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Weird plum tree

SammymummySammymummy Posts: 202
in Fruit & veg
Hi everyone
I bought a cherry plum tree “Mirabell de Nancy” on pixy rootstock from Chris Bowers and Son in 2017. It flowered profusely for the first time this Spring and I was looking forward to the promised golden fruits.

However the resulting fruits were elongated and didn’t look like plums. I emailed the seller attaching photos (this is when I discovered so many bad reviews about them) and they asked me to send them some samples, which I promptly dispatched by first class. That was at the end of May and I have not yet received a single word from them despite chasers and request for refund.

Anyway, I decided to cut it down this autumn, refund or no refund, and then I spotted two small plums on the tree last weekend (2nd photo).

First photo was taken on 21 May and the rest today. You can still see the dried up fruits on the 3rd photo.



Would anyone know what happened to the tree and whether it is worth keeping? I’d be grateful for any advice.

Many thanks
Lydia

Posts

  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Posts: 8,267
    What a shame you didn't get a good crop...  It's a fungal disease called pocket plum.  If you Google it you'll find info from the RHS about it, with a picture looking very like your strange elongated fruit - they develop without stones.  I believe you need to remove and destroy all the elongated fruit, and possibly collect up all the leaves as they fall as well, so the spores are less likely to infect the tree next year.
    Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
  • SammymummySammymummy Posts: 202
    Oh! I’ve just looked that up, thank you @Liriodendron! At least Chris Bowers and Son should have decency to tell me that. It is now a fairly big tree, about 7ft with many branches. I will probably have to lose it, as all branches are affected, not just one or two.
  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Posts: 8,267
    edited August 2021
    I reckon they've sold you the wrong tree, too - the fruit in the next-to-bottom photo is definitely not golden...   and it's hard luck if you have to lose it now, having nurtured it since 2017.   :/
    Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
  • SammymummySammymummy Posts: 202
    Exactly @Liriodendron. I also bought two apples from them and don’t think Cox Orange Pippin is what they said it is…very disappointed..☹️
  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Posts: 8,267
    Chris Bowers used to have a good reputation but I see now they get review ratings of 1.9 - 2.9 out of 5.   :o
    Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
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