Suggestions regarding cherry tree pruning, please

Posts

• steephill Posts: 2,841

  September 2023

  Don't prune cherries in winter, there is a risk from silver leaf disease. You can do some light formative pruning in spring but the main pruning is normally done after harvest in late July or August. Cherries don't need much pruning so stick to removal of diseased, damaged or crossing branches and aim for an open canopy to ensure good airflow. 

  Acid cherries may benefit from more renewal pruning to keep forming new fruiting wood.

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• daca34948 Posts: 11

  September 2023

  Thank you.
  
  Does it mean I should live it alone (as is) till spring ?

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• Dovefromabove Posts: 88,147

  September 2023

  Definitely do not prune cherries until mid summer. 

  
  

  But do not ‘leave alone’ … those trees need to have a large circle(1m diameter would be good)  of grass and weeds cleared from
  around them so that they are not competing for nutrition and moisture and so the root area can be well-mulched with organic matter … well-rotted manure, well-made garden compost etc. Just ensure it doesn’t touch the trunks. 

  
  Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
  
  
  
  
  
  

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• pinut Posts: 194

  September 2023 edited September 2023

  The first tree is the trickiest to prune a structure for fruit bearing. It seems to be very apical dominant in its growth habit so will be tricky to develop branches lower down.
  
  Since my preference is for fruit bearing cherry trees to be at most 2m tall (irrespective of size genetics) for easy picking, I'd like it to start branching at around 60cm above soil level. Therefore, I would concentrate my efforts to that end for the first few years.
  
  I would do this by letting the tree grow then knocking the top back around August time. This means reducing the vigour of the apical dominant branches up top by shortening or by removing the branches completely.
  
  Whether you go for a single leader or a multiple leader tree structure is up to you. What is important is that there should be no crossing branches (as they will rub against each other creating open wounds when the tree sways in the wind), no inward growing branches and no dead or dying branches.
  
  I do this maintenance work and structural pruning around March/April time when the tree has come out of dormancy - after flowering (if it is mature enough) and just as the tree comes into leaf.
  
  Use directional pruning when shortening a branch. If you want to make a branch to grow towards the left or towards the right then choose a bud that points in that direction accordingly and make a pruning cut just beyond it - this leaves a stub at the end of the branch just in case of die-back. Since the tree is apical dominant, new shoots will tend to grow straight up towards the light so even though directional pruning may not work it is still good practice to do it.
  
  I tend not to use wound sealant cut paste for the spring pruning but I do use it for the late summer prune if the wounds are an inch or greater in diameter.
  
  
  
  
  

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• daca34948 Posts: 11

  September 2023

  Thank you all.

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