Edward (Dorset) ", "Hi Edward. But what damson plums lack in terms of fresh-off-the-tree eating, they make up for in jams, jellies, and preserves! They are roughly 5-6 years old and blossomed well. Neglected trees need work, lots of work. Dormant pruning is pruning the tree during the late winter, when no new growth is happening and the tree doesn't have any leaves. Two years ago I was able to make 30lb of delicious jam from the crop. ", "I have a 25 year old damson (Merryweather - I think!) I'm no expert but think the lack of fruit could be down to both late frost and lack of pollinators - if you've only the one tree try planting another nearby if possible - would it be feasible to protect the blossom with fleece on frosty nights? Definitely a damson. They are also amongst the easiest of fruit trees to grow, needing no pruning once they are established - indeed pruning is not only unnecessary but undesirable with damsons. They are beautiful trees aren't they? Typically three years if the variety is grafted onto a 'Pixy' rootstock, and five years if grafted onto a 'St Julian' rootstock. I spoke to it sternly , saying I'd chop it down next year. Prune your Damson plum during the dormant stage in late winter or early spring. Most pruning can be handled with 3 tools: a hand pruner, a long-handled lopping shears, and a pruning saw. Tree needs pruning again though despite what I thought was a really hard prune last year. When these plums are allowed to turn into prunes, or are baked, stewed, or cooked, their taste is transformed and they become sweet, rich, and flavorful. We may prune your tree before it arrives to your door. New growth has bolted and quickly withered plus nearly all the young fruit on the old branches has a dead orange and black bug stuck in the skin. So my question is: how do you tell when the fruit is ripe for picking given that a taste test is not really of much use? Pocket plum is a very rare disease. Shropshire Prune (also known as Prune Damson) is one to choose for neat, compact growth, or you could look for a tree grown on Pixy rootstock to restrict growth to 8-10 feet (2.4-3m). ... Prune the trees, if needed, in the spring. Plums should be pruned in full spring-late April to mid May. I read on the web about using a olive stoner. It could be that the fruits are being eaten by a larva such as that of the plum sawfly or plum moth. They don’t take much maintenance, but when you do prune, stick to early summer to avoid the risk of silver leaf fungi. It’s true that, because of their tartness, you’re unlikely to want to eat damsons straight off the tree, but we get a good harvest every August unless the blossom was damaged by a particularly bad late frost, the trees survive with barely any maintenance and, as well as making delicious preserves and pies, damsons can also be used in place of sloes to make a gorgeous damson-flavoured gin liqueur (a real favourite in our house). Prune away weak, tiny branches that will not support the weight of developing fruit. There are other types of Damson, but the Shropshire prune Damson tree is considered by many to have the tastiest fruits. Of all the varieties of plums, the Damson plum requires the least amount of pruning. After the initial pruning, follow these steps: During the first summer: Prune in the third week of July when the young shoots have finished growing. ", "I have such a crop of damsons this year can I wait for the damsons to fall off the trees. They contribute nothing to healthy growth of the tree and are sites for bacterial and fungal infections to enter. Note: Pixy rootstock will need staking. Many thanks for advice! While some Damson plums are self-pollinating, all varieties produce better when another European-type plum is planted nearby. The others can fall, but they may get bruised and/or eaten by wasps etc. ", "Hi, damson lovers, I have loads of beautiful damsons but found all the methods of removing the stones for jam very time consuming and there were always lots left; SO I got a plastic bowl and drilled large holes (slightly smaller than damson stones)around the base ,now most of the pulp comes through with much less effort.I hope others find this helpful.Pruning info very handy I have a very tall old tree. )", "Hi Pete Remove any of the infected areas from the tree and discard away from the tree - burning would work well. If you intentionally cut down or prune a tree and it is later discovered that the tree was on your neighbor’s property, you can be ordered by a court to pay the value of the tree plus up to three times the value of the tree in punitive damages. Bought like this, as one or two-year-old young trees, they should take between three and five years to bear fruit. 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