How to prune a cherry tree

When to prune cherry trees

The pruning time for cherry trees is mainly divided into summer pruning, autumn pruning and winter pruning. Although cherry trees can be pruned throughout the dormant period, the pruning effect is better the later the better, and it is most appropriate to prune near the bud sprouting period.

If you want to continue pruning the branches of the cherry tree, you should cut them into about 20 cm long. When grafting, generally two-thirds of the branches should be inserted into the soil, and for the remaining part exposed to the ground, it is best to leave a few buds to leave space for subsequent growth.

Cherry tree pruning

Spring pruning : The main purpose of spring pruning is bud carving, which can promote the growth of new branches and fill the space. If the buds are carved at the back of the main branches, the plant will form bouquet-shaped short fruiting branches, solving the problem of bare interior branches.

Summer pinching : Cherry trees need to be pinched in time during the initial fruiting stage. Repeated pinching can increase the branching frequency and amount of the plant, promote the transformation of vegetative growth to reproductive growth, and help the plant bloom and bear fruit early.

Autumn branch pulling : Pulling the branches of cherry trees can open the growth angle of the plant, ease the branch tension, divert the nutrient flow of the branch group, weaken the apical dominance, inhibit and promote local development, and achieve the purpose of early flowering, early fruiting, and early high yield.

Winter pruning : Pruning in winter is mainly to thin out the back branches, strong branches, overgrown branches, thin and weak branches, useless branches, diseased and insect-infested branches, and outer competing branches, to reduce nutrient consumption and ensure that the plants can survive the winter smoothly.

Cherry Tree Pruning Tips

Cherry trees can be pruned significantly one year after planting. On the branches of the cherry tree, some small branches should be kept to allow the main trunk to grow stronger, and its support should be pruned to one-third of the main trunk.

During the cherry tree's second dormant season, prune back some of the fastest-growing new shoots, but leave branches growing as they are necessary for future fruit production.

During the third dormant season of the cherry tree, the broken limbs and cross branches of the cherry tree can be pruned away, but it is best not to perform drastic pruning before the cherry tree bears fruit.

Cherry tree pruning grows fast

If you want the cherry tree to grow fast, you can use the medium-short pruning method. Usually medium-short pruning is performed on the main branches and the developmental branches with growth space on the periphery. Cutting off 1/3 to 1/2 of the cherry branches can generally promote the growth of 3 to 5 medium-long branches, which is beneficial to expanding the crown.

Cherry tree pruning blossom

If you want the cherry tree to bloom, you can adopt the light pruning method, which is to cut off 1/5 to 1/4 of the cherry branches. This can weaken the apical dominance of the branches, which is beneficial to improve the germination rate, increase the amount of short branches, and form more bouquet-shaped fruiting branches.

Cherry tree pruning is more fruitful

If you want cherry trees to bear more fruit, the generally used techniques are to pull the branches hard, use less pruning, carve more buds, pinch the branches frequently, let them grow for longer, extend the single axis, and use pseudo-topping to promote germination, which will allow the plants to bear more fruit.

Cherry tree pruning tips

When pruning cherry trees, it is best to prune the branches into a sharp shape and keep them clean so that no residue that is difficult to heal is left. The best pruning method is to cut at an angle so that new branches can grow better.

It is best if each branch is in a different direction so that the cherry tree will grow vigorously, and stay away from the center of the tree so that the place where you cut is higher than the direction of the branch.