Fruit wood on the plum tree
A plum tree carries the most productive Fruitwood to his two and three year old branches. Under ideal location conditions, a shoot remains vital and blooming for up to four years. After four to five years that is Fruitwood exhausted with plums, reneklode and mirabelle plums. At this point in time, the aging branches in the rear area have fresh, two-year-old side shoots to offer. Gardeners do not miss this opportunity and redirect the old wood to the vital offspring. With the beginning of the harvest phase, an annual maintenance cut is advantageous in order to clear the way for new fruit wood.
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Types of cuts and dates
Although a plum tree can live to be a proud 50 to 100 years old, its fruitwood already ages after three to four years. If you prune it every one to two years, the fruit tree will give you a lush harvest of juicy, sweet plums, venison and mirabelle plums. With which
Types of cuts You build and maintain a splendidly blooming and productive plum tree, summarizes the following overview:| Cut type | Goal / occasion | best date |
|---|---|---|
| Plant pruning | Build up an abundant crown framework | spring |
| Upbringing | educate perfect crown shape | Late autumn or winter of the first 2 to 3 years of standing |
| Conservation cut | vital fruit wood and ideal crown shape preserved | at the same time as the harvest or in autumn after the leaves have fallen |
| Taper cut | revitalize old plum tree | between 1. October and 28. February |
Prologue of pruning - plant pruning
The technical cutting course for a high-yield crown formation takes place in the spring after planting. If you planted your plum tree in autumn, postpone the prologue of pruning to a frost-free day in February or March. This is how you complete an exemplary plant cut on plums, reindeer clods and mirabelle plums:
- Appoint the strongest shoot to the central shoot with three to four evenly arranged leading branches
- Remove excess shoots or cut back to 10 cm
- Shorten strong leading branches by a third
- Cut weak leading branches by half
- Place scissors over an outward-facing one eye
You have done everything right when pruning the plants when the tip buds of the three to four leading branches are at the same height at the end, in the so-called Juice scales. This does not apply to the dominant central shoot. Its tip bud towers above the Juice scales by 15 to 20 centimeters.
Digression
Pay attention to the spread and angle of the guide branches
Raising the plum tree crown productively
Plum trees naturally form a narrow, upright crown. The growth is characterized by numerous steep shoots that compete with the central shoot and shade valuable fruit wood. In order to ensure that plums, renekloden and mirabelle plums absorb a lot of sunlight and develop a full aroma, pruning care is dedicated to beneficial crown training in the first few years. Upbringing should be completed by the start of the yield phase after two or three years. How to do it correctly:
- The best time is after the leaves have fallen in autumn or winter on a frost-free day
- Leave a maximum of 8 outwardly directed side shoots per guide branch as future fruit wood
- Cut this year's growth by a third or half
- The point of intersection is 5 mm above an outward-facing bud
- Cut back all other side branches to 5 to 10 cm
The danger of upward competitive instincts should not be underestimated. In particular, so-called slit branches impaired the stability within the crown. Harvesting accidents can often be traced back to a broken branch. So stay on your heels from the start and remove the danger from the crown. If a steep drive is in a very favorable position, tie the wood with cord at an advantageous angle of 60 °. The inclination reduces the pressure of the juice, whereupon flower buds and fruits form.
The optimal crown shape on the plum tree consists of a dominant central shoot and three to four evenly distributed leading branches. Sterile, disturbing steep shoots are consistently removed. The buds of the leading branches should be in juice balance. The tip bud on the central shoot is enthroned 15 to 20 centimeters above the side branches.
Preserve vital fruit wood
A plum tree in the harvest phase benefits from a maintenance cut every one to two years. Gardeners like to combine the pruning with the plum harvest, because at this point in time, the fruit wood that has been removed is easy to see. The crown presents itself more clearly after the leaves have fallen in autumn or winter. The greatest treasure in the plum tree are two and three year old fruit shoots. These can be easily identified by means of spherical flower buds that are already created during the current season. In contrast, the shoot and leaf buds reveal themselves by a narrow, elongated shape. How to cut with horticultural expertise:
- Cut back prominent, drooping fruit shoots to a two-year-old side shoot with flower buds
- Shorten vigorously growing fruit shoots to compete with the main branch to 10 cm cones
- Cut steep shoots, stunted twigs directed towards the inside of the crown to 5 to 10 cm
- Massively ramified leading branches with broom-like tips slim down with one Derivative cut
This year's unbranched young shoots are treated with caution. In the rarest of cases, flower buds can already be found here. A branch more than 20 centimeters long cut back a third to just before an outward-facing bud. Shorter young shoots remain uncut.
Unfavorable and dead branches are removed on short cones. Older fruit wood that has been removed several times is derived from a young, outward-facing branch that already bears flower buds.
Tips
A plum tree leaves numerous from spring to autumn Water shoots sprout. The vertical shoots are formed from the rootstock of the game underlay, below the crown or on the top of the leading branches. As long as the unwanted shoots are in the unwooded stage, they should be removed. Either tear off a water shot or cut off the shoot just before the bark.
Makeover for old plum tree
Without an annual maintenance pruning, a plum tree is exhausted within a few years. Since access to sunlight is blocked for the young fruit wood, the crown becomes bald inside. The outer branches are characterized by massive ramifications, the weight of which pulls the wood towards the ground. You can turn back the clock with a taper cut. This is true under the premise of one restrained cut. The diameter of the old branches to be removed should not be more than half the diameter of the guide branch or trunk. How to properly rejuvenate an aged plum tree:
- The best time is between 1. October and 1. March in frost-free weather
- First remove steep shoots at an angle of less than 45 ° to the trunk or central shoot
- Cut out dead, inward-growing, crossing, or rubbing branches
- Cut branches more than 5 cm thick onto 10 cm long cones
- Overhanging branches lead to an internal, two-year-old side shoot
- Cut back solidly branched old shoots without young side shoots to 10 cm short cones
- SlantDo not intersect horizontal, unbranched young shoots
In the expert rejuvenation of plum trees, the Derivative cut a key role. Basically, plums, venison and mirabelle plums do not respond well to radical pruning. You successfully mitigate the effects by redirecting old shoots to a young, outward-facing side shoot. Ideally, it is biennial wood that is garnished with flower buds. Sit down Loppers or saw where old and young wood fork. Do not cut into the young shoot, but a few millimeters behind the fork in the old wood.
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Gently cut old wood with tenon cuts
frequently asked Questions
Are plum trees self-fertile?
Usually, plums thrive as self-fruiting trees. On the other hand, some historical varieties are dependent on a pollinator. When purchasing a tree, ask carefully at a tree nursery and garden center. Basically, it is beneficial for the crop yield when two Plum varieties are in close proximity. If there is not enough space, this can also be a columnar plum.
I planted my first plum tree at the end of March. Is it really necessary to carry out a parental cut this spring?
In fact, it is advisable to prune a plum tree as early as the first spring. The tree is well positioned for high yields with a central shoot and up to four guide branches that are at an advantageous 60 ° angle to the trunk. Excess shoots are removed. Then shorten the frame shoots by half so that they are in the juice scale. Leave the central shoot a little higher. It is important to note that the buds of the leading branches point outwards.
I want to plant a grafted reindeer tree in the garden. Should the refining point be above or below the ground?
The refinement point on the Reneklodenbaum always remains above the ground. With all plum trees for the home garden, there is a risk that the noble variety will take root on its own. In this way, the good properties of the base are lost.
Is it possible to limit a mirabelle tree to a height of 2 meters?
Like all plum trees, mirabelle plums are stone fruits. A strong growth towards the light is characteristic of these fruit trees. As a result, mirabelle plums grow tall. Well-planned parenting and regular pruning will help control growth. However, a height of at least 2.50 to 3 meters is realistic. If there is not enough space in the garden, it is advisable to cultivate mirabelle plums as column fruit.
I underestimated the strong growth of a plum tree and would like to replant it. When is the best time? What should I pay particular attention to?
It is easily possible to replant a plum tree within the first five years of standing. The best time is in autumn, when the harvest and leaf fall are complete. Dig up the root ball as much as possible. At the new location there should not have been any plums, Renekloden or Mirabelle plums beforehand, because otherwise soil fatigue is to be feared. A plum tree can cope better with a change of location if you prune the crown back by a third or half before or after. In this way you compensate for the lost root mass.
The 3 most common mistakes
If a young plum tree consistently refuses to display the picturesque blossoms and juicy fruits or if a rejuvenation leads to total failure, the gardener has made typical cutting errors. In order to protect the readers of this tutorial from classic mistakes, the following overview draws attention to common mistakes and gives tips on how to prevent the annoyance:
| Cutting errors | Damage image | prevention |
|---|---|---|
| no parental cut | dense, upright crown without flowers or fruits | raise with a central drive and 4 guide branches at an ideal 60 ° angle |
| never cut | premature aging, exhausted fruit wood, little yield | cut every 1 to 2 years and rejuvenate fruit wood |
| old plum tree radically cut back | Spread of wood rot, total failure | rejuvenate moderately by drainage or tenon cut |
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Tips
Recommended dates for a rejuvenation cut in summer fall on the deaf ears of responsible home gardeners. In the dense crown of the old plum tree there is a lot going on during the warm season. Hard-working bird parents like to build their nests under the protection of the foliage in order to devote themselves to the rearing of their offspring. Radical cutting measures would have fatal consequences for the already endangered bird world. That Federal Nature Conservation Act emphasizes the demand for a grace period with Paragraph 39. Between the 1st March and 30. September all kinds of wood cuttings are prohibited.
