Pictured is a tree with a central leader that was thinned and headed back. To reduce vertical growth, heading back lateral branches will encourage increased branch tips and lateral growth. The tree can still be topped, but a new central leader is selected and cultivated. The open wounds on plums are a great breeding place for disease, which will eventually cause their demise.A central leader tree is one with a primary trunk. 'However, unlike apple and pear trees, please do not prune your plum trees in the winter. This will ensure your trees bloom for future years and provide you with a delicious bounty of fruit,' explains Pippa Palmer from Kent Downs (opens in new tab). ‘Fruit trees, known as stone fruit, such as plums and cherries should be pruned after flowering in the spring when the sap is rising and not after September. 'When you prune in the winter, you stimulate the plum to grow more aggressively when it wakes up in the spring,' says Laura. You should not prune a plum tree in winter. So if you want to keep your plums on the small side, remember to "prune in June!"'. 'If you prune in early summer – usually around the end of June – you can remove the actively-growing wood on that year's branch ends, which keeps the branches from getting any longer. If you want to keep the size of your plum tree under control, Laura Sweany a horticulturist from Raintree Nursery (opens in new tab) advises that summer pruning might be best. ‘Established trees, however, are best pruned in midsummer.’ ‘It’s best to prune young plums in early spring, before what is known as bud break, as this will protect from the possibility of infection by silverleaf disease,’ explains Mark Hewett. The exact time to prune will depend upon the age of the tree. ‘If you prune outside this period you risk exposing the plant to infection by silverleaf and bacterial canker, both of which can be serious.’ ‘Like all stone fruits, plum trees should only be pruned in their growing season, namely from April to August,’ says Monty Don.
In fall and early winter, the tree’s dry and oxygen-rich wood make it an ideal host for fungi. In spring and early summer, the trees resources are devoted to growth, so it is less resilient to disease. Summertime, when plum trees are strong and rich in resources is the best time for pruning as the trees are able to recover quickly.
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