plums

[timbuc2]

can anyone tell me when to pick plums, when they are red&green or whe

they are red all over, if i leave them on tree bugs start to eat the

-- timbuc2

[Dwayne]

I wouldn't pick them until they are ripe. I don't know about plums, but peaches receive 90 percent of their sweetness and flavor in the last five days of their ripening process.

Maybe you could hang some sugar water in the trees in plastic jugs cut to allow the bugs access. They will try to get into the jugs and drown. You will have to change the water regularly.

Dwayne

[Pennyaline]

Well sir, around here we wait until the fruit starts to fall off the tree, and when it gets dark we go get as much as we can carry.

Not our tree, you see.

[symplastless]

You could take one fruit and place in your kitchen window. It may ripen. I do not have the answer,

[sherwindu]

The longer you leave them on the tree, the sweeter they become. Timing is critical, so if you leave them too long, they get spongy. You can pick them a little early, if bugs are a problem. Leaving them at room temperature will

improve their flavor (mostly by eliminating the unripe taste, but not necessarily the sweetness). Don't refrigerate them until after they have rippened.

Not sure what variety of plum you have, but I would wait at least until they are red all over. They may still be partially unripe. Check that they are not hard but pick before they turn spongy. Of course, tasting a few is always a good test. Depending on the variety, there are no fixed criterias, but you will develop your own criterea from experience. You should also address the bug problem. Identify the bug and take preventative measures. Are these bugs wasps? If so, wasp traps may help.

Sherwin D.

[symplastless]

I will say one thing. Prunus species do not tolerate improper pruning. Small mistakes make big problems for the trees. Improper pruning greatly reduces living parenchyma cells which store carbohydrates in the form of starch. This starch is converted to glucose for defense and many other features. This is greatly reduced by flush cuts and stems left long.

For more on pruning:

- Sincerely, John A. Keslick, Jr. Arborist Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology. Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us that we are not the boss.