one branch of a tree dying

MoneySeeker1

Just noticed that one branch of one of my plum trees appears to be dying.

The other branches are proceeding as normal - ie plums forming.

This branch, however, had leaves there and those very tiny starter plums. However, the little plum-lets have shrivelled and died and the leaves are shrivelled and brown.

1. Wondering why this has happened please.

2. Should I give up on that particular branch and prune it off (and hope it's not going to muck up the appearance of the tree that much) and, if so, when?

I'm inclined to just prune that one branch off and do it right away.

Any suggestions please?

NB; It is the case, unfortunately, that I've seen two of the nearest gardens having weedkiller used in them and one of those gardens (thankfully not immediately adjacent, but it is pretty close by) does use weedkiller noticeably often. So I'm wondering if some of their weedkiller has drifted into my garden.

EDIT; Just had another close inspection of the tree and my other plum tree. I found a couple of twigs on the other tree had also got shrivelled brown leaves and looked a bit "sticky" and I could see what looked like drops of brown-ish honey drips at their tips and so I have thought "Well that definitely doesn't look normal" and snipped off those bits. But still wondering about my whole branch on the other tree - as in whether it will "come again" next year as normal.

Grenage

That is a possible cause; I would could back to live wood now. In the unlikely event that it's any sort of sickness it will decrease the chances of it spreading.


Most likely just an isolated branch, though.

madjackslam

Could be weedkiller spray, but it might be silver leaf. See details here - https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=245

It's a bit early for pruning plums, cherries, etc, but given it's a dead branch and we're look set for dry weather for a bit, I think it would be best to get rid of it ASAP, then hope for the best.