I came to this website while searching to identify the plant in the attached images. I could not find anything remotely similar on the internet and wonder if anyone can help. It has a woody stem which was covered in black tumors last year. We cut the stems to the ground thinking that would be the end of it but this year they are sending up new shoots. The previous owner of our home put them all along the fence. We are zone 5b, the plants are in full sun and so far this year about 2 feet tall. The new leaves are redish then they become green with a reddish tinge. The leaves are single, alternate and toothed. Please help.
Thank you Ron. That would make sense as the former owner planted many fruits in this garden. Any idea how long it would take to bear fruit again?
At least several years. You can't leave them in the fence, of course, and they may be rootstock sprouts of uncertain fruiting quality. Would probably be a better use of your time to buy and plant grafted named varieties already trained into tree shapes.
Thank you. You have been very helpful. Considering that they all had the black cankers, I think it is best to remove them completely.
Yes, if you are getting black knot then it looks like it is not a promising location for orchard plum culture.
