I've noticed little problem with Italian plums I manage but what makes you think treatment will likely fail? For me cutting out black knot is a regular part of my rounds and most trees don't get overwhelmed with infection. Stanley is not the most susceptible of plums I manage by a long shot.

You should plant another plum for sweeter fruit, though. Stanley falls off the tree before it gets full sugar. Never grew President so can't report on that.

This tree is gradually being overtaken by the shade of a neighbor's tree, which I think makes it prone to disease.

If the treatment does fail, I'd like to have another tree already to fruit. And for the variety.

The main thing is eastern sun to dry the tree off in the morning.

I recommend Valor as it ripens later than Stanley and ripens into a wonderful plum. Much more productive here than Italian- 3X the size and more plums. Also more sugar (probably because the size makes the flesh to skin ratio much higher).

I'm still picking them from my two trees- its picking season can last at least a month if you only pick ripe plums.

Adams has it.

Thanks. Alas, eastern sun is exactly what this tree increasingly doesn't get. Establishing another in a better location seems the way to go.

And if I'm doing this, I'd prefer a variety that resists black knot, in case it might spread from the Stanley.

This post was edited by ltilton on Wed, Sep 25, 13 at 13:56