Amazing Cherries and Plum Problems

[EV]

I was totally blown away by the performance of a new Tehranivee self-pollinating cherry that I planted in April of this year (zone 6). It's a dwarf tree, and was only about 5 ft. tall when I planted it. I was surprised when it flowered profusely in May, and shocked when cherries began to develop. Some of them withered up and fell off, but the little tree still managed to produce a bumper crop, several bowls full, of juicy, sweet, crunchy, flavourful cherries. I don't know if I just lucked out with this one tree, or if they're all this good. It's supposed to be susceptible to cracking, but that didn't happen ... at least not this year.

The prune plum is a whole other story. It was mislabelled as being an apricot when I bought it in '96, and I didn't know that it wasn't an apricot till it fruited a few years ago, so I don't know which cultivar it is.

Last year it bore heavily, but dropped about a third of it's fruit before it ripened. I lost half of what was left to various bugs in various stages. And some of the fruit had what looked like crystallized loops and nubs and dribbles of sap on them. What is that?

Last fall I pruned off all the water spouts that had grown and cut the tree back to a manageable size, trying to recognize the fruit spurs.

This year the tree fruited even more heavily, but has dropped about 2/3 of its fruit, either green and shrivelled, purple and shrivelled, or purple and hard. The crystallized stuff is on many of them too, and I can see bumps and punctures on much of the fruit. If I get a dozen edible plums, I'll be lucky. So much for the plum jam and the galettes.

I'm not big on pesticides and such, but will definitely be using dormant

oil this fall and next spring. Any comments, insights or suggestions on the plum problems would be appreciated.

Thanks!

EV I've added a picture of the crystallized plum stuff that I took last year:

are pictures of the cherry tree in various stages, and some of the

other edibles in my garden, here:

[Gardñ]

EV in news: [e-mail]:

quick google shows little. someday i might research further, but P. Avium cherries are burdensome here.

Farm & Country November 2, 1998 ... Recent hits with growers include the self-pollinating Tehranivee and the Vandalay varieties of sweet cherry cultivars released in 1996. ...

apricots have different looking leaves (though P mume leaves are similar to apricot's)

a reaction to physical damage, such as insect puncture of skin. but:

[EV]

Little fella with lots of fruit.

Where is here? :-)

Interesting idea about pruning into a pyramid shape. I may try that with the plum.

I wouldn't have know the difference at the time. Still might not, not having seen an apricot tree in recent memory.

I've been thinking the same thing. Also wondering if the excessive rain, and relative lack of sunshine, not to mention the cook temps, haven't played a role. I've taken pics of some of the damaged fruit and will post them on my website in a few days. It might help to ID possible causes. It think there are a few things going on. I found a little tiny white worm with a teensy brown head in one of the fallen specimens. They were in at least half the fruit I got last year. I might have eaten a few. :-)

Thanks for the links.

the soil. Can't hurt.

EV

[Gardñ]

EV in news: [e-mail]:

east of san francisco. much warmer that the coast. but there are upick cherry orchards only slightly more eastward, slightly wamer.

you can alter these searches:

?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&q=foliage+%7C+leaves+%7C+leaf++mume&btnG=Search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&q=pluot

you can try google for the difference in moth larvae and beetle larvae. (true legs, versus pseudopods)' and maggots (fly larvae) look quite different. library book might have photo book of pests.

i'd bet you ate plum curculio (larva), but google that wiht your local search words. (canadian province, etc)

wiht our japanese plums, curculio tend ot cause fruit to prematurely sugar-up, and those fruit tend ot drop early.

ive wnodereda about, but never experimented with: scoring, poking, or scratching the fruit skin at certain stages of underripeness wiht goal of earlier ripening.

or test.

or chepaer: ask local ag ext about "typical" nutrient/mineral deficiencies in (our) local soils

and ask about indicator plants or crops that usually suffer.

Exposure Value ?

electric vehicle?

electrovoltaic?

:-)