Anyone who only pays attention to their sour cherry tree when the fruit is about to be harvested will soon look puzzled. Without regular pruning, the sour cherry grows old, develops fewer flowers and fruits and is more susceptible to diseases.

To protect birds, care should be taken when pruning

When is the sour cherry cut?

In contrast to other fruit trees, the sour cherry is cut at a different time. The best time for the thinning cut is in the summer after the harvest. This is usually the case between early and mid-August.

Cutting depends on the variety

Depending on the variety, sour cherries grow differently. While some form whip-like long shoots and have an overhanging growth pattern, others show short fruiting wood and strive upright.

Overhanging varieties

Varieties such as 'Gerema', 'Schattenmorelle' and 'Morellenfeuer' develop a strongly overhanging growth if they are not regularly put in their place by a cut. Their whip-like shoots are extremely long and they bear fruit on the one-year-old wood. With these varieties you have to shorten all long side shoots by two thirds. In addition, a clearing cut is recommended, in which old wood is cut out.

Varieties such as 'Ludwigs Frühe', 'Dimitzer' and 'Schwäbische Weichsel' also grow overhanging. In contrast to the varieties already mentioned, their growth is weaker. They also have to be shortened considerably - albeit less.

Upright growing varieties

The following varieties develop a different growth pattern: 'Sapphire', 'Favorit', 'Heimanns Rubinweichsel', 'Karneol', 'Koroser Weichsel' and 'Morina'. They grow upright, bear fruit on one-year-old and old wood and bare little. Here it is sufficient to remove or shorten the weak and inwardly growing shoots.

Basic information on cutting sour cherries

If you don't know which variety it is or if you want to choose the easiest way, you should proceed in a similar way to conventional fruit tree pruning. When cutting, a sharp tool such as pruning shears should generally be used.

How to proceed:

  • prune vigorously any branches that have borne fruit
  • do not cut young branches
  • Thin out once a year to loosen the crown
  • remove diseased, dead and old wood
  • remove downward or drooping branches
  • where to cut: at the beginning of a new shoot
tips and tricksA positive side effect of regularly pruning or pruning the sour cherry is that the risk of fungal infestation is minimized. A lighter crown allows moisture on the leaves and shoots to evaporate more quickly and fungi lack the basis for life.

Category:

Vegetable garden