Help Identifying The Type Of Plum Trees In My Yard.

Question

I need help identifying my type of plum tree so I can learn when and how to prune it? A large yellow plum. About 1 3/4″ x 1 1/4″ oval shaped. Thin semi transparent skin when ripe. Yellow meat, very sweet and juicy. Has thorns 1″ long. Older tree with long crossing and interwoven branches in every direction. 25′ tall and 35′ diameter. When I prune, it grows suckers 6′ in length in the same year. Sprouts shoots from the ground around the outer edges of the tree.

Answer 1

Be sure to remove the sprouts/suckers as soon as you see them. They are coming from the rootstalk. It sounds like the tree wasn't pruned when young and didn't get the benefit of a sound structural development. Crossing branches should be removed. Information from Washington extension says to prune heavily in maturity. It may be a Shiro variety. Check the article below, it gives descriptions and harvest times, you may be able to narrow it down. There also is pruning information.

Here is more:

http://figs4fun.com/Links/FigLink777.pdf

https://magazine.wsu.edu/2017/08/07/plums/

https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/pnw400/html