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They seem to have all this black crusty stuff on them.
The leaves are worse.
Pretty much the whole tree seems to have this black stuff all over the leaves.
There is very little fruit really anyway.
Anyone know what's up with my plums?
Looks nasty,have you seen a doctor?
According to my app (!) sooty mold possibly caused by aphids, which may mean it's not been watered enough.
Plum Duff !
Plum Duff !
I was only asking!
According to my app (!) sooty mold possibly caused by aphids, which may mean it’s not been watered enough.
I didn't think you really had to water trees regularly once they were established?
I do give it a drink when it's been really dry, but generally leave it to its own devices.
It's probably 10-11 feet high now.
That's only a possibility but it's been very dry here for long periods.
Kayak,we stole two plums from next door tonight(they were hanging over our wall so fair game)and although they looked like yours they tasted great.Don't know what it was like in the Midlands,but our fruit trees were ambushed by that late frost in the Spring and have not done that well.
I don't know what it is but my greengage tree has it and some of the damsons on the older (probably about 100 years old) tree next to it look like that. No help but it would be good to know what it is.
Just looked at RHS site and it suggests plum aphids. We also get plum moths. Sometimes there is the 'lovely' surprise of extra protein in the form of a wee white caterpillar near the plum stone together with a lot of purple / black caterpillar poo. On the greengages you often see early ripening and purple splodges on the outside of the ones with caterpillars in. Does any of that ramble help?
https://www.rhs.org.uk/Advice/advice-search?keywords=Plums
Looks like a treasure map. Maybe somewhere in Asia?
We also get plum moths. Sometimes there is the ‘lovely’ surprise of extra protein in the form of a wee white caterpillar near the plum stone together with a lot of purple / black caterpillar poo.
Interesting to know! I always thought that part and parcel of growing your own fruit. Never just grab fruit and shovel down your throat without inspection*! It's always satisfying they're ripe enough to just twist them in half and they're perfect inside.
*sometimes make an exception for wild blackberries, can't be squeamish with them!
We get the plum moths as well. Tried pheromone traps this year. Handily coincided with the tree having a light cropping year 😠. Have had a few ripe and moth free ones this year's (yum).
Ah, my other half just got a pheromone trap for some Box trees/bushes. Blummin expensive it was.
Grrr, makes just buying nice plums from [s]Tesco[/s] Waitrose all the more appealing.
Fed up of everything getting eaten. Only reliably good thing seems to be tomatoes and twenty five million Courgettes in one week.
Are you positive its a plum tree? Hard to get scale in the photo but it looks more like a damson to me.
Are you positive its a plum tree? Hard to get scale in the photo but it looks more like a damson to me.
Here is Monty Don stood in front of it for scale.
It said Plum on the label. Victoria If I recall.
It's only just started making fruit after a few years of being planted.
The tree has gotten big, but the fruit production, less so.
Why didn't you just ask Monty while he was stood in front of it?
Starstruck. Forgot to ask.
We have a plum tree and its similar - I have just hacked it all back as it was getting very straggly.
PS ours might be a dansom or sloe - i have no idea.
Only reliably good thing seems to be tomatoes and twenty five million Courgettes
Could swap you a shed load of damsons (our tree is having a more than you could ever pick and use year) for them as tomatoes and courgettes not really worked here this year*. Inundated with with beans, pears and cooking apples though.
Never used the pheromone traps as every other year the damson tree or the larger old greengage produce enough for us and the moths to 'share'. Will have to try something to get rid of the aphids on the new gage tree though as they are killing it. The old ones just seem to shrug the off.
* May not be practical by usual parcel post options