Wonky cherry tree

julie_woolidge

Please can you suggest a way of pruning my tree as you can see from the picture it is leaning to one side, the prevailing wind comes from the west on the right hand side of the tree. Would it be advisable to cut the leading stem down or cut a few side branches back to the trunk?

Posy

Hi, Julie. I think your tree is adapting to conditions. If it had been staked as a baby it would have grown straight but it will always be more vigorous on the sheltered side. I'm not aware of any way to straighten the trunk at this stage but you could prune the left side to even up the shape, a little at a time. I wouldn't cut the leading shoot or go back to the trunk, though. The only way to grow a perfect tree would be to shelter it from the wind!

julie_woolidge

Hi Posy

Thank you. We bought the tree at 5 years old and it was staked for 3 years but it still went wonky. We will try as you suggested.

Ta Julie