How to prune plum trees - 2 or 3-year-old

If tree has been purchased as a 2 or 3-year-old, it is advisable to defer pruning for one year after planting. The branch system of such a tree will already have been formed. After framework of tree has been formed, subsequent pruning will consist of cutting out dead and diseased wood, badly placed wood crossing, or too upright growth, and ensuring that growth remaining is well spaced.

How to prune plum trees - Drooping varieties

Certain varieties have a drooping habit. Although during early years this factor need not influence pruning unduly, as tree becomes established drooping tendency will be more pronounced.

It will be necessary to prune branch leaders to an upward-pointing bud, and not to an outward one, as in upright growing varieties. Similarly, lower branches will hang down, and may have to be shortened eventually to a more suitable subsidiary branch.

How to prune plum trees - Silver Leaf Disease

This serious disease of Plums enters tissues through open wounds and cuts. It is able to do so during winter and most readily infects wood through large cuts which expose heart. During formation period of tree, pruning can be carried out in early Spring, as cuts are relatively small.

On established trees, however, it is better to defer pruning until late Spring or Summer, and to perform this operation during dry weather, especially where large wounds are made.

The natural gums exuded at this time assist healing. Broken branches should be sawn off neatly, and all large wounds protected with white lead paint. Always use a sharp, curved blade knife, or a good pair of secateurs, for pruning. Avoid "jagged" cuts, which can lead to damage, and do not cut too closely to topmost bud.

The stem or trunk of a tree has three parts: bark, wood and pith. The pith is central part and around it is wood. Between wood and bark is cambium, a thin layer that produces new wood and bark. When cambium ring is severed, as by a wire cable, tree is killed, and since cambium protects against insects and disease, anything driven into it can wound tree severely.

Outside of man himself, trees have countless enemies.

There are 200,000 known kinds of insects that attack trees, in addition to diseases such as blight, rust and rot, storms and droughts. Luckily, birds help to keep caterpillars, borers, beetles and other insects in check.