- 1). Cut the Italian plum tree back to 26 inches from the ground at planting if you bought a sapling without branches. For a branched tree, select four evenly spaced stems 18 to 30 inches above ground to retain. These are known as the main scaffolds. Remove all other branches. Trim the scaffolds to half their length. Make the pruning cuts 1/4 inch above a bud that faces away from the plant.
- 2). Prune broken and diseased branches at the end of the first growing season. Cut off upright branches that sprout from the scaffolds. If the scaffolds begin to point upward, trim their tips back to a bud that faces away from the plum tree.
- 3). Remove all branches that develop below the scaffolds in subsequent years. Prune off dead and diseased twigs and those that form narrow angles with the scaffolds. Cut the trunk back to maintain the Italian plum's height. Trim the scaffold tips if they bend upward.
- 4). Thin fruiting branches by one-third annually after the tree becomes productive. Trim the tips of the remaining stems if they begin to droop.
Source...