Cherry, like most stone fruit crops, quickly becomes overgrown without care, unlike apple or pear trees.
You may hear that cherries do not like pruning, but this is not true. The main thing is to choose the right time and follow 3 main rules, and then there will be no shortage of berries.
Cherry Pruning Scheme for Beginners
It is important to consider the time of year. Late autumn is not suitable for this, as is the end of spring. It is best to plan a haircut for early spring, when the air temperature is within 4-5 degrees below zero, or during the swelling of the buds.
Act One
At a level of 35-40 cm from the ground on the tree trunk there should be no growths or shoots - we remove everything, we do the same with vertically growing shoots and branches that intersect with others and prevent each other from growing.
Act II
The skeletal branches of the tree should "look" in different directions, and also at different (from 45 degrees) angles. It is recommended to leave up to 3-4 branches on the lower tier. Then two, and one branch should crown the tree.
The distance between the tiers is maintained within 25-35 cm. Only the strongest and most developed shoots, extending from the trunk at an angle of 45-50 degrees, are left on each tier.
In total, a 5-year-old tree with a formed crown should have 10-12 skeletal branches.
Act Three
In order not to harm the health of the cherry, the cut should be made "on the ring". In simple terms, the place for cutting the branch is chosen to be an area 1 cm above the bud that will grow outward.
When pruning “to the ring”, the branch is first sawed from below (to the thickness of the bark), after which the pruning is performed.
