Pruning Plum Trees | Pruning Fruit Trees Without Fear!

[@johanconradie2120]

these videos are, non parallel , unbeatable, incredible

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Well, thank you. That is very kind.

[@kylanve]

Man, I love this channel! Every episode if FULL of information!

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Thanks Kylan. You're always so encouraging to us!

[@AbidAli-bv2gl]

Excellent video. Best pruning classes

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Thanks Abid. We're hopeful these can help everyone out there be more confident when pruning their trees!

[@VonFej61]

Love the ending Hahaha.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Not exactly sure what I was thinking there!

[@MyAussieGardenKitchen]

G'day guys. It is so good to sit back and watch one of your videos. I really miss it and I miss you two. Such an excellent pruning video. Good stuff! Have a great June. 🤦‍♂️ All the very best. Daz.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

DAZ!!!!! It's funny, I immediately think of you and a few other Aussie viewers we hear from when I think of warm temps during our "Winter". So naturally, my slip up with June vs January lead me to think of you. It was great getting a chance to say hi on your Livestream. What a great community you have surrounding you there!

[@juneramirez8580]

You give us the most detailed pruning classes I have ever seen! You answer questions I haven't even asked yet! Love your farm! and channel! Saved this for future.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey June! Glad to hear that. I (Duane) get some flak from some folks for sharing too much detail, but with these "How To" videos I would rather share more detail rather than less. This way it's beneficial whether you're a seasoned pruner or someone just starting out.

[@Alehamod]

I loved your video with the rain. You are gifted artists 👩‍🎨 with your wife beside you while the rest of us arguing about which party to support. Your inspiration for farming using Science and natural and love brings hope to all mankind. Thank you 🙏

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Thank you so much for those kind words. It's folks like you that keep us doing this. I'm glad to hear we can be an inspiration to others when so many things around us try to drag us down!

[@Alehamod]

Thank you for all your hard work. God bless you all.

[@juanisgarden5356]

Yes, absolutely beautiful farm!!! And very true...... you always provide answers to our questions, thank you so much!

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Thanks Juani. One of the reasons we do this is to encourage everyone else to grow their own food. It's so important in the world we live in today!

[@juanisgarden5356]

You couldn't be more right!

[@floridaguy1955]

Your video on pruning plums is the best around. My 4 -2 year old trees are really growing here in Georgia. Just pruned ours this week and they look just like yours! Love those spurs full of blossoms! Thanks for the tips!

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Glad you enjoyed this one and are seeing similar results. Next to irrigation, pruning is what we tend to get the most questions on. Most folks are nervous to prune thinking they're either hurting the tree or production when it's just the opposite!

[@breakingburque2200]

Haha I was always teased about pruning too hard but it really helps.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

That right there is one of the secrets we share. After posting all of these pruning videos, showing the production it eventually produces, we still have folks reach out who are hesitant to prune at all. We just want them to get that same heavy production we expect each year!

[@onemanwreckingcrew]

What a great video! I feel so much more confident pruning my trees after seeing this video. Very informative and helpful!

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Thank you Kyle, glad you enjoyed the video and found it useful!

[@devarskinnee8760]

Great video bud,been doing my own tree's know for 40years, and you are on it my friend. Good too share this with others who want to learn this for there own tree's. Your work looks very nice.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Glad you enjoyed this one Devar. It sounds like you've done this a time or two!

[@ericbowers1620]

June….lol! Another nice pruning video :)

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

So, we definitely don't want it to be June right now! It's all too close to blistering inferno weather already...

[@ericbowers1620]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm i know im not ready either….too much to do in yard before then

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

@@ericbowers1620 Always!

[@danielfisch655]

Thank you for another informative video, we finished pruning all of our trees last week.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Woohoo!! We're not too far behind you. The only straggler after this weekend will be the grapevines who are still hanging onto those last few leaves of Winter.

[@buchandoreen8546]

I feel a little more confident because of your detailed videos Thank you both for inspiring all of us out here. I am in The bootheel of New Mexico

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Buchan! I'm glad to hear these are beneficial and encouraging for you. New Mexico is a TOUGH environment for growing. That makes success that much sweeter!

[@dilkycorteling2586]

Best plum pruning video. I have a 2 year old , first yime pruning

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Glad you found this one useful. Good luck with that pruning!

[@dilkycorteling2586]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm Thank you very much. I am a newbie to all this

[@buyerofsorts]

Great video! Very informative as are all of your videos!

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Glad you enjoyed this one Paul. Did you get some pruning done on your orchard? I imagine those peach trees are about ready to burst to life if they haven't done so already!

[@buyerofsorts]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm Yes, I got it done last Sunday. A lot of the trees are still pretty small so there wasn't much to do but I gave them all a clipping. I'll let you know when they start to bloom.

[@coolmantoole]

Great video. I have a small plum orchard in SE Georgia. The only comment that I would make is that given our disease pressure in the South East USA, I do my "winter" prune in early spring as the tree is beginning to break dormancy. There resistance to backterial stem canker is much better if they are comming out of dormancy. The only punning I do in the dead of winter is to collect some scion of my rare chickasaw plum cultivars which I give away or sell.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Thanks for the note here Marcus. It's a bit different for us here in the Southwest, but folks need to know it varies a bit based on where you're located!

[@WhereIsDustin]

Recently discovered your channel. Learned a lot from this video. Thanks 🙏

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Glad you enjoyed this one!

[@robsmith7928]

Thank you ❤❤

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Glad you found this one useful!

[@robsmith7928]

@EdgeofNowhereFarm yes, at a customer doing last minute research and your content is super informative. I look forward to learning more from your channel.

[@paulroberts6163]

Great video. Learned a lot about pruning.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Glad you found this one useful Paul!

[@EmmaMorgan09]

I bought a little Plum tree from Aldi. As the branches grew I weighted them to make them grow horizontally instead of upwards. So now the tree is 5 years old, the branches are set in this position and fruit is easy to reach

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

That's a great idea with the weights!

[@flydownyourblocklikeaneagl6099]

Great video Duane

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Glad you enjoyed this one and found it useful!

[@cecilall4150]

Outstanding!🤗

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Glad you found this one useful Cecil!

[@chetnash5991]

Aggressive is right! I can’t wait for it to fill out and fruit!

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

That's what we're hoping for as well Chet. Usually the aggressive pruning equates to abundant harvests in the future!

[@chrisannbuff8018]

great detailed presentation, so informative on pruning!

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Glad you enjoyed this one Chris Ann!

[@GerryOverton-lk7hc]

Thank you for the clear and concise description of what and how to prune plumb trees. It would help (me) to understand the “why” for each of your recommendations. For instance, why open the centre? Why cut off downward branches? Why discourage crossover branches. Thanks again.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Great questions and we've addressed those in prior pruning videos, so I didn't cover them here, but it's a great suggestion. Quickly, the open center is primarily for air flow and even ripening of fruit growing inside the center of the tree (sunlight is needed for even ripening). Downward branches can wind up reaching the ground with fruit set causing damage to the branch and fruit. Crossing branches will eventually damage each other and can encourage infection.

[@osamachakik7365]

Hey bud ive just planted some can plumb trees and they are 2 years old is it a bad idea to cut them to cheast hight or waist hight? What do you recommend would love to hear youre recommendations

[@robertocvirk]

😳😬 hahaha I am damn lucky, just came back from farm, only reason I didn't trim the plum and apricot trees was I left my trimmers behind....I was about to cut all the fruiting spurs....when I got home I found this vid .... cheers thanks 👍🇦🇺🤭

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Glad we could save you that nightmare!! We've been there, done that my friend...

[@djrichardcrest2001]

Great video and very informative

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Glad you found this one useful!

[@icsouls]

Awesome video, 😀

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Glad you enjoyed this one and found it useful!

[@estherchoe2580]

Thank you Great tips for my trees

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Glad you enjoyed this one!

[@tigtime1763]

When you say Plum & cherry hybrid. Do you mean it's grafted to grow both, plum and cherries?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

That is a great question and I should clarify. The fruit itself is a hybrid that was created by co-mingling cherry and plum pollen/flowers. This particular tree puts off very sweet fruit that are slightly larger than a very large cherry and smaller than a typical plum. The flavor is similar to plum, but with much less tart in the skin.

[@mikecollins1269]

Is this tree self pollinating or does it require a pollinator? I enjoy your channel.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

@@mikecollins1269 This one technically needs a pollinator and it's the primary reason we have a Burgundy Plum adjacent to it. However, I'm not completely convinced it's necessary. That being said, the production on both trees on the old farm was impressive with them double planted.

[@marschlosser4540]

Thumbs up!

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Thanks Martin!

[@stanwilliams8381]

Awsom bro

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Glad you enjoyed this one!

[@Kay-xi9kv]

Great video, thanks! How long does it take for the tree to heal from a large cut from the middle (>2”)? If you get rain a week later, is that a problem?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Great question Kay and it depends. If you're here in AZ or a similar environment you should have very little concern. We had rain last week not long after pruning some trees and they are healing over just fine. The reality for us is we're in the low double digits when it comes to humidity, so even with rain we are still very dry within a day or two. With that the cuts "harden off" within a few days eliminating the concern for infection. Complete healing is dependent on the tree growth, but usually that's within a year or two.

[@tigtime1763]

Will you do a video of grape vines when the buds start opening. Please?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Great question/suggestion here Tig Time. I'm confident we'll have that in one of our Spring vlogs. We should be pruning those here next weekend, so it's only a few more weeks until bud break for those!

[@tigtime1763]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm my vine buds are white and fuzzy, a little bigger every few days. You're videos are really helpful. Thank you

[@scottstabbert7966]

Super well done. Thank you! I'm curious if you ever use string to stake down branches to try and train them to grow horizontally.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Great question Scott. We do our best to train the trees with pruning only, but have attempted a few options otherwise, usually with braces in the branches themselves. The issue we have here is very strong wind that would be a problem when tying branches to a fixed object on the ground.

[@animalloveriranian]

واقعا توضیحاتتون عالیه. با افتخار سابسکرایبتون کردم

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

خوشحالم که از مطالب لذت می برید. با تشکر از شما برای اشتراک!

[@yarnybart5911]

fantastically*. It's an adverb.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Those pesky adverbs!

[@lelloaiello1]

I like the way you doing things Dwayne,my question to you is Why I see many trees around the city and parks that they get painted white on the bottom of the tree,what is the reason for that Thank you Ralph

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Ralph. Great question. We did an episode on this a while back that I'll link for you here that discusses why we paint those tree trunks; kzbin.info/www/bejne/mHTIZIiQfpJ6rLs

[@THEFIRSTTIMEGARDENER-mp9vv]

Good day sir. So i have two plum tree's that i planted last year. Not quite a year old yet. I live in florida and just starting to get a few cool nights but the tree still has all of its leaves yet. My question is when should i be pruning the branches as you did in this video? Do i wait til just before new growth in spring or do it now going into winter. Thanks for putting out this video. Was very informative and educational.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

The best time of year to prune stone fruit is during the middle of Winter once it's lost all of it's leaves. This is when you'll have the least amount of sap running through the tree which reduces the chance of infection in the cut.

[@JRoadzReegz]

Would be interested in a follow-up. Tried rigorous plum pruning (not as aggressive as this) and water spouts GALORE .. curious how to handle that to maintain balance under control

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

We'll keep updates on these trees as they progress. You will get some water sprouts that will need to be managed, but it should also induce spurring which, for plums, is a very good thing!

[@MichaelGawesebmainone]

I bought a grafted about 1 year old potted plum tree called “Plumcot flavorking” that apparently needs these for pollination ( Santa Rosa, Dapple Dandy, Laetitia), is it a must to have those I must have missed this bit. And it has only one long sort of centre stem can I cut it bit down to make it shorter and bushy?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

I'm not familiar with that particular variety, but the Santa Rosa is our go-to for cross pollination. We have 2 on the property to cross a few other plum hybrids as well. As for the pruning of the trunk, you can definitely cut it back, but I would wait until it's dormant....assuming you're here in AZ and it has broken dormancy at this point.

[@blueclaudu2000]

Excellent, understandable video, even for a new plum-tree-owner like me. I loved the recap at the end: "open center, allow tree to get more horizontal rather than vertical, and remove crossing branches and ones pointing down." I can do that! I live in cool, very wet vermont and am going to prune this week. Are there any big differences in VT plum pruning compared to what you did in AZ?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Glad you enjoyed this one. It's a daunting task until you've been through it a few times. As for pruning style, this would work in VT as well. It's the standard method of pruning for pretty much all stone fruit and you would actually benefit more from this than we do. It's particularly good for high moisture environments where fungus can be an issue. It also allows more light penetration which will help with your shorter growing season.

[@blueclaudu2000]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm awesome! you are making me excited for this!

[@nancytownsel419]

I don’t see any links for the tools. Did I miss it.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Nancy. It should be in the episode description section, but I can link it for you here. They will be under the pruning/cultivating supplies tab; www.amazon.com/shop/edgeofnowherefarm Feel free to use this link anytime you shop Amazon. Whether you buy from the storefront or anything else after using the link we get a small commission on your purchase!

[@pagevpetty]

Nice vid! Thanks for sharing. I did want to mention that I thought you are supposed to cut right above the bud (you want to branch out) before the next bud. Anyway, that has always worked for me ;)

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

That's always a good idea to help direct growth. For trees this age we were more focused on scaffold selection and bringing down the overall height, but on the branches we are keeping an outward facing bud is what you need to look for to help direct those.

[@S4ordie]

Yo Duane and Lori! It's the other DH with the same last name. Happy to report no mix up on the tree order at Greg's Urban Farm tree pick-up this year. Gotta get out your way for a visit. Do you have any problems with European hornets ("yellow jackets" prevalent here in the Valley of the Sun) eating the bark on your fruit trees? This past spring and summer I noticed the bark on my Apple Anna and Golden Dorsett trees looked like it was peeling back a bit exposing the inner part of the branch. Almost looked like some sort of fungus was eating away at the bark. We tried all the natural remedies and even had an arborist come take a look. We got more aggressive with other not-natural attempts to curb the eroding bark. Soil tests, indicated all was good. We are on a timed and metered watering system so water is not an issue. We even planted sweet potatoes under the trees and they grew great providing ground shade in case the soil was getting too hot. All along I noticed the "yellow jackets" flying everywhere among the branches. Toward the fall just before leaf drop Lora, my superior other, noticed the yellow jackets were eating the bark. We researched online and found they can be especially harmful to fruit trees. Here is a link to an article that exactly described what has happened to our trees - www.bartlett.com/resources/european-hornet.pdf We post this as a means to perhaps save others the heartbreak of having their young fruit trees being damaged. About 50% of all the bark on the trees has been chewed off. I am getting good leaf and blossom budding already. The question is, should we just dig out these three year old trees and plant new again? We will let them grow through the season this year.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Dan. Saw your email and will respond over there. Really frustrated for you guys on this one...

[@ericwiltz6584]

A very nice presentation. It's unfortunate that many if not most people with fruit trees won't aggressively prune while young. I live in TX and just put in two bare root plums. Should I wait a year before I really attack the tree for shape? Thank you

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey there Eric. You are absolutely correct with most folks being hesitant to heavily prune young trees. It's one of the many reasons we get called for consultations on fruit trees that stop bearing after several years! As for your young trees, we usually wait until the Winter following their planting date to prune them. Since you're putting them in now, that would be sometime next Winter. Good luck with those trees!

[@chairmanmeow3693]

That was the best video I've ever seen for pruning plum trees. I have a Santa Rosa plum tree that needs to be pruned soon. There are lots of areas where the branches are grouped in clusters. I'm never quite sure how to go about pruning them. Should I remove some of the branches in each cluster? If so, how many of the branches in each cluster should be left alone? Thank you so much. Btw I'm now a subscriber after watching this video!

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey there! Glad you're enjoying the content and finding it useful. Pruning can be a bit challenging, especially for fruit trees and plum trees have a couple of unique challenges. Whenever I'm looking at a plum tree (or any other fruit tree) I'm always trying to keep a few things in mind. First is taking out any dead and/or crossing branches. These can be an avenue for disease. Next is removing any branching that is pointing either towards the middle of the tree or towards the ground. Both of these can eventually damage branching. Production is the next thing I look for. If it's a younger tree you'll want to remove some of the fruiting wood so the tree can concentrate on growth before production. If it's an established tree I'm looking to balance the potential fruit load on the tree by taking out heavy clusters of fruiting spurs and branching. The key here is balance. Too much fruit on any given branch or one side of the tree can cause branches to break and could potentially kill the tree if the branch is large enough and splits the trunk. One last thing, try to keep the total amount of pruned branching to no more than about 30% of total above ground mass. Too much pruning can stress the tree and potentially kill it. This is especially true if it's a slow growing tree. Beyond these it's really up to you. I like to keep all of our trees balanced on 3-4 scaffold branches with an open center. This can be challenging with SR plums as the trees tend to grow more vertical. With that, I'm always trying to keep the center of the tree opened and encouraging outward growth. Hopefully this helps!

[@chairmanmeow3693]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm Thank you so much!

[@debdunn282]

Great video. I am still a little nervous to just cut my plum trees that way. I live in Ontario Canada. Should I trim this harshly here? Thanks

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Deb, great question. The primary reason we prune so heavily is because they grow so aggressively. Our climate has a lot to do with that. If you're not seeing a few feet of growth in any given year on a young tree like this, you wouldn't need to be quite as aggressive. That being said, the structure and general shaping of the tree would still apply.

[@irishmist2969]

Swap your jackrabbits for squirrels. Up, down, sideways this critter cannot be stopped. Didn't realise how much they love fruit trees until I got some 😭

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Yeah, we have ground squirrels here as well and they are Satan spawn!

[@alicew7045]

Good video. I followed your channel

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Glad you enjoyed this one Alice. I hope you enjoy the rest of the channel and let us know if you have any questions!

[@ruthmclean7371]

Thank you for making this video, I really enjoyed it. I have a question- some videos say to cut off all the non- productive one year growth, which confuses me, as how xan you get 2-3 year growth the coming year? I see you left yours on that were in keeping with the vase shape you're after. Do we need to prune these new one year old branches at all?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Ruth, great question. I can only assume the direction was being given on more mature trees where you're maintaining shape and production as opposed to shaping the tree. These are younger trees that are still being shaped for long term health and production. That being said, you can always keep any branching you see fit. Of course, this is for spur fruiting trees like plums, apricots, etc.

[@ruthmclean7371]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm thank you 😊

[@kathrynpaterson9335]

I have a 12 year old Victoria plum whuch is getting very tall - what is the minimum height i could reduce it to? Just found your videos, you are a great teacher

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

The general rule of thumb is to remove no more than about 30% of total tree mass in any given pruning season. We were a bit more aggressive with these younger, very fast growing trees, so keep that in mind.

[@harrystallwood]

Do you have any avocado or mango trees on your farm? Would love to see some videos of how you manage them. Not sure if it might be too cold for them in the winter where you are?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey there Harry. You hit the nail on the head with why you're not seeing mangoes and avocados here. They can be grown in the city with limited success, but we're another 5-6 degrees cooler out here and it's just a bit too much for them. It takes a lot of work to get a few pieces of fruit and we're a bit lazy when it comes to that!

[@harrystallwood]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm thanks for letting me know. You guys are amazing. I'm a huge fan

[@exceltechinc.schindler2678]

Just Subscribed. like your videos. I prune several customers fruit trees and it is helpful to see other advice and compare. Considering moving to AZ to retire. I'm wondering how the water is there for fruit trees. We live in the foothills near Placerville CA and diseases are a huge problem. Do you find the drier weather there helps with this.. I bet it does

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey there! Glad you're enjoying the content. I will say, one of the biggest advantages we have here when it comes to fruit trees is the weather. The year round, dry weather eliminates most diseases you'll find in other areas of the country. Not much survives when you have humidity in the low double digits!

[@beverleeshaw853]

My plum tree has branches all the way to the ground. Do I cut the lower branches off? It's 3 years old and grows slow,but this year it is starting to get some height. When it got It's plumbs this year they grew on the bottom branches and I had to prop them up to keep the fruit off the ground.?????

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hmm, this is an interesting scenario. Normally I would say you're probably dealing with root stock if it's coming from branching that's on the ground and I still think that's probably what you're seeing. Do you know whether or not this tree is grafted? If so, you'll want to remove any branching below the graft as that is root stock and not the variety you were trying to purchase/grow. It would also stunt the growth of the known variety as the root stock will try to take over. How did the plums taste?

[@charlesmmontoya6412]

Thank you for your tips and lesson;please show a close up of your tools . Cost if possible…thanks

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Glad you enjoyed this one and solid suggestion on the tools. We do have many of them in our Amazon shop, but a closer review would make sense. Thank you!

[@CaptainQueue]

Is it advisable to prune a plum tree in the springtime after the leaves have started sprouting?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

For plum trees it's best to prune during the dormant period (no leaves), but they can be pruned for size control after the harvest. If they're just sprouting I would hold off.

[@CaptainQueue]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm will do. The tree is getting high and I just saw your video. I planted two plum trees two years ago and they are sprouting what appears out of proportion in height. Always next year to prune then. Thanks so much.

[@catherinewinward4081]

How do you know the difference between fruiting spurs and leaf buds.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

It's sometimes hard to tell, especially with younger trees. When in doubt, leave it to see if you'll get fruit on it. By the second year it's really easy to tell what was a spur and what sprouted into branch/leaves.

[@bowenmiller2649]

I would like to see the follow-up of new growth compared to a similar tree but training the branches as much as possible and only pruning a minimum amount .

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

That would be an interesting test.

[@johanconradie2120]

Just imagine, 2022, CORONA!!! 😁 pruners, not virus!... 💥

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Bingo! We don't discuss it much, but 2020-2022 were the most productive years we've had on this farm as far as work was concerned. The only thing here in February of 2020 was the house and chicken run.

[@shaynastaska6439]

Can we do this in spring?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

If the tree has already broken dormancy you'll want to wait until Fall/Winter.

[@debbipartridge7624]

I’m in CA, is January the time to prune? Our tree just finished with its fruit and I wanted to prune now (late July). Tree is a great fruit producer but has not been trimmed in a couple of years. It’s 5 years old and way too big.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

As long as you're not in a desert area like we are you should be ok to do some Summer pruning to control for size. Just be cautious around the fruiting spurs, so you're not taking out all of your production for next year. You may already be aware, but just in case I'll link a video for you here where we discuss that; kzbin.info/www/bejne/gn7ddWSJorN2h8k

[@memoqueen]

I live along the coast in San Diego. I am lucky if I get one or two Santa Rosa plums on my tree each year. I don't know if it's because I only have the one tree or if I am not pruning it right or maybe it has to do with the way I fertilize it. Not sure where to begin. Suggestions?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey there Faye. I (Duane) grew up in Gardena in LA and we had a very productive Santa Rosa in the back yard, so I don't think climate as the issue. While they do need some chill hours (time below 45 degrees) it didn't seem to effect that tree. Pruning may be part of the issue, so I would consider some of the points we discuss in this episode. Fertilizing is also important and we fertilize 3X/year (Feb, May and Sept). Lastly would be the age of the tree. Plums are notorious for being finnicky with production when they're young and then they can also be alternate bearing (only producing well every other year).

[@djrichardcrest2001]

What is the white tubing around base of trees? What is that for?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

That is a corrugated plastic tube that we used to put on the trunks to protect from sun and rabbit damage.

[@SlackerU]

I'm still too frightened to prune before I ever get my first (ever) fruit. Though I'm sure I will eventually as my peaches are University-suggested to last 14 years before they're no longer cost-efficient producers.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

You'll see those peaches either way. Pruning just nudges the tree along!

[@justinwest9081]

Can plum trees be kept in a 3 ft x 3ft pot? How different is the care? Can it be kept under 6 foot tall?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Justin. Yes, you can definitely keep them in pots. Your best bet is to find one grown on a dwarfing rootstock, so you don't wind up with a root bound tree down the road. If you're not able to find a dwarf tree you can do some root pruning every few years. It's a bit more hassle, but it does give you some options. The care will be different depending on dwarf vs non-dwarf and you do need to be diligent with both irrigation and fertilization as the tree is wholly dependent on you providing those.

[@alicew7045]

I heard that plum trees are cross polination. I have only one plum trr in my backyard. Does that mean I will never have fruits? What can I do other than chopping it down?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey there Alice. It really depends on the variety. We have 2 plum varieties here on the farm that are self fruitful (no pollinator required) and they actually are needed to pollinate some of our hybrid plum varieties.

[@BrendaAgosta]

My husband forged corona clippers. Not sure if they are USA anymore

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Oh wow, that is cool! I really love those pruners. Very economical and they last for years, but I have no idea where they are manufactured these days.

[@ddennis6398]

I got the same tools except for the gloves

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Those are workhorse for us here on the farm with all of these fruit trees! Glad to hear someone else feels the same about them!

[@Oceanwheel40]

I have an Italian Plum tree. I do not know how old it is as the house is new to us. The tree has very tall vertical branches and that definite vase shape. Ithe branches are so tall and bifurcate in different areas. I just do not know how to care for it and get it to produce fruit. I want to work on the tree, this coming late winter. Perhaps I could contact you and send some pictures of the tree and you could advise us. Love the videos, but our tree is reaching for the stars.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

First off, congrats on the new house and what a blessing to start off with a mature fruit tree! You don't see that often. It would definitely be easier to see the tree when it's dormant and go from there. Our email address is in the About tab here on KZbin, so reach out when you're getting ready to prune and I'll see if I can give you some advice.

[@Oceanwheel40]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm thank you very much. I am a great gardener, but fruit trees I have not done alot with, although I have done some apple grafting. I also have a peach tree and 4 highbush blueberry from which we had a big crop from and still picking. I also have a young apple that needs help. Thank you for helping talk to you late winter. 😀🙋‍♂️

[@hexicanforlife3471]

Is the tree painted white on the bottom? Why and what paint?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Great question. We use IV Organics 3-in-1 Plant guard for these. I'll link a video we did recently detailing why we use that one for you here; kzbin.info/www/bejne/mHTIZIiQfpJ6rLs

[@hexicanforlife3471]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm thank you so much

[@mrcgrc12]

Can I prune a plum tree out of pruning season? It's kind of growing one sided and I want to fix it before it gets bigger its a 5 month old tree.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Vicente. If you're here in AZ or a similar dry climate it shouldn't be a problem as we're typically dry enough that the cut will heal over quickly even during the growing season. One thing to keep in mind with a young tree like this, you want to get as much leaf matter on the tree as you can over the first season. This is what will drive root growth allowing the tree to become more quickly established and able to cope with any stressors that may come its way. If you're able to leave it be for the season and prune it for size and shape this coming Winter it's the route I would take.

[@mrcgrc12]

@Edge of Nowhere Farm Thank you so much for the quick response, I highly appreciate help and tips, I'm a little more not so dry up in North Carolina, I will take your advice and let it be for this season. It's a rescue tree from an owner who didn't want it, so I transferred it to my back yard, a few months ago. Once again, thank you!

[@travisdavis1042]

Those chem trails in the background break my heart. Other than that great info. Much appreciated.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Yeah, when you live outside the 5th largest city in the nation you'll have plenty of those to go around. Not to mention Luke AFB.

[@PaulOutdoors]

Yes agree. Stratospheric Aerosol Injection has been happening sadly for many years now with almost on a daily basis a beautiful blue sky is replaced by a sun blocking agricultural looking grey slick from trails that linger and merge. Most peops don't even notice and mostly those that do or when you point out what's happening above their heads they claim they are clouds or water vapour condensation trails. 😕

[@gregmihalik9027]

Good video, just trying to figure how that is only a 2 year old tree… thing is huge

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Pretty crazy, huh? The key is the right root stock. These trees come from a local grower who uses his own root stocks grown in AZ.

[@gmersman]

Oops. I didn’t know about fruiting spurs! I might have trimmed some off. Hope it’s not permanent.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

No worries, been there done that! I pruned ALL of the fruiting spurs from a young plum tree years ago and wondered why we didn't see any flowers come Spring. Did some research and found out what they looked like. The following year we had flowers again and I haven't made the mistake again!

[@gmersman]

Thank you for your videos!

[@patriciacole8773]

My single tree is four years old. Never a bloom. Never a plum.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

At 4 years old you should at least see some flowering. How big is it and has it broken dormancy yet?

[@patriciacole8773]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm I’m in zone 4 and barely has buds. After your video I pruned some branches. The tree is about 8’ tall. After trimming today maybe 6’. Thank you for responding !

[@irishrebel1976]

When we moved in there was a plum tree and it didn’t fruit for several years. I actually had no idea it was even a plum tree. Then one summer….bam. 200 plums every year.

[@patriciacole8773]

@@irishrebel1976 Lord, let it be so‼️🌿👍🤗💦🌸💪💥🎊😁😉🎶🌿

[@CashNYC]

whats that white thing around anybody and whats it for?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

I assume you're talking about the white plastic around the trunks? Those are plastic sleeves that we used for a while to protect them from sun damage and varmints.

[@skwon1526]

Very much talkative explanation of something, and then demonstration of what you said thereafter separately! Do you think it to be an efficiently educational method? If I were you, I would have explained and demonstrated it at almost the same time beside the tree branches, not in two acts like you do.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Thanks for the feedback.

[@tuwannarico]

Oh man you killed me cutting all those branches!! I’m sorry but I could never cut that much!! I will have to hire someone and not be home when they come to cut😩💆🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️😂😂😂😂

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Well, I suppose that's always an option, but you'll be so happy with the end result....lots of wonderful fruit that's easy to harvest!!

[@f.demascio1857]

I wish the camera followed your pointing finger. Nonidea what you are pointing to below the bottom of the frame.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Unfortunately we're not pros when it comes to photography, so the camera work is not always ideal. If you let me know what time in the video you're referring to I might be able to describe what's going on.

[@derekfowler5503]

Ouch

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

But oh so satisfying when that fruit set hits in the Spring!!

[@sahmadi1000]

If this is what you wanted for your tree to look like, why you let it get so tall to begin with?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Hey Shah. This tree grows several feet per year and pruning is only done during the Winter when it's dormant. That's part of the reason we have to be so aggressive with our pruning.

[@concert_rat1004]

That’s terrifying. No way I can do this.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

That first cut is always a bit unnerving, but keep in mind the amount you take off is directly in relation to how much growth they will put on. Fast growing trees need more aggressive pruning and the opposite is also true.

[@mansorsaif5418]

لا توجد صيانة نحاول الاتصال على الرقم المجاني لا احد يرد . احد الإخوان يحاول الإتصال ايضا" لا احد يرد طوال اسبوعين متواصلة

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

مرحبًا. لقد حدث تغيير في أرقام الهواتف منذ حوالي شهر ، ولكن تم تحديث صفحة Google الخاصة بنا الآن بالرقم الصحيح إذا كنت ترغب في المحاولة مرة أخرى. يمكنك أيضا مراسلتنا عبر البريد الإلكتروني. عنوان بريدنا الإلكتروني موجود في علامة التبويب "حول" هنا على KZbin.

[@NEMO-NEMO]

Too much talking. I think it would be great to just show where to cut and if you hv a 3D image that would help.

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Uh, ok.

[@garyjohnson801]

You sound and look like you are related to David the good from KZbin. Are you?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Had somebody else ask that questions a while back. No relation, but that dude is a KZbin gem. Glad I'm not the only one who watches his stuff!

[@jonbloodworth474]

theres no way thats 2 years old. Do you mean two years old at your orcahrd? That looks like at least 5 years old. The branch in the middle you cut off is at least 2 years old. Can someone please clarify?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

Here are the details. This tree was planted in the ground on March 28, 2020 and this pruning video you're seeing was shot in January of 2022. It was in a 5 gallon pot with a single trunk/branch that was about 2' tall. I'm going to link an old video we shot placing several trees in this orchard and if you pause this video at about 6:06 you can just make out this tree in the second row from the left and it's the second tree in that row. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aYWzamWbh8R3gJIsi=BwC-9wxf8gjj99_i To say these grow VERY rapidly here is an understatement. It's on Hansen root stock and does AMAZING for us. Easily getting 6' or more of growth in a single season.

[@jonbloodworth474]

@@EdgeofNowhereFarm thanks for the reply and the information although I gotta say that i feel like my question is not being understood or answered or something lol. Btw, The video was great and very informative in regards to how to prune and I will certainly be applying those principles to my mini orchard! Now then, the tree in the video at the time of filming had been on your property for 2 years. understood. What I'm asking is how old was it when you bought it or planted it? There's no way a plum tree could get a trunk that thick or grow leads that thick in just 2 years. Fruit trees and hardwoods just don't grow that fast. Each ring on a cross section would be an inch thick which just isn't going to happen on such a young tree. I'm just curious what the age of the tree is, total, not age on your property. 2 years from seed or initial growth is not possible for this size. Period. The leader from the semi middle that you cut out which was on another branch and also had fruit spurs and at least 1 year old growth literally coming from it, this demonstrates my point. That one cutting was at least 2 years old just judging by what was on the branch and it was substantially smaller than the rest of the tree and growing off of another branch, meaning it was at least 2 years old. I just want to know the actual age of the tree lol! If you're saying that each branch was just plugged into a relatively established plum tree thata about 6-7 years old, okay. I've typically only seen grafts on much smaller trees and normally for a trunk replacement although I know various trees that people will graft different fruits too, young, teen, mature, just need a branch to graft. I just need an explanation on how this massive teenager to adult looking tree is allegedly 2 years old! There's just no way. Would it help if I said what is the age of the tree trunk at time of filming?

[@EdgeofNowhereFarm]

@@jonbloodworth474 I'll see if I can clarify for you. We contracted with RSI Growers for most of the trees planted onto this property and this tree was part of that contract. The budwood/scion for this particular tree was gathered from prunings from a tree we owned on our old property in the Winter of 2019. Reid at RSI grafted the scion onto his Hansen root stocks that he grows out on his nursery in Glendale, AZ immediately after collecting the scion from our tree. I can't speak to the actual age of the root stock it was grated onto at the time, but the caliper of the tree we planted was maybe 1/4"-3/8". You can make out the trunks of these trees in that video I attached when they're in the back of the truck. All of them were essential the same size at time of planting as they were part of that contract. As for how they grow this fast, that's well above my paygrade. I'm just happy to have them growing so well and producing. You didn't mention where you're located, but if you're in or around the Phoenix area, you should really visit Reid at RSI. The dude has been doing this for many decades and is a master at growing fruit trees here in our climate. Cheers!