Can anyone help with problem number two please?

[Marthaclematis]

Can anyone help please? I am afraid that something terrible is lurking in the soil on the left hand side of the bottom of my garden. Down there there is a plum tree with two trunks independent of each other but very close. One trunk produced blossom and was fine and now its got its leaves. The other trunk.. nothing. It looks dead !! Also, near the tree is my four year old 'mile a minute' plant - that died last year. Just died, I have no idea why; I thought that was as robust as anything there is. I am loathe to plant anything new there in case it goes the same way. What could that be? Maybe coincidence? And why has one trunk of the plum tree flowered ? Surely the roots share the same space underground and the branches up top touch each other. I am at a total loss and getting quite worried.

Many Thanks xx

[rustylady]

I think your plum tree is actually two trees. Did you plant them or were they there when you moved in? Any idea how old they are?

[Marthaclematis]

We've lived here five years, the house is 46 years old. The trunks don't have a very wide girth. Two large hands would not quite get round, but nearly.

[taff]

If your house is only 50 years old, ok 46, then you might find they're dying because there's cement or rubble underneath a little bit of topsoil. Have a dig and a look.

[FB.]

A bit of a late reply, but......

It is possible that one of the two "trees" has acquired a disease on its branches which has now spread down the trunk - such as canker or silverleaf - which has caused die-back of that part.

It is also possible that the root system on one side has died due to injury or disease. Perhaps even due to the very dry weather last year causing drought stress, where the tree had no choice but to cut off sapflow to some branches in order to save itself; better that half a tree survives than the whole tree dies.

[Farmer_Gyles]

i have 2 different varieties of plum tree next to each other in much the same way .... the first (czar type) was there when i moved in 19 years ago, but the trunk snapped in a storm .... so i planted another (possibly victoria) right next to it .... the old one grew a new trunk ....

both grew happily next to each other .... but it looks like the 'victoria' has died back .... the main branches are covered in scabby growth and it looks like they've been pecked away at by a woodpecker .... i'm going to cut it out sometime soon .... (when it's not raining!)

i don't know if your plums are 2 trees or if it's 1 tree that somehow sprouted a 2nd trunk .... but either way, it's probably worth cutting out the dead branches .... maybe leave the trunk until winter, just to see if it tries starting a new branch ....

the death of the other plant is probably unrelated .... just plant something else in it's place, see what happens .... even a single cabbage or something ....

[MyLifeWithAndrew]

How strange.
Yes, I would be worried to, but I haven't a clue or advice.

[veggiechicken]

Have you tried testing the soil on the good side and the bad side of the plum tree? Maybe something has been dumped on the bad side that your plants can't cope with,

[Marthaclematis]

Many thanks for all your replies. I am hoping its drought stress. Better than something poisonous down there, the neighbours on that side are a bit odd. I really really don't want to go down the line of thinking they have done something daft on their side of the fence.

[donnakebab]

Look over the fence when they are out?

I used to think my neighbours were a bit odd but we get on really well now because we all have allotments. Up until recently we all had pet dogs too. Commonality is a great ice breaker.