Sweet cherries occupy a special position in fruit tree pruning. This status is expressed, among other things, in a technical term that is not mentioned for the vast majority of fruit species. This guide explains what a bouquet shoot on the wild cherry tree is all about.
Sweet cherries form short shoots with numerous flowers
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Show all- Bouquet drive - definition with explanations
- Light-flooded crown promotes bouquet shoots
Bouquet drive - definition with explanations
Short stub shoots on a biennial or perennial branch with 5 or more flower buds at the top.
It is characteristic of sweet cherries that they have long-lasting fruit wood. The short bouquet shoots form reliably with numerous flower buds, which bring you the juicy sweet cherries. Unmistakably, the thick flower buds gather in dense clusters at the shoot tips, as illustrated below. In contrast, the internodes of leaf and shoot buds are significantly longer.
The flower buds arranged in a circle on a short bouquet shoot differ significantly from the pointed leaf and shoot buds of a sweet cherry.
Light-flooded crown promotes bouquet shoots
The longevity of fruit wood and bouquet shoots only requires a pruning every 3 to 4 years. Remove deadwood, awkwardly standing and steeply upwards directed branches as well as competing instincts to the scaffolding branches. In a light-flooded crown, the valuable bouquet shoots continue to thrive and bear rich fruit.
There is no reason to worry if you end up with a crown that has been swept clean. On the contrary, you've done everything right if an old peasant rule now applies: A gardener must be able to throw his hat through the crown.
If you look at your sweet cherry next summer, you can admire a light crown, bulging with vital bouquet shoots.
tips
The cultivation of a sweet cherry (Prunus avium) in the private garden requires careful consideration. The wide oval crown extends up to 15 meters in all directions. The expansive growth can hardly be controlled by regular pruning measures because cuts rarely heal. Callus only hesitantly overgrows larger wounds, which offers fungi and pests ideal targets for attack.