Why do you need to prune cherry trees in summer and how to do it correctly

Traditionally, cherry trees are pruned once a year, in spring or autumn. However, summer formation is also favorable for the tree. From the article you will learn about the purposes of pruning cherries in the summer and how to do it correctly.

Is it possible to prune cherries in the summer, after harvesting?

The formation of trees is carried out once a year, in spring or autumn. However, if you are late in pruning cherries in March or do it too early in the fall, there is a high probability of gum disease and the plant may die.

With proper summer pruning, wounds heal quickly. Before the end of the growing season, the cherry tree has time to recover, grow new branches and lay buds for future shoots. This increases its resistance to frost in winter.

Purposes of pruning

Shortening the shoots during the fruiting period promotes the growth of new bouquet branches, which are responsible for the formation of berries next year.

After harvesting, pruning of cherries is carried out in order to shape the crown of the tree: to control the growth of branches, to regulate the degree of thickening. Dry and diseased shoots are also regularly removed.

Is this necessary?

Cherries respond well to timely pruning in any season. But shortening the shoots in summer, unlike in spring, promotes the formation of fruit buds closer to the base and prevents the crown from being exposed in the center.

Productivity also increases due to an increase in the number of new young shoots, which next year will begin to actively bear fruit.

Deadlines

Depending on the purpose and type of pruning, there are 2 periods of formation of a cherry bush:

1. June – early July (time of formation and harvesting). New branches reach a length of 45-50 cm, and 3-4 buds are formed on them, capable of sprouting. Shorten the branches that have grown this year - before August they will have time to branch, grow stronger, produce leaf mass, and also form shoots for the future harvest.
2. Mid July – August (after fruiting). Carry out any formative, regulating or restorative pruning. Late summer pinching inhibits the growth of the bush, since in August the active growth of shoots stops. Spring removal of branches, on the contrary, stimulates vegetative growth.

Summer pruning to form bouquet branches is carried out during the fruiting period in the phase of active growth of the bush. If you carry out the procedure earlier, the branch will bloom and will not produce growth. When pruning in late summer, fruit buds will not have time to form on new shoots.

Favorable days

Carry out the procedure on a warm, windless day. In hot or rainy weather, pruning should not be done.

According to the lunar calendar, it is recommended to shorten the branches at the time of the waning Moon, when the plant juices rush to the roots.

When the Moon is waning in Aquarius and Pisces, as well as growing in Cancer, the procedure is undesirable. The event cannot be held on a new or full moon.

Types of pruning

Any type of summer pruning stimulates tree renewal, promotes better ventilation and illumination of the crown, and reduces susceptibility to fungal and bacterial diseases.

In summer, regulatory pruning is most important for cherries in June. It is aimed at increasing fruiting next year by stimulating the growth of new bouquet branches responsible for the formation of berries.

If the tree is too tall and has a disorderly tangle of branches, formative pruning is performed. Its main task is to give the crown an optimal shape. For cherries, this is most often a bowl - it promotes good ventilation and light, and makes harvesting easier.

Important! Formative pruning is recommended to be carried out either in early spring before the cherry tree awakens, or in August, when the circulation of juices in the trunk decreases. During the period of active growth, there is a high risk of gum development.

To eliminate branches that are broken or cracked during harvest, restorative pruning is performed. Shoots damaged by diseases or pests are cut and burned.

For old trees, rejuvenating pruning is important. An indirect sign of the need for the procedure is weak growth and low yield. The purpose of rejuvenation is to stimulate the growth of new skeletal branches.

How to trim a tree correctly

The basis for any type and pattern of pruning is the formation of skeletal branches, removal or shortening of growth.

Required materials and tools

For pruning, use clean, sharply sharpened tools:

• pruning shears for cutting thin shoots;
• lopper for removing branches with a diameter of up to 3-4 cm in the depth of the crown;
• sharp knife for stripping cuts;
• garden saw to remove thick branches.

A disinfectant solution is also needed to disinfect instruments and process sections.

Trimming schemes

Depending on the nature of growth and characteristics of fruiting, cherries are divided into bush-like and tree-like. Their pruning patterns vary.There is also a separate method for maintaining growth felt cherry.

The tree type is formed gradually. Remove all branches at a height of 70 cm above the soil level. In the southern regions, it is rational to give the crown a bowl shape. As the tree grows, 8-10 skeletal branches form. In the fifth year, its height is limited to 2.5-3 m, cutting off the top 5 cm above the nearest skeletal branch.

During formative pruning, large branches are shortened every year to 60 cm, and last year's growth to 40 cm. During the June regulatory procedure aimed at increasing fruiting, the current year's shoots are pinched to 30-40 cm. Bouquet branches will produce a harvest for 5 years.

Bush cherries are formed in such a way that in the fourth year of life they have 12-15 skeletal branches and reach 2-2.5 m in height. The trunk is cut at a level of 5 cm from the skeletal branch.

The trunk is also freed from growths at a level of 35-40 cm from the ground. Bush-like varieties produce fruits on annual branches, their growth buds are located at the ends of the growth.

Attention! Do not shorten a shoot on a bushy cherry without additional branches; it may dry out.

Felt cherry has no trunk. The strongest shoots growing from the root head are left on it every year. The shrub is considered formed when there are 10-12 skeletal branches and a height of 2-2.5 m. Two-year growth is pinched by 1/4, and one-year growth by 1/3 of the length.

Step-by-step instruction

Before pruning, carefully inspect the plant and note the branches to be removed: dry or prone to drying out, broken, damaged by pests or showing signs of disease.

Procedure:

1. Trim the intended branches first.This will help in the future not to make a mistake with the choice of shoots to be formed.
2. Next, branches growing inside the crown and tops are removed from the base.
3. They indicate the main shoots that will help give the tree the planned shape. Select the most viable branches that extend from the trunk or skeletal branch at an angle of at least 40°. They should be located at a distance of at least 10-15 cm from each other, without intersecting each other.
4. These shoots are trimmed so that their length does not exceed 30 cm.
5. Remove intertwining or close branches, giving preference to the strongest ones.
6. When rejuvenating pruning, tops that are suitable for the formation of new skeletal or semi-skeletal branches are left for further development.
7. The growth at the ends of the cherry is shortened to 30-40 cm, and the shoots hanging down are removed.

When pruning, the rule of subordination is used. The principle is that the side branches are shortened so that the conductor (the main trunk ending in a continuation branch) is 15-20 cm higher than them.

Important! When improving the health of the cherry or forming the crown, cuts on the shoots are made at a distance of 1 cm above the bud growing outward.

To remove an entire branch, cuts are made into a ring. The branch is cut from below to the thickness of the bark, and then it is cut off from above closer to the trunk.

Features of pruning depending on the type of tree

It is important to form the crown on time and correctly, as well as to carry out regulatory or rejuvenating pruning. This depends on several factors.

From the age of the cherry

A young tree develops a trunk and skeletal branches. In the second or third year, 2 second-order shoots are left on the lower shoots, from which semi-skeletal branches are then formed.

By the age of four, the cherry, as a rule, is already formed. Subsequently, summer regulatory or restorative pruning is carried out.

An adult tree annually requires elimination of crown density and pruning aimed at improving its health. In tree cherries, the formation of bouquet branches is stimulated by pinching in summer.

Depending on the varieties cherry lives from 12 to 15 years. Therefore, to maintain good yield, the tree is rejuvenated starting from the age of 8 years.

Important! Anti-aging pruning is done over 2-3 years. This will preserve the vitality of the tree and prevent the development of gum disease and diseases.

From growing region

When grown in different regions, the timing of summer pruning shifts:

1. The southern regions have the most favorable climate for growing crops. The timing of regulatory pruning falls on average in the first ten days of June. July - August are suitable for crown formation and rejuvenating procedures.
2. In central Russia, the end of June - beginning of July is favorable.
3. In northwestern Russia, Siberia and the Far East, summer pruning is not recommended, since the cherry tree will not have time to recover. This event is left for spring or autumn.

Further care of the plant

After trimming, large sections are cleaned with a sharp and disinfected knife. Then they are treated with copper-containing preparations to prevent infection and gum leakage. The wound healing on cuts is stimulated by the garden paste-putty “RanNet”, which, in addition to copper sulfate, includes biological healing substances and humates.

Also, traditional means such as garden pitch and oil paint on drying oil are used to seal sections.They are applied immediately after pruning - this way the risk of infection is minimized.

Advice from experienced gardeners

Recommendations from experienced gardeners will help beginners avoid mistakes when forming trees:

1. On tree-like cherries, prune branches growing upward to 30-40 cm. This stimulates the formation of new shoots and also greatly facilitates the harvesting procedure.
2. Carry out summer pruning of bush cherries when the length of the branch exceeds 50 cm and branches appear on it for the development of new shoots. This way you will get an excellent harvest.
3. If the tree is growing very quickly, limit yourself to thinning the shoots. Too many branches cut at one time will lead to suppressed immunity and the development of diseases.
4. If the growth of shoots has slowed down, you need rejuvenating pruning of branches that have not produced fresh shoots for more than a year.
5. Summer regulatory pruning cannot do any harm, since it is mainly the green shoots of this year that are pruned.

This is interesting:

How to properly water cherries in summer: instructions for novice gardeners

Step-by-step instructions for cutting cherry trees in the summer with your own hands

Conclusion

Pruning cherries in summer is aimed at forming the crown, eliminating the risk of diseases, and also increasing the yield of the crop.

During the fruiting period in June, regulatory pruning is carried out, and at a later date (in July and August) - formative pruning. Before the end of the growing season, the tree has time to recover and lay buds for the formation of new branches next year.