Pruning cherries in the fall for beginner gardeners, pruning rules

Autumn is the most favorable time for pruning cherries and other stone fruits. Therefore, you should not put your tools in a drawer; they will still come in handy. From our article you will learn why this work is necessary in the fall before the cold weather and how best to prune cherries.

Why autumn pruning is needed 2. Time of work 3. How to prune young and old trees 4. Instructions: how to prune

Photo: Autumn pruning will have a beneficial effect on the future harvest.

Optimal time for pruning

Autumn pruning of cherry branches

Pruning and crown formation can be done both in spring and autumn. However, experienced gardeners consider the autumn months to be the most suitable for this procedure.

Removing branches before wintering helps get rid of fungus, bacteria and pests. Another advantage of autumn pruning is that the plant is in a dormant period, so the risk of gum disease is minimal.

It is best to prune cherry trees in the autumn months when preparing the garden plot for winter - usually from September to November. In Siberia and the Urals, pruning is completed by the end of September, and in central Russia the tree is pruned until mid-October. In the southernmost regions, gardeners usually do not begin processing cherries until November.

To prevent the plant from drying out, all cuts must heal before the first frost. It is not recommended to prune a young, recently planted tree - it may die.

General principles of pruning

The entire pruning process can be divided into two steps:

pruning (shortening) is the removal of the upper part of shoots and branches. The main task is to strengthen the main branches, cause active development of buds located below the pruning site, and accelerate the growth of young shoots. On cherry trees, branches longer than 40 cm are usually shortened. Shortening can be weak (up to 1/4 of the annual growth is cut), moderate (up to 1/3 of the growth) or strong (half of the growth);
Shortening of shoots can be of three different types: weak, moderate and strong.
cutting (thinning) - removal of a branch or shoot entirely, to the base. This type of pruning is designed to improve the main branches' access to light and air, which will have a positive effect on fruit development.
You can clearly see how thinning affects the density and shape of the crown

When pruning cherries, they most often resort to thinning. This is due to the fact that its buds are located closer to the ends of the branches, so shortening will be less effective in improving fruiting.

To learn how to properly trim a cherry tree, you also need to be able to determine the type of branch:

vegetative branches. They are also called growth. These are branches from which other branches and shoots subsequently grow;
bouquet branches. They are found mainly in tree cherries. These are short (up to 3 cm) branches on which many buds are located. The main fruiting occurs on them;
Bouquet branches are easy to identify - they are distinguished by their short length and large number of buds
growth branches. These are small and thin branches that appear annually from the upper buds. It is not difficult to distinguish them - the topmost and youngest branches are the growths. Most cherries bear fruit on such shoots.

Slicing methods

When pruning cherries, the following cuts are most often used:

to a side branch. The main branch (thicker) is cut down to a strong side branch;
shortening by translation. If a branch forks, it can be shortened by removing one of the shoots up to the fork. The choice of shoot depends on the situation, but when pruning cherries, the outer branch is most often left;
on the ring. In this case, the branch growing from the conductor is cut down to the very base.

The diagram clearly shows how a particular cut is performed

Many gardeners know that the cutting areas of most plants should be treated with preparations such as ground coal or garden pitch to protect the branch from infections and improve healing, but this rule does not apply to cherries. Handling cut branches of a cherry tree or bush will make restoration difficult.

When to prune cherry trees

Cherries (of any variety and type) are pruned every year. A fresh seedling, planted in March-April before the buds swell, is pruned immediately after planting to form a crown.

Any tree or bush is pruned in early spring, even before the buds swell. At this time, active sap flow has not yet begun, and the plant will tolerate the removal and shortening of branches well. If you did not have time to prune the cherry tree in March, you should not prune the branches after the buds have swollen - there is a high probability that they will dry out to the very base.

Cherry trees should be pruned before buds open.

In summer, after fruiting, only mature, well-developed trees can be pruned. Autumn pruning is, as a rule, of a sanitary nature - before winter, weak, drying, diseased branches are removed from the cherry tree to make it easier for the plant to overwinter.

Such sanitary pruning, if necessary, can be carried out in any month. If you notice a diseased or drying branch, remove it immediately. In the fall, it is worth carefully inspecting the tree for damaged or weak branches and cutting them out, if any.

Why is pruning done?

Unpruned cherry

The statement that cherries do not need special care is just a common myth. Lack of correction leads to the fact that the tree will grow in all directions, and the yield will noticeably decrease. In addition, the dense crown creates excellent conditions for the development of diseases. If the trunk is affected by a fungal or bacterial infection, the cherry runs the risk of dying completely.

Pruning branches allows you to:

create favorable conditions for rejuvenation and restoration of cherries;
prevent plant depletion;
positively influence growth and fruiting;
correctly form the crown of the tree, which will allow the sun's rays to be distributed evenly;
remove affected branches in a timely manner, stopping the spread of infection.

Pruning is not particularly difficult even for novice gardeners with no experience - they can do this work efficiently and quickly.

Why do you need to prune cherries?

If you decide to plant cherries in your garden, you should immediately abandon the myth that any adjustment to the current state of the tree will harm it. If you don’t take care of the cherry tree, it will grow in different directions and produce less fruit, and if infections penetrate inside the trunk, it risks completely withering.

Pruning branches and shoots allows the cherry tree to renew itself and bear more fruit.

In addition to maintaining the health of the plant, pruning cherry branches performs the following tasks:

By removing dried or broken branches, the tree is restored and rejuvenated;
Creating the correct crown contributes to the uniform distribution of sunlight over the surface of all branches;
Shortening the branches promotes their more intensive growth and increases fruitfulness;
Removing infected branches prevents the disease from spreading throughout the cherry tree.

Tools for work

Necessary tools for pruning

To carry out proper pruning, you need to arm yourself with:

pruning shears or a garden knife, allowing you to work with small branches;
saw for removing large branches;
stepladder or ladder.

In addition, you will need garden varnish to cover large cuts. To avoid infection, pruning is done only with a well-disinfected tool.

Do not use a dull knife or a rusty saw - this will often cause irreparable damage to the wood.

Trimming old

If the tree is old, it has begun to produce little harvest or has stopped bearing fruit altogether, you can try to rejuvenate the plant. Most often this gives a good effect, the main thing is to remember a few important tips:

First of all, remove all damaged and disease-affected branches. There should be no dry shoots, as well as those that have traces of fungal infection. You need to cut along healthy wood at a distance of a few centimeters to prevent the problem from spreading later.
Assess the general condition and identify the oldest branches. In this case, no more than 1-2 large elements can be cut at a time. It all depends on their size, as well as on the number of small shoots cut. After cutting, be sure to use garden varnish to seal the wood.
Cut off large shoots so that they are replaced by young branches and the crown is uniform. It is best to think through the pruning order in advance so that the tree can more easily withstand such manipulations and be renewed in the shortest possible time.

Important!
In old trees, it is imperative to peel off the bark that is peeling off on the trunk and the lower part of large branches and whiten the surface. This protects against diseases and improves the overall health of the plant.

Basic methods

Depending on the tasks facing them, gardeners give preference to one of two types of procedures:

Thinning . Most often used when growing bush cherries that grow in breadth. This is the best option for pruning cherries in the fall to prevent thickening, which negatively affects the yield. In this case, branches and shoots are completely removed.
Shortening . This procedure accelerates the swelling of the buds and stimulates the growth of shoots. A specific portion of the top or branch of a tree is removed.

Pruning bushy cherry

This variety is distinguished by the fact that it produces a harvest only on the growth of the previous year. That is, generative shoots live for one season and every year the fruiting zone shifts from the center to the edges. Pruning and shaping bush cherries has a number of features:

The easiest way is to annually thin out the inside of the crown to remove thickened and tangled shoots. But at the same time, the tree will become wider every year, which may be unacceptable in conditions of limited space.
To make the crown compact, you need to shorten last year's growth. This will result in some yield loss, but will also encourage increased shoot production, which will produce more fruit the following season. There is no point in cutting old wood, there are no buds there and the branch will simply dry out.
If the branches are severely exposed and the length of the growths decreases, rejuvenation should be carried out. To do this, you need to find a well-placed top on the branch and prune it, transferring the growth point to it. It is important to select the optimal location of the tops so that the shape of the tree is not disturbed.

By the way!
In bushy varieties, rejuvenation begins as early as 7-8 years.

Caring for young trees

Scheme of cherry crown formation depending on age

Cherries grow very quickly and bear fruit every year, but gardeners are upset by the short lifespan of the tree. By the age of ten, it already produces much less fruit. Taking into account this feature, you need to start caring for the seedling after planting. Too sharp temperature fluctuations and carelessness in care can lead to the death of the plant at an early age.

Immediately after planting, it is necessary to determine which branches are the most developed and “promising” in terms of fruiting. The rest should be cut into a ring so that the left stumps do not rot, treating the cut areas with garden varnish.

Closer to one year, you can shorten the upper part by cutting off about 20 cm. This procedure is best done around mid-June - this is precisely the period when the plant produces growth.

Upon reaching the age of two, the formation of the crown begins. First you need to decide which branches are suitable for use as main branches. To do this, select the most developed shoots located at an angle of about 40 degrees to the trunk. The remaining shoots are shortened by 10 centimeters. If individual shoots are in the way or take up too much space, you can get rid of them completely.

Starting from the third year, the “backbone” of the plant is formed - it no longer needs radical and frequent pruning. It is enough to shorten the branches by 10 cm, which will allow you to maintain the yield at the same level, and also sometimes thin them out. Of the young shoots, you need to leave 1-2 of the strongest ones.

During the fourth year, gardeners often encounter thickening caused by active growth. Therefore, it is necessary to promptly remove branches that could potentially compete with the main shoots.

Five years of age is the time of maximum “prime of strength” for cherries. The main task of gardeners during this period is to ensure that the weaker branches are shorter than the skeleton-forming ones and to remove all excess in a timely manner.

Necessary tools for work

Although pruning cherries in the fall is not difficult work, it does require attention and effort from the gardener. To avoid damaging the cherry, choose high-quality tools from trusted manufacturers with a good reputation. To carry out sanitation you will need:

Secateurs are the main tool for work. They remove shoots from young plants or branches of small thickness.
A hacksaw or garden saw is used to cut down branches whose thickness exceeds 50 mm.
The lopper is used when working in a hard-to-reach area of the crown.

Only sharply sharpened tools are suitable for the job. With them, the gardener has to put in less effort. They are safe and do not damage the plant as much. It is advisable that the tool handle be provided with anti-slip rubber pads. To protect your hands, wear special gloves before work.

Scheme for pruning cherries in autumn

General scheme of autumn cherry pruning

The procedure is carried out according to a certain scheme: with the help of pruners, the most overgrown shoots are removed, which impede the development of the others; the main branches in this case are not affected.

It must be remembered that each cut piece is essentially a wound for the tree, so the removal process should be treated with extreme caution. There is no need to get rid of all branches that form an acute angle with respect to the trunk.

Sections must be treated with garden varnish to speed up healing. The faster the tree recovers, the better prepared it is for winter.

Gardeners recommend:

remove shoots that are closer to the crown and grow down or inside the crown;
navigate the situation: sometimes it is more advisable to remove one large branch than several small ones;
do not be too zealous with cutting small shoots - this will negatively affect the growth of the plant;
Do not remove horizontally growing branches - as a rule, they produce the most abundant harvest.

Thus, the pruning scheme is quite simple - just remember a few simple rules. All removed parts of the plant must be very quickly removed from the site and burned to prevent the spread of diseases and pests.

Why is autumn pruning necessary?

There are several reasons why you need to prune a cherry tree. It is worth considering the most significant of them:

Removing damaged and diseased branches. If shoots infected with various diseases are not cut off, the problem will spread quickly and will soon affect the entire tree. During this period, it is not difficult to detect broken and infected branches, since there are no leaves on the tree.
Formation of the crown for the normal development of the plant and ensuring uniform illumination of all shoots. Preventing thickening has another advantage - such trees have much better immunity and are less likely to break under the weight of the crop. For beginners, there are ready-made cutting diagrams in pictures, which greatly simplifies the process.
By reducing the load on the root part and reducing the consumption of food on unnecessary shoots, the cherry yield increases. And if you work regularly, you can maintain good performance for a long time.
If the crown is thickened, the tree is much more likely to be affected by various fungal diseases and pests. It is important to provide it with normal natural light and ventilation so that moisture does not linger on the surface and quickly evaporates.
Old trees need to be rejuvenated to extend their fruiting period and renew their crown. But it is important to do this correctly, because when cutting a large number of large branches, the tree experiences severe stress and may even die.

By the way!
With very strong pruning, you can provoke gum production, which is also extremely undesirable.

Processing bushy varieties

Felt cherry pruning diagram

The main task when working with bushy varieties is to enable the plant to grow and develop actively. This cherry bears fruit on shoots that are already one year old - they can be pruned, but cannot be removed to avoid the branch drying out. Bushy plants have a predisposition to thickening. They need to be trimmed without leaving stumps, otherwise gum formation may occur, which will provoke the appearance of pests and diseases.

An annual growth of less than 20 cm gives reason to start shaping the crown. First, you need to carry out the so-called sanitary pruning - clean the plant from damaged, broken branches, parts that do not sprout. The remaining branches are shortened to the first strong branches. You can safely remove shoots that have reached 0.5 meters in length - they will be able to quickly recover, accelerating their growth.

The main rule that should be followed when pruning a bush variety is that the less growth the cherry tree gives during the season, the more intensive the cleaning is. An overgrown shrub will have to be formed in several stages - if there are too many shoots, the cherry tree may not recover from one-time removal.

The bushy type includes the felt cherry, beloved by many, which grows up to three meters in height and generously bestows its fruits during the season. This variety pleases not only with its active fruiting and decorativeness, but also with its low predisposition to the development of thickening shoots. This makes it easier to clean the bush in the fall.

However, regular pruning of felt cherry trees cannot be taken lightly: it is considered one of the most important procedures. By pruning you can significantly increase the lifespan of a bush. The plant needs systematic thinning of the crown - you need to leave 10-12 of the most powerful shoots.

It is necessary to take into account that this variety mainly bears fruit on annual branches, and therefore they are almost never shortened. Occasionally you come across shoots that grow up to 0.5 m - they can be shortened by about a third of the length. If the ends of branches are exposed on mature trees, then 1/2 or 1/3 of the length must be removed.

During sanitary pruning, broken and infected parts of the bush are removed. Rejuvenating measures include cutting off some of the side shoots into a ring - the central part of the crown and skeletal-forming branches are not affected. Then shortening is done. The old crown is cut off only after new shoots appear.

Fruiting pruning

In numerous lessons on video and with illustrations, experienced gardeners focus on the fact that cherries begin to bear fruit early, which has both pros and cons. The main disadvantage of this point is that a young or mature tree becomes depleted very quickly if the number of berries is not regulated. Because of this, the yield is greatly reduced, and the trees themselves begin to get sick much more often. To avoid this, you need to remember a few tips:

Reduce the number of branches annually so that the tree is not overloaded and distributes its resource evenly. This not only prevents wasting, but also ensures larger berries and improves their taste. The crown should be fairly sparse.
The easiest way is to form a tiered system; this simplifies the work and makes it easier to maintain the optimal condition of the tree. It is important to initially choose a specific crown option and work according to the scheme, adhering to the basic principles.
Be sure to inspect all shoots and remove damaged, cracked and diseased ones. Work should begin precisely from this part, then proceed from the actual situation and form the crown so that it is uniform and compact.
Take into account the peculiarities of fruiting in the season. If there were a lot of berries, it is better to reduce the number of branches for the next year a little. And vice versa - if there were few berries due to the sparseness of the crown, you can leave more branches.

Important!
Proper formation of fruit-bearing trees ensures ease of harvesting and also prevents branches from cracking under load.

Processing of tree varieties

Cherry tree pruning diagram

Tree-like specimens reach five meters in height. They have strong skeletal-forming branches. Berries appear not only on bouquet branches that bear fruit for many years, but also on young shoots. Provided there is good annual growth, the trees produce an excellent harvest. Cherry of this variety needs to shorten young annual shoots to stimulate development and fruiting.

Tree cherry growth should be controlled. After reaching 3-4 meters in height, the skeletal branches must be moved to another strong side branch.

Gardeners warn: you should not remove many shoots at the same time. If the tree is in a neglected state, and radical measures cannot be avoided, the work should be divided into several stages, cutting off growing branches as necessary.

Trimming Features

Of course, pruning of different types of cherries varies. Moreover, the same tree at different periods of its life also needs to be pruned in its own way.

tree cherry

For a gardener, the bouquet branches and annual shoots of tree cherries are of greatest interest - it is on them that most of the berries are formed. The main operation is thinning the crown to stimulate an increase in the number of fruit-bearing areas.

Tree cherry is large in size and has a tall stem.

When pruning cherry trees, the following procedures are carried out:

remove forks. To do this, make a cut on the outer branch and cut out the branches growing towards the trunk or upwards;
shorten long shoots. Shortening can be done at a branch or at a bud. Short (up to 20 cm) shoots are not touched;
Small branches growing on the conductor are removed onto the ring - this way the skeletal and fruiting branches are strengthened.

bush cherry

A special feature of bush cherries is that they bear fruit on annual shoots. Accordingly, when pruning these cherries, you need to pay special attention to their constant active development.

Bush cherry has a low stem and compact size

When pruning bush cherries, follow these principles:

shorten branches whose ends are beginning to become bare by a third. In this case, the skeletal branches are pruned to a well-developed lateral branch growing upward;
do not remove annual growths - this can lead to the death of the shoot after fruiting;
It is necessary to trim shoots about 40–55 cm long in order to enhance their branching;
cut not on the ring, but on the side branch.

young tree

When the seedling is installed in its permanent place, it is pruned to form the correct crown. For this, only skeletal branches are left, and the rest are cut into a ring, leaving no stump. In this case, the rings are treated, contrary to the rule, with garden varnish.

A young cherry tree is pruned mainly to give shape to the crown.

The following year, the two-year-old tree is protected from excessive thickening of the crown. To do this, remove the branches growing inside the crown. In the summer, you can remove still green shoots growing on the trunk before they have time to get stronger. If they were not removed in the summer months, then these woody branches are removed only the next year, in the spring.

Subsequently, new skeletal branches are formed in the tree, selecting them from among the strongest on the trunk, so that their number gradually increases to 13–15.

Rejuvenating old cherries

Rejuvenating pruning of tree cherries is carried out when the bases of the skeletal branches are exposed, and the annual growth becomes large and amounts to more than 10–15 cm. It is necessary to shorten the branches to four-year-old wood. If the entire branch or its tip is exposed, then rejuvenate a side branch of older - five or six year old - wood.

Bush cherries are rejuvenated when the branches are significantly exposed and growth is weakened. The branches are pruned to strong lateral branches grown on three-year-old wood.

Rejuvenation of an old tree must be carried out systematically. If the old cherry tree is already very neglected, then such pruning is carried out systematically over several years, so as not to injure the plant too much. Rejuvenation is carried out together with planned spring pruning.

The principles of anti-aging pruning of old trees are quite simple:

You cannot remove more than a meter of branches, because this can lead to the death of the entire tree;
When pruning, branches are not left completely bare, cutting off all branches;
pruning is done above the fruit branch;
Young branches that appear after pruning must also be shortened to stimulate continued growth.

With regular pruning of old cherries, its age becomes less noticeable - it continues to bear fruit abundantly

Top trimming to limit growth

The cherry tree also needs top pruning. It is produced when the cherry reaches a height of 3–4 meters. This limits the growth of the plant. In this case, the conductor is transferred to a strong side branch.

The top of the cherry tree is also cut off when the conductor becomes more than 30 cm higher than the upper skeletal branches.

Rejuvenation

Anti-aging activities should be carried out gradually - as a rule, this takes several years. You need to give the old cherry time to fully recover.

You can tell that a tree needs pruning based on certain signs. On bush varieties, bare ends of the branches will be noticeable - this indicates that it is necessary to remove a third or even half of the length.

The tree-like old cherry tree bares its base. As for growth, over the course of a year it decreases to 10-15 cm. In this case, growth can be stimulated by pinching annual shoots. In addition, the plant will need rejuvenating pruning on three-year-old wood. When the ends of large branches located deep in the crown begin to dry out, rejuvenating pruning should be done on the side branches growing on five-year-old wood.

Care after pruning

Having completed all the activities to remove branches, the remaining debris in the tree trunk circle is raked and destroyed. This helps prevent the spread of harmful insects and diseases. In addition, mandatory care and preparation for winter include:

Feeding using mineral complexes or organic matter. For this purpose, fertilizers with a high content of phosphorus and potassium are used.
Watering is combined with the application of fertilizers. Cherries are irrigated abundantly. Before this, the circle around the trunk is dug up onto half the bayonet of a shovel.
Prevention of diseases and pest infestations is carried out with a 5% urea solution. Spraying is carried out after the onset of the first frost.
Shelter for the winter is not required for cherries, since this crop has good winter hardiness. In severe winters with very severe frosts, cover the tree trunk with straw, and then periodically add snow. This will protect the plant's root system from freezing.

Rejuvenation of old cherries of any kind

For rejuvenation, it is necessary to cut off part of the cherry in the fall, leaving half for the next stage. This process is carried out every 2 years, giving the plant a little rest, and so that there will be a good harvest in the future. First, remove all damaged shoots and lower branches located close to the ground.

Having missed one growing season, they prune another part of the trunk, removing crossing, spinning, and shading branches. After another 2 years, they pay attention to the previous pruning, complete the rejuvenation and remove the young growth.

Fact!

Sometimes it takes several years to rejuvenate a tree, during which time fruiting is greatly reduced. When starting the procedure, the gardener must think about which branches will be removed and when.

How to properly prune cherries after fruiting

In order not to harm the cherry during summer pruning, follow all the basic rules that apply to this crop during pruning.

Pruning cherries in summer, taking into account the variety of crop

All forms of cherries are divided into two groups:

shrubby;
tree-like;
dwarf (felt).

Shrubs can reach a height of 2 to 4 meters. The crown is formed from 4-5 trunks, which originate directly from the surface of the earth. They are distinguished by increased frost resistance and rapid ripening of fruits. Typically, the fruits of this group of cherries are darker in color than those of the tree form. Fruiting of bush cherries occurs on the branches of the previous year (annual growth).

How to prune correctly

Only proper pruning will be beneficial. The maximum height of a cherry tree should be no more than three meters. These are the parameters that you should strive for when processing wood, and cut the top to this height. Trimming takes place according to the following scheme:

removing unnecessary shoots;
crown treatment.

Shape the tree crown using sharp pruning shears, because dull blades can damage the trees. The following rules should be observed:

Delete only old branches that prevent others from fully developing. And also cut off branches that have a small number of buds.
Dry branches must be removed completely.
Do not thin out the crown too much.
Remove the lowest branches completely.

Pruning young tree cherries

Let's look at how to prune young cherries in the fall. Trees up to five years of age are lightly pruned to ensure a good harvest. Branches that have grown this season are shortened by a quarter. Side shoots that grow vertically are also removed. They are left only up to 0.7 m.

The cherry tree is pruned for the first time in the second year after planting to increase the amount of nutrients in the trunk and help enhance the formation of the root system.

Trimming tools

Before action, you need to prepare tools and materials:

pruner;
garden saw;
knife;
garden pitch or ash;
stepladder for tall trees;
gloves;
basket or bucket for collecting scraps;
chainsaw for cutting thick trunks.