Plum tree help.

My plum tree is looking a little sad and has hardly produced any fruit this year. I haven�t pruned it yet because it�s hard to get to but is this the answer?

There is a bush growing round the bottom of the tree which is doing very well, do you think this is part of the problem? I didnââ?¬â?¢t put the tree in so itââ?¬â?¢s difficult to tell if the bush thing (which isnââ?¬â?¢t unattractive) may be something to do with grafting at the bottom of the tree. A lot of the bush ââ?¬Å?suckersââ?¬Â are just coming straight out of the ground around the bottom of the tree. Do I need to ditch the bush?

thanks

 

It does sound like your tree has suckered. You need to pull the pieces of it off where they emerge either from the trunk below the graft union, or from the roots. They are more vigorous than the cultivated part of the tree and are taking all the strength away from that. If you merely cut them then any buds left below the cut will grow even more. If any suckers come up a distance away you can use Roundup on them without killing the whole tree by the way.