How To Prune A Cherry Tree That Has Never Been Pruned

You have a mature cherry tree that’s been left to its own devices. It might look wild, overgrown, or simply unbalanced. Don’t worry, learning how to prune a cherry tree that has never been pruned is a manageable project that will set it up for years of healthy growth and a beautiful shape. With the right approach, you can rejuvenate your tree without harming its future harvest.

This guide will walk you through the entire process, from understanding why pruning is essential to executing the cuts over several seasons. We’ll focus on safety, timing, and technique to ensure your tree thrives. The goal is to open up the canopy for light and air, which prevents disease and encourages fruiting.

This heading is your main goal. For a neglected tree, you cannot achieve this in one year. Drastic pruning will shock the tree, causing it to produce excessive, weak water sprouts. Instead, you’ll spread the work over two to three years. Patience is your most important tool.

Why You Must Prune a Neglected Cherry Tree

An unpruned tree becomes a tangled mess. Branches compete for sunlight, growing weak and spindly. The dense foliage traps moisture, inviting fungal diseases like powdery mildew and brown rot. Fruit production suffers because energy is wasted on excessive wood growth instead of fruit buds.

Pruning fixes these issues. It:

Improves air circulation and sunlight penetration.
Removes dead, damaged, or diseased wood.
Stimulates the growth of new, fruit-bearing wood.
Creates a strong structure that can support heavy crops.
Makes the tree easier to manage and harvest.

The Best Time to Prune

Timing is critical for cherry trees, which are prone to certain diseases. The ideal window is in late winter, just before new growth starts but after the worst of the cold has passed. This is typically late February to early March in many climates. The tree is dormant, so it experiences less stress, and you can easily see the branch structure without leaves.

Avoid pruning in fall or early winter. Cuts heal slower then, increasing the risk of disease entry. Summer pruning can be done for minor corrective shaping, but the major renovation should happen in late winter.

Essential Tools You’ll Need

Using the right, sharp tools makes the job easier and creates cleaner cuts that heal faster. You’ll need:

Bypass Pruners (Hand Shears): For cuts up to 3/4 inch in diameter.
Loppers: For branches from 3/4 inch to 1.5 inches. Their long handles provide leverage.
Pruning Saw: A sharp, curved saw for branches larger than 1.5 inches.
Safety Gear: Sturdy gloves, safety glasses, and a secure ladder if needed.
Disinfectant: Rubbing alcohol or a bleach solution to sterilize your tools between cuts, especially if you remove any diseased wood.

The Three-Year Renovation Plan

Here is your step-by-step plan. Remember, we are spreading the work out to avoid shocking the tree.

Year One: The Assessment and Cleanup

Your goal this first year is to remove obvious problems and start opening the center. Don’t remove more than 15-20% of the living canopy.

Stand Back and Look: Walk around the tree. Identify the main leader (the central trunk) and the thickest, oldest scaffold branches.
Remove the Three D’s: Using your saw or pruners, cut out all Dead, Diseased, and Damaged wood first. Cut back to healthy tissue or to the branch collar.
Clear the Center: Look for branches growing straight up through the center (water sprouts) or straight down. Remove these. Also, cut out any branches that are crossing or rubbing against each other.
Address Suckers: Remove all suckers—the fast-growing vertical shoots coming from the base of the trunk or roots.

Year Two: Shaping the Structure

Now you’ll focus on defining the tree’s shape. For most cherry trees, an open center (vase shape) is ideal. This allows maximum light into the middle.

Select Main Scaffolds: Choose 3 to 5 strong, well-spaced branches to be your primary scaffolds. They should radiate evenly from the trunk, not be directly above one another, and have wide angles of attachment (about 45 degrees).
Subordinate Competing Leaders: If there are multiple tall, upright branches competing with your chosen scaffolds, shorten them significantly to redirect energy.
Thin Out Secondary Growth: On the remaining branches, thin out some of the smaller side shoots. Aim to have branches spaced 6-12 inches apart along a main scaffold.

Year Three: Refinement and Maintenance

By the third year, your tree should look much more open and structured. Now you shift to maintenance pruning.

Further Thinning: Continue thinning out crowded areas to allow light and air into the permanent structure.
Heading Back: To encourage branching, you can make heading cuts on some of the longer, thinner branches. Cut back to an outward-facing bud.
Establish the Form: Your open center should now be clear. Maintain this shape by removing any new growth that tries to fill the center.

How to Make Proper Pruning Cuts

Making the cut correctly is as important as choosing the right branch. A bad cut can lead to rot and disease.

Thinning Cut: This removes an entire branch back to its point of origin (the trunk or a larger branch). Cut just outside the branch collar—the slightly swollen area where the branch meets the trunk. Do not leave a stub.
Heading Cut: This shortens a branch. Make your cut 1/4 inch above a bud that faces the direction you want new growth to go (usually outward). Angle the cut slightly away from the bud.
What NOT to Do: Never make a flush cut that’s removes the branch collar. Avoid leaving long stubs, as they will die back and become an entry point for pests.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Even with the best intentions, it’s easy to make errors. Here are the big ones to watch for.

Topping the Tree: Lopping off the top of the tree to reduce height is harmful. It creates a flood of weak, poorly attached new growth.
Overpruning in One Year: This is the most common mistake with a neglected tree. It causes severe stress and excessive water sprout growth.
Using Dull or Dirty Tools: Dull tools crush and tear bark. Dirty tools can spread disease from one part of the tree to another.
Ignoring the Tree’s Natural Shape: Force a cherry tree into an unnatural form. Work with its existing structure as much as possible.

Aftercare: What to Do Post-Pruning

Your job isn’t quite done once the cuts are made. A little aftercare helps the tree recover.

No Need for Wound Paint: Modern advice is to avoid sealing pruning cuts with paint or tar. Trees heal best on their own when cuts are made properly.
Clean Up Debris: Rake up and dispose of all pruned branches and leaves, especially if you removed diseased wood. Don’t compost it.
Water and Mulch: If the spring is dry, give the tree a deep watering. Apply a 2-3 inch layer of mulch around the base (keeping it away from the trunk) to conserve moisture and regulate soil temperature.

FAQ: Pruning Neglected Cherry Trees

Can I prune a very old, neglected cherry tree?

Yes, but be even more conservative. An very old tree has less vigor. Follow the multi-year plan but remove even less material each session—closer to 10% per year. The goal for an ancient tree is often just to keep it safe and healthy, not perfectly shaped.

What if my tree is over 20 feet tall?

For large, tall trees, safety becomes the priority. Consider hiring a certified arborist for the initial heavy pruning, especially if it involves a ladder or chainsaw work. You can then maintain the lower, accessible parts yourself.

Is pruning sour and sweet cherry trees the same?

The process is very similar, but sweet cherries often grown more upright and may be trained to a central leader shape. Sour (tart) cherries more commonly take to the open center system. The timing and basic cut techniques are identical.

My tree didn’t flower after pruning. Did I ruin it?

Not necessarily. Cherry trees fruit on wood that is at least one year old. Heavy pruning can remove some fruiting wood, temporarily reducing bloom. The tree is also putting energy into healing and new growth. Be patient; the payoff in healthier, more abundant fruit will come in the following years.

Revitalizing a long-neglected cherry tree is a rewarding process. By taking a gradual, thoughtful approach, you guide the tree back to productivity without causing harm. Remember the core principles: prune in late winter, never remove to much at once, make clean cuts, and prioritize the removal of problem branches first. With consistent care, your once-wild tree will become a structured, healthy, and fruitful part of your garden for many seasons to come.