Poorly plums

[Barbara]

Has anyone any idea what is making my plums and the leaves like this please, some of the leaves look like they have soot or are dirty.

[Rosefriend]

I think it could be sooty mould Barbara - it affects quite a few things - caused by aphids and ants milking them I think...

Here is a piece from the RHS...and something else..

apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/Profile.aspx?pid=681

www.ehow.com/how_2248567_control-sooty-mold-plants.html

RF

[Barbara]

Thanks RF, I''ll print this off and read it all. I didn't realise we had a problem as the trees are in the corner, but the man on the next bed said'' I don't think yo have any pums this year'' when I wen't to look I saw this, there are lots of them but they look unappetising.

[Rosefriend]

Must admit that they don't look very nice - shame isn't it - I have one and it will be a race between our resident blackbird and my OH as to who gets it !!!

RF

[prunella]

Ah well......

At least it's not brown rot which is what my plums are suffering badly with this year.

[Barbara]

Poor Pru, always summat isn't there.

[Barbara]

Last night I saw a caterpiller type thing crawl into a plum I pulled the plum off and threw it away, now I'll have to find out how to make sure there are no more.

[Rosefriend]

Aug 22, 2013 13:36:26 GMT Barbara said:

Last night I saw a caterpiller type thing crawl into a plum I pulled the plum off and threw it away, now I'll have to find out how to make sure there are no more.

Oh no Barbara - not again !!

RF

[Barbara]

I sprayed as well this year RF, next year I'm getting one of those pheramone sticker things, one trees fruits and leaves look great, the second one looks grotty just on one side.

[Rosefriend]

Aug 22, 2013 14:31:37 GMT Barbara said:

I sprayed as well this year RF, next year I'm getting one of those pheramone sticker things, one trees fruits and leaves look great, the second one looks grotty just on one side.

Even in a good year there are always things that just don't make it but two years running is a pain !!

Rf

[Chuckles]

There is a plum tree between me and my neighbour which is ladened with fruit this year and they have brown rot.

Its sad to see any fruit with any type of desease, its such a waste. All that benefits are the wasps, I daren't go near that part of the garden as there are so many and I'm sure they get dozey and nasty when they've been feeding on fruit.

[Barbara]

I've cut lots of manky leaves and a couple of branches off the tree, I sprayed again and took any fruit that didn't look good off too, it looks much better, I know it's not the right time but, I fell kill or cure today.

[Chuckles]

I've just been up the top of the garden and inspected the plum, lots of rotten fruit and loads with curled up leaves.There are still quite a lot of swasp about up there and I noticed a lot of sparrows pecking about. On inspection in some of the curled leaves were earwigs and on the back of some non curled leaves were covered in these

[Barbara]

Oh Chuckles that's awful, mine are nothing like that.

[Rosefriend]

Aphids and scale insects - or what is it...not a very nice mixture Chuckles..

Andy fruit that is still edible ??

RF

[Chuckles]

TBO I didn't even realise the state of it myself, its been there for as long as I can remember and its only ever looked like a sucker that has grown from maybe an old tree from the past, pre us living here. Its only ever had a handful of fruit on it but this year its gone crazy as you can see in the photos I've just taken, its ladened really heavily. The fruit is 8ft to at least 12ft up and the ground around where its growing is a bit precarious to say the least, its on the boundry between us and next door and the ground drops down a bank a good 4ft plus into next door.  I certainly wouldn't like to even attempt to get any fruit that may be edible, such a shame really.

[Rosefriend]

What a shame Chuckles - the one year that it is laden the fruit is uneatable....!!

With the problelms that it seems to have I wonder if it worth keeping...mind you from what you have said about the position, it probably won't be easy to get down..

RF

[Barbara]

What a difference a year makes, 17 lb of plums I picked this morning, there are many more up there too , I'm going to have to tell people on the allotments to help themselves after I have enough for family and friends, anyone got a big pan.

[Tig]

Well done Barbara - that is a cracking result. I got a few victorias this morning off SNs tree. The wasps are getting to them quicker though.

Our plum tree was badly attacked by plum aphid Chuckles and once it gets a hold it is a nightmare to get rid of. We ended up taking it out this year as despite an early spray it was still covered in them, and then getting covered in black mould from their sticky drips.

[Barbara]

Next year I'm going to light a fire under the trees and get the smoke to go straight up and hope that gets rid of any nastys.I can only try.

[Ladygardener]

Great result Barbara, well done. Plum jam anyone.
Chuckles that looks dreadful. Such a shame all that fruit and nobody can have it. Would you consider cutting down the tree or would it be too big a job? Perhaps your neighbour and you could do some kind of deal to get someone in to do it.

[Rosefriend]

Well done Barbara - that is quite a haul !!

RF

[Chuckles]

WOW Barbara thats a great harvest, well done.

I reckon my plum has a dose of everything that a plum tree can get

Those that look ok have Plum Fruit Moth caterpillars in them, I managed to grapple with a branch with a garden rake and pull it down to get some, they look fine until you bite into them   Apparently they enter the fruit close to the stem in July and August and munch away. The black crumbly substance you find inside is waste they produced while eating the inside of the fruit. Any fruit with the caterpillars inside should be collected and destroyed and fallen fruits collected too. If left the caterpillars drop from the fruits to the ground and pupate over winter in the soil before the moths emerge to continue the cycle. Impossible situation

[Tig]

Plum aphid was a problem mentioned on Beechgrove this morning. They advised putting bird feeders in the tree to attract blue tits, etc which will then eat the pests for you. Not sure that would have worked for me, I'd have needed a permanent flock to take up residence in the tree!

[Chuckles]

Hows the plum tree this year Barbara, I've just been snipping up that part of the garden boundry and noticed the odd fruit on, no problems so far as i can see.

[Barbara]

Fingers crossed for both of us Chuckles, ours looks Ok this year too