[wellingtons]

I have consulted all my books but the advice on pruning plums seems pretty inconsistent from don't do to give it a good haircut!

I have a Victoria on dwarfing rootstock (yeah, yeah I know, it'll be a 15/20 ft dwarf!).  It is it's second year, good vigorous growth and a healthy crop of plums developing.

I do need to keep it from going mad, and it is planted in one of those bags to help keep root growth controlled.

Some of the new growth has been a bit nibbled, but still perfectly healthy.

So ... do I prune? If so when? And what?

Fankyoo please!!

[gillie]

You should not prune a plum tree too much, and only when in growth so that the cuts will heal quickly and keep the dreaded silver leaf disease at bay, This is especially true for a  Victoria which is very susceptible (I lost mine a few years back).  Some recommend pruning immediately after it has cropped, others when in flower.

Cut out any misplaced and crossing branches and anything else that annoys you but leave it at that.

Cheers,

Gillie