I just bought a house with a cherry tree on the property. I can get more photos if they are needed. I've been to websites that have told me pruning trees this time of year is good, But cherry trees should be pruned in the summer. Is this true?
Also how aggressive should I get with this tree? Should I try to do some restructuring or leave it pretty much the way it is, just thin it out?
Click on the images to enlarge.
I would prune to an open vase shape. There are many sites on the web that describe pruning in general.
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/...../ag29.html
http://eap.mcgill.ca/MagRack/C....._93_03.htm
I think Karen still has people help with the orchard on Tuesdays and Saturdays and she would probably be glad to train you and have you help out at the orchard.
John S
PDX OR
That’s a nice looking tree. I suspect you’re wanting the fruit closer to the ground? Pruning to an ‘open vase’ shape would open up the center, remove the highest ‘limbs’ and provide sunshine to the northern side of the tree.
Cherry trees are hard to ‘control.’ It’s only recently they’ve come up with a ‘semi-dwarfing’ rootstock and I doubt yours is dwarfed at all… From what I can make out of the bear limbs, I’d remove about 4 of the ‘center-most’ upright or ‘highest limbs’ (or leaders) to where they take off from the trunk or, just above decent outward sloping or ‘level’ limbs.
It looks like some chainsaw work from here! Fairly dangerous, as they’re pretty big limbs and likely to ‘snap back’ or bind the saw before completely detaching. A hand pruning saw would be far more controlled, a lot of work, and snap-back and binding would likely still be a problem. You’d also want to ‘fall’ the inside leaders to where they’d ‘miss’ the limbs you want to save.
The bark looks clean and the tree looks healthy – I’d prune it now! From the leafed-out photo I’d remove nearly 2/3’s of the upper-most portion of the tree. On some of the upright limbs there are ‘outward facing’ limbs heading ‘out and away,’ I’d cut the ‘main’ leader off just above them. I hope you’re familiar with basic pruning cuts… so as not to remove limbs too close to ‘their trunk.’
There’s a lot more to pruning than just the large & small cuts… likely where a book or online link would come in. A day at the HOS Arboretum sounds like a good idea. As far as disease… …I’d take that chance; pruning in the summer (after eating the fruit) would decrease the energy reserve stored over winter and lessen the number of water-shoots next year… But it can also weaken the root system as there’d be less nutrients returning to them. I suspect commercial orchard s prune ‘now’?
As mentioned, I’d prune! I’ve got a healthy ‘wild cherry’ nearly as old as yours that I hack every fall / winter - whenever I’m in the vicinity – no problems or disease. And don’t bother painting the wounds with anything; research has shown they heal better all by themselves. Just be careful as you drop those monsters; I generally cut ‘high’ or further above the ‘finish’ cut to remove the bulk of the limb (leader) first. Then make a more careful cut exactly where you want it.
A finished photo would be nice 
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Nate, Great photos/links!
Photo #1: I’d actually ‘snug up’ those cuts a bit… taking the ‘left one’ to the edge of the ‘second collar’ from the trunk; and the ‘right one’ about as close as you can likely get; being that it’s ‘sunken in’ somewhat. Just leave enough bark at a logical diameter that will most easily allow the tree to heal over the wound in time.
Photo #2: I’d follow that leader to where it connects to the trunk and hack it off there; below the yellow line… In doing so, I’d cut it as high as I could reach, allowing it to fall ‘between’ lower limbs, then make a final (if not a couple more to keep the chunk-sizes down) cut as mentioned above. It would be far more conservative to cut it at the yellow line… I’d likely hem&haw for a bit… but with a leader that strong it would leave a lot of vegetation in the center of the tree and you want to spread cherry trees, they naturally shoot for the moon.
Photo #3: The upper-most ‘yellow’ and the one ‘green’ line cuts are the only two I’d make in that photo. …Glad you asked! Those lateral limbs are no threat to expansion and likely some of your most productive lower wood; removing them would leave your only productive wood on the far tips of the longest and highest limbs.
Photo #4: I’d remove these 3 only if they’re in your way when walking by or mowing; otherwise they look like stable fruit producing limbs – especially the ‘uppermost’ of the 3.
Photo #5: Perfect!
Photo #6: On the ‘green circle cuts;’ I’d go up to the outward facing limb on the ‘right side’… then remove the ‘left’ limb within your circle (where they meet).
The yellow cuts look perfect.
What I’d actually do is walk circles around your tree ~ envisioning the largest prospective cuts gone. Determine if that’s the size and look you want, then ‘make it so.’ Never worry about the smaller limbs… they’ll be lucky to survive the removal of the large ones, and, you can always cut more next year!
Be careful ~
On the advice of Joe Real, others and my own experience, you can get diseases in your stone fruit if you prune near in time to rain. I wait until summer, usually after harvest, because there are long periods of dry, high pressure without risk of infection.
My two cents,
John S
PDX OR
How high up were you anyway! Don’t fall out of that cherry tree; I had an Uncle do that – broken collar bone!
No need to thin cherry blossoms. Their fruit is not heavy enough to break limbs, and it’s too tedious and dangerous. Likely the birds will do that for you, sometime in July
The tree looks great!
[quote="Viron":1o3tzj5o]How high up were you anyway! Don’t fall out of that cherry tree; I had an Uncle do that – broken collar bone!
No need to thin cherry blossoms. Their fruit is not heavy enough to break limbs, and it’s too tedious and dangerous. Likely the birds will do that for you, sometime in July...[/quote:1o3tzj5o]
I was up higher than I wanted to be 
I stood on 2x4s that where resting on branches.
I'm glad I don't need to thin cherry blossoms, I really didn't feel like it. I was thinking maybe I'd get a net to put over the tree to keep birds out. of course then I'd have to figure out a way to pick that high...
[quote="Viron":1o3tzj5o]The tree looks great![/quote:1o3tzj5o]
Thanks 
Idyllwild
simplepress
jafar
Marsha H
Viron
John S
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