Plum cordons are excellent for the small garden. They are simply single-stemmed fruit trees with short sideshoots (fruiting spurs).

Any plum cultivars can be grown as cordons by using the dwarfing rootstock ‘Pixy’, but the best results are from those cultivars which are naturally compact such as ‘Early Laxton’, ‘Czar’ and ‘Blue Tit’.

Cordons can be planted and trained obliquely or vertically. The oblique

A plant that is restricted by pruning to usually one main stem, either upright or at a 45 degree angle, with short fruiting side-shoots (spurs). Apples, pears, gooseberries, tomatoes, redcurrants and whitecurrants are often grown as cordons, especially where space is limited. Sweet peas can be grown as cordons to produce large flowers for exhibition.

• Plant one- or two-year-old bare-rooted cordons in winter. Container-grown plants can be planted throughout the year
• Choose a site that is open and as sunny as possible, with shelter from severe frosts that can damage blossom
• Vertical and double cordons (‘U’-shaped) can also be grown in containers (at least 45cm (18in) wide) in John Innes No 3
  Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost: • Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own.

  compost
• The supporting system of posts and wires is the same as for apple and pear cordons
• If you are planting more than one row, space the rows not less than 1.8m (6ft) apart
• Plant the trees in well-drained soil at an angle of 45 degrees with the scion/rootstock union uppermost and 75-90cm (30in-3ft) apart. The root flare should be just under the surface of the soil

Initial training

The angle of the main stem slows the movement of

Sap is a fluid that circulates through a plant's vascular system, in a similar way to blood moving through our veins. Phloem sap carries the sugars produced in the leaves by photosynthesis down to roots and other storage organs, as well as carrying minerals and hormones. Xylem sap is watery and transports nutrients absorbed by the roots upwards to the rest of the plant. Some plants leak sap from wounds or pruning cuts, and this is known as bleeding.

1. Trim any side shoots back to three or four
   A bud is a small, undeveloped shoot that contains the potential for new growth. Buds are typically found on stems, where they can be apical (found at the tip) or axillary (found between leaf axils) and may develop into leaves, shoots or flowers.

   buds in March to April.
2. Prune the leading shoot by one third to a suitable
   A bud is a small, undeveloped shoot that contains the potential for new growth. Buds are typically found on stems, where they can be apical (found at the tip) or axillary (found between leaf axils) and may develop into leaves, shoots or flowers.

   bud and thereafter prune in summer.
3. Tie the cordon to a bamboo
   A cane is a slender, straight, length of woody plant material, usually bamboo. Canes are primarily used as plant supports. The fruiting stems of blackberries, raspberries and hybrid berries (such as loganberries and tayberries) are also known as canes, so these crops are often referred to as cane fruit.

   cane fixed to the wires. Where subsequent growth is poor, incline the tree more towards the vertical until sufficient growth has taken place.
4. When the cordons reach the top wire, they may be lowered to obtain more length of stem, but no more than 5 degrees at a time and to no lower than 35 degrees so that there is less risk of the stem breaking.
5. Once the cordon has reached the desired length, prune the leader back to about 1.5cm (½in) each May.

The pruning of cordons is carried out to concentrate growth into fruit

A bud is a small, undeveloped shoot that contains the potential for new growth. Buds are typically found on stems, where they can be apical (found at the tip) or axillary (found between leaf axils) and may develop into leaves, shoots or flowers.

Timing

Prune established plum cordons in summer (July to August): they should never be pruned in the

Dormancy refers to a period of inactivity in plants, during which they slow down or stop their growth, conserving energy and resources. This is a natural process that helps them survive harsh conditions, such as winter or drought. Dormancy in seeds is a mechanism that prevents them germinating until environmental conditions are favourable for growth.

How to prune established plums

• ‘Stop’ the current growth (i.e. cut off the shoot tip) on each
  A branch that grows from the main trunk or trunks.

  lateral to leave six leaves
• Growth produced after the ‘stopping’ is pinched back to one leaf beyond the previous pruning mark
• After fruiting, prune back these shoots to three leaves to create fruiting spurs
• Some growers suggest that it is sufficient to cut to one
  A bud is a small, undeveloped shoot that contains the potential for new growth. Buds are typically found on stems, where they can be apical (found at the tip) or axillary (found between leaf axils) and may develop into leaves, shoots or flowers.

  bud and do this every three to four weeks 
• Any secondary growth on the side shoots resulting from these cuts is shortened to one leaf in the following spring

Keep an eye out for the following problems;

• Bare areas of stem can occur if side shoots are not produced. These can be encouraged by cutting back the leader (last summer’s growth) by up to one third of its length.
  A bud is a small, undeveloped shoot that contains the potential for new growth. Buds are typically found on stems, where they can be apical (found at the tip) or axillary (found between leaf axils) and may develop into leaves, shoots or flowers.

  Buds lower down should then break
• It is important to thin fruit to avoid biennial bearing and fungal diseases such as brown rot
• Neglected cordons can be brought back into shape by spring pruning and thereafter pruned in the summer. Over-long or complicated systems should be shortened to suitably placed buds

More generally, diseases such as silver leaf, bacterial canker and pocket plum can affect plums.

Plum aphids and plum moth are also troublesome.