Grow Your Own Magazine

We moved into our new house in October last year and had a great crop of damsons hanging off our tree to welcome us. I'm quite partial to them and would like to get another decent crop this year. Any advice, or at least things I should do to avoid killing it?

I have always been led to believe that you largely leave these things alone and let them get on with it, but could be wrong. I love damson jam too, and am desperate for damsons from our newly planted (Nov) Damson tree. time will tell!!

When we moved into our house, although the garden is basically a tiny yard (although beautiful and productive now!) someone had laid it out very thoughtfully some years ago and we too were greeted by a huge damson tree with fruit in abundance. Last year's crop was almost nil - the blossom was bashed off by relentless rain, but looking good this year! For over five years now we have done absolutely nothing to it except let the birds have the fruit we can't reach and pick the rest!

We grew our damson from seed and moved it here 26 years ago.

Total and utter neglect: Definitely NO pruning - except in summer if you HAVE to - due to virus disease.

No feeding.
Nothing.

About 30kg of fruit most years except when we have late frosts.

Would you recommend planting one of the damson stones from this years crop so that they will have a partner pollination?

Ooops, we had it pruned last October as it was getting close to the overhead wires on the street. Hope we didn't cut off all the buds like we did with the wisteria. Well, other than that, it's been left to its own devices, let's see what happens. Thanks everyone!

If you are going to prune do it just after you take the fruit off. then put sealer on the cut parts.

Do not be too heavy with the pruning or you will shock the tree and it will stop fruting for a few years. i would cut damaged branches and crossers.

Put phermone traps up for fruit moth.

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My phone has more Processing power than the Computers NASA used to fake the Moon Landings

Westmorland Damson Association

This has a good advice sheet attached. We have three damsons, as a wind break, but
the bullfinches make sure we do not get too much fruit.

Our damson appears to be self fertile. It is a plant grown from seed from the damson in our last house which we left 26 years ago.

May I ask how long it took to grow to a fruiting tree from a stone? Also, may I beg a stone from this year's harvest?

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Happy Gardening,
Shirley

http://www.honeyjukes.co.uk

we had damson trees in the garden when i was a kid, no one ever did anything to them except pick the fruit, they never failed to give us tons, damson jam is lovely :-)