Great to see you back and glad your all ok. I don’t grow fruit trees but it doesn’t stop me from watching and catching a fab waffling video 😂😂. Happy gardening Jonny 👩🌾, Ali 🌦️🇨🇦
I always enjoy the waffles Jonny. My Victoria plum tree developed silver leaf a few years ago even though I took care only to prune it in the summer. I decided to leave it to quietly die and planted a climbing hydrangea to cover up the corpse. However, it has continued to produce some leaves each yesr, and this year has even borne quite a heavy crop of fruit on the surviving branches. So it looks as though it's recovering to a certain extent, which I thought was impossible.
Victoria is an interesting sort. It is a bit underrated sometimes in some of the books and articles, but I think the flavour of a perfectly ripe Victoria plum is wonderful and it makes superb jam. Unfortunately, it is rather susceptible to disease and broken limbs, but this is somewhat countered, as you have found, by a rather vigorous habit so that, in practice, it can often grow out of problems where other varieties might not. One can sometimes end up with a rather scruffy specimen, but one that still carries a good crop.
Thanks, Jonny. You're right about the flavour. Good to know the tree should recover. It is certainly vigorous. I understand that Victorias' crops can be variable. When this tree was in full health the yearly crop varied between good and phenomenal.
Not sure that I’d go so far as to say it should recover but it may keep going for some time yet. I had a festoon of Victoria many years ago - it was immensely productive - had to provide stakes for all of the branches to prevent them from breaking under the load 😀
Hi! Thanks very much for your comment. Yes, it has been a while. I do have a couple of videos planned, but unfortunately I have had to scale back due to dodgy health - the old ticker is being uncooperative... Hopefully better times ahead :) Hope you are well and looking forward to the new season.
Hope your health is OK and that you post some more videos soon. I am just setting up a fruit garden and your videos have been a great source of information and ideas.
Thank you! I have been distracted with other things lately - hopefully I can do some more videos later. I hope your fruit garden goes well - if you have any questions any time, I am happy to try to answer :)
@@jonnyskitchengarden I am trying to set up a fruit cage out of an old greenhouse (a bit like you did with your polytunnel. Please can you advise what netting you used and where you got it from for the top of your fruit cage.
Good idea. I'm not certain but I think it was from here: www.gardening-naturally.com/anti-bird-netting. They have all sorts of mesh and netting in lots of different sizes. One thing about an old greenhouse is that it can lack some rigidity without the glass in place - although there won't be much wind resistance - so it might help to add some extra diagonal bracing (aluminium angle or some wooden batten).
Here’s hoping you are well Jonny it’s been a while since we have seen you. I’m low on waffling videos 🤭🤭. Have a very Merry Christmas 🤶 look forward to seeing updates in the new year, Ali 🤶🎄
Hi Jonny, Wishing you well for 2024 and all the veg. bugs be held at bay. Better protect those garlic shoots according to the recent weather models - Winter arrives after this weekend! Many regards, Peter
@@jonnyskitchengarden Do you still have your peach and cherry trees. I would love video on pruning them. I have watched your old videos about this subject but I still have a hard time with them. I have all my trees trained on a wall. Apples and Pears are straight forward but peaches and cherries just confuse me. Unfortunately I didn't grow up with fruit trees and had to learn by doing.
I do still have them, though I'm not sure whether I will be making further pruning videos right now. I am happy to try to answer any questions you might have, though. To start with, it depends what sort of cherry you have. Sweet cherries can be pruned much like plums and sour cherries much like peaches - the sour cherries and peach share that habit of only fruiting on the previous season's growth, whereas plums and sweet cherries will fruit on older wood. That is the factor that determines the approach to pruning.
Hi Jonny, just realised i hadnt seen any videos from you recently. Hope all is okay. Miss your wonderful videos and your expansive knowledge. Give us a little gzrden tour soon and let us know whzt you are growing this year 🤞
Thanks very much for your comment. Unfortunately, I have been unwell so unable to do much in the garden this year. Hope to make some more videos later though.
Always. Just came off a week of 47C and we haven't seen rain in over a month. The ponds are all dry 20 foot deep ponds. The deep creeks are dried out, gone. I managed 400 pounds of tomatoes and called it quits. Even with direct to root watering the heat hindered fruit set. The plants were 9 feet tall, but had no more fruit on. I just cleared the garden for winter yesterday.@@jonnyskitchengarden
Understanding that the video subject is "fan trained plums" - but related to the general pruning of plum trees, what advice would you suggest: Leave cut wounds open at this late time of the year and risk potential infection or cover with a suitable pruning mastic. That is if for what ever reason the pruning has to be undertaken now rather than leaving until next season. Again presuming normal damp autumnal weather conditions prevailing.
Ah, that would be one of those much debated points. In general, I think the use of wound paints of various sorts has declined, though I imagine some would still recommend their use. Personally, I don't seal any pruning cuts; I feel that leaving it uncovered to heal naturally is probably the best way. The only thing I cover is a graft union, and that is to minimise moisture loss as much as anything else.
@@jonnyskitchengarden Generally agree - physiologically the natural healing process produces a wholesome and efficient barrier given time. Being surrounded by hedges of silver leaf infested blackthorn, I am acutely aware that leaving raw wounds is tempting fate - infact even RHS state that on balance painting a wound is better than leaving it open in such circumstances. Local environment determines response.
Just discovered your channel, loving the content! I have a duo plum tree (Victoria and Opal) on a dwarf rootstock that i bought this year. It's in a large pot and i intend to plant into a polytunnel and fan train. However it's already about 6ft tall, with 2 main stems making a Y shape tree, but the angle is closer than what i need for the fan. Is it still possible to prune it in order to create the fan, and if not then how? Also i hope to plant it in the next few weeks, so is it too late in the year to prune it now? Many thanks, J
Welcome 🙂 It is unfortunate when that happens, but you could probably cut it back to develop a better framework. It is always a little troubling when major cuts are needed on a young tree but I have done it before to an apricot tree in a similar situation and it did fine afterwards. I would leave it until the spring now, I think. Presumably the two main stems are from each of the two varieties? In which case you will need to leave at least a short length of each. Is there any scope for bending the branches? Feel free to send a photo to jonnyskitchengarden@gmail.com and I’d be happy to take a look.
Nightmare. Not one plum. Must have done something drastically wrong with my Victoria’s fan. Are you not making videos anymore. They were and are really informative.
Unfortunately, I have not been able to work in the garden this year. However, there will be more videos at some point... Did you have much blossom? If you did, then poor conditions at pollination time may be the cause - miserable weather, late frost, etc. If not, then it may just be an off year. If you had a bumper crop last season, then it may just be a biennial bearing habit. Nothing can be done about that now, but if you have a big crop next year, remove a portion (1/4 to 1/3, perhaps even more if there is a lot of fruit) when the fruits are still tiny; you should get better fruit this way too. Lots of fruits are prone to this - plums, and Victoria plum for sure, is one of them. In one year when there is an abundance, so much energy goes into developing the crop that the production of fruit buds is much diminished. The subsequent year, the crop is minimal and lots of fruit buds are produced. And so it goes. The only way to break the cycle, or at least manage it somewhat, is to thin the crop during the good times. You could, of course, have gone a bit mad with the secateurs and removed all of the fruit buds, but that seems unlikely given that they will bear on the older wood.
Honestly I’m not stalking you but I like I’m sure many other people are missing your waffling videos. As spring moves into summer I think of people I have enjoyed watching for a long time and hope they are well but just not posting ❤. Have you considered instagram as an alternative just so we know your ok, Ali
I've never had a stalker before 😂😂😂 I am missing the garden and making the videos - I'm still here reading comments, though :) Sadly, not too well this year so taking a break. Hopefully I can make some more videos later.
I'm so grateful for how knowledgeable you are!
Thank you! I always appreciate your comments - you were the first to comment on my channel when I had just started :) :) :)
Great to see you back and glad your all ok. I don’t grow fruit trees but it doesn’t stop me from watching and catching a fab waffling video 😂😂. Happy gardening Jonny 👩🌾, Ali 🌦️🇨🇦
I'm can always rely on you to listen to my waffle - many thanks :)
I always enjoy the waffles Jonny. My Victoria plum tree developed silver leaf a few years ago even though I took care only to prune it in the summer. I decided to leave it to quietly die and planted a climbing hydrangea to cover up the corpse. However, it has continued to produce some leaves each yesr, and this year has even borne quite a heavy crop of fruit on the surviving branches. So it looks as though it's recovering to a certain extent, which I thought was impossible.
Victoria is an interesting sort. It is a bit underrated sometimes in some of the books and articles, but I think the flavour of a perfectly ripe Victoria plum is wonderful and it makes superb jam. Unfortunately, it is rather susceptible to disease and broken limbs, but this is somewhat countered, as you have found, by a rather vigorous habit so that, in practice, it can often grow out of problems where other varieties might not. One can sometimes end up with a rather scruffy specimen, but one that still carries a good crop.
Thanks, Jonny. You're right about the flavour. Good to know the tree should recover. It is certainly vigorous. I understand that Victorias' crops can be variable. When this tree was in full health the yearly crop varied between good and phenomenal.
Not sure that I’d go so far as to say it should recover but it may keep going for some time yet. I had a festoon of Victoria many years ago - it was immensely productive - had to provide stakes for all of the branches to prevent them from breaking under the load 😀
Hi Jonny, I just realised I haven't seen a video from you in a while. Hope all is well, look forward to seeing your garden in 2024
Hi! Thanks very much for your comment. Yes, it has been a while. I do have a couple of videos planned, but unfortunately I have had to scale back due to dodgy health - the old ticker is being uncooperative... Hopefully better times ahead :) Hope you are well and looking forward to the new season.
Hope your health is OK and that you post some more videos soon. I am just setting up a fruit garden and your videos have been a great source of information and ideas.
Thank you! I have been distracted with other things lately - hopefully I can do some more videos later. I hope your fruit garden goes well - if you have any questions any time, I am happy to try to answer :)
@@jonnyskitchengarden I am trying to set up a fruit cage out of an old greenhouse (a bit like you did with your polytunnel. Please can you advise what netting you used and where you got it from for the top of your fruit cage.
Good idea. I'm not certain but I think it was from here: www.gardening-naturally.com/anti-bird-netting. They have all sorts of mesh and netting in lots of different sizes. One thing about an old greenhouse is that it can lack some rigidity without the glass in place - although there won't be much wind resistance - so it might help to add some extra diagonal bracing (aluminium angle or some wooden batten).
Here’s hoping you are well Jonny it’s been a while since we have seen you. I’m low on waffling videos 🤭🤭. Have a very Merry Christmas 🤶 look forward to seeing updates in the new year, Ali 🤶🎄
Hi Ali. Thank you so much for your comment - hopefully I can make some more videos in the coming year. Happy New Year to you :)
Hi Jonny, Wishing you well for 2024 and all the veg. bugs be held at bay. Better protect those garlic shoots according to the recent weather models - Winter arrives after this weekend! Many regards, Peter
Hi Peter, a Happy New Year to you. Thanks for the weather warning 👍
I hope you are doing ok, looking forward to your garden this year.
Thank you! I am doing ok, but have scaled back operations in the garden. Hopefully can do a few videos this year, though.
@@jonnyskitchengarden Do you still have your peach and cherry trees. I would love video on pruning them. I have watched your old videos about this subject but I still have a hard time with them. I have all my trees trained on a wall. Apples and Pears are straight forward but peaches and cherries just confuse me. Unfortunately I didn't grow up with fruit trees and had to learn by doing.
I do still have them, though I'm not sure whether I will be making further pruning videos right now. I am happy to try to answer any questions you might have, though. To start with, it depends what sort of cherry you have. Sweet cherries can be pruned much like plums and sour cherries much like peaches - the sour cherries and peach share that habit of only fruiting on the previous season's growth, whereas plums and sweet cherries will fruit on older wood. That is the factor that determines the approach to pruning.
Hi Jonny, just realised i hadnt seen any videos from you recently. Hope all is okay. Miss your wonderful videos and your expansive knowledge. Give us a little gzrden tour soon and let us know whzt you are growing this year 🤞
Thanks very much for your comment. Unfortunately, I have been unwell so unable to do much in the garden this year. Hope to make some more videos later though.
@@jonnyskitchengarden❤
Welcome back ! :)
Thank you! How are things? Scorching hot and dry, presumably?
Always. Just came off a week of 47C and we haven't seen rain in over a month. The ponds are all dry 20 foot deep ponds. The deep creeks are dried out, gone. I managed 400 pounds of tomatoes and called it quits. Even with direct to root watering the heat hindered fruit set. The plants were 9 feet tall, but had no more fruit on. I just cleared the garden for winter yesterday.@@jonnyskitchengarden
Wow! I don't know how you manage it with those conditions - I would melt 😲
It was not at all pleasant.@@jonnyskitchengarden
Understanding that the video subject is "fan trained plums" - but related to the general pruning of plum trees, what advice would you suggest:
Leave cut wounds open at this late time of the year and risk potential infection or cover with a suitable pruning mastic. That is if for what ever reason the pruning has to be undertaken now rather than leaving until next season. Again presuming normal damp autumnal weather conditions prevailing.
Ah, that would be one of those much debated points. In general, I think the use of wound paints of various sorts has declined, though I imagine some would still recommend their use. Personally, I don't seal any pruning cuts; I feel that leaving it uncovered to heal naturally is probably the best way. The only thing I cover is a graft union, and that is to minimise moisture loss as much as anything else.
@@jonnyskitchengarden Generally agree - physiologically the natural healing process produces a wholesome and efficient barrier given time. Being surrounded by hedges of silver leaf infested blackthorn, I am acutely aware that leaving raw wounds is tempting fate - infact even RHS state that on balance painting a wound is better than leaving it open in such circumstances. Local environment determines response.
A neighbouring infected host plant might indeed sway the decision!
@@jonnyskitchengarden Jonny, for an individual who states he is prone to waffling , that comment was so precise and apt it made me chuckle🙃
😂
Just discovered your channel, loving the content! I have a duo plum tree (Victoria and Opal) on a dwarf rootstock that i bought this year. It's in a large pot and i intend to plant into a polytunnel and fan train. However it's already about 6ft tall, with 2 main stems making a Y shape tree, but the angle is closer than what i need for the fan. Is it still possible to prune it in order to create the fan, and if not then how? Also i hope to plant it in the next few weeks, so is it too late in the year to prune it now? Many thanks, J
Welcome 🙂 It is unfortunate when that happens, but you could probably cut it back to develop a better framework. It is always a little troubling when major cuts are needed on a young tree but I have done it before to an apricot tree in a similar situation and it did fine afterwards. I would leave it until the spring now, I think.
Presumably the two main stems are from each of the two varieties? In which case you will need to leave at least a short length of each. Is there any scope for bending the branches? Feel free to send a photo to jonnyskitchengarden@gmail.com and I’d be happy to take a look.
Nightmare. Not one plum. Must have done something drastically wrong with my Victoria’s fan.
Are you not making videos anymore. They were and are really informative.
Unfortunately, I have not been able to work in the garden this year. However, there will be more videos at some point... Did you have much blossom? If you did, then poor conditions at pollination time may be the cause - miserable weather, late frost, etc. If not, then it may just be an off year. If you had a bumper crop last season, then it may just be a biennial bearing habit. Nothing can be done about that now, but if you have a big crop next year, remove a portion (1/4 to 1/3, perhaps even more if there is a lot of fruit) when the fruits are still tiny; you should get better fruit this way too. Lots of fruits are prone to this - plums, and Victoria plum for sure, is one of them. In one year when there is an abundance, so much energy goes into developing the crop that the production of fruit buds is much diminished. The subsequent year, the crop is minimal and lots of fruit buds are produced. And so it goes. The only way to break the cycle, or at least manage it somewhat, is to thin the crop during the good times.
You could, of course, have gone a bit mad with the secateurs and removed all of the fruit buds, but that seems unlikely given that they will bear on the older wood.
@@jonnyskitchengarden no I had no flowers. It’s very strange.
@@jonnyskitchengarden thought it may be to its two year old wood. I’ll probably take that out and tie in this years growth.
Good crop last year?
Honestly I’m not stalking you but I like I’m sure many other people are missing your waffling videos. As spring moves into summer I think of people I have enjoyed watching for a long time and hope they are well but just not posting ❤. Have you considered instagram as an alternative just so we know your ok, Ali
I've never had a stalker before 😂😂😂 I am missing the garden and making the videos - I'm still here reading comments, though :) Sadly, not too well this year so taking a break. Hopefully I can make some more videos later.
@@jonnyskitchengarden I’m sorry you’re not well but I’m glad you’re keeping your sense of humour. Look forward to seeing you back waffling again 🥰
@@jonnyskitchengarden Hope you start feeling better and fully recover soon. We miss you and only want the best for you.
Thank you! :)