Pruning plums and cherries

Plums and cherries belong to the horticulturally important genus-Prunus. An old rule of gardening is that you should only prune plums and cherries in months without an r in them namely May, June, July and August. The reason for spring and summer pruning is to avoid infection by the serious and often fatal disease- Silver Leaf. The symptoms of Silver Leaf include (unsurprisingly) silvering of the foliage followed by progressive die back of the stems and finally death of the plants.

Pruning cuts made in summer heal more quickly than in winter and this lessens the risk of infection. I do not advocate the use of a wound sealant, mother nature does the job very effectively on healthy trees. Many sealants actually impair the process of natural healing by preventing the wound from breathing and making callus tissue  If you are pruning several trees, I recommend sterilising tools before moving onto the next tree to prevent spreading infection.

Plum and cherry trees do not appreciate hard pruning- concentrate on removing congested growth to allow light to get in and obviously any broken or diseased branches. Keep a watch for branches being overladen with fruit, they can easily break and the fruit will not reach maturity and the tree may take years to recover. If possible, thin out fruits or support overladen branches with a prop. 

Plums are great fruits for growing in gardens but do not prune them during the dormant season