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Plum Tree


walshie
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We moved in here in 2015. There's a big plum tree at the end of the garden and in 2015 it produced a handful of plums. 2016 and 2017 not one. Just looked at it now and there are literally hundreds of them.

We haven't done anything to it to cultivate it. In fact I was going to chop it down this year if it didn't produce anything.

Do plum trees produce fruit in cycles like this or what else would cause this tasty phenomenon?

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Pollination is the key unless the tree is self fertile. As Figgy says if the weather is bad at the time of flowering then there may be insufficient insects to get out and pollinate the flowers. The time span for pollination of flowers on fruit trees is remarkably small, often just two or three days.

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We had 15 kg off our last year, far too many for our needs half that would have ben enough so I've cut it in 1/2. ?

You may find (As Jdog said) if it's not been pollinated you will loose allot of the fruit (seedpods)next time the wind blows. 

I always give mine a winter spray and renew the grease band early in the year.  I also have a cherry tree next to it, that also gives a brilliant crop, and last year was covered in as many ladybird  larvae. 

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One of the woods that I shoot is called "plum wood" ( for obvious reasons) and some years the trees are bare yet another the branches hang to the ground under the weight of the fruit - once the fruit drops it's actually unpleasant to walk on the fruit rotting on the floor - trees were planted in 1917 by a local soldier returning home after receiving shrapnel wounds in France - visiting this wood always saddens me because while recovering from his wounds he was sent a white feather by the local ladies who did not bother to do their homework, he later returned to the front and was killed in action in Belgium :unhappy:.

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We have 3 in the front garden every year fruit dripping from the branches.

Everyone takes some. Really tasty they are. 

This year, nothing, everything seems to have dried up and rotted off ?

No idea why, nature has its own ways I guess.

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We had a Victoria plum tree at a previous house. It was in between two apple trees and planted too close together. The previous house owner told us it had never fruited. 

Grandad a keen and knowledgable gardener came and helped us move it. He dug a huge hole round it and we lifted it in Autumn with as much roots as possible. He cut the tap root short as he said that often brings them into fruit The next year it had 5 fruits. The year after it was loaded with fruit and fruited well every year after that while we were there.

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On 07/06/2018 at 17:12, 39TDS said:

I have a tree that leans over a bit. Don't think it is plumb though.

Ha!

On 07/06/2018 at 11:48, bruno22rf said:

One of the woods that I shoot is called "plum wood" ( for obvious reasons) and some years the trees are bare yet another the branches hang to the ground under the weight of the fruit - once the fruit drops it's actually unpleasant to walk on the fruit rotting on the floor - trees were planted in 1917 by a local soldier returning home after receiving shrapnel wounds in France - visiting this wood always saddens me because while recovering from his wounds he was sent a white feather by the local ladies who did not bother to do their homework, he later returned to the front and was killed in action in Belgium :unhappy:.

What is the significance of the white feather?

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I have seven plum trees in our orchard of differing types. The Golden Gage was heaving with fruit last year but I notice this year it has only a few fruit forming.  The Victoria always has too many and they are small but good for jamming, the Czar always produces and I have a new one which I don't know the name of and it has a few plums forming this season.

I tell a lie because I have three Bullace ...little green plum .. which produce every year and make superb jame and bullace vodka is  ..mmmmmmmmmm..... last autumn I moved six seedlings which had shot up near the bullace and two flowered this year and have a handful of small round plums, so think they are bullace as well .... so 13 plum trees.  My orchard is on the sight of an old orchard and above the frost pocket. Spring frosts can kill a lot of blossom and the old timers knew where to plant.  I replanted the orchard 25yrs ago and now we have more fruit than we can use but it is great to turn friends loose in there to pick their own.

If you can find a Golden Gage to plant, do so. Delicious.  They grow into a fairly large tree and at 25yrs mine is 20ft high and maybe 18ft across.

We are blessed in having an orchard where we can just pick a fresh ripe plum or apple or pear or APRICOT!! yep got one of those too.

The five hives also help pollination.:good:

7 minutes ago, ClemFandango said:

Ha!

What is the significance of the white feather?

It was given to a person believed to be a coward in short.

Edited by Walker570
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9 hours ago, ClemFandango said:

What is the significance of the white feather?

 

9 hours ago, Walker570 said:

It was given to a person believed to be a coward in short.

Not just that.

My maternal grandfather was a skilled engineer, working in a reserved occupation for the defence industry in WW1 and was also excluded from military service on health grounds - dodgy stomach which eventually killed him post war.

Anyway, because he was not in uniform, some misguided woman gave him a white feather.

Rather than explain, Grandma just decked her.

Edited by amateur
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1 hour ago, amateur said:

 

Not just that.

My maternal grandfather was a skilled engineer, working in a reserved occupation for the defence industry in WW1 and was also excluded from military service on health grounds - dodgy stomach which eventually killed him post war.

Anyway, because he was not in uniform, some misguided woman gave him a white feather.

Rather than explain, Grandma just decked her.

On the very odd occasion a good hard punch in the face says so much more than words ...grandma sounds a proper old bird ?

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Alas, after a very hard life (widowed with 2 small children in the 1920's, before the benefits system emerged), she died in 1973, having helped raise me and my brothers and sister, living with our family when she had retired.

Edited by amateur
Clarification
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