The idea will be to create a second scaffold whorl, located about a foot.

But for the main summer pruning, cut back all shoots by at least half, while at the same time opening up the centre of the tree by removing inward growing branches. It’s as simple as that. As well as ‘Satsuma’ and ‘Mariposa’, other Japanese plum cultivars include ‘Santa Rosa’, ‘Pluot’, ‘Donsworth’ and ‘Ruby’.

In the US, don't prune after July to reduce the risk of frost damage to new growth.

Jul 12, Summer Pruning Plum Trees. Thinning fruits can be regarded as the first stage of pruning, as it reduces strain on the branches. Do this in early summer while fruits are still small and can be pinched out with your thumb and forefinger. July and August is the best time to prune plums in most Northern Hemisphere locations. Jul 16, The aim of pruning fruit trees in the home garden is to assist the tree to produce reliable quality crops, with good size fruit on a manageable size tree.

This orchard in the Adelaide Hills was planted eight years ago. It has 25 trees including varieties of apples, pears and plums. These have survived with rainwater and no regular pruning. Apr 13, There are many reasons to prune plum trees, and the relevance of these reasons will depend on factors such as the age of your tree and the time of the year.

Pruning in early spring stimulates new growth. You prune in summer to restrict the size of Estimated Reading Time: 8 mins. Sep 21, Pruning the plum tree takes a few growing seasons. Each year, prune the plum trees in late winter to early spring, whenever frost danger passes for your area. The University of California notes that a rejuvenation pruning for your plum tree will take three years.

Identify any dead, diseased and damaged wood from your old plum tree.