You should plan to prune your plum trees in late winter/early spring, after the coldest part of the winter has passed, but before buds break and new growth occurs. When pruning is done during the summer or fall, it can reduce dormancy and can potentially cause damage to your plum trees, especially when there is an early winter.
When pruning, start by removing and dead, damaged, or diseased branches. Then remove branches to allow for more light to penetrate, increase fruit quality, and encourage new branch development. You should also prune off suckers coming from the rootstock and vegetative water sprouts growing straight up from main branches.
Harvesting plums will take place in summer into fall (depending on your growing area). You should allow the plums to ripen on the tree as they will not gain sweetness once picked. One indicator is if you press on the skin and it is slightly soft to the touch. If you are unsure, pick one and try it to see what if the taste is to your liking.
Hi S,
You should plan to prune your plum trees in late winter/early spring, after the coldest part of the winter has passed, but before buds break and new growth occurs. When pruning is done during the summer or fall, it can reduce dormancy and can potentially cause damage to your plum trees, especially when there is an early winter.
When pruning, start by removing and dead, damaged, or diseased branches. Then remove branches to allow for more light to penetrate, increase fruit quality, and encourage new branch development. You should also prune off suckers coming from the rootstock and vegetative water sprouts growing straight up from main branches.
Harvesting plums will take place in summer into fall (depending on your growing area). You should allow the plums to ripen on the tree as they will not gain sweetness once picked. One indicator is if you press on the skin and it is slightly soft to the touch. If you are unsure, pick one and try it to see what if the taste is to your liking.
Hope this helps!