victoria-plums
jeff skinner
Posts: 8
i have a four year old victoria plum tree, and last year and this year i have been loosing fruit because of a purple patch whish comes on one side and rot's the fruit.
if they are touching the next fruit it goes rotten as well, i remove them when i see them.
also their is a clear sap coming out of the bottom of the plum.
does anyone have any answers to this problem.
0
Posts
I don't know about the purple rot but the clear gum is the plant trying to heal a wound. It's maybe been nibbled by a wasp or a bird or just got scratched in the wind by a branch. The gum is only made in the summer and this is why plums are pruned in the summer. The pruning cuts get covered by the gum and infections kept out.
Hi
the gum is coming out of the base of the plum, and they are still green.
but the puple areas are on the sides and no branches or anything touching them.
I think a wasp maybe nibbled the plum then and it's trying to seal up the scratch.
maybe the purple patches are some kind of fungus. Can you send a photo?
hi
i have put some pics of the fruit.
this one is the close up one.
Oh dear! I see what you mean! Although I have never seen it before, I think it might be something called brown rot which is caused by a wind-blown fungus. The advice in my book is thata it is taken in by the tree through scratches on the skin and that all affected fruit should be burned. The clear gum may also be a sign of stress after the hot dry weather. The inside of the plums may also be gummy, or not.
HHit hanks for the info, the plum can be ok one day and in poor condition next day.
i have never come across this in any book or on the net.
i have inspected the out her plums and some have light brown patches on the sides,
this looks like dry dead skin, but no rot.and no holes or scratches.
Aphids or wasps pierce the skin and rot sets in quickly. Pick off rotten fruit and burn or brown bin. Otherwise it spreads rapidly.
hi
i have looked at my damson bush and it has the same problems as with my vic plum.
this is getting out of hand.
They are a sad sight indeed Jeff. They all seem to have a little peck or bite mark on them. Have you seen birds in the trees looking busy? They will be getting infected once the skin is broken. Not a great deal you can do except keep taking off and burning the ruined ones. Better luck next year. That's gardening for you.