plum tree question

[sashurlow]

I realize this is a wine forum and not a horticultural forum, but it seems that there are quite a few people who own plum trees on this forum.
My three trees did not produce any plums this year (OK... they produced a handful). Will plums take an off year every now and then?
We have only owned the house and trees for three summers. The first summer they were shaded out by an annoying sumac tree and I am remembering they did not produce many. Last year they produced hundreds of pounds of plums and this year they are healthier than ever but not producing. Is this normal for plums???

 

[gregbathurst]

Frost is usually the cause of a poor plum harvest, or maybe disease. It also depends on the variety, japanese plums are more reliable fruiting than european plums.

 

[xplornevada]

Sometimes fruit trees exhaust themselves and tend toward biennial cropping. Try thinning the fruit each spring. You'll still get a good crop, but it will even out every year. Thinning also helps prevent broken branches.