[richyrich7]

I've had a young victoria plum in the garden for a couple of years, each year it's flowered and fruited but dropped it's fruit. This year it's flowered, but then caught by a late frost ( I think ), but now all its leaf buds have blackened and died. I've scraped off a little of the outer layer of bark and it's still green underneath.
So has anyone come across this before? do I dig it up or wait to see what happens. My first thought is to wait and see, but if it's deffo dead then I can get rid and prepare the ground for planting again.

[Aunt Sally]

Does it sound like the brown rot mentioned on this fact sheet Richy  :?:

http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/factsheets/ftm5.php

[WG.]

I have two plum trees and they certainly don't fruit every year.  Last time, I think, was during the war so I just need to remember if it was the Falklands or the Crimean War.  

[richyrich7]

Yeah a bit but I've not got one green leaf or bud left on it, if I prune back all the effected branches I'll end up at ground level  

[Aunt Sally]

Oh dear...  Sounds like grub it up time  :cry:

Don't replace in the same position though.  They suffer with 'specific replant disease'.  When I worked at East Malling Research Station on the 70s they use to inject chloropicrin into the soil to fumigate it (related to mustard gas).  I don't think organic had been invented back then  :shock:

[richyrich7]

 do you think it would work on pigeons    no point replanting there's loads of plum trees down the lottie on vacant plots, even some syston plum.

[Aunt Sally]

That's a Leicestershire variety isn't it Richy  :?:

[richyrich7]

Yep sure is, Syston's about 10 mins by the back roads to me.

[Oliveview]

We inherited 6 plum trees with this house and only two are fruiting well this year (small golden plums) the larger black plum had nothing on it!! Last year it had loads of fruit so the old owner must have known what he was doing. One tree, which we were assured is a plum tree is bearing oads of fruit.... pears  wouldn´t mind, we went and bought 2 pear saplings as we didn´t have  a pear tree!
Pamela (in Spain)

[Aunt Sally]

Plums do tend to be biennial bearers.  I know it's hard but if you thin the fruit in the year they bear the glut you will get more the next year !