How to keep a greengage to a manageable size

Dan Neuteboom shows us a Cambridge Gage tree that is 15 years old and that he has succeeded to keeping down to a height of about 5 feet. Greengages are trees that tend to become large, and create large branches without any fruit-bearing furnishing. After blossom, observe the tree, and if there are strong shoots developing, wait until the bottom part of the shoots is woody, and then cut them off, cutting just above the first bud. This also has the effect of stimulating furnishing on the older wood, so that even an old tree continues cropping right in the centre of the tree. Keeping the height of the tree down to 5 feect makes harvest easier and pest control more efficient. Greengages are not suitable for intensive planting, the tree is best given enough space to spread out. It needs a good pollinator. In August and early September, continue cutting back the new shoots. This system would not be easy on a commercial scale, but it is perfectly feasible on a garden tree. Narration by Dan Neuteboom, camera by John Paddy. Read more at realenglishfruit.co.uk

[@OdditreesUK]

Thankyou - that makes perfect sense 😊

[@TheButterflySoulfire]

Thanks for the info. I have a greengage newly planted in a container with another plum. Hoping to keep small through pruning.

[@zokowawa]

Excellent, thank you very much for sharing your experience!

[@patticarter8619]

Thankyou!

[@dreamersdaylifevlog]

Love greengages 😋

[@hazzzee]

thank you

[@mayapanika105]

So informative. Thank you so much.

[@jillholland6920]

Thankyou! very helpful

[@marianlenehan9618]

Thank you,,,, very helpful

[@Susan91515]

Thank you. I have inherited two gg trees very close together. Would you recommend I take one out completely to enable the one remaining to flourish?

[@charleshilbun7971]

Hello from Louisiana! My family land has several green Gage plum trees and some type of red European plum, about the same size of the green Gage fruit but red outside and red flesh and just as good. Problem is, these trees are getting extremely old and starting to go down. I just trimmed them up hoping to promote new growth. If i get good young growth, can i easily graft cuttings to nursery plum root stock or are they difficult to graft? Also, these trees are not grafted, back in the day my grandmother used to dig up shoots that come up from the root stocks and give them away, is this something you recommend or will it hurt digging into an old trees roots? Thank you for your video!

[@thecannabisguru]

I too would like to know these things.