How to Renew 50 Year Old Plum Trees

[@danno1800]

What a great idea you showed us! It is now a much younger old tree. Way to go and thank you very much for this idea. I just SUBSCRIBED…

[@ucscagroecology]

Glad you enjoyed it! Don't miss Orin Martin's award winning book, "Fruit Trees for Every Garden: An Organic Approach to Growing Apples, Pears, Peaches, Plums, Citrus, and More". His book won the 2020 American Horticultural Society (AHS) Award, recognizing outstanding gardening literature. You can purchase the book here: a.co/d/glwePid And here’s the playlist for all of the tree care videos on this channel: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b5rSeJaibMx7ncU

[@bman541]

Thank you for sharing your extensive knowledge. It is so helpful!

[@ucscagroecology]

You are so welcome! Don't miss Orin Martin's award winning book, "Fruit Trees for Every Garden: An Organic Approach to Growing Apples, Pears, Peaches, Plums, Citrus, and More". His book won the 2020 American Horticultural Society (AHS) Award, recognizing outstanding gardening literature. You can purchase the book here: a.co/d/glwePid And here’s the playlist for all of the tree care videos on this channel: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b5rSeJaibMx7ncU

[@amberlygoff]

Thank you!! We’ll be using the incremental technique for our plums

[@ucscagroecology]

Glad it was helpful! Below is a link to several dozen more fruit tree care videos. Scroll down to the section called: “Getting Started with Fruit Trees Organically”: agroecology.ucsc.edu/resources/instructional-videos.html Don't miss Orin Martin's award winning book, "Fruit Trees for Every Garden: An Organic Approach to Growing Apples, Pears, Peaches, Plums, Citrus, and More". His book won the 2020 American Horticultural Society (AHS) Award, recognizing outstanding gardening literature. You can purchase the book here: www.amazon.com/Fruit-Trees-Every-Garden-Approach/dp/0399580026/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3N8Y1MP3KB6DZ&keywords=orin+martin&qid=1650397395&s=books&sprefix=orin+martin%2Cstripbooks%2C522&sr=1-1

[@wishbone54]

Good information. Good examples. Thanks.

[@4skully]

I m so thankful for you Brother I love the way you share the tree care. I now feel a lot more confident in taking care of my 2 precious Santa Rosa trees. They both finally gave a bountiful crop this year. Last year they gave me around 12 each tree and I asked Father God and the trees to please let me have a few more this year not as many as I got though!! I been sharing them with others. Nothing is like a fresh picked just right Rosa Plum.

[@ucscagroecology]

Glad to hear the videos are helpful. Below is a link to several dozen more fruit tree care videos. Scroll down to the section called: “Getting Started with Fruit Trees Organically”: agroecology.ucsc.edu/resources/instructional-videos.html Don't miss Orin Martin's award winning book, "Fruit Trees for Every Garden: An Organic Approach to Growing Apples, Pears, Peaches, Plums, Citrus, and More". His book won the 2020 American Horticultural Society (AHS) Award, recognizing outstanding gardening literature. You can purchase the book here: www.amazon.com/Fruit-Trees-Every-Garden-Approach/dp/0399580026/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3N8Y1MP3KB6DZ&keywords=orin+martin&qid=1650397395&s=books&sprefix=orin+martin%2Cstripbooks%2C522&sr=1-1

[@gandharaorganicfoods]

Can Santa Rosa plum tree grow in zone 10 or 11.? One of My Santa Rosa leaves are not growing for many months and another Santa Rosa whose leaves are also not growing for many months has a new baby shoot coming from it's roots. Is it possible they grow babies or that shoot is something else .? Please Help..

[@bubblerings]

Hopefully, it has some signs of life now. . Zone 11, at altitude in Hawaii. Some blooms now, and some one inch fruits. Not sure about the Santa Rosa..

[@gandharaorganicfoods]

@@bubblerings oh they probably dead now and I am just using them for show piece in my garden. Zone 11 is not suitable for plums and avocado plants

[@SuperOhdannyboy]

❤ Thank you so much. As a practicing Arborist for residential properties I have to formulate pruning strategies for these older trees often. You are providing invaluable information. Recently I examined a Plum with lower extended limbs so heavy that it is causing a split it the trunk. I now feel more confident in the pruning prescription. Although I will now revise it to prune to a smaller yet more vital smaller limb.

[@ucscagroecology]

Great to hear the information was helpful!

[@krisyallowega5487]

I commented on a previous post about my poor pear tree. As I think back to this Spring there may have been one or two branches at the top of the tree that blossomed. I will have to try and lower the scaffold down this year. I like how you explained to do it in stages over a number of years. Fingers crossed for me to get her producing again.

[@14thghost2]

You shouldn't do it if your tree is very young. Pear trees like to grow straight up. The harder you cut pear trees the more they'll grow straight up. To get fruit head the lateral branches. Heading laterals will develop spurs.

[@kevinsnyder8448]

I used to get peachs from a local orchard for years they really knew what to do with thier trees the where always producing and very low to the ground. Then just 5 years or so the sold all the orchards to a developer that bulldozed it all kn knew day I was devastated . 37 years wiped out in less than one day.😮

[@ucscagroecology]

Similar destruction not far from the UCSC Farm. Just to the east of Santa Cruz in what is now Silicon Valley was the "Valley of Heart's Delight" known for its high concentration of orchards, flowering trees, and plants. Until the 1960s it was the largest fruit-producing and packing region in the world, with 39 canneries. Sadly, it's all gone and long since covered with concrete and high tech campuses. On a happier note...Don't miss Orin Martin's award winning book, "Fruit Trees for Every Garden: An Organic Approach to Growing Apples, Pears, Peaches, Plums, Citrus, and More". His book won the 2020 American Horticultural Society (AHS) Award, recognizing outstanding gardening literature. You can purchase the book here: a.co/d/glwePid And here’s the playlist for all of the tree care videos: www.youtube.com/ watch?v=9ioGcl7gHgc&list=PLdNOdHei9NV0QjOJDbUTx6wgD-qkiNGah

[@nadeem9485]

Cool tips - thanks

[@williamburke9947]

Thank you Orin, as informative as ever.

[@ucscagroecology]

Yer welcome! Have fun with your trees.

[@tro4404]

As Professor Cory said, "If we don't change direction soon, we'll end up where we are going." Seems to apply to fruit trees too. Love the farm worker hat touch.

[@ucscagroecology]

Fruit trees are a great metaphor for many things in live. Below is a link to several dozen more fruit tree care videos. Scroll down to the section called: “Getting Started with Fruit Trees Organically”: agroecology.ucsc.edu/resources/instructional-videos.html

[@bubblerings]

My thinking and my hair... can relate to Cory! I started with nothing... And, still have most of it left.

[@Alvgaar]

Thank you.

[@ucscagroecology]

You're welcome! Below is a link to several dozen more fruit tree care videos. Scroll down to the section called: “Getting Started with Fruit Trees Organically”: agroecology.ucsc.edu/resources/instructional-videos.html

[@rogercarroll1663]

Great work. Thank you.

[@ucscagroecology]

Thanks for watching!

[@SuperOhdannyboy]

Here here on incremental pruning!! ❤ over pruning leads to low vigor or death on older trees or unmanageable reaction growth.

[@ucscagroecology]

Thanks! Glad the information was helpful.

[@redrobotsoup]

This is so helpful!! I'm doing my research in advance to keep my plums small and productive. I was wondering how well they respond to rejuvenation cuts 7-12 years on, and this completely answers my question.

[@ucscagroecology]

Glad is was helpful! Here's another video on the reducing the size of a plum trees: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fmSbnXZ_hbWfa7s Below is a link to several more fruit tree care videos. Scroll down to the section called: “Getting Started with Fruit Trees Organically”: agroecology.ucsc.edu/resources/instructional-videos.html

[@redrobotsoup]

@UC Santa Cruz Center for Agroecology Wow! Thanks!

[@judithguimarin5850]

I have been slowly pruning an approx 30yr old neglected plum tree for the last 3 yrs. I’m up in Sac and because of all the rains and wind storms I was not able to get to it in the late fall then I sustained a serious shoulder injury and now I am wondering if it is too late to do it now? I need to take off at least 3’ of some top branches. The tree has just started budding in the last 3 days. Please advise. Thank you!​@@ucscagroecology

[@theecobandits6768]

What are those pruners you are using as a pointer?

[@larryseibold4287]

good stuff. i am curious as to why you don't clean up the old stubs after a successful renewal limb is formed a couple of years out?

[@leedza]

I have an old damsol plum that taking up space. I intent to prune it but any tips on grafting other varieties as i don't have space for anymore trees.

[@006mskhan]

Your videos are always amazing and the knowledge you share is always very detailed. Iam also a student of agriculture and want to gain a detailed knowledge about fruit husbandry so it will be really useful for me if you suggest me some books related to it.

[@ucscagroecology]

Thanks! Here's Orin's book on fruit trees: www.amazon.com/Fruit-Trees-Every-Garden-Approach/dp/0399580026/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1X2HBAB6W93EV&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.JXu98pdRY8uieb0BJb5GmNSsUHGuLk2P4pkeAmjIyZ8LwILJxpGO8AC6GyYESa5A.qFjfOMTflknE1qs1eWHi3zroIq4VKy0BHoUj9YMp35M&dib_tag=se&keywords=fruit+trees+for+every+garden+by+orin+martin&qid=1708375164&sprefix=orin+martin%2Caps%2C153&sr=8-1

[@khajiithadwares2263]

Are the renewal cuts done at the end of winter/early spring? Yet, if I have a short but bushy apple tree with 24+ one-year old water sprouts, when would it be best to thin the foliage and invite some sunlight in?

[@ucscagroecology]

Renewal cuts should be in winter when the tree is fully dormant. You can thin the water sprouts anytime, sooner the better, because the consume the tree's resources and don't produce fruit or need structure. Below is a link to several dozen more fruit tree care videos. Scroll down to the section called: “Getting Started with Fruit Trees Organically”: agroecology.ucsc.edu/resources/instructional-videos.html Don't miss Orin Martin's award winning book, "Fruit Trees for Every Garden: An Organic Approach to Growing Apples, Pears, Peaches, Plums, Citrus, and More". His book won the 2020 American Horticultural Society (AHS) Award, recognizing outstanding gardening literature. You can purchase the book here: www.amazon.com/Fruit-Trees-Every-Garden-Approach/dp/0399580026/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3N8Y1MP3KB6DZ&keywords=orin+martin&qid=1650397395&s=books&sprefix=orin+martin%2Cstripbooks%2C522&sr=1-1

[@benmorcombe2769]

Thanks for the video, what long reach pruner are you using?

[@ucscagroecology]

Yer welcome. ARS brand pruner.

[@omaimaali5969]

Thanks for very informative videos. I have a question: I have a couple of young apricot trees ( 3 years old) that have only leaves on the tips of most of their main branches and the rest of each branch is bare with no leaves or fruit buds. It just has dead buds. Should I prune those branches with cuts very close to the base of each branch to rejuvenate them or will they be fixed on their own next year? I hope I was able to describe the problem clearly.

[@omaimaali5969]

Thanks for the videos. I have a question: I have a couple of apricot trees ( 3 years old) that have branches with leaves on the tips only and the rest of each branch is bare with no leaves or live fruit buds. Should I cut those branches close to the base to renew those branches or it will fix it self next year on its own?

[@woodpeckerarborist]

I agree with your perspective on rejuvenation pruning, especially the idea of doing it incrementally over multiple growing seasons. I don’t understand why you think you can’t reduce a 40’ tree to 10’ or smaller though. Additionally, why be so aggressive with the removal of new response growth early? My experience has taught me with selective thinning of the new shoots & incremental structural reduction, you can pretty much make these trees any size you want given enough time.

[@bubblerings]

Well, he showed why... All at once probably kills it. And incrementally, the stubs would have to be at what, 2 or 3 ft from the ground? So, you would be Bonsai-ing the tree.. It might work, but is he saying it is practical and fruit bearing, throughout that process?? No.

[@bubblerings]

Selecting one shoot early makes a strong aggressive shoot, not a spindly weak one... Again, are you wanting a Bonsai tree? Make a video series of the process. I would watch. 🤔 This video saved me from a ton of bad choices! 😎🚧🍻🍀

[@magnoliabrantselkirk3790]

I was wondering if after I cut off the big long ones can I put beeswax and mineral oil on the open tree wound to make sure it doesn't get infected?

[@ucscagroecology]

Best to cut with very sharp tools to leave a clean edge at the pruning wound. Sealing the wound with wax or other sealants is more apt to cause an infection than leaving it bare. At the UCSC farm, we've got several hundred fruit trees, some of the more than 50 years old, and we never seal pruning cuts. We don't have trouble with them getting infected.

[@cjharrin]

Hi there! We have a 50 plus year old plum tree thats been attacked by ants this year and causing the bark to die and peel off on one side. Would you be willing to chat with us on how to remedy? I’m happy to send photos and pictures of the current insects. Its a gorgeous plum tree and we would like to save it!

[@ucscagroecology]

Hi! I shoot and edit Orin's videos. I know he'd like to help you out, but his schedule is completely booked with teaching, making videos, writing his next book, and being manager of the historic Chadwick Garden at UC Santa Cruz. I hope you can find some help to save your plum tree. Jim Clark

[@rob-wh4ns]

I have to do this all the main fruiting branches not in safe reach on a 40 year old tree

[@ucscagroecology]

There is only semi-dwarfing rootstock available for plum trees, so it's always a battle to keep the size down to a safe height. If there were dwarfing rootstock available, it would be far easier to control the height. Best of luck with your trees!

[@pamalajjohnson9576]

I took a 50 year old mutz apple tree took one big branch grafted yellow delicious, next year another branch grafted prairie spy, another year removed branch to graft a ruby darling, 4 kinds on a 50 year old tree it doing well.

[@kevinsnyder8448]

Probably Shakespeare lol thanks for this great video my brother in nature

[@ucscagroecology]

Yer most welcome! Don't miss Orin's award winning book, "Fruit Trees for Every Garden: An Organic Approach to Growing Apples, Pears, Peaches, Plums, Citrus, and More". His book won the 2020 American Horticultural Society (AHS) Award, recognizing outstanding gardening literature. You can purchase the book here: a.co/d/glwePid And here’s the playlist for all of the tree care videos: www.youtube.com/ watch?v=9ioGcl7gHgc&list=PLdNOdHei9NV0QjOJDbUTx6wgD-qkiNGah