Did I kill Victoria with kindness?

I took this photo of the Victoria plum tree in my garden yesterday. As you can see, it's not exactly a picture of health. There's a few sad leaves clinging on, rusty and crumpled, and some fruits - just starting to shrivel - left on the tree.

When we moved to this house and garden a year ago, I realised the tree had been badly pruned in the past - some branches carelessly lopped, the water shoots that followed left to form a mass of whippy replacements and protrusion with sheared-off, jagged edges like an open door to pests and diseases.

I read up on plum pruning and did what I thought was best, following the received wisdom, leaving the job until the sap was on the move in May or June to try to prevent the disease silverleaf taking a foothold. I didn't tackle all the pruning in one go, planning a phased programme over three years. I used a sharp saw, made judicious cuts, took my time.

First to go were the three "d"s - dead, diseased, and damaged. Then branches that crossed with other branches or were rubbing against the fence. I didn't attempt much more than that for year one.

But from the look of the tree now, it seems pretty poorly (click on the pic to the left and you can see a close-up on the leaves): is it the dreaded silverleaf (which enters through pruning wounds) or something else? Was it my fault for attempting to sort out the mess someone else had made? Perhaps I should have just left well alone?

On the plus side, this tree's  still a prolific fruiter, so I shall wait and see what transpires next year. I'd appreciate advice from anyone who can give me a diagnosis, too.

Comments

[bangchik]

Ohhh.. you wrote with such passion. I suppose the tree had been living on a very tight budget for years, and is so accustomed to it. It will take some time to get used to the new love and care ... How's the soil?.. is it giving constraint to the spread of roots? ... Judging by the fruits, it still retains the zest for life!! Cheers, ~bangchik

[Matron]

Our Victoria plum tree just seems to look after itself. A huge crop of smaller plums this year. I just hang a moth trap in the tree each Spring so the maggots don't affect them too much.

[Philip Voice]

Here in the Lot et Garonne (I can look out of my kitchen window and see two separate plum (a plum is called a prune here) they prune from the depths of winter right up until bud-burst. The centre of the tree is often removed.

[Philip Voice]

Whoops - that comment got a bit messed up.

Here in the Lot et Garonne - I can look out of my kitchen window and see two separate plum orchards(a plum is called a prune here) - they prune from the depths of winter right up until bud-burst. The centre of the tree is often removed.

[Steve Reynolds]

I think that plum trees simply do not like being pruned. A similar situation occured after my mothers tree was pruned a couple of years ago. For the next season it seemed that it was dying with aerly leaf loss and a mediore crop. This yaer it has come back with a vengeance; good growth and a heavy crop the best in 40 years.

See what happens next year - and get the jam pan ready!

[Woody Wilbury]

Hmm. Two possibilities - it may be silverleaf, altho I confess I'm not 100% sure what that looks like (!), or you may just have shocked it with a good prune (a contradiction in terms, especially at the breakfast table?) after years of poor pruning.

Plums do tend to have good years and fallow years anyway so I wouldn't be too hasty in condemning it. If it is feeble next year it may come good, possibly very good, the year after. Gardening is a long game!

[muhammad khabbab]

jane, its a wonderful tree. and dont worry it will come back. keep posting.

[MarkD]

Plum trees are tediously temperamental...be nice to them and they wont thank you for it, be harsh to them and they wont thank you for it. Doesnt look like silverleaf to me, but more like the 'im going to sulk' thing plum trees do just do to make you feel bad. And even in that state i've got tree-size envy.

[Woody Wilbury]

Just looked at my own plum tree today (Victoria) and it's in the same state as yours - lost almost all the leaves. Either it's a normal seasonal thing, exacerbated by it being such a productive season (translation - the poor thing is knackered) or it's a terminal goner. I think it's just knackered and hopefully that's all that's wrong with yours too.

[Jane Perrone]

Thanks for all your comments, it seems I may well have a sulky plum tree! I'll give it a good feed in the spring, do a bit more pruning next June and July and hope for the best...

[Lia Leendertz]

My plum tree also looks awful - worse even than yours. It has lost most of its leaves and those that are left are speckled and grim looking. it did the same last year and i was sure it was a goner, but it came back and produced a wonderful crop!