How to keep a greengage to a manageable size

Dan Neuteboom shows us a Cambridge Gage tree that is 15 years old and that he has succeeded to keeping down to a height of about 5 feet. Greengages are trees that tend to become large, and create large branches without any fruit-bearing furnishing. After blossom, observe the tree, and if there are strong shoots developing, wait until the bottom part of the shoots is woody, and then cut them off, cutting just above the first bud. This also has the effect of stimulating furnishing on the older wood, so that even an old tree continues cropping right in the centre of the tree. Keeping the height of the tree down to 5 feect makes harvest easier and pest control more efficient. Greengages are not suitable for intensive planting, the tree is best given enough space to spread out. It needs a good pollinator. In August and early September, continue cutting back the new shoots. This system would not be easy on a commercial scale, but it is perfectly feasible on a garden tree. Narration by Dan Neuteboom, camera by John Paddy. Read more at https://realenglishfruit.co.uk