Cherry pruning in autumn: a diagram and instructions for a beginner

Novice gardeners should understand that the effectiveness of growing fruit crops in their area directly depends on the timely completion of pruning. And one of the most important is sweet cherry pruning in the fall. Schemes and instructions for such a procedure are provided in large numbers at thematic forums of gardeners, so even a beginner can implement it.

The importance of the procedure

Starting to understand the basic subtleties of autumn pruning of sweet cherries, you need to understand what the purpose of this work is and why it is better to carry it out in the fall, not in the spring. Many beginner gardeners do not pay much attention to cutting events, which negatively affects the fruiting and productivity of crop growth. In addition, without regular pruning, the cherry grows, becomes thick and vulnerable to numerous diseases.

Every beginner should understand that a tree can bear fruit until its crown is completely thickened. If this happens, you can’t even dream of a good harvest.

Such a nuisance is explained very simply: a thickened crown does not let light in, branches begin to feel a lack of valuable lighting. And if young trees can cope with such a phenomenon, older ones undergo the death of fruit branches. Permanent shadow reduces the number of flower buds and, accordingly, reduces the overall cherry yield. Ovaries form less and less on such crops, and the quality of the fruit becomes extremely low. In addition, various diseases begin to develop in the thickened crown and pests appear.

The task and importance of regular trimming is as follows:

1. An increase in fruit crop yields.
2. A significant increase in the quality of berries, their taste and juiciness.
3. Developing a good immune system that can withstand many dangerous infections and diseases.
4. Increased resistance to freezing temperatures in winter.
5. Extending the life span of a culture.

Based on the fact that the cropping scheme directly depends on the task being monitored, before you start working, you need to decide what it is for.

Tracked task

In most cases, gardeners begin to learn how to cut sweet cherry in the fall in order to get rid of the thickened crown and improve the passage of light to the fruit branches. It is also necessary to increase the decorativeness of the culture by forming its appearance. A properly pruned tree is not afraid of external influences such as strong winds or rainfall.

Trimming works prevent the crowns from overgrowing quickly, which is an important factor for comfortable fruit collection. Moreover, a thickened plant cannot boast abundant fruiting, since a significant part of the nutrients and minerals goes not to the fruit branches, but to the empty and old branches.

Specialists advise to trim and to increase productivity. After all, such an event will allow us to direct the main forces to the formation of side branches, where a significant part of the berries is present. In general, there are a lot of reasons and reasons for doing sweet cherry cutting in the fall.It remains to deal with the main working points, prepare the inventory and start the procedure.

Suitable dates

As for the optimal time for cutting, in this matter, gardeners have different strategies and assumptions. Moreover, a separate group of agronomists do not understand at all whether it is possible to cut sweet cherries in the fall before the cold. Someone is of the opinion that the procedure will bring the expected success only if it is performed in the spring. However, experts argue that for maximum fruiting it is advisable to perform it at least 2-3 times a year.

Considering the fall option, it is necessary to track such goals and objectives:

1. Getting rid of a thickened crown by removing old, damaged, or diseased branches. Also at this stage, you should get rid of bends and branches growing at an acute angle.
2. A reduction in shoot length by about a third.

In the autumn, most stone fruit crops are actively storing nutrients before long and cold winters. Based on this, residents of the middle lane and northern regions need to start work from the beginning of leaf decay until the end of September. If you do not have time to trim in such a time, the plants simply will not have time to regain strength and stock up with the necessary elements before intense frost begins. After all, the formed wounds heal in the fall much longer than in the spring or in another warm season.

As for winter pruning, it is extremely rare and is intended to rejuvenate old cherries, which cannot bear fruit as before, or are generally unproductive. With the help of anti-aging thinning, you can increase productivity, as well as return to life almost dead culture.

For young and healthy trees, this procedure is not needed. Moreover, the removal of branches in the winter can be detrimental to thermophilic specimens, which are characterized by increased sensitivity to low temperature conditions.

Subtleties of the work

Forming clippings consist in the regular removal of excess and old branches from the moment the seedling is placed in open ground. Such work is carried out during the first four years of the culture’s life, paying attention to the formation of a strong trunk, crown and skeleton of the future tree.

In order for the new plant to quickly restore its vitality, the frequency of trimming should not be too high. In this regard, individual agronomists prefer spring forming pruning, but sanitary thinning is performed only in the autumn period.

As for trees that have reached the age of five, they can be pruned at any time of the year. Choosing the right time should be guided by the task being tracked and the expected result.

The following types of pruning are practiced by modern gardeners:

1. Formative. The procedure can be performed only in the spring before the sap flow in the branches. Such pruning is required for new seedlings.
2. Sanitary. Intends for prevent the development of dangerous diseases. It is performed in the fall to protect the tree from pathogenic microorganisms. During the procedure, it is necessary to completely get rid of the branches affected by pathogenic microorganisms, which can take useful life force and infect healthy shoots.
3. Anti-aging. Such an event is carried out either in the autumn period or at the beginning of winter. Old and useless trees that have ceased to yield crops fall under pruning. The anti-aging trim combines the functions of forming and sanitary cleaning.

Basic stages

Residents of the Moscow Region and the middle latitudes of the Russian Federation begin autumn pruning of cherries from the moment leaf decay ends until the end of September. During such work, all weak and diseased branches are removed, since a carefully cleaned tree is characterized by higher resistance to winter cold.

Also, in the autumn, an intensive thinning of the crown is carried out, which consists in the removal of all branches growing at the wrong angle. Another fall procedure can track the goal of shortening too long bends by a third of their length. To successfully cut sweet cherries in the fall, you should use special garden tools. It consists of:

1. Garden saw with sharp sharpening.
2. Secateurs.
3. Garden Vara.

If for some reason the tree begins to stretch strongly upward (crown overgrowth and lack of lighting can lead to this), which complicates the harvesting process, the gardener may use a special kind of pruning. It consists in the formation of a cup-like crown and reducing the height of the tree.

By removing the upper branches, one can achieve a decrease in the height of the tree, as well as an increase in its width. As soon as the formed wounds heal, the culture will begin to intensively grow and build up green mass. Soon, flower buds and fruits will begin to be tied up on new branches. And where there were recently places of cuts, only slight bends will soon remain.

Further, the agronomist will need to timely get rid of the shoots directed inward, preventing the crown from thickening again. Otherwise, the effort expended may be futile.

Possible techniques

It's no secret that cherries form fruit ovaries only on horizontal shoots. This means that in order to increase fruiting, you need to get rid of all the sprouts and branches upward. To prevent new branches from appearing at the cutting site, it is important to remove any stumps, and formed wounds handle with a solution vegetable oil paint or a special garden var.

In order to increase fruiting, it is necessary to apply another interesting method. It involves driving around a culture several wooden pegs to which crooked and improperly growing shoots are tied. This method is suitable only for southern regions with a warm climate, because it seriously impairs the cold resistance of the tree and makes it vulnerable to external influences.

To slow the stretching of the branches up, you can make a small incision above each bud that does not grow correctly. The method is far from the most effective, but quite useful.

Tips & Tricks

In order for the pruning of a young tree in the autumn period to bring the expected success, it is necessary to take into account a number of rules and adhere to the advice of specialists. Otherwise, the tree will cease to give a good growth or die at all. So, the key requirements for autumn pruning are as follows:

1. Slices should not be too low. Also, you can not leave stumps and open wounds.
2. For autumn work, you should use a powerful garden tool, preferably a special file. To prevent tearing off the bark, the force must be constantly reduced.
3. Heavy branches are pruned first.

In no case should you start trimming seedlings at the age of 1 year. It is better to wait for the spring season, becausebefore the cold weather begins, the plant will not be able to recover and obtain the required supply of nutrients. It is important to remember that skeletal shoots should not be longer than 50 centimeters before the age of 5 years.

When performing anti-aging and sanitary work, old branches should be discarded. In this case, the next year young branches will grow in their place. If the bark was damaged during pruning, it will have to be treated with oil paint or garden varnish.

Many beginners make a lot of mistakes when cutting sweet cherry in the fall. And if some of them are insignificant, then the rest become fatal. The following manifestations may indicate an incorrectly performed pruning:

1. In the place where the outer branches were supposed to form, tops begin to appear.
2. The crown thickens, the fruiting period shifts, and the fruits become small.
3. The shoots of the lower tier are deformed and become bare.

In order to prevent such a course of events, it is necessary to follow the basic rules of trimming, as well as follow the instructions. In this case, autumn pruning will be a good stimulation of abundant and high-quality fruiting.