cab
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Whats wrong with the cherry plums?Every year I can pick my fill of cherry plums. They become wine (two gallons usually), chutney (a chunky one and a spicy one), jam (one plain cherry plum, one with ginger), they stew down for the freezer... A huge local forage harvest.
Yet this year, looking at the trees, theres practically nowt on 'em. Should be plenty of tiny fruit visible now, a few weeks away from ripening. Whats happened?
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hedgehogpie
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Over the years I've found that all our local ones fruit biennially. Patrick Whitfield decribes them (in How to Make a Forest Garden) as very variable and prone to this so I'd assumed that it was just how they are.
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cab
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Maybe... But they haven't done it before, at least not for the last seven or eight years. And they all seem to have decided to take this year mostly off.
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hedgehogpie
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It seems odd that they have changed their habit if that's not how your local crop usually behaves. Were they really abundant last year? Perhaps they are taking a break then 
You're right though, by this point you could anticipate seeing trees laden with developing fruits, but as I say I've learned that our local ones have biennial tendencies. Last year having been an exceptional one for us I didn't expect to see any this time and I was correct. Next year however, I'll have my basket ready!
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cab
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| hedgehogpie wrote: | | It seems odd that they have changed their habit if that's not how your local crop usually behaves. Were they really abundant last year? Perhaps they are taking a break then |
I guess we've had maybe three or four good years in a row, perhaps they're just exhausted?
Oh, well, just have to use something else for chutney this year
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tahir
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No plums round here either
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Jamanda
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Hmmm. Our sloes are looking OK, but I haven't checked on the bullaces this year. Better go and have a look soon.
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PeteS
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Just a thought - We had some unseasonal cold weather in the spring with snow, at least doen here, in April. Anything that flowered before then, or was at a delicate stage during this time, could have suffered.
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cab
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| Jamanda wrote: | | Hmmm. Our sloes are looking OK, but I haven't checked on the bullaces this year. Better go and have a look soon. |
Yeah, sloes are fine here too. Just the cherry plums. Must go investigate the proper plums too.
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cab
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| PeteS wrote: | | Just a thought - We had some unseasonal cold weather in the spring with snow, at least doen here, in April. Anything that flowered before then, or was at a delicate stage during this time, could have suffered. |
Could well be that, the late frosts might have hit at just the wrong time 
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PeteS
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I also checked a blackthorn bush at the weekend. At this time last year there were lots of little green sloes. Now I could not see a single berry. Of course it might be a bit early and it's just one bush but it got me worried.
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orangepippin
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I have several plum trees and this year most of them have absolutely nothing. I don't think it is a biennial issue, just bad weather in the spring at some point.
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Blue Peter
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Yes, cherry plums seem very rare round here. 2006 was a bumper year; 2007, I don't know whether this was poor or just that we were out-foraged; 2008 very poor,
Peter.
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Slim
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| hedgehogpie wrote: | | Over the years I've found that all our local ones fruit biennially. Patrick Whitfield decribes them (in How to Make a Forest Garden) as very variable and prone to this so I'd assumed that it was just how they are. |
That's because the fruit produce a hormone that inhibits the creation of the next year's flower buds. It's a natural protection that the tree has to prevent exhausting itself. Easily stopped with good pruning practices, as that will reduce the amount of fruit being produced to a 'safe' level anyway.
I'd put my money on an inopportune late frost...
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lottie
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Last year we had to prop the branches of the old plum trees that were here under the weight of fruit, they were covered in blossom this spring and my young trees had some as well, but because of a very cold snap at the wrong time I haven't a single plum or damson set fruit , loads of apples though 
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vegplot
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| cab wrote: | | Oh, well, just have to use something else for chutney this year |
Green tomatoes. It's always green tomatoes, the sods never rippen here. I've not looked at plums or bullace this year year, last year was very good.
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lottie
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squashes---seen one in I think the garden organic mag or similar that claims to be like mango chutney.
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cab
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| lottie wrote: | | squashes---seen one in I think the garden organic mag or similar that claims to be like mango chutney. |
I make a spicy plum chutney in the 'mango' style, its really rather pleasant  Not this year, perhaps
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hedgehogpie
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Just checked some of our local trees and there are fruits on them but nowhere near as many as in previous years. It's also very windy which is battering the hell out of them which isn't much of a help.
Got a decent amount of cherries today though, and some chamomile and lime blossom, which was nice.
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Jamanda
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No, none here either. There's a hedge about 50 yards long which is normally thick with them. I went to see this evening and not a one.
I did see an adder and a marsh orchid though
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lottie
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| Jamanda wrote: | No, none here either. There's a hedge about 50 yards long which is normally thick with them. I went to see this evening and not a one.
I did see an adder and a marsh orchid though |
Haven't seen an adder for years lucky you!
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sean
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There are loads on The Commons here. Someone wrote to the Conservators saying that they should round them all up and relocate them. 
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Andy B
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Could it be that they were not pollinated, crap weather for bees early in the year, too cold.
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Jamanda
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| Andy B wrote: | | Could it be that they were not pollinated, crap weather for bees early in the year, too cold. |
I think then you would still get some pollination, even if it was reduced. And anyway it wasn't particularly cold - just a couple of late frosts.
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sarahloo
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No cherry-plums on my trees either, and I got *loads* last year.
Lots of cherry-cherries though : )
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tahir
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| Andy B wrote: | | Could it be that they were not pollinated, crap weather for bees early in the year, too cold. |
Possibly, it was wet round here
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