Once you’ve finished harvesting your plums, August is a prime time to prune your tree. Done correctly, pruning can help maintain its health and encourage a better crop next year – but getting it wrong can do more harm than good.
Richard Barker, horticultural expert and commercial director of LBS Horticulture, explains that warmer weather helps pruning wounds heal faster, reducing the opportunity for fungal spores to enter the tree. Here are five common mistakes to avoid.
Richard recommends starting by removing any dying, damaged or infected branches. 'Remove crossing branches or inward growing shoots near the middle so that you have an open goblet shape. The current year's main shoots should be cut back by around a third, and snip off any unwanted growth or suckers on the plant,' he says.
Garden glossary: Suckers are growths that appear from the root systems of many trees and shrubs
Although pruning may seem straightforward, mistakes can weaken the tree and affect future fruiting. To help you avoid them, we asked Richard to identify the most common errors gardeners make when pruning plum trees.
Mistakes to avoid when pruning your plum tree
1) Pruning in the wrong season
'You should avoid pruning plum trees in autumn or winter as the damper conditions can expose open pruning wounds to the airborne spores of fungal diseases like silver leaf,' says Richard.
2) Getting rid of fruiting spurs
'Plums produce fruit on the short, stubby spurs of the tree, so cutting them off can ruin any future harvests,' he says.
3) Pruning your tree too much
'Over-pruning mature trees can stress the plant, and heavy, sudden cuts can trigger unwanted sucker growth,' warns Richard.
4) Leaving the suckers
'Leaving suckers close to the base of the tree can drain energy from the main, fruit-bearing canopy of the plant,' he says.
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