Morettini: set

In contrast, Morettini rarely sets more than a couple of fruits per spur (this difference between fertilised fruitlets and sterile ones is obvious very early as the second photograph shows). I don't know whether this is due to poor pollination (being the first to flower) or whether it is just a quirk of the variety. I suspect the latter, as the cordons in the main garden are all very well synchronised for overlapping pollinators, and a couple of the varieties are still apt to only set a single fruit per spur too. Curiously, it seems to be mostly the ones with a bergamot shape; the majority of the pyriform cultivars tend to set a full spur, though a varying number later drop. I will have to keep an eye on them, as this is one of the varieties that has been most prone to pear midge in the past.

Sucrée de Montluçon: set

Another amazingly good set of Sucrée de Montluçon, this variety has been so consistent in the quality of blossom, number of fruit that set and quality of crop. If the set is still high after the June drop, I think I will thin it a little, as they can achieve a large size with symmetrical shape which makes them excellent for exhibition purposes.

Max Red Bartlett: RIP

My only real pear disaster. I grafted this onto the previous stepover to make a double-tier espalier, but this variety has been consistently unhealthy, with about 30% of spurs showing significant canker-related die-back this year, with the few flower buds failing to develop properly. It did fruit reasonably well early on, but not for a couple of years and the plant is frankly quite unsightly. I have now taken a pruning saw to it and will either probably just let the Red Comice make another tier (if it has the energy!). I have Double de Guerre in mind, though perhaps for a different location.

Red Comice: blossom

I planted this one as I particularly wanted decorative foliage as the espalier is in my front garden. I later grafted on another layer of Max Red Bartlett, which also has red-tinted foliage and pink flowers (of more later). Both flower usually much later than the normal varieties. It's more delicate in growth than the normal Comice, but is spurring up nicely now and the growth is attractive and healthy.

Bacterial Canker?

Another reason why I'm feeling cavalier about my plum tree. For a number of year it has been oozing gum from a number of lesions, including quite a sizeable area low on the main trunk.

The oozing and dieback of smaller branches do suggest bacterial canker, but I'm not absolutely convinced. I've never had any young growth die back or every seen any spotting on the leaves. Also, the damage first appeared after a particularly cold spring with severe frosts, and new lesions this year also correspond with possible damage from severe frosts.

I can remove small branches, but not the bigger area on the main trunk, so we just have to hope the  tree can live with the problem, as so far it has done. Branches affected are more likely to produce blossom, not something this tree is naturally adept at!

Plum Pruning experiment

An experiment. I've never pruned a plum before June (not counting the suckers I removed from my land-lady's Victoria whilst it was dormant, which went on to develop silver leaf as a result, hence my caution). Sources seem to differ on when safe pruning can be done. Some say it is fine as soon as the plant is in vigourous growth (April); others to delay until June just to be on the safe side.

However, this Denniston's Superb has never lived up to its name. It took years to flower at all, and now only produces about 10% of the blossom I'd expect (making the Coe's Golden Drop look generous) and sets even less.

Festooning the branches has helped, and most of the fruit that sets is usually to be found on a bent branch. I usually summer prune, but still there is too much unproductive growth. This year I have removed all extension growth back to either a flowering spur, or 'knobbly' wood that looks like it might spur if it ever ceases to sulk. We shall see.

I suspect the real problem is that the soil here is unsuitable for plums. We have a very shallow layer of topsoil, on a few inches of clay which sits on water-logged gravel, the water table being only a couple of feet from the surface at times. I suspect there is a lot of nutrient leaching. Even the local blackthorn bushes set crops of sloes very rarely. 

Pruning example: pear

Not a classic time to prune I know, but I do find there is always the odd bit of winter pruning that was missed.

Here the there is a fruiting spur on the bottom left that is being dominated by some more vigourous extension growth above. This will later shade the developing fruit, plus I find that pruning back to a fruiting spur encourages more spurring in the basal area below. (variety Winter Nelis)

Some interesting (if unseasonal) thoughts on winter storage

L'Atelier Vert

Passe Crassane - new graft

An extension graft a of Passe Crassane scion onto Sucrée de Montluçon, one of the front-garden step-overs (using wood supplied by Brogdale). The buds are breaking quite healthily, which makes me reasonably positive the graft will take.

Biennial bearers

Some varieties haven't been very obliging this year. I suspect some of the apples have true biennial tendencies as they cropped well last year, but with the pears it might just irregular cropping.

Vista Bella, Orlean Reinette and Devonshire Quarrenden all fruited abundantly last year, but have absolutely no flowers this year. Ellison's is always rather shy to flower, and has just a couple of flowering spurs again this year. Rosemary Russet cropped very well last year, but again, only a few flowering spurs this year. Egremont did well last year, but isn't overloaded with blossom. I suspect in this case the tree isn't 100% happy being grown as a cordon though, over all, it produces very well.

(Pear) Forelle produced only a small amount of blossom last year, and set only one fruit. No flowers again this year, though it is spurring well. Dr Jules flowered for the first time in years, but only 2 spurs have set fruit. Beurré Hardy didn't flower either. Max Russet Bartlett has been quite shy, probably because most of the the buds blacken and shrivel through the winter. I have it growing as an espalier, grafted on to Red Comice on a warm, dry SW wall. If it doesn't thrive here I may as well remove it. A shame, as when it does produce, the fruit is large, well-coloured and an excellent culinary/exhibition variety (perhaps swop for Double de Guerre?).