The sweet cherry occupies a special position in the pruning of fruit trees. The pronounced sensitivity to cutting only allows a maintenance cut every few years. Without an occasional pruning, fertility leaves a lot to be desired and the tree ages. This guide explains how to properly prune an old cherry tree and optimize the harvest.

A taper pruning ensures more fruit yield

Cutting time in late winter

On an old cherry tree, things are getting hectic in the summertime. Birds have chosen the dense crown as a nesting place. Crowds of useful insects cavort in the aged branches. Recommendations for a summer rejuvenation cut consequently fall on deaf ears with responsible home gardeners. This is also the view of the Federal Nature Conservation Act. Paragraph 39 stipulates that radical cutting measures must be carried out between October 1st and February 28th to protect our massively threatened wildlife.

Cut the old cherry in stages

In order for an old cherry tree to cope with the rejuvenation cut, you should proceed in stages. Spread the measure over three years. From the second year onwards, a summer care cut complements what started the winter cut stage. You can successfully revitalize an aging cherry tree with the following strategy:

  • The best time is always in February when the weather is frost-free and dry
  • Thin out a third of the crown at a time
  • Cut back dead and awkwardly standing branches to 10-20 cm long cones
  • Strongly overhanging leading branches lead to a young side shoot near the trunk

Every thinning cut causes a strong budding in the cherry tree. In the second and third year you subject already rejuvenated crown sectors to a regulating maintenance cut. If you have rejuvenated the entire crown, the pruning leads to a pruning at intervals of three to four years after the harvest season.

Taper pruning alleviates rejuvenation stress

Please always cut worn-out crown branches of a cherry to the cones instead of to the branch. With this cut you reduce the stress on the old fruit tree. There is also a good chance that fresh shoots suitable for fruiting will sprout from the 10-20 cm long stubs. After two years, select the two most promising shoots for each cone. All other branches and the remains of the cones are removed after the summer harvest season.

Cut off the thick branch piece by piece

During the rejuvenation cut, you will be confronted with numerous thick branches in the old cherry tree that have to be removed. From a diameter of 10 centimeters, cut the branches piece by piece on cones. First saw the branch from below at a distance of 30 centimeters from the trunk. Move the saw a little to saw from above. The branch then falls to the ground. Finally, cut the stump down to tenons.

tips

Sour cherries are in a different league than sweet cherries when it comes to cutting care. Juicy morello cherries thrive on last year's shoots. The one- to three-year-old fruit wood bears delicious sour cherries. This behavior calls for an annual maintenance cut following the summer harvest.

Category:

Vegetable garden