How to Prune Cherry Trees, Year by Year Guide

Cherry trees are a popular and rewarding fruit tree to grow in your garden, but if you want to get the most out of your tree, you need to know how to prune it properly. Pruning cherry trees is crucial for their health and productivity, as without proper pruning, they can become spindly, susceptible to breaking in the wind, and produce less fruit. In this blog, we'll cover how to prune your cherry trees from the first year of planting to maturity, so you can get the maximum production out of your trees.

Firstly, when you buy your cherry tree, it's best to buy bare root trees to save money. When you first plant your cherry tree, it will most likely have just one single trunk going straight up. You need to prune it to about 18 inches from the ground, so it can create more branches. If it has two or three branches growing out of the main trunk, cut them about 12 to 18 inches above where they're branching out.

The best time to prune your cherry trees is in late winter or early spring, right after you get all the rains and before the tree starts to bud out. In the Southern Hemisphere, it's best to prune your trees in February, March, or April, depending on your Zone.

After one year of growth, your tree will have about three to four branches going straight up. You need to snip each one of these about 18 inches above your last cut. After two years of growth, your tree will start taking shape, and you need to prune away any branches that are growing horizontally to the ground and any branches growing towards the inside of the tree. You also need to prune away any dead branches you see and apply grafting compound to any open wounds.

After three years of growth, your tree will start producing flowers, and you can expect to get cherries on the third year. After four years, you'll get a lot of cherries. The pruning process becomes simple after three years, and you just need to top off the tree so it doesn't grow too tall and snip off any branches growing towards each other or crisscrossing.

Remember, cherry trees produce fruit on older wood, so don't over-prune your tree. Keep it bushy and let the tree produce a lot of branches and flowers, and you'll get a lot of cherries.

In conclusion, pruning cherry trees is essential for their health and productivity. With proper pruning techniques, you can grow healthy trees that produce abundant fruit. Happy pruning!