Young cherry trees (Prunus spp.) require substantial pruning efforts to train their growth and encourage branching. Cherry trees are commonly trained with a central leader and several side branches, resulting in taller, narrow trees. Open center pruning systems have no central leader, resulting in shorter, wider trees with more accessible fruit. With the training already accomplished, mature cherry trees require very little pruning, but regular pruning is helpful to maintain shape and tree health. Summer pruning is recommended for cherry trees to prevent the risk of Eutypa dieback, a disease that occurs when cherries are pruned in wet seasons.
Soak all tools in a disinfectant solution of 3 parts water to 1 part bleach for about 10 minutes to prevent spreading disease among trees. Repeat this step any time you clip a diseased branch.
Prune out all dead and diseased branches above a healthy bud or at the branch collar of the nearest adjoining branch. If the disease appears to be spreading throughout the branch, cut the rest of the branch back to the main trunk or nearest healthy branch.
Remove any rubbing, closely spaced branches and branches with narrow crotches to make room for healthy growth and contribute to an open canopy.
Prune new-growth water sprouts that form on mature branches; this diverts the cherry tree's energy to the established branch and fruits instead of using energy to form new branches.
Cut out upper branches that provide excess shade for the lower branches, thus opening the canopy to allow sunlight to reach the interior of the cherry tree. Cut off these branches at the joint between the branch and a larger branch or the tree trunk.
Remove additional branches as necessary until a total of about 20 percent of the branches have been removed; skip this step if the previous cuts resulted in removing 20 percent of the branches. Choose smaller, less vigorous branches over larger, healthy branches when deciding which of the remaining branches to prune.
Things You Will Need
- Pruning tools
- Pruning out 20 percent of a cherry tree's branches may seem like a lot, but this opens up the canopy to sunlight penetration, which ultimately results in better fruit production.
- Dead and diseased branches should be removed as they occur throughout the growing season, in addition to the regular annual pruning.
- Brand X Pictures/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images