Pruning cherry trees

Trimming Cherry Trees - When And How To Prune A Cherry Tree

All fruiting trees need to be pruned and cherry trees are no exception. Whether sweet, sour, or weeping, knowing when to prune a cherry tree and knowing the correct method for cutting back cherries are valuable tools. So, if you want a cherry tree that will provide maximum fruit production, ease of harvest and care, and is aesthetically pleasing in appearance, you’ll need to prune your tree. The question is what is the proper method for cherry tree pruning? Let’s talk cherry tree pruning care.

Why Trim a Cherry Tree?

Pruning cherries, or any fruit tree for that matter, is of paramount importance. The primary reason for trimming cherry trees is to ensure the most optimal access to sunlight. Cherry tree pruning allows for aeration, allowing light channels to penetrate the tree, allowing a better fruit set, ease of harvest, and the ability to battle or thwart disease.

So in essence, when you trim a cherry tree back, it will be allowed to develop a proper form, yielding higher quality fruit earlier in its life and remaining healthier overall. Trees that have been improperly pruned or trained tend to have upright branch angles, which may lead to limb damage under heavy fruit production.

When to Prune a Cherry Tree

The rule of thumb when pruning fruit trees is to do so when the tree is dormant during the winter. However, cutting back sweet cherries is an exception to this rule. Sweet cherries are more susceptible to fungal and bacterial diseases, especially on recently cut limbs, so it is best to prune them in the late summer. Keep in mind that summer pruning reduces the tree’s energy for fruit production as well as its growth, so this should be minimal using only thinning cuts. Thinning cuts are those which remove an entire shoot, branch, or limb up to the point of its origin and do an excellent job of opening up the canopy.

Dormant pruning is a more aggressive pruning. When a large portion of the tree is removed during the dormant season, the energy reserves of the tree remain unchanged. The timing of dormant season pruning is critical, and should begin as late in the winter as feasible to avoid injuring the tree. Sour and weeping fruit trees may be pruned at this time once the risk of winter frost has passed.

Early spring is also prime time for pruning young cherry trees, shaping and training the young tree before it blossoms. Pruning should begin as buds emerge, but wait until all chance of extreme cold temperatures have passed to avoid possible cold injury, as younger trees are more susceptible to this. Mature cherries can be pruned in early spring too, or after they bear fruit.

How to Prune a Cherry Tree

The tools needed to trim a cherry tree back include: a hand pruner, long handled lopping shears, and a pruning saw. Bypass pruners are better than anvil; they can get a closer pruning job done than anvil pruners. The number one task in cherry tree pruning care, actually prior to pruning any bearing tree, is to sterilize your pruning tools. This is to prevent the potential spread of disease from other plants to the cherry. You can wipe the blades down with rubbing alcohol and a rag or mix a solution of one part bleach to nine parts water and then rinse with clean water and dry.

How to Prune Cherry Trees When Young

Young cherry trees should be pruned into an open vase-like shape to allow for light and air penetration which increases the number of blooms, hence an abundant fruit set.

First, cut the suckers off the trunk of the tree and any shoots from limbs that are pointing towards the trunk of the tree as well as any weak branches. All of these are rather pointless shoots that strive to take nutrients from the areas of the tree you want them to go. Cutting them also serves to increase air circulation. Cut the sucker right outside the branch collar, the raised area where the stem meets the trunk. Also, cut any obviously dead, diseased, or broken branches.

Head the tree in fall or winter, an exception to the above rule. A heading cut is the removal of part of a shoot, branch, or limb, up to one-third to one-half its length. If you head in the spring, you will be lopping off developed buds, potential fruit. Heading means cutting off the top of the leader, the central trunk to encourage growth of the lateral branches. This is done within the first year or two to control the tree’s shape. Be sure the sapling is well over 30 inches (76 cm.) tall before heading it. Make a 45-degree angle cut on the leader, leaving the tree 24 to 36 inches (61-92 cm.) tall.

In the subsequent year, begin creating a scaffold whorl, a set of four lateral branches extending out from the tree which provides a solid stricter. Choose four sturdy, evenly spaced branches to keep and prune out the others. Opt for limbs that are at a 45 to 60-degree angles to the leader and at least 8 inches (20 cm.) apart vertically from the lowest branch about 18 inches (46 cm.) above the ground. Cut those four branches back to 24 inches (61 cm.) with one-fourth inch angled cuts above the buds. This is where new growth will emerge. Continue to make clean cut flush against the leader to remove the remaining branches.

The following year, create a second scaffold whorl. The tree will be taller now, so select another set of four branches to keep about 2 feet (61 cm. ) higher than the first set. Choose branches that don’t fall over the older primary limbs. Repeat as above to create a second scaffold.

Pruning Mature Cherries

Once the tree is three years old, it’s time to promote outward growth by pruning out new vertical limbs. At this point you will need loppers or pruning saws, not shears. Again, clean the tools prior to use. Also, prune out any dead or diseased limbs and dead fruit. Cut back any suckers at the base of the tree. Remove any crossed branches.

Cherries are prone to disease, so be sure to clean up all the discarded remnants. Also, cover all cuts with a tree sealant to fend off disease.

In summary, when you prune cherries, remember your goal. You are trying to create a tree that is well balanced, open and manageable, as well as aesthetically pleasing. There is no real science for pruning fruit trees. Some of it is trial and error. Look at the tree carefully and try to envision it as it will look when it’s leafed out in the summer, and eliminate any shoots that seem too closely spaced.

Pruning Cherry Trees - Stark Bro's

Pruning is a very important part of proper cherry tree care and maintenance; however, many people think the task overwhelming. It doesn’t have to be! Keep these things in mind when you set out to prune your cherry trees:

NOTE: This is part 8 in a series of 11 articles. For a complete background on how to grow cherry trees, we recommend starting from the beginning.

Survival

When your cherry tree is dug up from our fields to be shipped to you, and any time a tree is transplanted, the root ball loses many of its fine feeder roots. These hair-like, delicate roots are important to the process of absorbing moisture and nutrients in the soil. Pruning, in this instance, helps balance the top growth of your tree with the root system, giving the roots time to re-establish in your yard to support existing top growth and new growth.

When your bare-root cherry tree arrives from Stark Bro’s, our professionals have already pre-pruned your tree for you. Because of this, you do not need to prune it again at planting time. The only pruning necessary at that time would be to remove any broken or damaged branches and/or roots.

Plan to prune your cherry trees every year during their dormant season. In Zone 6 and north, you should wait until late winter. A good reference book, such as Pruning Made Easy, can be invaluable for providing additional visuals and answering questions you may have during the pruning process.

Stimulation

In addition to the survival benefits, pruning an cherry tree stimulates stronger, more vigorous growth from the remaining buds. After a single growing season, a cherry tree you prune will be bigger, with stronger branching than a similar, unpruned cherry tree.

Shape and Structure

Equally as important to the benefits above, your cherry tree needs to be pruned to provide a strongly structured shape. The natural shape a cherry tree takes on is not always the best for its maximum fruit production. Stark Bro’s cherry trees are pruned in the nursery row for proper shaping to get you started and corrective pruning must continue at home. If you keep up with your pruning and shaping each year, it will be a reasonable task mostly involving small, easy-to-heal cuts.

Always prune sweet cherry trees to a “Central Leader” or “Main Leader”. This structure encourages scaffold development, which supports the canopy and keeps the fruit from becoming overexposed to the sun and other elements. Pie/Sour/Tart cherry trees can be pruned to a modified central leader or more of an “Open Center” or “Vase-Shaped” structure. This structure keeps the canopy open to light and air circulation, which helps protect fruit and sustain quality.

Pruning Tips

First dormant season (a year after you plant the tree): Remove the central leader and direct the tree growth toward three or four strong scaffolds. Choose branches that are evenly distributed around the trunk. Maintain about 6 inches of height between the scaffold branches, keeping the lowest branch at least 18 inches from the ground. Leave some small branches on the lower trunk to encourage trunk strength. Prune back scaffold branches to one-third of their length.
Second dormant season: Prune back fast-growing new shoots but leave twig growth, which will be future fruit-bearing wood. Choose and encourage additional scaffolds, if needed.
Third dormant season: Prune off any broken limbs or crossing branches, but don’t do any more major pruning until the tree has produced a good-sized crop.
Mature-tree pruning: Once the basic shape of your cherry tree has been established, make your pruning decisions in line with which branches are bearing fruit. Most trees produce fruit on the previous year’s long stems and on short branches (spurs), each of which will bear fruit for several years. Each year, cut out a portion of the older fruiting wood to keep rejuvenating the tree. Prune back each of last year’s stems to half their length.

Pruning angles

Narrow, V-shape crotch angles in the limbs are an open invitation to disastrous splitting later on, particularly when your cherry tree is supporting a large fruit crop. For your tree’s branches, choose wide 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock angles.

Pruning to a bud

Make sharp, clean cuts close enough (about ¼-inch away from the next outward-pointing bud) so you won’t leave a clumsy stub that’s hard to heal over. Stay far enough above the bud so it won’t die back. Slant the cuts and the new growth will develop beautifully.

Every branch has buds pointed in various directions. Because you want vigorous new growth to spread out and away from the center of the tree, make your cut above a bud that’s aimed outward. These are usually located on the underside of the branch. This helps your cherry tree develop a solid structure, keeping it strong and productive for years.

Pruning Whips (Unbranched Trees)

Unbranched cherry trees are ideal if you want more control over which branches are allowed to develop — as you might in certain artful pruning styles like espalier. Prune whips back to 28- to 36-inches above the ground at planting time. After the new branches have grown 3 to 5 inches in length, select a shoot to become the leader and the rest become the tree’s scaffold limbs.

Off-season Pruning

Sometimes pruning needs to be done even when the season isn’t ideal. If a branch is broken by the wind or by a heavy load of fruit, emergency treatment is necessary. When taking action due to injury, prune to clean up any ragged edges; making a flush cut that leaves no stub.

It does not benefit the cherry tree to wait until dormancy to prune damaged, dead, or diseased limbs or to remove unwanted growth like suckers and watersprouts. These should all be completely removed as soon as you see them.

Fruit-Thinning

There are several good reasons to thin fruit:

To reduce limb breakage
Increase the size of the remaining fruit
Improve fruit color and quality
Stimulate floral initiation for next year’s crop

Home gardeners can effectively thin cherry trees by hand if needed. During the spring, cherry trees may will start to drop or abort underripe fruit. This is a natural process that allows the tree to mature the remaining crop load. If not corrected through thinning, cherry trees may bear biennially (fruits only every other year) or bear heavily one year, then bear a comparatively light crop the next year. Thinning may seem counterproductive in theory, but it really is a benefit to your cherry harvest in the long run.

Cherry pruning in spring and autumn. Cherry pruning pattern.

According to professional gardeners, regular thinning of the crown and removal of unnecessary branches is extremely important for cherries and brings many benefits:

the tree is properly formed, its one-sidedness and thickening of the crown are prevented;
yield increases several times;
berries become larger and tastier;
the destruction of old diseased and damaged branches provides additional protection for cherries from pests.

In addition, cherry pruning helps prevent the spread of disease. This work is usually done in spring and autumn.

Cherry pruning in spring

The crown is formed 5 years after planting.
Pruning of cherries in spring begins before the buds swell. Remove dry and broken shoots.
Proper trimming is essential to avoid gum bleeding. All wounds after pruning are covered with garden pitch. If the tree has a bushy shape, then leave 7-9skeletal (main) branches. In a tree-like variety of cherries, it is enough to leave 4-6 pieces. In grafted seedlings, root shoots are removed, which reduces the yield of the crop.
When pruning old cherries in spring, don't remove too many branches at once. If the seedling was launched and not cut off, it is better to do it in several stages over 2-3 years. After pruning in the spring, as a rule, new shoots begin to grow, their growth must be monitored and, if necessary, also cut.

Pruning cherries in autumn

Pruning cherries in autumn is very important. Properly carried out procedure will significantly increase the future harvest and extend the overall life of the plant.

Experienced summer residents carry it out even in late autumn, so that the tree is already in the winter “sleep” mode. It should be noted that in the fall we cut only dry, infected or broken shoots.

Basic rules for autumn pruning:

do not prune young cherry seedlings too much, this will slow down fruiting;
if a branch with a diameter wider than 1 cm is pruned, it is better to cover the wound with garden pitch to heal faster;
cherry pruning should be carried out every year.

Cherry pruning scheme

The seedling is cut in such a way that 4-5 strong, developed branches remain on it. The remaining growths are removed, and the wounds are covered up. The branches left should be at a distance of 10 cm from each other and directed to the sides. Next, they make observations so that the bush does not thicken, and the crown continues to form correctly. All shoots going inside are removed. The shoots formed on the headquarters are cut out (Figure 1).

Pruning of young cherries must be done with great care as the growth and fruiting patterns of the tree are established during this period. Mistakes made can lead to low crop yields in the future.

Fig. 1 - Scheme of pruning a young cherry seedling.

The scheme for pruning mature cherries also has its own characteristics (picture 2). It is carried out in order to rejuvenate and increase productivity. The rejuvenating formation of the crown of bushy varieties is required when fruiting is significantly reduced. The yield is returned by reducing the number of branches and shortening them by 1/3 or 1/2 of the length of the shoot. So that the plant does not weaken after pruning and continues to bear fruit, skeletal and semi-skeletal branches are removed in different years. Annual growths cannot be touched.

Fig. 2 - Scheme of pruning an adult cherry tree.

More in this category: Pruning raspberries in spring, autumn. When is the best time to prune raspberries? Pruning apricots in spring and autumn

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Pruning cherries and cherries in autumn - tips for beginners in pictures

Now is the best time for sanitary pruning of stone fruits, so do not rush to hide your garden tools, but rather study our schemes for pruning cherries and sweet cherries in the fall - and get to work!

Without pruning, trees age faster and lose their ability to produce abundant fruit. Also, this procedure allows you to form a crown and prevent the occurrence of diseases. As for the autumn pruning of cherries and sweet cherries, its goal is to free the trees from all that is superfluous, thereby strengthening the immune system and preserving strength for future development. In the spring, the pruned plant will have a strong growth of shoots, and the branches in the thinned crown will receive more light. As a result, flower buds, and hence fruits, will increase. But in order for everything to go well, and for the trees to survive the winter safely after pruning, you need to figure out how to properly carry out this work.

Pruning of one-year-old cherry and sweet cherry seedlings in autumn, as well as young immature plants, is unacceptable. Better do it in spring or summer. Treat other trees only if they are generally strong and healthy.

Dates for pruning cherries and sweet cherries in autumn

Proper pruning of sweet cherries and cherries in autumn is carried out from September to November. The warmer it is in your area, the later you can start working. The main indicator is leaf fall. At this moment, sap flow ends inside the trunk, and the tree will bear the loss of branches more easily. But it is important to be in time before frost, otherwise the cuts may not be delayed until the onset of winter, and the tree will suffer.

Only prune in dry weather to reduce the risk of infection. If frost is expected in the near future, it is better to postpone the procedure until spring.

You will need a pruner, knife, lopper or garden saw for the job. All tools must be sharply sharpened and disinfected. You can disinfect inventory with alcohol, potassium permanganate or a 5% solution of ferrous sulfate. To process cuts, prepare a garden pitch or a special putty (RanNet, BlagoSad, etc.).

Proper pruning of cherries and sweet cherries in autumn

Before you start pruning, you need to learn how to cut correctly. The diagrams show sections for a bud (when cutting off part of a shoot) and for a ring (when a branch needs to be completely cut out). Below you will see how to make the correct trim for the ring.

When partially removing a branch, pruning is used. The approximate cutting angle is 45 degrees, which will reduce the likelihood of decay. Direction - outside the crown, this will prevent the subsequent thickening of the tree.

And now let's take a closer look at what to cut on sweet cherries and tree-like cherries in autumn. We will tell about bush cherry separately.

So, the main purpose of autumn pruning is rehabilitation and thinning. It is necessary to remove some of the extra branches so that the plant does not waste energy on maintaining ballast. Carefully inspect the tree and remove:

dry, diseased and damaged branches that can become sources of infection;
thickening branches;
shoots growing inside the trunk;
branches that look down;
young root shoots.

Also, it is not superfluous to remove tops (powerful fattening shoots), young shoots on the trunk, lower branches on forks and crossing shoots. These cases are clearly shown in the diagram.

Do not attempt to remove all of the above at once, as such a global pruning of young cherries and cherries in autumn can weaken the trees and even lead to their death. It is better to work in several stages, each year paying attention to a certain problem. Do not touch small shoots until spring.

Pruning old cherries and cherries in autumn has a peculiarity. If the trees are already very tall, it is necessary to cut 60-90 cm from the tops, leaving up to 3 m of the main trunk. Young trees can be subjected to such a procedure only two years after planting and subject to an annual growth of at least 75 cm of the trunk. Pruning old cherries and sweet cherries in autumn is usually limited to thinning. But if necessary, you can also shorten too long shoots using the bud cut method (at the same time, cut no more than 1 m). This will redistribute the nutrients and increase the yield.

When pruning young cherries and sweet cherries in autumn, it is important to pay more attention to thinning, but now you can calculate how you will carry out the spring formative pruning

After pruning, the tree crown will become more transparent. Each branch will receive more light and there will be no risk that weak shoots will freeze or break under the snow in winter.

Cherry and sweet cherry seedlings are not subjected to autumn pruning, but if necessary, you can carefully remove an interfering or dry branch.

Pruning bush cherries in autumn

Unlike tree cherries, in which most of the flower buds are located on bouquet branches, bush cherries form buds on annual growths. In other words, the type of fruiting in these plants is different. Bush cherry needs more thorough thinning of the crown, because. over the summer, it grows strongly. It is necessary to remove dry and diseased branches, coppice shoots, as well as branches before the first significant branching. You should not immediately cut off all unnecessary, divide the work into several seasons.

Here are a few rules that will allow you to correctly carry out the autumn pruning of bush cherries:

do not cut shoots less than 50 cm in length so that the plant does not lose strength;
form branches not inside the crown, but outside, this will avoid thickening;
do not touch the young shoots, otherwise next year you may not wait for the harvest.

Cherry and sweet cherry care after autumn pruning

The sooner the wounds heal, the sooner the tree will recover and successfully overwinter. This will help not only a sharp tool that leaves even cuts and thereby promotes rapid healing, but also special tools - garden pitch or putty. Apply them to large cuts with a brush or toothbrush.

Then remove the branches, leaves and other debris from the trunk circle and burn it. If you don't want to burn branches, you can make cute crafts out of them. Just don't put it in compost so that other plants avoid being attacked by diseases and pests.

Carefully dig up the soil to a depth of 15 cm, loosen it, and then water the plants abundantly (10 liters of water per 1 sq.m for each year of the tree's life). To protect against pests and diseases, spray the soil with a 5% urea solution.

Mature plants do not need to be covered for the winter. But if the winters in your area are very cold, you can mulch the near-trunk circle with straw, and during the winter shovel snow to the trunk. Cover young trees, especially cherries, with burlap or agrofibre for the winter. It is also important to protect the plants from rodents, so whitewash tree trunks or fence with netting.

Andrey Belyaev, a practicing gardener from Kursk, gives his advice on autumn pruning of cherries, sweet cherries, plums, cherry plums and other stone fruits.

Stone fruits cannot be cut directly "on the ring". This can cause gum disease, the bark will not heal the wound, but rather begin to move away from the wood. Over time, this skeletal branch will have to be cut to the point of incorrect pruning.
Autumn pruning of live branches should not be done. In autumn, I advise you to remove only dry and diseased branches. In central Russia, most stone fruits are "guests" from the South. Therefore, our cold winters are the ultimate stress for them. Any pruning will weaken the trees, and this is best avoided before cold weather.
Stone fruits do not suffer from crown thickening and do not require a center guide or other specialized crown shape.
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