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Talkback: Spring blossom
I have a Victoria plum tree that has now set fruit but again the tiny fruit have a black spot at the end. Ive opened the fruit and some have a tiny maggot so any ideas which insect has caused this? I did spray with Winter Tarwash this year and it has worked as about 50% of the fruit are ok which is a big bonus as ive never had a single plum in the 5yrs ive had this tree for the reason stated a tiny magot.
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Wow your plums are early. Which part of teh country do you live?
This sounds like damage from Plum Moth. I'd recommend haning pheromone moth traps in your trees early next year to catch the male moths. It's too late now .... the damage is done.
I use plum moth traps as well. A few early plums are usually affected with little pink wrigglers but I prefer to lose these than spray the whole tree.The later ones are usually all right. I cut them in half to check before eating. I couldn't spray the entire tree anyway because it's too big. My plum trees have only just started flowering (Nottingham)
We had to cancel at the last minute due to illness and were very disappointed.
If you did go were the tulips out? and would you recommend the cruise for another time.
Jak
Our Victoria Plum was planted bare root four years ago, and has yet to blossom. The tree is very healthy and has good leaf , but we wonder if we will ever enjoy any plums.
Manx Cats
Hi Manx Cats. You're being very patient, as I really would have expected your tree to flower by now. Plums form flowers on shoots that formed the previous year. By its fourth year I would have expected the new growth that developed last summer to have carried flowers this spring.
Perhaps the tree is just putting on too much new growth to have reached flowering and fruiting age, so encourage it to produce flowers by applying a generous feed of Sulphate of Potash fertiliser over the soil around your tree. Potash is the nutrient needed by plants for flowering and fruiting, so is good to use round all fruit trees, bush
One thing to look out for later on - our victoria was very prolific in fruiting after the previous owner cut it down thinking it was a weed! The fruit all ripened in a very short space of time and the wasps moved in. This was a bit of problem with fallen fruit and barefooted children....sadly the tree has now had to go.
Good luck with yours Manx - once it gets going there will be no stopping it.