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What's wrong with my plums?

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  • #1

    What's wrong with my plums?

    Hi everyone - first post from a lurker!

    I'm slowly taming a garden that was previously obviously loved but has been neglected for several years. Next year I hope to have a fully operational veg patch but for now there are just a few things that were hidden amongst the overgrowth.

    I have a lovely plum tree - it's far too tall really, but it's covered in fruit and I can't wait to get making jam and chutney once they ripen. But over the last few weeks I've noticed that a few plums are ripening early and don't look healthy - they are covered in this yellow stuff, and then seem to have sticky clear jelly leak out of them and implode. It's only a few, on lower branches, the majority of them look fine. But what is it? Should I be worried about the rest? What should I do - chop off the affected fruits, or the whole branches?

    Thanks in advance for any help :-)

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  • #2
    Brown rot.

    It is a fungal disease which attacks all kinds of fruit, especially damaged fruit, but it will spread from a damaged fruit to any healthy fruits which are touching.

    Damage could be bruising from swinging around on the branches, or fruit swelling too fast and splitting after heavy rain, or insect damage to the skin.

    It overwinters on shrivelled fruits left on the tree or on the ground. Good hygiene (i.e. remove damaged fruit promptly) will reduce it but not eliminate it.
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    • #3
      Thankyou very much! I'd done a few searches on plum diseases and not found that one but looking it up that is definitely it. That's quite a relief that it sounds like it should be controllable then. I'll get out there and snip anything dodgy away and do a ground sweep as well. Should healthy looking fruit on the same branch as affected fruit be chucked as well, or just kept a close eye on?

      Noone would have been clearing shrivelled fruit for a few years so it all makes sense, and it is lower branches that are affected - more stuff at that level for the fruit to knock around on and get damaged. There is a crab apple (I think) quite nearby and a redcurrant bush too, they both look fine at the minute.

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      • #4
        Originally posted by pixel View Post
        Should healthy looking fruit on the same branch as affected fruit be chucked as well, or just kept a close eye on?
        No need to remove fruit if it looks healthy - just keep an eye on it.
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