After harvesting, gardeners prepare all fruit and berry plants for winter, performing a number of important cultural work. Cherry pruning in the fall is carried out in accordance with a certain scheme and with strict adherence to the recommended timing.
Content
When to prune cherries: spring or fall
Cherry is a thermophilic plant, and the cuts need to be tightened until frost, otherwise the branch will dry out
Correct and timely pruning of fruit plantations is the key to abundant and long-term fruiting in the coming season, and also allows you to maintain the health and aesthetic appearance of the plant. Depending on the goals, the procedure can be performed at different times and according to a different scheme.
Table of pros and cons of seasonal work
| Pruning season | Benefits | disadvantages |
| Spring | Redirecting nutrients to obtain high productivity, removing all frozen shoots during the winter. | The need to carry out the whole range of work before flowering, but still against the background of swelling of the buds. |
| Autumn | Effective and uncomplicated plant preparation for the winter dormancy period. | The need to accurately determine the slowdown of sap flow and the end of the growing season. |
Autumn pruning is carried out less often than a spring event, since the damage received during the removal of shoots can make the plant too sensitive to frost.
No matter how much you are assured otherwise, know that stone fruit trees, including cherries and cherries, equally need both spring and autumn pruning.
What a novice gardener will need for proper pruning
Preference should be given to a tool made of high-strength steel and equipped with comfortable, non-slip handles, which will ensure maximum safety when cutting
The use of quality tools from a trusted and well-established manufacturer is a guarantee of efficient pruning that does not harm the garden culture. To this end, experienced gardeners recommend purchasing the following set of inventory:
- pruning shears - the main auxiliary tool for pruning sufficiently thin branches or young growth;
- hacksaw (garden saw) - a device that allows you to easily remove old branches or too thick shoots;
- The lopper is a garden tool designed for cutting shoots in the most inconvenient or hard-to-reach areas.
The entire tool must be well sharpened and disinfected, no notches on the blades. The processing of the cuts is carried out with traditional garden varieties or with ready-made and home-made compositions.
Remember to wear heavy-duty gardening gloves to protect your hands from injury and prevent the tool from slipping out.
Terms of work
For the best effect, autumn pruning of cherries is recommended once every 3 years.
Cherries are thermophilic garden plants that do not tolerate winter frosts quite well, so the time for pruning is thought out in advance. The timing of the event varies depending on the climatic characteristics in a particular region.
| Region | Timing |
| Southern regions | until the end of November |
| Northwest Russia | until the end of the second decade of September |
| Middle zone of Russia | until the end of the second decade of September |
| Siberia | no later than mid-September |
It is not recommended to prune the planted cherry seedlings in the first autumn period, since immature young trees often freeze out in the cut areas. With the active growth and development, autumn pruning of cherries becomes necessary for sanitary purposes, followed by burning of diseased, dried or damaged branches.
How to prune cherries in the fall: step-by-step instructions with diagrams
Depending on the age, appearance of the crown and varietal characteristics, as well as on the health of the plant, the pruning scheme may differ markedly.
Young trees
The main principle is the formation of a productive crown without the need to remove dry or diseased branches. The thinning procedure prevents thickening and forms a good skeleton. In the process of planting, you need to cultivate the branches, leaving only 5-6 of the most developed shoots. Pruning is carried out according to the standard scheme.
It is desirable that the branches left be directed in different directions and located at a distance of at least 10 cm from each other
Pruning sites are processed, and correctly directed shoots will easily ensure the formation of a fairly spreading and productive crown.
Anti-aging pruning of old trees
Flower buds on tree-like plants are located on bouquet branches or annual growths. When cultivating old trees, the main task of the gardener is to remove diseased and dry branches that stop the development of young shoots. Such a simple event prevents the appearance of diseases and preserves the health of cherries for many years.
If the old cherry has grown to 3 m or more, the center conductor is cut
In tree varieties of cherries, annual shoots are shortened annually, which stimulates the development of branches and lateral branches for active fruit formation. After a couple of years, further growth processes are necessarily limited. Intertwining branches and the strongest growths located on the lower and inner surfaces of large branches require special attention.
With rejuvenating pruning, you do not need to cut more than 1 m of shoots, as this can cause disease and death of the tree.
Felt Cherry
A dwarf tree up to 2 m high is characterized by rapid growth, compact crown and trunk, early fruit formation, drought resistance and rare growth of growth, therefore such a plant needs special pruning.
Cherry pruning should be carried out taking into account the biological characteristics of its growth, crown shape, dynamics of fruiting and branching
With a timely procedure, the activity of fruit formation on the plant is extended up to a quarter of a century. Forming and sanitary renewal promotes the formation of large berries, the removal of diseased and thickening branches, as well as old branches that do not give growth and yield.
Felt cherry is also called Chinese.
Bush species
Bushy cherry lays vegetative buds exclusively on annual growths, which, of course, cannot be removed, which will prevent premature drying of the branches or complete death of the plant.
If you let everything take its course, after 2 years the branches will intertwine so that it will be very difficult to deal with them.
For bush cherries, the best option is to form a so-called tiered crown. This method of forming involves a single arrangement of branches on the central conductor.The first pruning after planting is done in early spring and is complemented by thinning. The starting main branch is laid at a height of 30-40 cm, and about 5-6 additional branches are left above it. New shoots are gradually added to them. The strongest branches growing deeper into the crown must be cut out entirely.
Shrub cherries can be planted even in the cold regions of the Urals and Siberia, where other plant varieties cannot withstand the harsh winter.
What care to provide for a pruned tree
Garden pitch for processing cuts can be bought ready-made or made by hand
A special putty for horticultural crops is used when processing open sections of cuts. Beginners most often give preference to garden brew or "Petrolatum", but agronomists advise to make a composition for the regeneration of plant tissues after pruning on their own:
- Nigrol remedy. In 0.5 kg of hot nigrol, 0.5 kg of rosin and the same amount of paraffin are carefully poured, after which the mass is thoroughly mixed. Before use, the finished putty composition must be heated to a warm state.
- Wood alcohol product. You need to mix fine rosin and melted lard in a ratio of 16: 1. The resulting liquid is thoroughly heated and brought to a homogeneous state, after which 8 parts of alcohol are added to it.
- Composition based on beeswax. Melted beeswax, rosin or resin and linseed oil are thoroughly mixed in a ratio of 4: 20: 1. The resulting mixture is brought to a boil, after which 2 parts of crushed charcoal are added.
- Means with bacon. 1 part of lard is melted, after which 2 parts of wax are added. The finished mixture is brought to a homogeneous consistency, 4 parts of chopped rosin are added to it. The product is boiled for half an hour and kneaded with cold water.
Some experienced gardeners supplement a small amount of heteroauxin into a regular garden pitch for the most effective healing of the slices. It is recommended to use 1 growth stimulant tablet per liter of product.
Simple rules for pruning cherries: video
With a low-temperature regime at night, which is not at all uncommon in the autumn, slices on cherries heal for a long time. It is for this reason that you need to be careful about choosing the timing and optimal pruning scheme for garden culture.
