Plums grown as Supercolumns

My first post and a likely salutary tale. Pictured is a Victoria plum bought bare root from Pomona Fruits in 2020. After five years it has fruited for the first time. This Spring the top had clearly died back, so I cut that out and left a couple of shoots in to train the most suitable in as the new leader. I've since watched with a mixture of horror and fascination as they have already reached 6'! In general this and its Oullins Golden Gage mate from the same source are extremely vigorous and both are coming up for their second 'prune' this year. This I will delay as long as possible, on the basis that excessive pruning will only increase vigour.

My order details are no longer on the Pomona site, but a Victoria is still listed for training as cordon or columnar, though I can't post a link as a newbie.

In the light of experience I'm concerned that the root stock isn't specified, and subsequent research has suggested that a suitable dwarfing stock is not available for plums. The equally vigorous Oullins Golden Gage has yet to flower let alone fruit, but there's always next year. Originally there was a Marjorie's Seedling plum between them, but ironically that had no vigour and died, so I replaced it with a super little Concord pear from the local garden centre.

I chose supercolumns (to grow to 8') because there would be room for them and because columns would let more light and air through to the veg. patch on the other side of a narrow grass path. I'm interested in thoughts on how to control the beasts, but I think this may end up as more a warning not to try to grow plums as cordons or columns.

[Edit] Apparently I can't post a photo link either.
[Edit] But I can attach a file that is a photo - much better!

 

I’m no help with posting photos or any sort of technology, so I’ll leave that to others. What I can say is, I have bought fruit trees from reputable people over the course of many years and have had some surprises. My current pig in a poke is a Bramley on a dwarf rootstock that currently stands at gutter level on a two storey house. So don’t worry, you aren’t alone.

I have a Victoria, a Marjorie’s Seedling and a damson and although they have been grown as normal trees they are all also very vigorous and very tall. Pruning should be done in summer, to avoid silver leaf disease, but pruning will remove the shoots in which the fruiting spurs will develop for fruits in the coming years.

Gardening is full of challenges. Look on it as one of those.

 

Why am I finding a lot of photos covered with big red crosses these days.

 

I think that rather than posting a link to a photo on another site, you might need to post the picture itself.
I've always uploaded pictures direct from my computer on this site. On another forum I used to use the picture had to be uploaded to somewhere like postimage and then you copied the link onto the forum post, possibly to minimise the size the forum took up on a server.

 

I've always had St Julien as the plum rootstock, although a dwarfing one called Pixy is available.
This can explain better than I can Rootstocks for Plum trees

 

Photo now attached as a file. I thought it was St. Julien, but haven't been able to confirm that on the Pomona Fruits website - it may still be too vigorous for columns or cordons. I'll contact them to see if they can tell me what was used.

I bought an Apricot from them at the same time (Golden Glow - the one found growing on the Malvern Hills). That is growing nicely, has only just filled the space available, and has produced two apricots in this its first year of fruiting.

 

That's the most comprehensive list of rootstocks for 'plums' that I've seen - thank you. It would have been really useful in 2020! I do wonder if the Marjorie's Seedling was on Pixy, it was so different from the other two.

 

Fine healthy plants, every one of them. Count your blessings.

 

Bramleys have a reputation for that. My father's was vigorous too, but with careful pruning he kept it more or less under control and then supervised me so that I learned to as well. I had to climb up into it to reach the top though, so not a little thing - and so many apples!

 

Nice email from Pomona Fruits received today confirming rootstock for all plums and gages is St Julien A with instructions for pruning my cordons attached.

They're growing in what for twenty years was the southern edge of my vegetable patch - garden compost dug in every couple of years. Regime now is compost and potash plus blood, fish and bone every year. At 460' feet up we're not usually short of rain, and a bit less sun than down on the Levels. Conditions perhaps too good for them!