How To Prune Cherry Tree

Learning how to prune cherry tree is one of the most important skills for a healthy, productive orchard. This guide walks you through the essential seasonal care, from young saplings to mature fruit-bearers, ensuring you get the best possible harvest.

Pruning isn’t just about shaping. It improves air circulation, lets in sunlight for better fruiting, and removes diseased wood. With the right timing and techniques, you’ll keep your tree strong and manageable for years to come.

Before you make a single cut, it’s crucial to understand your tree’s type. The two main categories are sweet cherries and sour (or tart) cherries, and they have slightly different needs.

Sweet cherry trees (like Bing or Stella) grow more upright. Sour cherry trees (like Montmorency) have a more spreading, shrub-like habit. Knowing which you have helps you plan your pruning approach from the start.

Essential Pruning Tools & Safety

Start with clean, sharp tools. Dull blades crush branches, inviting disease. Always disinfect your tools before moving to another tree to prevent spreading problems.

Hand Pruners (Secateurs): For cuts up to ¾ inch diameter.
Loppers: For branches up to 1.5 inches thick, giving you more leverage.
Pruning Saw: For larger limbs, with a curved blade for easier cutting.
Safety Gear: Gloves, safety glasses, and sturdy shoes are a must.

The Golden Rule: When to Prune

Timing is everything. The best time for major pruning is in late winter to early spring, just before new growth starts but after the coldest weather has passed.

Pruning at this time minimizes the risk of disease infection and allows the tree to heal quickly. Never prune cherry trees in the fall, as this makes them suseptible to fungal diseases and winter injury.

Summer Pruning for Size Control

Light summer pruning, after the harvest, can be useful. It’s mainly for managing the tree’s size and removing any water sprouts (vigorous upright shoots). Summer cuts tend to slow growth, which is handy for a tree that’s getting too tall.

Pruning a Young Cherry Tree (The First 3 Years)

The goal with a young tree is to build a strong, open framework. This initial training makes all future care much easier.

Year 1 (At Planting): If the tree is a whip (single stem), cut it back to about 24-30 inches tall. This encourages low branching.
Year 2 (Late Winter): Select 3-4 strong, well-spaced lateral branches to be your main “scaffold” limbs. They should point in different directions and have wide angles from the trunk. Prune these back by about half, to an outward-facing bud. Remove any other low branches.
Year 3 (Late Winter): Continue to encourage the scaffold branches. Prune back new growth on these by about a third. Choose secondary branches on each scaffold, ensuring they are well-spaced. Remove any branches growing toward the center of the tree.

Pruning a Mature, Bearing Cherry Tree

Once the framework is established, pruning shifts to maintenance: keeping the tree productive and healthy.

Remove the Three D’s: Start by cutting out any Dead, Diseased, or Damaged wood. This is your first priority every year.
Open the Center: Thin out branches that grow straight into the tree’s center. You want an open, vase-like shape so sunlight and air can penetrate.
Reduce Height & Spread: Shorten overly long branches that are getting difficult to harvest from. Cut them back to a lower, outward-growing side branch.
Thin for Light: Remove some smaller interior branches and any that are crossing or rubbing against each other. This prevents wounds and allows fruit to develop properly.

Remember, with mature cherries, less is often more. Avoid removing more than 25% of the living canopy in a single year to prevent stressing the tree.

Step-by-Step Pruning Cuts: Technique Matters

Where and how you cut directly impacts the tree’s healing.

Thinning Cut (The Preferred Method)

This removes an entire branch back to its point of origin—either to the trunk or to a larger parent branch. It opens up the canopy without stimulating lots of new growth. Make your cut just outside the branch collar (the swollen area where the branch meets the trunk).

Heading Cut (Use Sparingly)

This shortens a branch by cutting it back to a bud. It encourages bushy growth just below the cut. Use this mainly on young trees for shaping. On mature trees, overuse creates a dense, tangled mess that blocks light.

Special Cases: Dealing with Problems

Sometimes, you inherit a neglected tree. Here’s how to handle it.

For an overgrown cherry, undertake a three-year restoration. Don’t try to fix it all in one season. Each late winter, remove one-third of the oldest, tallest, and most unproductive wood. Focus on thinning over height reduction initially. This gradual approach brings it back under control without shocking it.

Always seal large pruning wounds (over 2 inches) with a pruning sealant to protect against borers and disease, a step not always needed for smaller cuts.

Seasonal Care Beyond Pruning

Pruning is just one part of the yearly cycle. To support your tree’s health, integrate these tasks.

Spring: Apply a balanced fertilizer as new growth begins. Mulch around the base (but not against the trunk) to retain moisture and suppress weeds.
Summer: Water deeply during dry spells, especially once fruit has set. Monitor for pests like aphids.
Fall: Clear away all fallen leaves and fruit to reduce disease carryover. This is a simple but critical step for preventing issues like cherry leaf spot.
Winter: This is your planning time. Inspect the tree’s structure while the leaves are gone, and plan your late-winter pruning cuts.

Common Pruning Mistakes to Avoid

Topping the Tree: Lopping off the top to reduce height is harmful. It creates weak, fast-growing water sprouts and increases disease risk.
Leaving Stubs: Always cut back to the branch collar or a lateral branch. Stubs die back and become entry points for rot.
Over-pruning: Taking to much off in one year stresses the tree, reducing fruit production and inviting sunscald on now-exposed branches.
Ignoring Tool Hygiene: Cleaning your tools between trees is non-negotiable for preventing the spread of bacteria and fungi.

FAQ: Your Cherry Tree Pruning Questions Answered

Can I prune my cherry tree in spring?

Yes, late winter to early spring is the ideal and recommended time. The goal is to prune just before the growing season starts, but after the harshest cold.

How do you prune an overgrown cherry tree?

Adopt a gradual, three-year approach. Each year, remove a portion of the oldest and most unproductive wood, focusing on thinning cuts to open the canopy. Avoid drastic reduction all at once.

What is the difference between pruning sweet vs. tart cherry trees?

Sweet cherries fruit on both long-lived spurs and previous year’s growth, so you thin more than head back. Sour cherries fruit primarily on previous year’s growth, so you can prune a bit more aggressively to stimulate new shoots.

How much can you cut off a cherry tree?

For a mature, healthy tree, avoid removing more than 25% of the live canopy in a single year. For a neglected tree being renovated, spread the work over several seasons.

Do cherry trees need to be pruned every year?

An annual light pruning is best. It keeps the tree healthy, allows for consistent fruit production, and prevents the need for major, stressful cuts later on. Skipping years often leads to a crowded, less productive tree.

Mastering the art of pruning your cherry tree is a rewarding process. With consistent, thoughtful care each season, you’ll be ensured of bountiful harvests and a beautiful, robust tree that anchors your garden for decades. Remember, sharp tools, the right timing, and clean cuts are your best friends in the orchard.