When and how to prune a cherry tree

John1018

Hello, I have a cherry tree, about 9 feet tall. Most of the branches have fruit, and new growth beyond the last fruit approximately 18 inches. I've never been brave enough to prune the tree 3/4 years old, but clearly it needs a trim. So when should I, and by how much? Thank you

John1018

John1018 said:

Hello, I have a cherry tree, about 9 feet tall. Most of the branches have fruit, and new growth beyond the last fruit approximately 18 inches. I've never been brave enough to prune the tree 3/4 years old, but clearly it needs a trim. So when should I, and by how much? Thank you

Lizzie27

Hello John, just checked in my Alan Titchmarsh's The Kitchen Gardener book and he advises not to prune cherries unless absolutely necessary. He says the best way to grow them is fan shaped against a wall or fence because it's easier to net the tree to stop birds pinching the fruit. Your tree is freestanding so I guess that's not an option - you may find the birds get the lot.

mrtjforman

isn't that a bit of a contradiction though because in order to get a fan shape you need to prune it into a fan shape 

PS: if that were my tree which I wish it was  I would just snip 5-10 inches off the ends of each branch once the cherries have been eaten.