Sorry Santa Rosa plum tree

15 years ago

My Santa Rosa plum tree got zapped badly by several days of 20 degree weather this winter that followed a week of 80 degree weather in February. The tree was going full blast when the freeze hit. Now in May the tree is is a sorry state. Only about a third of the normal foliage is present. Scraping the bark here and there shows neither a bright green nor a dead, dry cambium but a sort of sickly green.

I am wondering if anyone has suffered this problem and if it is likely that my tree sometime this summer will push out new buds and recover. If not, it's a tree that has seen its day.

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Comments (3)

hoosierquilt USDA 10A Sunset 23 Vista CA
15 years ago
It should recover, RB. Just give it a little time.

Patty S.
norcal916
15 years ago
Yeah, I'd give it more time and it should be OK...Do you mean your temp got down to exactly '20' or down "into the 20's " ? Either way I don't think 20 degrees would kill that plum tree so maybe it's a different issue than the cold? I know of Santa Rosa plum trees that grow in much colder states and climates. I'm actually also in Sunset 14 and have a Santa Rosa plum and it's thriving right now. I'm in the Sacramento area. What part of Sunset 14 are you?
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calistoga_al ca 15 usda 9
15 years ago
Your cold temperature is not a problem for your plum, but it is supposed to happen when the tree is dormant. It is only the tender new growth that is damaged at those temperatures, and if your tree was well established it will have no trouble putting out new growth. When you get the new growth you will be able to tell what was actually damaged and be able to prune it out. You will have to buy your plums this year at the farmers market. Al