How to Prune a Wild Cherry Tree
Native to the United States, the wild cherry tree (Prunus serotina) bears white blossoms in the spring and small reddish-black edible fruits in summer. Wild cherry trees can grow up to 80 feet tall if untended, and they grow quite rapidly. Prune the trees annually to keep them compact and healthy. Prune wild cherry trees in the fall before winter temperatures set in, or in the early spring, once frost danger has passed.
Check your wild cherry tree for signs of dead, diseased or damaged branches. Dead branches feel brittle and remain still when the wind blows. Damaged or diseased branches bear discoloration or physical markings. Remove this wood to protect the health of your cherry tree.
- Native to the United States, the wild cherry tree (Prunus serotina) bears white blossoms in the spring and small reddish-black edible fruits in summer.
- Check your wild cherry tree for signs of dead, diseased or damaged branches.
Cut off unhealthy limbs at their base using your pruning tools. Use lopping shears for growth larger than 3/4 inch in diameter and anvil pruners for thinner limbs. In between cuts, spray the tools with disinfectant spray to avoid passing fungus from bad wood to healthy wood.
Thin out the tree canopy by removing limbs from crowded areas. Cut away branches that grow vertically or downward and remove any branches that cross over or rub up against other branches. Remove up to 1/4 of the old growth at one time.
Head back the wild cherry if it's too tall. Cut the ends of branches back to a lateral intersection to remove some of the excess growth. Avoid pruning back to skinny shoots; choose thick and healthy-looking shoots instead.
- Cut off unhealthy limbs at their base using your pruning tools.
- Cut the ends of branches back to a lateral intersection to remove some of the excess growth.
Trim away any suckers that grow from previous pruning cuts or from the trunk of the tree. Suckers are fast-growing vegetative shoots that sap energy from the tree.
& When To Prune A Cherry Tree
A cherry tree in flower dances its way across spring to come into fruit in early summer. Imagine the shape you want to achieve. Use sharp clippers and remove branches flush with the underlying branch. Eliminate upright-growing shoots with sharp branch angles. Choose scaffold branches that spiral around the cherry tree's trunk, spaced 6 to 12 inches apart. Angle horizontal cuts so that water runs off the cut surface. Prune cherry trees sparingly in the summer, only to eliminate upright and vigorous current growth. Cherry trees store their energy in the branches and leaves during summer months, so summer pruning reduces the tree's energy supplies.
- Trim away any suckers that grow from previous pruning cuts or from the trunk of the tree.
- Choose scaffold branches that spiral around the cherry tree's trunk, spaced 6 to 12 inches apart.
Warning
Wild cherry leaves are poisonous to livestock.
Related Articles
References
- North Carolina State University: Prunus serotina
- North Carolina State University: Pruning Trees
- Fine Gardening: Pruning a Mt.Fuji Cherry Tree
- Texas A&M Aggie Horticulture: Cherries
- National Gardening Association: Cherry Care and Harvesting
- North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service: Training and Pruning Fruit Trees
Warnings
- Wild cherry leaves are poisonous to livestock.
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