Water Sprout Removal On Plum Trees

Question

I have a plum tree that has been heavily pruned and is now covered in water sprouts. If i remove them all there will be no foliage left. Do I remove all of the sprouts? The tree also didn’t produce any plums.

Answer 1

Yes. If this is a grafted tree, then leaving the new shoots can kill off the grafted top. However, they can be an indicator that the top has already died, or is currently dying.

If you know that this tree is not grafted, and is growing on its own roots stock, then you can choose one of the new water spouts to be the main tree and cut the rest.

Unfortunately, you will have to keep cutting them until they stop coming back. This will, likely, be when you establish a new leader, or set of leaders.

Here are some articles that will help:

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/tgen/tree-sucker-removal-and-tree-sucker-control.htm

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/tgen/planting-a-tree-shoot.htm

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/plum/growing-plum-trees.htm