Pruning The Plum Trees

Kieron pruned the plum trees today, the largest being Prunus domestica 'Opal'. The trees were not pruned over the winter with the other fruit trees in the orchard as plums are prone to a fungal disease called Silver Leaf. This disease produces its most infectious spores in the autumn/winter and, if pruned during that time, will leave the open wounds from the pruning cuts exposed to these spores. Having waited for the trees to finish flowering, and the risk to Silver Leaf reduced, it was given its annual prune, removing any dead branches and, as plum trees are heavy croppers, reducing the length of larger branches to prevent any breakages when full of fruit in the summer.