Kitchen Garden Forum

I have minarette fruit trees on my allotment. the apples have done well this year but the plums and pears have not fruited although they did flower. I feel they will produce more if I move them to give them more room and not prune them as hard and let them grow more freely. when would be the best time to move them. advice welcomed.
Regards Brenjon

In the Autumn, once their leaves have all fallen, assuming they are actually in the ground now.

Hi Brenjon, when you replant in autumn, you could try adding some beneficial fungi under the roots, ( rootgrow ) Are you in an area that had late frosts? Or some soil from an uncultivated source would do which will have the natural local fungi, they have a role in supporting the tree and adding nutrition in exchange for sugars, and inhibiting disease.

Usual advice is don't prune Plums unless you have to.

Keep in mind Brendon that a lot of us haven't had a good plum crop this year even though they were covered in blossom. Pears to are not so prolific either.

If in doubt do nowt. A piece of very good advice I was given by a very experienced gardener just when I was starting out on the lottie. More years ago now than I care to remember..
Beryl.

Beryll, surprised ny your lack of plums, old not next plot to me had two Victoria Plum trees & they're bent down absolutely dripping with fruit.
Must be down to local frost patterns .although the.site is in a frost pocket his trees are at the higher & shaded south side, so perhaps that gives a lower light level with delayed blossom & shelter from frost?

Peter, I do have plums on my Vic. but the earlier ones, Early Rivers, Beauty and Czar there is very few and the damson, very few. I'm not the only one on the site. They blossomed early like most did this year but we didn't have the bees or insects to pollunate. I heard on the radio the apple crop is magnificent this year because of the cold dormant winter but the pears although good for me in general are down.
Swings and round abouts eh!

Beryl.

Hello Brenjon
If your trees are looking healthy I would follow Beryl's advice.
Plums can be very fickle as they flower early so a cold night can easily finish the blossom and there will be no crop for you that year. The fact that they are flowering is a good sign that all is well. Generally fruit trees will survive being moved but in the moving they seem to loose some of their vigour.

John

thanks for all the replies and advice. I will move most of them in the autumn as they do need more room to develop
Regards Brenjon