Cherry pruning

To form the crown of the tree, cherry pruning is done. There are many variations of this event.

Should I shorten the branches

The formation of cherries prevents its transformation into thickets and a decrease in the size of the fruit. Thickening of the crown leads to the formation of excess moisture and to fungal diseases.

The negative impact of excessive height:

1. The plant takes up a lot of space and shades the area.
2. Harvesting is difficult.
3. It is difficult to defend against bird attacks.
4. There are problems with the control of bare and thickened areas.
5. More difficult to treat against diseases and pests.
   

   Cherry pruning

The negative effect of thickening:

1. The death of some bouquet branches.
2. Lack of lighting.
3. The onset of infection.
4. Poor air exchange.
5. The quality of the berries is deteriorating.
6. The number of ovaries decreases.
7. Decreased yield.

When and how to form a crown

Most of the pruning is done in the spring. It can also be produced in summer and autumn, and at the time of disembarkation. Each procedure has specific goals, and you need to consider how to properly prune cherries.

Types of pruning:

• Formative. Pruning of young cherries is carried out in the first years of growth to give the desired appearance to the tree. It is carried out in the early spring.
• Anti-aging. Prune old branches to replace young ones. Active fruiting is prolonged. The procedure is carried out in the spring.
• Sanitary. Getting rid of trees from nondescript, dry, diseased shoots. Carried out in spring and autumn. During the ripening of the berries, branches are cut in extreme situations.

Types of crowns

Cherry pruning in spring

Stages:

• In early March, after the snow melts, the damaged branches are removed (sanitary procedure);
• April - before active growth and swelling of the buds, the branches are shortened to give an attractive crown appearance (shaping procedure).

Can branches be shortened at the end of May? Gardeners' opinions are mixed. At the end of May, after flowering and before the berries ripen, pruning is carried out to stimulate the growth of horizontal shoots and correct the direction of their movement. By the pinching method, the branches that are still not lignified are shortened. Decrease the height of the main trunk. Waiting for the spring warmth to assess the strength of the ovaries.

How to prune cherries when planting

Such procedures are carried out to improve the taste of berries, crown formation, and increase yields. These measures provide protection from pests, prevent the spread of diseases. Cut off all damaged, too high branches and remove dry bark.

Crown types:

1. Sparse tiered. Three tiers are laid. On the bottom, four skeletal branches are left.After 50 cm, the middle tier with 3 shoots is separated. On the top - 2 branches.
2. Flattened. There are three tiers. Each has 2 branches located perpendicularly. Above the upper tier, the conductor is cut off. In the future, cut off as in the first method.
3. Cup-shaped. Consists of 4-5 vase-shaped branches. In this way, the tree is well lit, its life period lasts more than ten years.

At the end of the formation of the crown, in subsequent periods, moderate pruning is carried out, removing unnecessary and damaged branches. Once in a three-year period, the tree is rejuvenated.

Pruning a tree in spring

Pruning after picking cherries

In the summer, shoots are also removed. They remove excess green, dry branches, tops.

Pruning takes place in two stages:

• The beginning of June - as soon as the leaves bloom, the crown is thinned out.
• Mid-July-early August - the grown shoots are shortened by 10 cm after the berries are harvested.

Pruning after flowering

During this period, cleaning and thinning are carried out. In early spring, it is difficult to identify damaged shoots, they are visible in summer. Dead shoots will not have leaves, so they need to be removed. The branches with the fungus must be cut and burned.

In the summer, pinching is carried out - pinching the upper part of the growing shoots. It is carried out with a special garden knife or pruner. This technique delays the growth of the shoot and improves the growth of the side branches. The yield increases. Also, this method allows you to direct the shoots in the right direction.

For the normal formation of the crown, pinch the shoot at a height of one meter from the surface of the earth. By the fall, the side branches will form the base of the tree.

Pruning cherries in the summer after ripening

Circumcision after ripening

Removed green, non-lignified branches, growing incorrectly, thickening the crown, and young tops. In the current season, shoots located vertically are cut by a third.

Pruning cherries in the fall

After the foliage has fallen, all unattractive branches are visible. Pruning must be done before the cold weather. It is necessary to remove branches: weakened, old, dry, damaged, growing vertically. In the third part, additional shoots are cut. The tree in the fall is recruited with substances for the winter period. In the northern regions, they are pruned immediately after the leaves fall (end of September). If the moment is missed, then the procedure is transferred to the spring period, since the tree may die from the cold.

When the leaves turn yellow, they apply fertilizers, dig up the soil to a depth of ten centimeters. All this must be done before trimming. The procedure itself is carried out with a garden saw. The cut is made at an angle at the base of the branch. The trunk is whitewashed to protect it from frost. Mulch around the trees. The foliage is burned as it may contain fungus. Treatment with drugs is carried out.

Pruning after fruiting

Pruning for yield

Many people wonder how to shape cherries to increase the ripening of berries. Scientists have found that more ovaries are formed on horizontal branches.

In the first method, to increase yields, you need to remove tops, vertical shoots, without leaving hemp. Smear the slices with garden varnish or oil paint with a vegetable composition.

In the second method, pegs are driven in around the tree. Incorrectly directed branches are tied to them. The procedure can only be carried out in warm areas, as it weakens the protective forces of the sweet cherry.

In the third method, cuts are made over each incorrectly growing ovary with a saw.

Types of cherry formation

There are other methods of pruning trees.

Australian bush

Benefits:

• the crown is laid undersized,
• convenient to pick berries,
• even load distribution.
  

  Pruning for yield

Step-by-step instruction:

• 1 year - the seedling is cut to half a meter.When the shoots grow 6 centimeters from the hemp, 4 branches are left. They should be at right angles. Clothespins are attached over the shoot, directing the shoot horizontally.
• 2 years - the tree is formed in the form of a vase. In the spring, the shoots growing inward are cut off. Only gentle branches are left on the main branches.
• 3 years - all shoots of the current period are shortened by 8-10 cm. This will give less shadow to other branches.
• Subsequent periods - all one-year-old shoots are shortened so that the tree does not grow. Anti-aging pruning is carried out every 5 years. Remove a fifth of the fruiting branches. Where the cuts are, young branches are grown.

Spanish bush

Such a formation with a low crown is acceptable only for southern countries. Since in Russian regions, return frosts are possible. Because of this, you can lose berries. Tall trees do not freeze.

Formation stages:

1. In the spring, they are pruned by 35-70 centimeters. The height depends on the number of ovaries on the central guide. You also need to consider the number of skeletal branches that you need to get. Approximately 4 lateral branches are placed on the guy line to make the divergence angle larger. When the shoots have reached half a meter, cut them 15 cm above the leader.

Australian bush

In the autumn, branches of the second level are pulled over the trellises. Cherry crown formation becomes open and uniform.

2. When the branches reach half a meter, they are cut off by ½ part. By September, third-order shoots are also shortened by half.

3. Pruning in subsequent periods. A quarter of the total number of fruiting branches is cut out. So the tree is rejuvenated.

By this method, the tree should not reach 2.5 meters. Branches that go beyond the norm are cut to the desired size.

KGB system

Stands for Kym Green Bush. This translates to "Kim Green's bush". The gardener suggested the formation of sweet cherries by low-growing trees.

Benefits:

• One size for all cherries;
• The tree is compact in size, it is convenient to work with it;
• There are no old shoots in this way;
• Allows you to rejuvenate cherries;
• A large number of central branches reduces the risk of freezing;
• By this method, everything is simple and clear, the formation of cherries is a bush.

Spanish bush

Stages:

• 1 year - after the tree has been planted, it is cut to 60 cm from the ground. Over the summer, shoots will appear, of which 4 are left. When the branches grow to 60 cm, they are reduced to 20 centimeters.
• 2 years - 2 shoots are left on last year's branches. Cut to 20 cm. It turns out 8 hemp.
• 3 years - also leave two shoots. The total number of stumps will be 16, but can be increased to 20. By the end of August, the tree is trimmed to 2.5 meters.
• 4 years old - the branches growing in depth and giving shade are removed. Center conductors do not change. 4-5 thick branches are removed, new ones will appear instead.

Experienced gardening tips

Basic tips for pruning:

1. Remove downward-growing shoots.
2. In addition to the first periods of crown formation, you need to cut branches of all types on the cherry trunk up to 90 cm tree height.
3. One-year-old shoots are shortened to half a meter.
4. In order for the wounds on the tree to heal faster, you need to treat the sections with linseed oil, wood ash, paint, garden pitch.
5. In doubt, it is better to remove one large branch than many small ones.
6. To accelerate the growth of branches, the number of flower ovaries is reduced.
7. To reduce the growth of the tree up, you need to cut off part of the skeletal branches and the trunk at a suitable height.
8. Horizontal branches produce more berries.
9. After sanitary pruning, the branches are burned. This will reduce the risk of developing pests and diseases in the area.

Cherry tree pruning is a laborious process, but in the future it brings many advantages.