Summer Care - Cherry Pruning

Summer pruning plays a crucial role in maintaining the vitality, shape, and productivity of cherry trees. Follow our simple steps to ensure the very best for your tree - ensuring it thrives and increases the likelihood of abundant harvests for years to come. 

In this guide, we’ll take you through the method and reasoning for summer pruning your cherry tree, including the benefits and tips.

Step 1: The Right Time

Summer pruning should be done at the best time for your tree. This would be during the tree’s active growing season, typically just after the harvest period. Aim to prune your cherry in early summer, ideally around mid-June to mid-July, weather permitting. Choose a dry day, without a forecast of rain overnight to give the tree ample time to heal - especially if you choose not to use a sealant (discussed a little further on!). This dry period allows the tree to recover quickly, without the risk of rain introducing fungal diseases, and minimises stress.

Step 2: Required Tools

Before you even begin to think about pruning, you will need to gather the right tools for the job! Sharp pruning shears, loppers, pruning saws (for larger branches), gloves, and safety goggles are all good tools to have to prepare you for all jobs. Ensure your tools are clean and sharp to make precise clean cuts and reduce disease introduction. Ideally, you should sterilise your tools between trees in your orchards - especially after you deal with a visibly infected tree!

Step 3: Sucker Removal

Cherry trees are notorious for throwing out sneaky suckers and water spouts. Suckers are the vigorous growths from the rootstock, whereas water spouts are vertical shoots arising from main branches. Inspect the tree and remove these growths to prevent energy being wasted on growth instead of fruit production. Imbalance in growth patterns can significantly impact your harvest, so keep an eye out for pesky suckers!

Step 4: Disease Removal

The most important branches to remove are arguably any that are showing signs of disease or damage. Identify affected branches and prune them back to healthy wood, making a clean cut with sterilised equipment. Take a damaged or diseased branch back to a healthy branch collar (the swollen area where the branch meets the trunk or another branch) to prevent spread of infection. Signs of damage include; snapped branches, brown dead wood, excessive sap/amber accumulation, and discolouration of the bark. 

Step 5: Thinning

Cherry trees often develop dense growth, which limits air circulation/light availability. Thinning out excessive growth each year prevents negative impacts to tree health and fruit production. Selectively thin out the canopy to create open space, removing small, weak twigs and any crossover branches. This practice promotes better fruit production the following year as well as helping to prevent fungal diseases. 

Step 6: Managing Height

If your cherry tree is getting carried away and has grown taller than the desired height (think: can I reach my harvest?), summer pruning is an excellent time to manage this. Identify the tallest branches and cut them back to an outward facing bud or side branch. Make slanted cuts to redirect the tree’s energy and encourage lateral (sideways) growth. This method will contain the height of the tree for easier maintenance and harvest the following year.

Step 7: Tree Shape and Balance 

It is necessary to step back during the pruning process, periodically taking time to admire your work and assess the overall shape and balance of the tree. Calculate where to make additional cuts to achieve the desired form. Ensuring that the tree maintains an open or vase-shaped structure, optimising airflow and sunlight availability. A critical point is to avoid excessive branch crossing, rubbing together and crowding; prune these branches off to promote positive growth and fruit production for years to come.

Step 8: After care

It is important to care for your tree post-pruning to prevent the spread of disease and pests. After pruning, clear the area around the tree, removing debris and pruned branches. Consider applying a pruning sealant or paste to large wounds, especially in wetter or more humid climates, to minimise the risk of infection. *The use of sealants are over by many gardeners - my personal advice would be to trust your instincts for larger wounds, for smaller wounds I would allow them to air dry and heal on their own as they would a snapped branch naturally.

Summer pruning is a valuable practice for maintaining the health and productivity of your cherry trees. Taking time to learn how to prune effectively will help promote growth, improve yield and the overall vitality of your fruit trees. For tailored advice and guidance, we recommend contacting your local arborist or consulting gardening resources for your specific variety and grow zone.

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