Pruning of sweet cherry

Correct and timely pruning of any fruit tree is the key to getting a good harvest. There are two main types of pruning fruit trees :

• shortening, that is, removing a part of a branch. At the same time, new buds appear on the branch and "sleepers" awaken;
• thinning is the removal of a whole branch to form the crown of a tree. This pruning increases the yield of the tree.

In this article, let's look at how to properly trim the sweet cherry. The first pruning of cherries is done immediately after planting the seedlings. If you did not make such a pruning in the spring, you can do it in May-June. When planting, the cherry saplings are shortened to about one meter in height. In order to subsequently form the crown of a tree, 4-5 skeletal branches are left in the lower tier, 2-3 branches in the second tier, and two in the third. Spring pruning of cherry will depend on how well developed seed crown:

• the krone is one-sided or has 1-3 branches - then all branches are cut to 20-30 cm. If the seedling is less than one meter high, it is not shortened at all;
• the crown is well developed, there are 4-5 branches located on different sides approximately at an angle of 45 degrees - then the lower branches are cut to 50-60 cm, and the shoots growing higher are shortened so that they are on par with the lower ones. The central branch should be 15 cm higher than the rest.

Forming pruning of sweet cherry

As the tree grows, it is necessary to regularly carry out a pruning pruning of young cherry which will restrain strong growth of shoots. Carry out this pruning should be in early spring, three to four weeks before the beginning of vegetation. But pruning in other periods is not recommended. Before the fruiting begins, annual shoots are cut to one fifth of the length. It is impossible to cut the young cherry very much, it can reduce its yield. If young cherry trees are heavily thickened, in summer it is possible to prune annual shoots, thereby accelerating the formation of tree crowns and increasing yield.

Trees of a sweet cherry are older than five years, they begin to branch strongly, therefore they need thinning. Cut all the branches that are unsuccessfully located or growing inside the crown, as well as sick or dry ones. Places of slices have to be covered with garden varnish. In addition, if necessary, you can always replace the old branch, on which there are few berries, on a young one.

When the cherry tree enters the full fruiting phase, the pruning of the branches should be temporarily suspended. During this period, you can thin the thickened tree or lower the crown if necessary. And such a reduction in the crown can be carried out during harvesting, removing the branch along with the berries. Pruning the sweet cherry during its active growth will allow the tree to quickly cut slices.

Rejuvenating pruning of sweet cherry

Older cherry trees need rejuvenating pruning. At the same time, old branches are deleted, and a new tree crown is formed. Pruning is carried out once every 5-6 years in the spring, after establishing positive air temperatures. If the weather is damp and cold, then rejuvenating pruning is best transferred to the beginning of the summer. You can not trim the cherry trees in autumn or in the rest period. For rejuvenation, it is necessary to remove the branches of 6-8 years of age, and all the slices must be covered with garden varnish.

In addition, at the end of spring, it is possible to pinch the growth points of young shoots, reaching 15-20 cm in length. In the first half of the summer, a young growth of more than 30-40 cm is cut off and by the end of the summer young twigs will develop from the upper buds of trimmed shoots.

Look after your cherry, cut it right, and the tree will thank you for the excellent harvest of delicious berries.