The fruit needs regular pruning so that the fruit shoots of the plum tree do not age and the yields decrease. The trees naturally grow with a narrow crown and are upright, while the fruits usually develop inside the crown. But not only the real plum trees, also mirabelle plums, greengage or damsons get the same cut for productivity. The following article explains how to ideally proceed with the cut and when is the right time for the various cuts.
pruning plum tree
As with any pome fruit, the structure of the crown should also be built up with the plum. This includes not only the right plum trees, but also mirabelle plums, greengage and damsons, all of which can be pruned the same way. In all plum species, the flower buds are formed on the biennial and perennial branches. Only a few new varieties have the property that the flowers are already forming on the one-year shoots. After about four to five years, the fruit wood is exhausted and begins to age. Appropriate pruning measures stimulate the formation of new fruit wood. However, a plum tree does not tolerate large cuts and should therefore be trimmed annually cut back will.
First cut after planting
If the plum tree is planted in late fall or early spring, it should not be pruned. The first cut is then always in the next spring after planting. The structure of the crown is then built up so that the plum can later form its fruit on the fruit branches. This should be done as follows:
- choose a vertical center drive
- leave this one
- shorten to the same height as side shoots
- leave four side shoots
- keep the distance as even as possible
- Shorten side shoots by a third
- are to become the later leading branches
- always trim to an outward-facing eye
- remove all other shoots
education cut
In the years that follow after planting, the plum tree needs pruning to keep the crown in shape before the first fruits are borne. All plum trees try so-called competitive instincts to form the guiding drives. However, these should be removed regularly. Otherwise the crown will be too dense from the inside, but the fruits forming inside on the fruit shoots will not get any light to develop properly. The following must also be observed when training cuts:
- Ideally in May or June
- then disturbing, green shoots can be removed
- these are water shots
- no fruit shoots
- take the strength from the tree to form blossoms and fruit
- alternatively, of course, also possible in early autumn
- Cut all competing shoots over the summer
- leave about eight shoots per leading branch
- should grow outwards
- Cut back shoots to about 10 cm on the inside
The eight shoots remaining on the leading branches should now be shortened in spring to half their previous year's growth. To do this, always cut directly above an outward-facing eye. If the plum tree is older, then you only have to carry out the maintenance cut, since the crown already has the right shape with a regular, annual cut.
maintenance cut
The summer after the harvest is the best time for maintenance pruning. For this purpose, the fruit and skeletal shoots in the crown are thinned out. In this way, the shape and size of the plum tree can be preserved. This is done as follows:
- remove all steep shoots
- Remove all shoots growing into the crown
- Cut back competitive shoots to short cones
- leave two-year-old shoots with buds
- Remove worn and hanging fruit shoots
- shorten all leading branches to the desired length
- determine the shape and size of the crown
- Leave the central shoot about 20 cm longer than the main branches
You can also carry out the maintenance cut in autumn when the plum tree has already lost its leaves. When you cut depends primarily on the weather on the cutting day. The purpose of pruning plums in the fall is so that the shoots to be cut can be seen better on a bare tree than on a leafy tree.
taper cut
You should only carry out a rejuvenation pruning if the plum tree has not been pruned for several years. One avoidance this cut is always better though. However, this is not always possible, for example when a garden with an older plum tree has been taken over and this has not been cared for in recent years. For the rejuvenation cut, you should then proceed as follows:
- cut all upright shoots
- not too many cuts on a lead branch
- if in doubt, leave ten centimeter long cones
- after two years, remove the cones directly on the trunk
- Derive senile and overhanging shoots
- on younger shoots within the crown
- Shorten senile branches down to younger side shoots
Derive branches
When the plum tree is pruned, interfering branches inside the crown are often diverted away. This applies above all to the steeply growing branches. Then this branch is diverted to a branch that grows flatter. This opens the crown and allows more light and sun to reach the plums inside. The procedure for deriving is therefore as follows:
- Cut off the shoot tip of the leading branch directly above the side shoot
- so the side shoot is preserved
- grows outwards
- Lead button is retained
- no longer grows upwards but flat
right tool
The right tool is important so that Prunus domestica is not damaged and continues to bear its tasty fruits. So you need the following tools for each pruning of the plum:
- Pruning saw for thicker branches
- Pruning shears for thinner shoots
- Secateurs for thin branches
- everything should be clean and disinfected
- otherwise bacteria, viruses or fungi adhere
- transferred to tree via wound
- only use sharp tools
- Otherwise the interface could fray
- good possibility for bacteria, virus or fungi
- Use wound wax for large cuts
For tall trees, you also need a ladder to get to the crown of the plum. It also makes sense to work in pairs so that this gets a nice shape, because standing on the ladder can quickly lose track of the shape. A second person can then give clues from below.
Best time
Since Prunus domestica has to receive different cuts for education, maintenance and rejuvenation, the annual cut times are also very different here. But whether you want to cut back in summer, spring or autumn, the following should always be observed:
- in autumn and spring on frost-free days
- otherwise frost could penetrate via the interface
- the tree is damaged
- any time on an overcast and dry day
- The sun dries out the interfaces too much
- could burn them
- through rain, moisture penetrates through the interfaces
- Fungi, bacteria and viruses spread more easily
- can get directly into the tree via the wound