Strange year for plums

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AlaninCarlisle

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Strange year for plums
« on: September 09, 2013, 21:33 »
All other soft fruit and also apples have produced a great crop but my Victoria plums are a bit of a disaster. To start with, the pollination was poor resulting in just a few branches laden with fruit. Problem is though that despite the great summer, they are so slow to ripen that the wasps are getting to them. Normally they've ripened before the wasps start their destructive habits.

Has the summer been just too warm for Victoria plums?

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Sparkyrog

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Re: Strange year for plums
« Reply #1 on: September 09, 2013, 21:36 »
Possibly my Vics have been a disaster this year  :(
I cook therefore I grow

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Dai

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Re: Strange year for plums
« Reply #2 on: September 09, 2013, 21:40 »
Mine too, i have a huge tree but only have 4 plums on it.

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Sparkyrog

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Re: Strange year for plums
« Reply #3 on: September 09, 2013, 21:52 »
I had an enormous crop but they all had maggots ! third year in a row I pruned it at ground level  :(

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chillimummy

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Re: Strange year for plums
« Reply #4 on: September 09, 2013, 23:38 »
have large victoria plum tree and had good crop last year but one small plum this year which never ripened. Think will prune well this year. do they need pruning soon?
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Sparkyrog

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Re: Strange year for plums
« Reply #5 on: September 09, 2013, 23:56 »
Your too late ! stone fruit need pruning in summer  :(

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polly nator

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Re: Strange year for plums
« Reply #6 on: September 10, 2013, 10:24 »
Two branches only on my Victoria produced plums and they are now ripe. Much later than last year. Mt greengage which was prolific last year has about five fruit.

However, look on the bright side. Mother nature knows what she is doing and theres a good chance that, weathe permitting, she'll compensate with huge crops next year or the one after. Thats just the way it goes.

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8doubles

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Re: Strange year for plums
« Reply #7 on: September 10, 2013, 11:09 »
A zillion plums still on the tree even after thinning, small and lots of maggot.
In this region it has been a very dry summer which does not help the plums fill out.

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Squibbs

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Re: Strange year for plums
« Reply #8 on: September 10, 2013, 21:31 »
We have a very good plum harvest here - loads of fruit. A few maggots but not many.

yummy yummy in my tummy   :D
My maths shows that bird is equal to or greater than the word...

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gobs

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Re: Strange year for plums
« Reply #9 on: September 10, 2013, 21:41 »
have large victoria plum tree and had good crop last year but one small plum this year which never ripened. Think will prune well this year. do they need pruning soon?

Some fruit trees - plum being one - fruit better if left well alone, especially, if one is not an expert. :D

We are absolutely inundated with plums and greengages here this year, so I do not know what's up there: either this variety did not fair well or the particular local weather might be at the root of the problem.
"Words... I know exactly what words I'm wanting to say, but somehow or other they is always getting squiff-squiddled around." R Dahl

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Ema

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Re: Strange year for plums
« Reply #10 on: September 10, 2013, 23:19 »
I've just collected a bucket of free damsons. The tree seem to have plenty of them, it was right up agains a 6ft wall so perhaps quite well sheltered
« Last Edit: September 10, 2013, 23:20 by Ema »

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AlaninCarlisle

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Re: Strange year for plums
« Reply #11 on: September 11, 2013, 10:30 »
I was always told that you never prune plum trees; they prune themselves by the branches breaking when they get too heavy with fruit

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Yorkie

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Re: Strange year for plums
« Reply #12 on: September 11, 2013, 14:51 »
Not sure I want to resort to that, Alan  ::)
I try to take one day at a time, but sometimes several days all attack me at once...

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Optimistic Gardener

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Re: Strange year for plums
« Reply #13 on: September 11, 2013, 16:04 »
Well I was really chuffed with our new Victoria Plum tree.  It's an espallier (spelling?) and this is its first full season.  I picked a good handful of smallish but fantastically sweet plums at the weekend.  I haven't done a thing to prune it at all.

Nomnomnomnom.

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madcat

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Re: Strange year for plums
« Reply #14 on: September 11, 2013, 21:41 »
Our yellow plum is sad this year, and i notice the damson down the lane is light.  :(  We got a frost at just the wrong time and then what did set is taking for ever to ripen.  It is usually dripping by August bank holiday - not this year.  They are still green.
All we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about (Charles Kingsley)



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