Individual varieties of cherries differ significantly in the nature of growth.Some have an upright habit, similar to cherry trees, while others are not tall, and their branches hang almost to the ground.
The cutting rules are very similar though. Prune younger trees, not more than 4-5 years old, in such a way as to obtain a nicely branched tree. In this case, pruning is based on shortening the strongest branches. Trim the selected shoots by 2/3 - thanks to this, the main branches will be located a short distance from the trunk.
It is also important to cut shoots that grow in the direction we do not want. Then you can leave only a short tenon or cut the branch completely at the root on the so-called wedding ring.
Older trees often put out an excessive number of fruiting shoots.This causes the crown to thicken excessively, and the fruiting itself is transferred to the outer parts of the tree.It is not beneficial, because despite the large size of the trees, the fruit develops almost exclusively at the edges, and the entire center of the crown remains empty.
Therefore, once in a few years, you have to make a translucent cut. It consists in cutting out the entire thicker limb. Thanks to this, we will let more light inside the crown. It is worth remembering, because good and sweet fruit will only grow on twigs that receive a lot of sun.
Every year we make a cut that shortens long and thin shoots.Small twigs in the case of cherry trees are the most numerous, therefore the most important thing in the correct formation of the crown is their systematic pruning.
To sum up - we make two types of pruning in cherry trees.Every year, after the harvest, we cut the longest small fruiting twigs.On the other hand, once every few years we make a cut that illuminates the crown, where we cut out the entire branches and rejuvenate the tree.
