I understand that the Italian plum can be pruned in the summer after the fruit is removed. Is this a good practice? My tree has a lot of new growth and what is the proper procedure regarding pruning the new growth. I have opened up the center of the tree to provide more light. I also have a cherry that could also be pruned now. I know that past practice indicates that most pruning is done in the dormant state of winter. I have noticed that the Okanagan farmers are starting to prune some of their fruit trees after the crop has been removed. Please advise as to the above.
Hello, I am a professional gardener and garden designer. I have recently had to research the pruning of a plum tree for several large renovations I have undertaken here in Italy. The plum can be pruned after the fruit has been collected, however, the risk of silver-leaf is high. Standard procedure for pruning the plum tree is to prune it while it is in strong active growth- in June, this reduces the risk of this killer fungal disease to a minimum. However it is generally recognised that a plum tree should be pruned as little as possible and in the summer, when the fungus's spores are not in circulation.
