In order for sour cherries to thrive with a high-yielding crown, a pruning is on the schedule in summer. The cut distinguishes between the varieties "Schattenmorelle" and "Sommel Kirsche". In this tutorial, read how to cut your sour cherries in an exemplary manner.

The sour cherry is usually cut in summer

Table of Contents

Show all
  1. Variety types differences
  2. cutting time
  3. Cutting instructions morello cherry
  4. Cutting instructions sour cherry
  5. taper cut
  6. frequently asked Questions

    7. Variety types - differences in a nutshell

    Sour cherries differ significantly in growth behavior from sweet cherries. This circumstance primarily requires a different incision. Furthermore, the gardener should know which type of sour cherry thrives in his green realm. Cut care takes this into account in many ways. The following overview summarizes the outstanding criteria of both types of varieties:

    Morello type

    • Popular varieties: Gerema, Morellenfeuer
    • Blooms and bears fruit annual wood
    • Tendency to long, bare whip shoots with few leaves at the outer end

    Type sour cherry

    • Popular varieties: Carnelian, Corian Vistula, Sapphire, Agate, Jade, Heimann's Ruby Vistula
    • Blooms and bears fruit one-, two- and three-year-old wood
    • Characteristic feature: short fruit wood, richly decorated with flower buds and leaves

    tips

    The distinction between cultivar types is wasteful if a sour cherry suffers from Monilia peak drought. If shoot tips dry up in the middle of the season, there is an immediate need for action. Cut all affected branches back into healthy wood. Then clean and disinfect the cutting tool carefully to avoid unintentional transmission of the pathogens to other trees.

    The best time to cut is in summer

    When it comes to choosing the best pruning time, commercial orchards serve as a role model for hobby gardeners. As early bloomers, sour cherries lay their buds last year on. Pruning the crown after harvest will encourage this year's bud formation. varieties of the type Morello cherry will each year cut. On varieties of the type sour cherry stands all 2 to 3 years cutting care on the program.

    An exception applies to radical pruning measures, such as the rejuvenation of an overgrown sour cherry. In this case, the summer grace period from March to September, which is stipulated in the Federal Nature Conservation Act, applies. Extensive pruning is permitted from October 1st to February 28th provided no wild animals overwinter in the treetop or shrub.

    Cut morello cherries

    Popular sour cherry varieties such as morello cherry, morella fire or gerema bloom and bear fruit on one-year-old wood. At the same time, this means that the fruit trees tend to become bare. Furthermore, the young, thin shoots lean towards the ground under their juicy, sour load. This growth behavior with prominent whip shoots requires a annual maintenance cut, as illustrated in the figure below. How to cut correctly:

    • The best time is after the harvest in dry, cloudy weather
    • Cut back overhanging shoots by half to two thirds
    • Derive every whip drive from a lower-lying new drive
    • Important: Do not prune new shoots to encourage vigorous growth

    In connection with the pruning of worn-out whip shoots, devote yourself to a continuous rejuvenation of the crown. To do this, you remove the oldest leading branch on Astring every two to three years. Alternatively, redirect the branch in question to a young, outward-pointing side shoot as a successor.

    Sour cherry varieties of the morello cherries form long, bare whip shoots. After harvest, cut back the bare canes vigorously.

    background

    Steep branches do not bear fruit

    If your sour cherry is dominated by shoots that grow almost vertically, you will look in vain for blossoms and fruit. A branch only turns into valuable fruit wood when it is at an angle of approx 60° to trunk or control button is located. You should regulate a branch position that is too steep. This is very easy to do with wooden spreaders, weights or string. The younger and more flexible the wood, the easier it is to lay it flat. The growth then calms down so that the first flower buds can form.

    Cut sour cherries

    You will never struggle with bare whip shoots on sour cherries of the sour cherry type. Popular varieties such as Saphir or Favorit inspire with upright growth. Blossoms and fruits also thrive on older wood, with no signs of premature wilting. With this habit, sour cherries make pruning easy for the gardener. How to do it right:

    • Prune sour cherries at 2 to 3 year intervals
    • The best time is after the cherry harvest
    • Cut crown free of weak, inward turning or dead branches
    • Cut back shoots to short spurs

    After three to four years, the fruit wood is almost exhausted and often heavily branched in the upper area. With a targeted derivation cut, you breathe new life into the tired wood. Look for a young, one to two year old side shoot in the rear area. At the junction, cut off the old wood.

    Sour cherry varieties flower and bear fruit on one-, two- and three-year-old wood. Weak, unfavorable shoots and deadwood should be removed every few years. Shorten shoots that are too long to promote the formation of short shoots as new fruit wood.

    digression

    Cut the fruit stalk instead of picking it off

    The sword of Damocles of fruit tree cancer hovers over all fruit trees. This is a fungal infection and not cancer in the medical sense. The pathogens act as wound parasites and lie in wait for the smallest wounds in the wood. It pays to cut off every fruit stalk when harvesting sour cherries. Picking sour cherries leaves small sores on the branch that serve as a welcome target for cunning fungal spores.

    Rejuvenate old sour cherries

    Morello cherries age within a few years if care for the cut is neglected. Without an occasional pruning, this fate is also sealed for a sour cherry. The crown turns into an impenetrable network of branches that bare from the inside. Flowers and fruits are rare. However, that is no reason to dig up an old sour cherry. the good cutting tolerance allows a radical rejuvenation pruning that brings a breath of fresh air to profitability. How to proceed professionally:

    • The best time is between the end of January and the end of February in frost-free, dry weather
    • Saw off dead wood on the branch at the beginning
    • Trailing, branched branches lead to a young side shoot at the base

    The more old, senile branches you can divert to young side shoots, the better the tolerance of a rejuvenation cut. If there is no side shoot to be found, cut the branch in question into cones. Leave a stump of 10 to 15 cm. A number of young shoots will sprout at this point until next summer or the summer after that. Choose the two most promising specimens with an oblique-horizontal growth direction. Remove all other shoots together with the dried cone remains.

    frequently asked Questions

    Is the sour cherry self-fertile?

    Sour cherries are mostly dependent on a neighboring pollinator variety. This can also be a sweet cherry in the neighbor's garden, as long as both cherry trees bloom at the same time and there are enough insects for pollination. Sour cherries that are offered as self-fertile generally benefit if there is another variety within a radius of 200 to 300 meters.

    I planted the sour cherry variety Saphir 3 years ago. This year a lonely cherry develops. What can I do to increase fruit yield?

    It is not uncommon for sour cherries to bear fruit in their third year. At the beginning, the fruit trees concentrate on strong root growth and a stable crown formation. You can improve the willingness to flower and fruit yield by administering a phosphorus-rich berry fertilizer (3.94€) from March to the end of July. Furthermore, the fruit yield increases if you plant a second sour cherry variety.

    My sour cherry "Morellenfeuer" shouldn't be bigger than 2.50 to 3.00 meters. When and how should I cut?

    Under these circumstances, we recommend a twice-yearly cut. In summer, thin out worn fruit wood and remove bare, drooping whip shoots. Between late January and late February, prune the crown by a third wherever swelling flower buds are not showing.

    Can you tell me whether the sour cherry "Schattenmorelle" should be cut? If yes, when and how?

    Morello cherries should be pruned annually. It is recommended to prune at least a third of the worn, whip-shaped shoots. The best time is immediately after the harvest in overcast, dry weather. You should observe the following premises: remove all parallel shoots that grow steeply upwards and cross one another. Remove branches that grow in the direction of the inside of the crown. Thin out the crown of the sour cherry a lot so that the light can reach all regions.

    The 3 most common cutting mistakes

    A sour cherry without a picturesque spring blossom and juicy fruits is usually the victim of a typical pruning error. In order to protect the readers of this tutorial from annoying damage and crop failure, the following table lists the three most common mistakes and gives tips for prevention:

    cutting error damage picture prevention
    cut in late winter Loss of flowers and fruits Cut sour cherries after harvest
    never cut premature senescence and baldness, decreasing crop yield Cut morello cherries every year, sour cherries every 3 years
    Steep shoots not removed or flattened little fruit wood, dense network of sterile shoots Thin out shoots that are too steep or spread them at a 60° angle
    youtube

    tips

    Regular pruning of sour cherries also serves as an effective prevention against the dreaded Monilia peak drought. By vigorously pruning back worn, old and vulnerable wood, you remove pre-existing spore beds of the fungal disease. Please do not dispose of suspicious clippings in the compost, but put them in the garbage can or at the municipal composting facility.

Category:

Vegetable garden