. Ok ok, The info I need has probably already been posted and I have read some threads about pruning and taking care of trees on this site without getting what I need. I also have gone onto different sites, wiki and so on and have looked at and purchased a couple of books on pruning fruit trees etc. Still, I am confused. I just planted 2 Santa Rosa Plums and a Stanley Plum. The SR's are about 8 feet tall with lots of branches,leaves and the Stanley is around 5-6 feet with . They look like they have been pruned at some point. I really don't follow the "logic" behind pruning yet though the diagrams I have seen are sometimes facinating ( I am a visual artist). These trees have been in the ground less than a week. Should I do anything this year? I am retired and have already spent more money than I should have on trees and I don't wish to buy another book that I can't seem to follow just to find out how to "nip it in the bud" which still doesn't seem to make sense. Thanks for any help that doesn't assume that I am a quick study. .
I think that the opening paragraphs of this information sheet on Training and Pruning Fruit Trees provides a good explanation of why pruning is necessary. It sounds like you've waded through a lot of material and are receiving some conflicting advice as to how to best accomplish what you want. I'll take a guess (and others may correct me) that it isn't necessary to prune this year - if they have the appearances of being pruned already, then it likely won't be necessary to do anything until next year when unwanted or unnecessary branches will become more obvious.
Thanks for your response. This is what my wife is saying too, after looking over the material on pruning and looking at the trees. I appreciate your feedback and we'll just let them be till next June.
