I've moved into a new home with a sick plum and apple tree.
The plum tree has a dead bough on the right side. A few branches on the
left side are dead too. If I cut the the right side bough off it would
be lop sided. As it is the tree is already leaning to the left. So if I
was to cut off both boughs is there any chance it would regrow?
Plum tree
<https://tinyurl.com/3mmty33u>

The apple tree also has dead branches, a lot of its leaves are stunted
and the trunk is a mass of burrs.
Apple tree stunted leaves
<https://tinyurl.com/59v8ctkk>

Apple tree burrs on trunk
<https://tinyurl.com/ss5bdfcm>

Are these trees salvageable, or should I cut them both down and start again?

On 31/08/2021 20:11, William Johnson wrote:
> if I was to cut off both boughs is there any chance it would regrow?
Every chance. My greengage trees were old 28 years ago when I bought the
house, One was just a stump. It grew up so much that it split in half
and fell over, The others have all had fungus kill boughs. I simply
remove dead wood, which burns nicely in the stove, and let the old wood
push up new shoots. If it doesn't, well one hasn't lost much anyway...

Its all like roses really.

--
There’s a mighty big difference between good, sound reasons and reasons
that sound good.

Burton Hillis (William Vaughn, American columnist)

On 31/08/2021 20:11, William Johnson wrote:
>
> I've moved into a new home with a sick plum and apple tree.
> The plum tree has a dead bough on the right side. A few branches on the
> left side are dead too. If I cut the the right side bough off it would
> be lop sided. As it is the tree is already leaning to the left. So if I
> was to cut off both boughs is there any chance it would regrow?

Every chance if it doesn't fall over first. I'd be inclined to cut the
worst off now but leave some of the dead wood on as a counterweight.
(pruning plum is a summer job in full growth).

I am reluctant to cut off good parts of a fruit tree unless there really
is no alternative. It should have ripe fruit on right now.

> Plum tree
> <https://tinyurl.com/3mmty33u>
>
> The apple tree also has dead branches, a lot of its leaves are stunted
> and the trunk is a mass of burrs.
> Apple tree stunted leaves
> <https://tinyurl.com/59v8ctkk>
>
> Apple tree burrs on trunk
> <https://tinyurl.com/ss5bdfcm>
>
> Are these trees salvageable, or should I cut them both down and start
> again?

The apple trees just start by cutting out the diseased and dead wood and
any crossing branches during this winter and then see how they go.
Chances are it will only require a bit of TLC and they will be fine.

Truly dead bits you can take off when you like.

This year has been terrible for apple trees. A series of hard late
frosts did for all the flowers and most of the insects that might have
pollinated them. Mine have almost no fruit on at all. It isn't a typical
year so a lack of fruit may not be indicative of their health.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

Martin Brown <'''newspam'''@nonad.co.uk> wrote:
[snip]
>
> This year has been terrible for apple trees. A series of hard late
> frosts did for all the flowers and most of the insects that might have
> pollinated them. Mine have almost no fruit on at all. It isn't a typical
> year so a lack of fruit may not be indicative of their health.
>
It's odd and rather mixed in our orchard.

The pears (both Conference and William) seem to have more fruit than
usual.

The apples are mixed, the Bramleys haven't cropped heavily but (almost
as a consequence) the fruits are nice and big. Other apples seem
similar, fewer but bigger.

The plums haven't done very well at all although there are some.

--
Chris Green
·

On 01/09/2021 16:04, Martin Brown wrote:
> This year has been terrible for apple trees. A series of hard late
> frosts did for all the flowers and most of the insects that might have
> pollinated them. Mine have almost no fruit on at all. It isn't a typical
> year so a lack of fruit may not be indicative of their health.

We only have 2 apple trees, one young one on a wall and a mature one.

I obviously didn't thin them nearly enough. The mature one has sagged to
the extent that it's blocking a path!

Andy

On 01/09/2021 16:40, Chris Green wrote:
> Martin Brown <'''newspam'''@nonad.co.uk> wrote:
> [snip]
>>
>> This year has been terrible for apple trees. A series of hard late
>> frosts did for all the flowers and most of the insects that might have
>> pollinated them. Mine have almost no fruit on at all. It isn't a typical
>> year so a lack of fruit may not be indicative of their health.
>>
> It's odd and rather mixed in our orchard.
>
> The pears (both Conference and William) seem to have more fruit than
> usual.

Yes my pears and my neighbours plums are both heavy crop this year and
both are more than a little frost sensitive. They flowered during a warm
spell just before the fortnight of sharp frosts which wrecked the apple
blossom (and also destroyed every hydrangea flower bud).
>
> The apples are mixed, the Bramleys haven't cropped heavily but (almost
> as a consequence) the fruits are nice and big. Other apples seem
> similar, fewer but bigger.

I can count the number of apples on my Bramley this year. In a normal
year I would get close to half a tonne off it. I estimate the crop to be
about 1 apple/m^3 this year (its a big old tree).

What fruit there are are big but at most one per flower cluster has made
it this far. Most flowers dropped off without ever being pollinated.

Eating apple trees have just one apple still clinging on. In a normal
year their crop would last us through to January.

> The plums haven't done very well at all although there are some.
>
Plums here seemed to get away with it as did the apple trees in the
nearby walled garden where they are espaliered against a S facing wall.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

On 01/09/2021 08:44, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
> On 31/08/2021 20:11, William Johnson wrote:
>> if I was to cut off both boughs is there any chance it would regrow?
> Every chance. My greengage trees were old 28 years ago when I bought the
> house, One was just a stump. It grew up so much that it split in half
> and fell over, The others have all had fungus kill boughs. I simply
> remove dead wood, which burns nicely in the stove, and let the old wood
> push up new shoots. If it doesn't, well one hasn't lost much anyway...

Good point. I may just do that and see. Thanks.

On 01/09/2021 16:04, Martin Brown wrote:
> On 31/08/2021 20:11, William Johnson wrote:
>>
>> I've moved into a new home with a sick plum and apple tree.
>> The plum tree has a dead bough on the right side. A few branches on
>> the left side are dead too. If I cut the the right side bough off it
>> would be lop sided. As it is the tree is already leaning to the left.
>> So if I was to cut off both boughs is there any chance it would regrow?
>
> Every chance if it doesn't fall over first. I'd be inclined to cut the
> worst off now but leave some of the dead wood on as a counterweight.
> (pruning plum is a summer job in full growth).
>
> I am reluctant to cut off good parts of a fruit tree unless there really
> is no alternative. It should have ripe fruit on right now.

I've already picked the ripe fruit, the little there was of it. About
twenty per cent had plum moth maggot. The dead bough has a split in the
bark and sap has leaked out of it making an amber like lump. The leaves
that are left on the tree also are very mottled and sick looking. All in
all it's not looking good for this tree. I'll have a look at your
suggestion of leaving a bit as a counterweight, but as I said it is
leaning quite a bit already so even removing a little of the dead side
might make it unsteady if I don't take a lot of the not so dead side.

>
>> Plum tree
>> <https://tinyurl.com/3mmty33u>
>>
>> The apple tree also has dead branches, a lot of its leaves are stunted
>> and the trunk is a mass of burrs.
>> Apple tree stunted leaves
>> <https://tinyurl.com/59v8ctkk>
>>
>> Apple tree burrs on trunk
>> <https://tinyurl.com/ss5bdfcm>
>>
>> Are these trees salvageable, or should I cut them both down and start
>> again?
>
> The apple trees just start by cutting out the diseased and dead wood and
> any crossing branches during this winter and then see how they go.
> Chances are it will only require a bit of TLC and they will be fine.

That's going to be tricky as most of the main trunk is burr and not at
all healthy looking. In fact none of it looks well and the little fruit
on it has codling moth. I'll look at it some more, but I think I'll have
to chop it below the burrs and hope it sends out side branches, though
the branches below the burrs are dead too.

> Truly dead bits you can take off when you like.

There is a lot of them.

> This year has been terrible for apple trees. A series of hard late
> frosts did for all the flowers and most of the insects that might have
> pollinated them. Mine have almost no fruit on at all. It isn't a typical
> year so a lack of fruit may not be indicative of their health.

There is only a handful of fruit on the apple and none of it looks edible.

Thanks for your suggestions.