The best time to prune cherry trees and how to prune them

Pruning cherry trees is to regulate the production and accumulation of nutrients based on a certain tree shape, and to enable cherries to bear fruit early, produce high yields early, have stable and high-quality yields, reduce costs, and improve economic benefits. Various pruning methods are used to make the trees strong, extend their economic lifespan, and improve the economic benefits of cherries.

Cherry tree pruning time

Cherry trees are generally pruned in summer and winter . The pruning tasks and methods used are different at different pruning periods, and the effects achieved are also different. Generally speaking, summer pruning is also called growing season pruning. The purpose is to inhibit the vigorous growth of new shoots, promote branching, increase the number of branches, and promote flower bud differentiation.

Winter pruning, also known as dormant pruning, has the main task of maintaining a balanced relationship between normal growth and fruiting of cherry trees, adjusting the primary and secondary relationships of the main branches, making the tree have a reasonable fresh structure, and building various fruiting branch groups to lay a solid foundation for high fruit yields.

Cherry tree pruning tips

1. Branch pruning

First, sort out the structure of the tree, so that it is sparse on the top and dense on the bottom, sparse on the outside and dense on the inside, sparse in the south and dense in the north, and large branches are sparse and small branches are dense. As the tree ages, the fruit tree becomes closed, and some large branches need to be killed to guide light into the trunk so that every branch can see light and the branches are balanced. This is branch pruning.

2. Head trimming

To lop off the branches in time, first thin out the annual and some biennial large branches on the tree. You cannot decide where to lop off the branches all at once. You must first thin out the strong branches on the tree to weaken the part above the wound, allowing it to bloom and bear fruit in time. Use the moderate and weak branches to leave them on top, and remove the overly strong and vigorous branches.