When to prune a spring flowering cherry blossom tree

Dawn21

I have a large (20yrs) cherry blossom tree that flowers in spring... lots of buds on there even now. But.. it needs a prune! I have held off doing it as the advice is always hard prune in winter because it doesn’t encourage vigorous growth. But with a cherry blossom there seems to be a suggestion to wait until June... I’m confused. What are other people’s experiences?

chicky

I have always understood that any fruit tree with a stone (ie plums and cherries) is susceptible to silverleaf when pruned.  This disease can kill the tree.  Infection is less likely in midsummer - hence the advice to avoid wounding the tree by pruning in the winter months.  Not sure if this applies to ornamental cherry trees too, but if it does then pruning in June-August would be best.

Hope this helps

Lizzie27

Chicky is right, do not prune your cherry tree in winter but wait until the summer when it is in leaf.  It's harder I know because when the tree is bare, you can see more easily what you are pruning but we have now lost 2 or 3 ornamental cherry trees due to silverleaf disease because I was ignorant about this disease when we first moved here. 

treehugger80

best bet is prune after the flowers have finished, that way you get a show and it will produce flowers the following year as well