in sap balance

    A symmetrical crown build-up depends to a large extent on the fact that all Leading branches in sap scales condition. Only a dominant central shoot is enthroned about two scissor lengths over four leading shoots. Starting from different starting points on the trunk, the top buds of the leading branches should be at the same height. Without a uniform height level, the law of growth of peak funding applies. The leading branch with a higher positioned bud is preferentially supplied with nutrients and grows disproportionately fast. In the end, the crown of the tree loses a lot of stability and, in the worst case, gets a list.

    maintenance cut

    After the crown has been built up, pruning on the plum tree leads to maintenance pruning at intervals of one to two years. The focus is on worn fruit wood, which is largely exhausted after four years. Typical symptoms of this stage are slack, heavily branched shoots. This is how the maintenance cut succeeds:

    • The best time is in late autumn (October/November)
    • Cut out weak, dead and inward growing branches
    • Either cut off the steep shoots or tie them down
    • Too long skeletal shoots slim down to a lower standing side shoot

    Once you have thoroughly thinned out the crown, deal with the fruit wood. Low-hanging, worn-out branches direct you to a side shoot that is closer to the trunk or main branch. Choose biennial side shoots with flower buds. At the junction of old and young fruit wood, choose an intersection a few millimeters in the old wood. Since a plum buds in summer, the blossoms are easy to recognize in late autumn.

    Cut out dead wood, steep shoots and awkwardly positioned branches to short pegs. Exhausted, drooping fruitwood is rejuvenated by diverting the shoot to an outward-slanting side shoot garnished with spherical flower buds.

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    Tie down vertical tabs

    Plum trees tend to sprout vertical shoots on the tops of their main branches. With tightly upright growth, no shoot can turn into valuable fruit wood. If riders are in a favorable position, tie the shoots down at an angle of between 45° and 90° - 60° is optimal. The growth calms down, so that after a short time the first spherical flower buds appear. If a so-called water shot is in an unfavorable place, you should tear it off or cut it off as quickly as possible.

    taper cut

    By nature, stone fruit is more sensitive to radical pruning than pome fruit. If you have given an old, neglected plum tree a makeover, we recommend the following moderate pruning:

    • The best time is in winter, in accordance with the Federal Nature Conservation Act
    • In the first step, completely thin out the crown
    • Cut back branches from 5 cm in diameter to 10 to 15 cm short cones
    • Aged, overhanging broom shoots point to a two-year-old side shoot that points diagonally outwards
    • Shorten exhausted fruit wood without side shoots to short stubs

    By clipping thick branches onto cones, you will aid wound healing. On cut surfaces with a diameter of more than 3 centimeters, apply a thin coat of tree wax to the edges of the wound. This protects valuable cambium wood from frost damage. In the following two years, the cones dry up while several young shoots sprout from them. In the second or third summer, remove the remains of the cones. Among the young shoots, select one or two promising, sloping-horizontal specimens and remove the others.

    A moderate taper pruning revitalizes an old plum tree. Lighten the crown thoroughly. Branches with a diameter of more than 5 cm are cut back into short pegs. Divert overhanging fruit wood to short side shoots.

    frequently asked Questions

    Are plums self-fertile?

    Popular varieties for the home garden, such as "Hauszwetschge" and "Hanita", thrive as self-fertile plum trees. In principle, it is always advantageous for an optimal yield if you combine two different varieties. Any other damson or plum can be considered as a pollinator variety, including the dwarf blood plum or columnar damson. It is important to note that the trees are within a radius of 50 to 100 meters.

    I want to plant a plum tree in my front yard. Can I limit the growth to a height of 3.50 meters by pruning?

    For this purpose we recommend a young plant as a bush with a stem height of 40 to 60 centimeters. This form of training is much slower growing than a half or high trunk. With the help of annual pruning measures in autumn, you can easily limit the growth height to a height of 3.50 meters.

    My plum tree is 6 years old and has never bloomed. What to do?

    Plums and other fruit trees do not bear flowers on branches that point steeply upwards. You can encourage the formation of fruiting wood with flower buds by tying down shoots in a horizontal position. At an ideal angle of 60° to the trunk or main branch, the growth in the shoot slows down so that the first flowers unfold and fruit form. In addition, cut back overly long, hanging branches in autumn after the leaves have fallen, leaving a side shoot that points outwards at an angle.

    We are moving and would like to take our 3 year old plum tree with us. What should be considered when transplanting?

    At the age of 3 years, a plum tree usually copes well with the change of location. The best time is in autumn after the leaves have fallen. Since a lot of root volume is inevitably lost, cut back all branches by a third or half before or after. In this way you restore the balance of plant parts below and above the ground.

    The 3 most common cutting mistakes

    Without a competent crown structure, home gardeners struggle with a sterile plum tree. Anyone who completely neglects pruning care will only enjoy a rich harvest for a few years. If shears and saws are used in rainy weather or frost, diseases and dead wood will spread in the treetops. The following table summarizes the 3 most common cutting errors with tips for preventive measures:

    cutting error damage picture prevention
    no education done tautly upright crown, no flowers or fruits Crown structure with leading knots at an ideal 60° angle
    rarely or never cut premature senescence, little fruit wood carry out a maintenance cut every 1-2 years
    cut in rain or frost Spread of disease and deadwood Cut care in dry, frost-free weather
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    tips

    Pillar plums are ideal for the balcony and small garden. It is a selection of remarkably narrow growing varieties that are grafted onto a slow-growing rootstock. As a column fruit, plums benefit from occasional pruning in late autumn. Cut back overly long side branches to 10 cm. Completely remove steep shoots.

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