Cherry: pruning and shaping a tree, when and how to do it right, diagram

Proper and timely care of the garden is necessary to obtain a high yield. All gardeners know that sweet cherries, pruning which ensures its constant growth and proper crown formation, can become an ornament to any summer cottage. Knowing the basic rules of pruning and the requirements for this process, the gardener will achieve a stable harvest and normal development of the tree.

Advantages and disadvantages of the procedure

Pruning a tree achieves several goals at the same time:

• the crown is thinned out - excess branches growing inside the trunk are removed, which leads to an increase in air access. This is a necessary preventive measure against the development of fungal diseases;
• for a good harvest, branches of old trees are rejuvenated, which serves to improve development and increase fruiting;
• dry and diseased shoots are removed;
• the overall growth of sweet cherries decreases, and therefore it becomes more convenient to harvest;
• better taste of berries;
• increases the resistance of the tree to frost in the winter season.

But if the pruning is done incorrectly and at the wrong time, it will harm the tree and cause the development of diseases, as a result - a drop in yield.

Optimal timing

Gardeners disagree on the correct timing of pruning. Some believe that it should be held in the spring, others - in the fall. But, according to qualified experts, pruning should be done at least three times a year.

Spring

There are two opinions about the start time of spring pruning: in early spring, before the start of sap flow, or later, when the tree has already woken up after winter, both options are suitable. In the first case, it is easier to consider the features of crown formation, in the second, the wound healing process improves. This allows you to painlessly thin out skeletal branches and remove the top.

But the main condition in determining the timing is to wait for the establishment of a stable positive temperature, when night frosts will definitely not happen. The exact timing depends on the climatic features of the region. In the north of Russia, the procedure is performed in early April, in the south - at the end of winter, in temperate latitudes - closer to mid-March.

Summer

The sweet cherry is cut twice in summer:

• the first time - in early June, after the formation of the ovary. The ends of the shoots of this year are removed, which stimulates the growth of lateral ones;
• second - in July, when the harvest is already harvested. If a protracted spring has stood out or the tree belongs to species with late ripening varieties, pruning is carried out in August. During this period, excess branches are removed, and the shoots that have grown after the first treatment are shortened by ten centimeters.

This choice of timing allows the tree, even in the conditions of the short summer of the northern regions, to recover and stock up on nutrients.

To increase yields, use the following methods:

• remove shoots parallel to the trunk. The most fruitful branches are located horizontally, after the procedure, the supply of nutrients to them increases;
• bending branches with ropes. This method reduces the need for trimming and sets the desired direction for the skeletons. The ropes are fastened with pegs, and after a while, when the crown takes a given shape, they are removed.

By combining these methods, you can achieve a significant increase in yield.

Autumn

Most gardeners know that after fruiting and harvesting, as well as subsequent pruning in the summer, the need for this procedure arises in the fall.

This is due to the need to achieve the following objectives:

• thin out the crown, remove damaged and diseased branches growing at the wrong angle;
• shorten shoots by a third.

The procedure begins after the leaves have fallen to allow a detailed view of the tree. Completion dates depend on the region, but pruning must be completed much earlier than the onset of cold weather, so that the damage sites have time to overgrow, since this process is much slower at cold temperatures.

Need for winter pruning

Winter pruning is carried out on old trees in order to rejuvenate the crown. Work is carried out towards the end of winter, in the most favorable and warm weather. With this processing, not only old branches are removed, the procedure is necessary so that the cherry is not high. Upward growing branches are removed for easier access when picking berries.

Main types of cherry pruning

Depending on the purpose, the following types of trim are distinguished:

• shaping - produced for young trees in the spring season;
• sanitary - most often performed in the fall. Removed, followed by immediate burning, infected and damaged branches to exclude the development of the disease. In the spring, for this purpose, shoots damaged by frost are removed;
• rejuvenating - held in autumn or winter. Allows you to remove old branches that cease to bear fruit, at the same time the tree is thinned out, damaged shoots are cut off;
• when fruiting - remove branches that have broken off from the load of ripening fruits, with an excessively abundant harvest.

The cherry crown is formed in several ways:

• Australian bush - from the very beginning of the development of the seedling, the excessive height of the tree is excluded. When the seedling is planted, the total length of the trunk is left no more than half a meter. Four side branches are left; clothespins set the direction parallel to the ground. The next year, the crown is given the shape of a vase - the shoots directed inward are removed;
• Spanish bush - the name comes from the country where this method began to be used. Suitable for regions with a warm climate, where it is possible to prevent damage to the kidneys in the event of a return frost. The planted tree is cut to seventy centimeters, four main branches are left.Then, in autumn, the maximum opening angle is set with braces, and each season the growing shoots are successively shortened with regular thinning;
• KGB method - the abbreviation does not come from the state structure of the same name, but from the name of the Australian gardener who proposed this method of crown formation. The initial height of the seedling is left about half a meter, with a vigorous rootstock - a little higher. On the remaining four, the strongest, branches, as they grow, two shoots are left; then sequentially bring the total to twenty. Periodically, the branches are updated and thinned out, while maintaining a stable number of processes.

The choice of crown formation method depends on the gardener's preferences and the climatic features of the region.

Tool preparation

Cropping is done using the following tool:

• garden scissors - they remove non-lignified young shoots;
• secateurs - for thin branches;
• delimber - remove branches located in places with inconvenient access;
• garden saw - to remove thick and dried branches;
• garden knife - cut small shoots, also used in case of grafting.

The tool must be prepared in advance, sharpened. The saw teeth must be properly set so that the blade does not pinch when sawing.

A ladder will provide access to the entire height of the tree. The choice of ladder size depends on the height of the tree.

Pruning step by step

Pruning cherries according to the system provides for the correct formation of the crown, with a decrease in the allowable height of the tree:

• skeletal branches are determined (about four), directed in opposite directions, the rest are removed;
• the next tiers are formed in the same way;
• desired height is marked on the trunk, all branches exceeding the required level are pruned.

The next step is to adjust the height of the main stem:

• when the central trunk approaches in height the branches of the third tier, it is sawn off;
• after the appearance of several new leading shoots, they grow up to thirty centimeters and are cut off.

The indicated procedure will allow the tree to direct its forces to fruiting as much as possible. All subsequent central shoots will not tend too strongly upwards, which will allow in the future, by adjusting the length of the side branches, to ensure the established height of the tree.

Nuances during the event

When pruning cherries, it is important to try to cause as little damage to the tree as possible. If the shoot is cut off near the trunk, the bark near the pocket must not be touched - the size of the wound will be too large. At the same time, it is necessary to try not to retreat too far from the base so as not to leave a large knot. Thick branches are first filed at the bottom - given the fragile nature of the sweet cherry, there is a danger of involuntary breakage with peeling of the bark.

Formation of young seedlings

When forming a young seedling, it is important to correctly calculate the height of the bole. This is determined by region:

• seventy centimeters of the height of the central trunk - for the south;
• up to sixty - in the Middle Band;
• about forty - in the north.

If the indicated height is not reached by a one-year-old seedling, the event is postponed to the future period. In the first year of growth, the tree should reach two meters.

In the second year, the lower tier is formed, according to the method described above. On the third - all the main processes are aligned at the level of the weakest skeletal branch, and the crown is thinned out - by removing the processes directed inward.

The fourth year is the final one for crown formation. The second and third tiers are shortened to eighty centimeters, the first - to half a meter. If the shoots intersect, one directed in the most inconvenient direction is removed.

A tree older than five years of age only needs sanitation and thinning of the crown.

Pruning old cherries

With age, the fruiting intensity of sweet cherries fades, so it is important to rejuvenate pruning.In trees older than three years, the branches are shortened with the removal of shoots. At the same time, damaged and drying shoots are removed. As a result, young shoots appear, and the tree acquires a second youth.

Tree care after pruning

When trimming, it is very important to disinfect cuts and cuts. For this, a solution of copper sulfate and garden pitch are used. Wounds are treated immediately after the operation. It is also necessary to pre-disinfect the instrument. Having mastered the right pruning techniques, the gardener will be able to achieve a high stable yield and properly shape the tree.

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