Those branches are way too long. Plums will brake them and touch the ground. You need a strong structure, also you need to know what rootstock is used, they can grow big. That center stubb need to be removed, you only need 4 scaffold branches. (Side branches).

Plums do beter in a open vase limb structure.

Steve

Bob - center stub... u mean the trunk yah? How far above the highest lateral branch should I cut it?

Thinning to 4 branches and shortening those 4 branches can be done now? How short? Cut em in half or is it based on number of buds?

Root stock isn’t on label but it says 12-15ft tall.

Yes, that short stubb, cut it off at a slight angle, it will heal better. You have to pick the best 4 you want to keep. It’s too late now. Wait till fall when all leaves are gone. The cut will seal before winter sets in.

Cool - early fall... fix that nub, snip all but 4 branches back to the trunk... then shorten the 4 branches.... this is the first “whorl”

In spring new growth happens, the whorl gets wider... new leader goes straight up... and next fall I do the same thing to the first whorl... and then do it to the new whorl higher up on the tree?

You do not want a new leader. looking at your tree now, you got plenty branches. If you grow a central leader than you change the tree to a modified central leader tree configuration.

Go to Google, type in , Vase and modify central leader pictures. Plenty samples there.

Hmmm to no new leader... So the 4 branches I select in fall are the 4 branches that will eventually be the entire tree. They will just get longer and bush out a bit over time? Lol - obviously my first fruit tree ;-)

No, they will not get longer as long as you keep an eye on them. This fall you start pruning those 4 scaffold branches back say 10 inches. You will see a lot of smaller side branches developing in the spring. Branches growing straight up( water sprout) you don’t need.

You have to think, ease of picking. No tall ladders.

So these 4 branches don’t get taller/longer... they r the main structure? Of the tree and new growth will come from this main structure and not the trunk hence the term open center?

Right. Those four branches are needed to support a heavy load and not break. Also those 4branches need to grow at 45 degree or 60 degree would be ideal.

Awesome. I get it now. Thank you!!!

Follow up q - why does dwarf or semi dwarf or standard matter at all if you cut the trunk at 30in and let the branches go?

Homeowners for safety reasons should stay away from standard tree’s. Dwarf are a little on the small size, you really don’t have to do anything with them. Semi could still be large tree’s, depending on certain varieties. My advise is semi,s. Where you run into problems is spraying, it is a p. I. t. a ! With large tree’s, especially if you already have gray hair.

Thanks the help w this.

Signed
The guy w/o any gray hair, yet...

Good for you and good luck.

Does anything change with the above if I plan to plant One more plum tree and two cherry trees in this space?

There is a rock in the grass at the way left side of this image. Cherry tree there.

Then an olive tree is in the middle and the PMI is on the right.

Trees would be 15ft apart.

I’m also thinking about adding an additional cherry and plum for a total of 2 cherry, 2 plum, 1 olive.

With two plums/cherrys I could either add 2 trees in one hole leaving 15ft from olive or I could do 7ft spacing between each of the 5 trees.

Thoughts?

PMI was auto correct and should say plum

Read more about cherries, they don’t have a long spray cycle but you need to read more about the pain/sorrow with this. I don’t know what zone you’re in, take that in consideration.

Olive??

im in western WA - zone 8b - what do u mean by spray cycle? Arbequina Olive - planted a whip from the local nursury first thing this spring.... a couple olives are on there. Going to extend the bed that the olive is in and plant caper/lavendar plants around the olive tree. Probably fennel too. - Calling it the mediterranean bed.

One hundred, I don’t nothing about olive, I just don’t know if they can handle the winters.

I am a zone pusher growing a lot of citrus/ persimmon/figs and a couple others, have a Greenroom, temps stays in the mid sixties winter.

Got a meyer lemon, two Persian lime, in pots and then I went a little crazy and picked up 3 banana trees with a pineapple... also in pots... and I’m waiting on a red supreme guava and kumquats now. Told the wife we can eat on the couch in the winter cuz I need the tall kitchen for all this stuff. Lolzzzz

Just planted two figs - guess I top those in the spring. An Olympia and little ruby.

Oh and two coffee plants in pots.