My husband trimmed up our relatively young American Plum tree and now many of the leaves are turning brown and there is a ton of sap all over the branches. Did he kill it? Is there something I can do or should do? Please help! We live in Fort Worth Texas and it's summer!!!
Pruning wounds on plums should be as small as possible to reduce cut surface area. If you are interested in controlling the size of the plant pinch pruning shoots at an earlier stage of development (before they become woody) would be a perferable approach. Wash off the sap with soap and water if it looks bad and keep the plant watered. This type of plum thrives on neglect so pruning it regularily probably isn't necessary. Remove dead branches in late spring or early autumn. Remove diseased or damaged wood as seen. A good book for pruning information: Brickell, Christopher & David Joyce. Cavendish Encyclopedia of Pruning and Training. Cavendish Books:Vancouver, 1996.
