And I would wait til summer, not just because of silverleaf which may or may not be a problem where you are and also because summer pruning is for fruit, winter for growth. This was taken this morning, just to try and illustrate a little better. Tbh, the tree is a menace, and every snowfall or gale we have I'm concerned about a branch going through my roof.
While there are no leaves on, I might try to see which branches I could remove in summer, though there are only about 7 primary branches. Good idea to identify which branches at this point - I'd suggest you get a bit of paint and use it to mark where you'd like to prune next year. I did this in reverse with my apple tree. Some branches weren't alive any longer, but of course I had to identify them when the leaves were still on - they all look dead without leaves!
Painted in summer, lopped in winter. That's a helpful picture. You could apply the one third rule differently. Instead of taking off a third of everything, to maintain balance in the tree's form, you could reduce the main stems by as much as a half and leave the secondary branches, lower down, alone in the first year.
It couldn't be a menace then, tho the result wouldn't be pretty. You'd still only be aiming to take off a third of the wood at one time. It wouldn't matter how it regrew, because you'd be hitting it again the following year.
From the size of the trunk it looks like it's already been hit hard in the past. You could make that tree pretty again, as well as practical. Best wishes It's being multi-stemmed looks like a deliberate bit of formative pruning.
Work with each stem to encourage spread, not height, which implies some annual maintenance once you've got it settled down to its original intended form. Nobbie made an important point, putting silver leaf aside. So, pruning in winter would likely just make your problem worse in the long run.
Quote from: Casey76 on November 21, , A gradual shaping that works from bonsai up to big scale with trees. The wood makes great firewood too, or big pieces may even be worth offering to a woodworker if they can kiln dry it.. So look now and maybe mark a few options with spray, coloured wool or chalk and then go back a few days later to think again before you start hint, sometimes it looks good til you start then you realise a better option so worth measure twice cut once approach from woodworking!
If they're a row with low horizontal branches have they maybe been espaliers at one time? You could go back toward that and at least make any fruit reachable for picking, by focusing on removal of tall uprights which have come from water shoots over the years and not been removed.
That will also cut shade height for your beds. Brutal doesn't work that well on fruit, I've found, you'll get better crops and survival rates by 'gardening' the trees not kill or cure methods, for the most part. I have a plum with a twist tear and just used 2 old fence stabs nailed together in a cross brace to hold it the last 4 years now. Will need removed one day but I am trying to encourage growth elsewhere first as that is a key structure for fruiting volume beyond it and symmetry.
Ellie, Thank you so much for taking the trouble to give such a helpful and comprehensive answer. I've got a few weeks to plan my cuts and as you have suggested I will err on the gentle side and stagger my pruning. In the meantime I'll get some props under the heavier branches. Thanks again, Jerry. Prune whips back to to inches above the ground at planting time.
If a branch is broken by the wind or by a heavy load of fruit, emergency treatment is necessary. When taking action due to injury, prune to clean up any ragged edges; making a flush cut that leaves no stub. It does not benefit the cherry tree to wait until dormancy to prune damaged, dead, or diseased limbs or to remove unwanted growth like suckers and watersprouts.
These should all be completely removed as soon as you see them. Home gardeners can effectively thin cherry trees by hand if needed. During the spring, cherry trees may will start to drop or abort underripe fruit. This is a natural process that allows the tree to mature the remaining crop load. If not corrected through thinning, cherry trees may bear biennially fruits only every other year or bear heavily one year, then bear a comparatively light crop the next year.
Thinning may seem counterproductive in theory, but it really is a benefit to your cherry harvest in the long run. Pruning Cherry Trees Pruning is a very important part of proper cherry tree care and maintenance; however, many people think the task overwhelming. Keep these things in mind when you set out to prune your cherry trees: Have confidence in knowing that not everyone will prune the exact same way — including the experts.
In the best interest of your tree, it is preferable to do some pruning versus no pruning. If an cherry tree is left unpruned, it may not become fruitful, it will not grow as well, and — in some cases — it may not be encouraged to grow at all.
There are three main reasons you should prune your cherry tree: its survival, stimulation and shaping. Pruning Fruit Trees: Pre-Pruning. Pruning Fruit Trees: Main Leader. Pruning Fruit Trees: Vase Shape. Survival When your cherry tree is dug up from our fields to be shipped to you, and any time a tree is transplanted, the root ball loses many of its fine feeder roots.
Stimulation In addition to the survival benefits, pruning an cherry tree stimulates stronger, more vigorous growth from the remaining buds.
Shape and Structure Equally as important to the benefits above, your cherry tree needs to be pruned to provide a strongly structured shape.
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