Plum tree: care, calendar, diseases
Everything to care for a home plum tree: when to prune, graft, spot diseases, and ensure pollination.
plum tree care calendar
| Period | Task |
|---|---|
| February | Inspect the trunk and remove mummified fruit |
| April | Set up the plum fruit moth pheromone trap |
| May | Check the young fruit and any gum every week |
| July | Prepare the first preventive release of trichogramma |
| July | Remove fruit that is yellow, holed or oozing gum |
| August | Do a light pruning after harvest, in dry weather |
| September | Pick up all fallen fruit and clean the ground |
plum tree pollination
The plum tree is often self-fertile depending on the variety; planting another variety improves the crop. Learn more about pollination.
Pruning and grafting the plum tree
Prune
- Prefer a light pruning after harvest, in dry weather.
- Remove dead wood, crossing branches and a few very upright shoots.
- Keep an open crown without abruptly removing large main branches.
Graft
- Collect scions while dormant and keep them cool without drying out.
- Cleft and whip grafts are done before the sap rises strongly.
- Bud grafting can be considered once the bark lifts easily.
Stone fruit trees are sensitive to large wounds and damp: work cleanly and in dry weather.
plum tree diseases and pests
Plum fruit moth likelyThe combination of early ripening, gum and a tunnel around the stone strongly suggests a p…Brown rot possibleThe browning and the pads on the fruit are consistent with a rot that spreads mainly throu…Aphids likelySmall insects, curled leaves and sticky honeydew point to an aphid attack.…Plum rustA common summer fungus: yellow spots on top, orange pustules underneath, early leaf fall.…Shot hole disease (coryneum)Small purple spots that fall out: leaves look riddled with shot. Common on cherry, plum, a…Chlorosis (deficiency, often iron)Leaves yellow between veins that stay green, mainly on young shoots: not a contagious dise…Scale insectsSmall fixed bumps on the bark or stems, sticky honeydew and a black deposit (sooty mould):…Collar rot (Phytophthora)A dark ooze at the base of the trunk and general decline: a soil fungus attacks the collar…Water stress (lack of water)Dry leaf edges, soft foliage in the heat and early leaf drop: the tree is short of water, …Bacterial canker (stone fruit)Sunken bark patches oozing gum, dying buds and dieback: a bacterium common on cherry, apri…
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