Pruning cherries: when and how to do it correctly so that there is a good harvest

Fruit trees are planted in dachas, suburban areas, grown on an industrial basis. Although the cherry takes root in different climate conditions, it is unpretentious to the structure of the soil, so that it gives a good harvest, the berries do not shrink, in addition to watering and fertilizing, insect control and disease prevention, it is necessary to properly form the crown of the tree. Cherry pruning contributes to the emergence and development of new shoots, plant rejuvenation. During the procedure, excess branches that shade the crown are removed, and more sunlight enters it.

Why you need to prune a tree

Cherry belongs to early ripening crops, pleases with the first berries rather quickly, but already at the age of 12-15 years it ceases to produce a good harvest, or even completely stops bearing fruit.

Pruning an old tree makes it look younger. If you perform the procedure correctly and on time:

1. It turns out a beautiful symmetrical crown.
2. Improve the taste and size of berries.
3. The plant is less sick, less often affected by insects.

If you just remove dry branches on fruit-bearing cherries, you should not count on high yields. Pruning garden crops in 3 ways. Shortening shoots strengthens the tree, accelerates its growth. When thinning, the crown of a cherry or sweet cherry is better illuminated, gets more air.

Before you start pruning, you need to know all types of shoots. Fruits are formed on the bouquet branches. The skeleton of the cherry is formed from the vegetative variety. During the entire period of development, the length of the growing branches increases.

When thinning, some shoots are removed completely, with selective pruning - only partially. To make the cherry more voluminous, new shoots appear, get rid of the branches above the kidney.

Terms of works

Experts say that the time at which the stone fruit crop is pruned affects its growth, development, flowering, ovary formation, number and size of fruits. The procedure is resorted to both in autumn and summer, and always the places of cuts are smeared with garden pitch, treated with glue so that they do not get infected, new shoots do not grow.

In the southern regions, cherries begin to be cut in March, and even in February. In those areas where autumn comes early, work is completed in the last days of September, in the Krasnodar Territory, Transcaucasia, procedures continue until December, if the temperature stays above zero at night.

Spring Circumcision

In order for the crown to form properly, the cherry for a long time pleased with the harvest of berries, there was no need to remove the shoots in winter or summer, pruning work is carried out in the spring. It is better to do this when the kidneys are no longer sleeping, but they have not had time to fully open. Usually this phenomenon is observed in the second month of spring, in the northern regions - in May.

During the operation, the top is cut off, consisting of branches, due to which the crown thickens. Shoots are removed that grow perpendicular to the surface of the earth, shoots shorter than 30 cm are left. Be sure to cut off the trunk itself. It should only be slightly higher than the frame - about 20 centimeters.

In the first year after planting felt cherries, the branches are shortened to 0.5 m, the next spring they get rid of ¼ side shoots.

Summer

It is better not to touch a tree with berries, because the places of cuts during the fruiting period heal for a long time. In July and August, only dry or diseased branches are removed. They must be burned so that the infection does not spread to he althy cherries. Sometimes in the summer you have to cut off the shoots that impede the growth of others, but they are shortened only a little.

Autumn

After fruiting, gardeners must prepare cherries for the cold. Work is done when the movement of juice slows down. Pruning for the winter must be completed before the air temperature drops below zero at night. You can not shorten the shoots even with slight frosts, as the plant may not survive the cold winter.

In autumn, young cherries planted in spring are not pruned. A tree in such a short period does not have time to adapt well to environmental conditions and may die during frosts.

What tools will you need

To perform pruning work in the garden, you need to purchase special equipment. To eliminate thin branches, a pruner is suitable; to get rid of a thick shoot, you need a saw. All inventory must be sharpened well so that there are no notches on the cherry after cutting.

When removing branches affected by a fungal disease, the tool must be thoroughly cleaned and treated with an antiseptic. If the requirements are not followed, a he althy plant becomes infected, pathogenic microorganisms are transmitted along with the juice.

Features of pruning according to grade

The crown of tree and shrub cherries is formed identically. For both one and the other type, it is necessary to leave skeletal branches, thanks to which the plant will develop well. Trimming different varieties has its own nuances.

The crown of undersized cherries thickens strongly, therefore it is more often formed by the method of a slender spindle, in which only young shoots up to 2 years old are left. Those that already had berries on them are removed.

Short cherries grow fast and bear fruit well:

1. Branches that become bare at the ends are shortened by 1/3 of the length.
2. The crown is regularly thinned out.
3. With a significant increase, all shoots are not cut at the same time, the procedure is performed several times.

Insects are planted on dry areas to prevent this from happening, such branches are burned. On undersized annual seedlings, shoots are shortened.

Dwarf cherries are pruned in early spring before the buds open. Thanks to this, before flowering, she manages to get stronger. The crown is formed immediately after planting. The processes are shortened at a distance of up to 40 cm from the ground.

The cherry tree also requires crown thinning. If the shoots are cut correctly, the fruit twigs are strengthened, forks do not form.

When the growth length exceeds 15 cm, and the tree has reached 5 years of age, the skeletal branches are exposed, rejuvenating pruning is performed. Cherries 3 meters high limit further growth.

Schemes and technology of crown formation

The yield of stone fruits declines over time. In order to prevent the crushing of berries, to improve the fruiting of cherries, the formation of a crown is required, since it thickens very quickly. For beginners, this procedure seems complicated, but it is possible to learn how to trim. Different technologies are used to form the crown, one of the ways is shortening:

• weak;
• average;
• strong.

In the 1st option, 1/4 of the growth of shoots per year is cut off, in the second - 1/3, and in the third - half.

The crown is also formed by thinning, which reduces its diameter, prevents thickening, and increases the number of fruits.

Another way that requires skill and knowledge, fan palmette, involves fixing shoots with a trellis, old branches are untied every year.

Young seedlings

Cherries that will winter for the first time are not pruned in autumn, only shoots are removed, which prevent the development of the tree or move away from the trunk at an acute angle. The crown of the seedling is formed in the spring. To do this, separate the strongest branch growing vertically. They leave 5 more shoots that are directed in different directions and 10 cm apart from each other.

Tree cherry

The crown of such varieties of horticultural crops is formed like a bowl. Branches that are located at a height of 70 cm and below are to be removed. In order for annual shoots to start up lateral branches, they are slightly shortened. Not everyone knows how a tree cherry needs to be cut correctly. This must be done at an angle, freeing the plant from processes that are intertwined with each other.

Spruce

This variety of cherries quickly thickens, which leads to crushing of berries, deterioration of fruiting. The crown is formed around one powerful skeleton, shoots are cut off, which are located next to the main trunk.

Biennial bush plants shorten branches that bend down, as well as shoots longer than 50 cm.

Nuances of rejuvenation

To increase the yield of mature cherries, shoots are cut in spring, but you don’t need to touch a large number at once, because the culture does not have enough strength to bear fruit. Pruning of old bush cherries is carried out when the branches are exposed. They are shortened by half or a third, and skeletal shoots - to the very buds.

To rejuvenate a tree-like variety, dry shoots are removed, annual branches are cut a little, on which berries are tied.

Care after the procedure

In the spring, the work of crown formation and shortening of the shoots must be completed before the sap flow begins. In autumn, cherries are pruned at positive temperatures throughout September, in the south - October, November. On the second day after the procedure, the cut sites are treated with a disinfectant, lubricated with garden pitch or oil paint. For the winter, plants are watered abundantly, fed during the growing season, sprayed with Bordeaux liquid to prevent diseases, and fight insects.

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