Rotten plums

[Pringle44]

Hello!
We’ve recently inherited a plum tree after moving to a new house.
It was absolutely laden with fruit this summer but we’ve lost every single piece to a mould - the skin of the fruit goes opaque and covered in a brown mottle and then rots completely.
I’ve cut open unripened fruit only to discover maggots/eggs around the stone.
I’m keen to try and save the tree as we don’t want to have the same problem next summer.
I’ve had a few suggestions of pruning it back hard, using various pesticides etc, but wondered if anyone else has had any success?
Any recommendations would be most appreciated!
Cheers

 

[blenor]

Hello!
We’ve recently inherited a plum tree after moving to a new house.
It was absolutely laden with fruit this summer but we’ve lost every single piece to a mould - the skin of the fruit goes opaque and covered in a brown mottle and then rots completely.
I’ve cut open unripened fruit only to discover maggots/eggs around the stone.
I’m keen to try and save the tree as we don’t want to have the same problem next summer.
I’ve had a few suggestions of pruning it back hard, using various pesticides etc, but wondered if anyone else has had any success?
Any recommendations would be most appreciate
Cheers

Looks like a Victoria plum tree. We have about three trees on our veg plot. Bigger trees should probably be pruned back while the leaves are still green and the tree is growing. This enables you to reach the fruit more easily and allows more air to circulate. Plum trees can also be prone to a disease if pruned when dormant. You should probably knock off the rotten fruit and bin them - not in compost bin. The maggots are probably from a plum moth. You can buy plum moth traps to hang up in the tree in about May which deters them. If you get wasps , we also hang up a waspinator (a pretend wasp nest) which seems to help deter wasps getting into the fruit. It's worth making a bit of an effort as the fruit is delicious or plant a new tree as they grow quickly.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

The maggots of plum fruit moth are a bright orangey red, have a look here.

Plum Fruit Moth | Garden Pests & Diseases | Gardening Tips | Thompson & Morgan

Misshapen plums, and a black substance around the stone can be the work of the plum fruit moth. Find out how to identify & combat this garden pest.

www.thompson-morgan.com

 

[Pringle44]

Looks like a Victoria plum tree. We have about three trees on our veg plot. Bigger trees should probably be pruned back while the leaves are still green and the tree is growing. This enables you to reach the fruit more easily and allows more air to circulate. Plum trees can also be prone to a disease if pruned when dormant. You should probably knock off the rotten fruit and bin them - not in compost bin. The maggots are probably from a plum moth. You can buy plum moth traps to hang up in the tree in about May which deters them. If you get wasps , we also hang up a waspinator (a pretend wasp nest) which seems to help deter wasps getting into the fruit. It's worth making a bit of an effort as the fruit is delicious or plant a new tree as they grow quickly.

Thank you so much - would you suggest pruning towards the end of this summer or waiting until early spring please? Will definitely look for some plum moth traps.

 

[Pringle44]

The maggots of plum fruit moth are a bright orangey red, have a look here.

Plum Fruit Moth | Garden Pests & Diseases | Gardening Tips | Thompson & Morgan

Misshapen plums, and a black substance around the stone can be the work of the plum fruit moth. Find out how to identify & combat this garden pest.

www.thompson-morgan.com

Yep these are what we have - thank you!

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Thank you so much - would you suggest pruning towards the end of this summer or waiting until early spring please? Will definitely look for some plum moth traps.

They say prune as soon as the fruit finishes. It seems plums are prone to some fungal diseases which are more likely if you prune at more normal times of year. You remind me, I must get out there.

 

[nemodot]

I've had problems with some sort of fly or moth filling my santa rosa plums with small maggots and I lost that years crop, but fortunately last year It wen't without problems.