We bought an acerage this last March. Throughout the summer we have found all sorts of fruit trees/bushes on the property we did not know were there. We stumbled upon what we are pretty sure are plum trees. They are in different stages of ripening and different sizes. I don't want to say the trees have thorns on the branches, but very sharp twigs. Some of the trees are already starting to lose leaves. I don't know if this is natural or if a disease got to them. The wooded area is incredibly over grown and needs to be thinned out. How do I tell what kind of plum tree it is, is it worth cleaning up, pruning back to encourage better yields? If so, do I do this in the fall or spring. The branches actually look like they are setting buds for next spring? I'll take any suggestions or ideas. Oh, we live in Iowa if that helps.
They might simply be wild plums. Best to post a few photographs of fruit, foliage and branches with "thorns".
here are 2 pictures of the foliage, I'll have to retake pictures of the fruit. Thanks for your help./Karen I looked up wild plums and what I read said they only grew in the NW U.S. ???
Certainly looks like it to me - and Prunus americana is found throughout most of the USA and Canada. How do they taste? As for the leaf issues, it almost looks like a bumper harvest - I wonder if the plants are concentrating on putting water into the fruits and drying out the leaves.
Well, at least now I know what I'm dealing with! I read the pdf about them and it fits perfect to where they are planted; along the north end of the property line next the corn fields, I assume as a wind break. There is a deer feeder next to them and it is in a very "soggy" area of ground. They are not the sweetest, but I have plans of apple-plum butter. When is a good time to cut these back and clear out some of the undergrowth? As I said, it almost looks like buds have set on some of the branches for next spring? Right after I pick these or wait until early spring?
Prune in the fall - pruning in the spring can cause susceptibility to black knot (via Univ. of Minnesota Extension) -and a little bit more advice on pruning here via Virginia Coop Extension Clearing away underbrush can be done at any time of year. If you know your native plants vs. introduced species, that might help with the task - you can focus your efforts on clearing out introduced species going to seed now.
