Opal is a lovely plum to eat; the tree begins to crop quite early in life.It ripens by mid-August and the fruit is of good size. Prunus domestica Opal produces bite-sized dessert plums that are deliciously sweet and that unusually have a great colour range, from sunshine yellow to deep purple, often on the same fruit.They have pale yellow flesh with a signature Greengage flavour. Plums: pruning. Pruning Opal Plum Trees. Propagate by chip budding or grafting onto a clonal rootstock. Does best with a pollinator, however it is partially self-fertile.This variety was raised in Sweden and therefore it is suitable for the North.. Read an article on plum, greengage and damson pollination, with a pollination compatibility chart. Unlike apples and pears, plums don't need a lot of regular pruning once the shape has been established. The following varieties will pollinate this plum tree. Plum "Anna Späth" is a late prune. Virtually all of the features of the old searches are still available and in addition we have added several new features to create a more comprehensive and user friendly search experience. The aim is to keep the tree size within the available space. Search by plant name, key attributes or both to find plant details and a list of Plum trees can be wayward in shape, so branches may need tying down, rising up or trimming back during the growing season. Architectural Cottage & Informal Garden, Pruning Regular pruning required according to tree form - see pruning plums and fan-trained trees: pruning established fans, Pests Can get aphids, caterpillars, fruit tree red spider mite, brown scale, plum moth and bullfinches, Diseases Straight after planting, remove the lowest laterals and prune the … To ensure rapid establishment, plum trees are supplied bare-rooted and will be 1.2-1.5m (4-5ft) high on despatch. Here’s how and when to prune your plum trees. Join the RHS today and support our charitable work, Keep track of your plants with reminders & care tips – all to help you grow successfully, For the latest on RHS Shows in 2020 and 2021, read more, RHS members get free access to RHS Gardens, Free entry to RHS members at selected times », Reduced prices on RHS Garden courses and workshops, General enquiries £22.95. An unfeathered maiden – a single stem without side shoots, will take the longest. RHS members can get exclusive individual advice from the RHS Gardening Advice team. Flowers white in early spring, green fruits in early August, All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. ... Organic Opal Plum Tree. • Remove any diseased, dead or damaged growth, and take out any branches that cross to maintain a clear and open framework. Organic Shropshire Prune. It is important to prune your plum tree for the first few years after planting to ensure a healthy, balanced shape. Keep a weed-free area of at least 60cm radius around trunk. *Your 20% discount only applies to plants, bulbs and seeds.© 2020 Thompson & Morgan. They’re susceptible to silver leaf disease, which enters through pruning wounds. Size between Shropshire Prune and Merryweather £ 39.60 – £ 42.00 Select options Don't forget to include tree … They are: This plant will provide nectar and pollen for bees and the many other types of pollinating insects. Size and shape of Opal plum trees for sale below. Prunus can be deciduous or evergreen trees or shrubs with showy flowers in spring, and often good autumn foliage colour. Plum Opal Received the Award of Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society. Established plum trees should be pruned in June and the pruning is restricted to new growth not bearing fruit this year. between each plum. 020 3176 5800 plum 'Opal', Synonyms Join Prunus Domestica Opal, more commonly known as the Opal Plum Tree, is a dependable fruiting edible plum tree, compact in size. £22.95. Excellent for ordinary use in appropriate conditions. In fact, if you don’t thin them out, your plum tree may crop so heavily that the branches snap under their own weight! Low Maintenance These plants will have a lot more details displayed including an image. Plum trees do not require as precise pruning as apples and pears, but still benefit from initial training and the thinning of old wood to ensure they produce as much fruit as possible. Remove any lower branches. If you select any attributes with or without a plant name, you will see a much narrower selection of results taken only from the old RHS Plant Selector database. Range of organic plum trees and damson trees including culinary and dessert plum varieties. All basic pruning requirements completed before delivery. £22.95. 2.5-4 metres, Time to ultimate height There should be three or four shoots below and they need cutting back by about half to an outward-facing bud. This makes Opal plum care much easier. • Once the shape is established, pull up any suckers that appear from the rootstock and rub off any buds that appear on the trunk. It is included in an evolving list of plants carefully researched and chosen by RHS experts. The Essential Guide to Growing Victoria Plum Trees is here! Specifically for Opal plum trees we would suggest the following pruning regime which will be better suited to their known weaknesses: Pay special attention to thinning the fruits in mid June 2017. May be affected by silver leaf, bacterial canker, blossom wilt and fruit by brown rot. Organic Farleigh Damson Tree. Specifically for Avalon plum trees we would suggest the following pruning regime which will be better suited to their known weaknesses: Pay special attention to thinning the fruits in mid June 2017. To lessen the risk, always use sharp secateurs or a pruning saw to get a clean cut, and never prune your plum during winter – wait until early spring or mid-summer. This will reduce the weight of the fruit produced and help to stop branches breaking under the weight of excessive fruit. Variety or Cultivar 'Opal' _ 'Opal' is a compact, deciduous fruit tree with white flowers in spring followed by small, red-flushed, yellow to deep purple fruit with yellow flesh ready for harvest in mid- to late summer. Keep an eye on your plum tree once fruit begins to appear, thinning it out if necessary to avoid the branches breaking under the weight of a heavy crop. • In the third year, cut back the previous year’s growth on the main branches by a third and remove any upright shoots at the top of the tree. The most important thing to remember about pruning a plum tree is timing. Column trees may have the side laterals cut back to 2-3 bleaves in late summer, the leader may be cut back at this time also. Prunus Prunus. They are extremely early cropping and in a good year you can look forward to the first fruit being ready at the end of July. Plum 'Opal' Genus. Some have edible fruit in autumn, and a few species have ornamental bark, Details • In the first year, cut back the leader or central stem to just above the top branch. Thin fruits if necessary. Bush plum trees will grow 3.6-4.6m (12-15ft) in height and spread. Never in the winter like apples and pears You should now have a framework of around eight branches. This bush-trained tree can be used for making an fruit espalier. Pinch out strong-growing side shoots (grown this year) to 6 leaves from their parent branch - this will encourage fruit next year. The Classic German ‘Hauszwetsche’ sweet prune for traditional plum cake and fresh eating. suppliers. Plums trees are easy to grow, and with a little care and attention, produce bumper crops of juicy fruit. Genus Prunus can be deciduous or evergreen trees or shrubs with showy flowers in spring, and often good autumn foliage colour. Irrigate in dry periods. How to Prune Plum Trees: 11 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow Medium ... With this maiden form you can make a 2-year bush-tree or spindle tree. Also convenient for low ... 2-years convenient for making an espalier, before pruning and after pruning. • In the first year, cut back an unfeathered maiden’s single stem to a bud that’s around 75cm above ground, making sure there are at least three or four good buds below it. Trees are available from late November to late April. Mon – Fri | 9am – 5pm, Join the RHS today and support our charity. • In the second year, choose the best shoots, between three and five, and remove any others. Plum 'Opal' Prunus domestica 'Opal' Details. Try an advanced search, RHS Registered Charity no. Our Botanical team are working hard to increase the number of plants with detailed information. Expect to do some plum tree pruning , however, to build a strong frame for the fruit. Some have edible fruit in autumn, and a few species have ornamental bark Details 'Opal' is a reliably fruiting, dessert gage to 2.5-4m in height depending upon the rootstock. Plum trees can be prone to silver leaf disease if pruned in winter, so cut them back in summer to encourage the development of bushy growth, which stops them becoming too large and unmanageable.. Find out how to prune your plum tree, below. Prunus domestica 'Opal' Other names. The time to prune back your Damson Tree Amanda is during the summer months of July/August as this period will cut down  the risk of infection from Silver Leaf … RHS Garden Hyde Hall Spring and Orchid Show, Free entry to RHS members at selected 5-10 years, Cultivation Plum Maiden trees are 1 - 1.5 years old when sold, with 3 - 3.5 year old roots grafted on, all other Plum bare root are 2 - 2.5 year old trees with 4 year old roots (arguably a 4 year old tree). Thinning will improve fruit quality and prevent limbs from breaking due to excessive weight. An excellent Plum to eat fresh, but it is also useful for jams and fruit crumbles. We hope you now have all the information you need to prune your plum trees successfully and enjoy delicious fruit for many years to come. Bespoke Products. Rosaceae, Genus Prunus 'Opal', Family Divided into 3 groups these lists, linked below, are maintained by a team of RHS staff and are reviewed annually. Care should be taken when pruning plum trees to avoid winter pruning as this leaves plums prone to silver leaf disease. Your tree should have one central leader and several strong side shoots. This will reduce the weight of the fruit produced and help to stop branches breaking under the … A division of BVG Group Ltd. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Vegetable Seeds, Never prune plum trees in winter as they're more susceptible to disease then, An award winning plum variety with good frost resistance. Fortunately, Opal plum trees are very resistant to plum tree diseases. Plums are pruned in early spring or mid-summer to avoid infection by silver leaf disease. • Don’t prune any side branches unless they are crossing or growing inwards. Feed and water plum trees during particularly dry periods. 222879/SC038262, If you enter just a plant name, you will see results from the old RHS Plant Finder and Selector databases. The rootstock used with largely determine the vigour of the tree, Suggested planting locations and garden types Pruning of Plums and Cherries Due to the risk of silver leaf in plums gages damsons and cherries always prune in early spring to mid-summer. The Walnut Tree Co. offer a fine selection of fruit trees to compliment any garden. All rights reserved. Thin Mirabelle de Nancy trees when the fruit is about the size of a penny, allowing at least 5 inches (13 cm.) Choose another variety Pollination of Opal plum trees Your Opal plum tree is in flowering group 3.It is self-fertile and does not need a pollination partner, but fruiting will usually be improved if there is a compatible partner of a different variety nearby. How to prune a plum tree In the first spring after planting, select 3 or 4 well spaced branches on a clear trunk of at least 75cm (29"), and shorten them by two thirds. The most important thing to remember about pruning a plum tree is timing. Shorten the selected shoots by half by pruning to an outward-facing bud. Opal has a long ripening period 12-14 days so you do not get a glut of Plums all in one go. Botanical name. Alternatively, plant a feathered maiden – a tree that already has strong side shoots from the main stem. Choose a sunny, sheltered spot. the RHS today and get 12 months for the price of 9, Other common names Organic Sanctus Hubertus Plum Tree. 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