[kali291]

Hi all
Can anyone throw any light on what has happened to my plum trees please? Earlier this year I planted two trees, a Victoria and an Opal. Recently, they appear to be dying. I have attached a picture of the leaves. They were planted at the edge of a lawn, and until two weeks ago were fine. I can find no evidence of any pests, but the lawn is fairly waterlogged after the recent heavy rains.
I would hate to lose them, so can anyone suggest what the problem might be, or how I could solve it.
Many thanks
Ron

[verge]

Hello kali29.
With all the rain we have experienced It looks like a fungal leaf spot to me. It will not kill the tree and possibly will not reoccur next deason If you enforce strict garden hygiene around your plum trees and we get a dryer summer next year . You should rake out and remove any dead leaves at the base of the tree now and as they fall in autumn, destroy these at a safe distance away by burning.
Also, remove any dead or badly damaged leaves on the trees and destroy these as well. Fungal spores may exist on these dead / damaged leaves and spread the disease through wind and rain dispersal.

A plum tree under stress will suffer more from the effects of fungal leaf spot.
De-stress your plants by keeping them well watered in dry spells and keeping them fed throughout the growing season.
Apply a mulch of well rotted compost to root zone of the tree each March.

If the ground around the trees suffered from waterlogging, I suggest you follow these tips on tree care after water logging
_________________
Q. What is the best soil for growing plants?
A. Your soil.

[kali291]

Hi Verge
Thanks for the advice. I will follow it and hopefully not lose the trees. There is not much in the way of dead leaves around the tree due to the high winds we've been getting, but the ground is waterlogged. Our soil is very heavy clay, which obviously doesn't help We also have a 3 or 4 year old maple about 30 ft away in the same soil, but this seems unaffected
Thanks again - ron