How to properly prune cherry plum in summer, spring and autumn, crown formation diagram

Although cherry plum prefers to grow in the southern regions, trees can be found more and more often in regions with a cool climate. And in order for the tree to bear fruit abundantly every year, it needs to be looked after. One of the important procedures is pruning and shaping the cherry plum crown.

Purpose and necessity of formative work

Pruning of cherry plum trees is divided into four types depending on the purpose of its implementation. In any case, the procedure must be carried out regularly so that the tree grows healthy and produces a good harvest. Varieties of pruning cherry plum:

• Formative - aimed at forming the crown. It is carried out less often. Formative pruning is carried out in the second year after planting the seedling in open ground.
• Sanitary - mainly carried out in the fall. When sanitary pruning a tree, all diseased and damaged branches are cut off.
• Rejuvenating - carried out on old trees if the yield begins to decline. Promotes the appearance of new shoots on the tree.
• Thinning - cut off part of the shoots if the crown has become too thick and the fruits do not have enough sunlight because of it.

Before you begin the procedure, you need to find out how to properly trim the cherry plum depending on the purpose of its implementation.

The advantages of the procedure are:

• increased fruiting and improved fruit quality;
• the ability to regulate yields by trimming fruit buds;
• Proper pruning allows for uniform growth of branches;
• promotes the appearance of fruits on skeletal branches.

Another advantage of the procedure is the removal of diseased and underdeveloped branches.

What you will need for the procedure

To properly trim the cherry plum, you need to prepare all the tools for the work in advance.

Required set of tools:

• pruner;
• gardening scissors;
• garden saw;
• gloves;
• loppers;
• garden hacksaw.

All tools that are planned to be used to trim cherry plum branches must be sharpened in advance. For cutting, use only sharply sharpened tools that do not leave creases on the branches.

Recommended timing for pruning

The timing of pruning is determined depending on the type of work. Basically, the main procedures for removing cherry plum branches are carried out in spring and autumn. In summer, only rejuvenation work is carried out.

Spring

The most favorable period for carrying out crown pruning work is early spring, when sap flow has not yet begun in the cherry plum tree. Formative pruning is carried out before buds open in March-April. If necessary, pinching is also carried out in the spring, in the second half of April - early May. During this period, the cherry plum quickly recovers, and pruning does not in any way affect further fruiting. All tree pruning activities should be completed by the end of spring.

Summer

The cherry plum tree should be pruned in the summer if a rejuvenation procedure is planned. Work is carried out in June-July. It is not necessary to carry out tree rejuvenation work every summer. Summer pruning of cherry plums is recommended to be carried out as rarely as possible, since during this period the sap flow is active, and after the procedure the trees take a long time to recover.

In addition, cherry plum can become covered with gum, which contributes to the development of fungal diseases.

Autumn

It is necessary to prune the cherry plum in the fall in case of a sanitary procedure. The timing of this type of work falls on the second half of October - early November. This type of work must be completed before the onset of cold weather. It is not recommended to touch trees in winter.

Types of tree pruning

There are only a few types of trimmings:

• formative;
• sanitary;
• thinning;
• rejuvenating.

In most cases, all types of cherry plum pruning are carried out on the same day. Unless the sanitary procedure is left until the fall or before the onset of cold weather, it is repeated if necessary.

Rules for pruning

Work to remove cherry plum branches must be carried out in accordance with all the rules. All four types of procedure differ in small nuances, but in general the technique is similar.

Shortening cherry plum branches and shoots

The branches are shortened if the crown has become too thick and the branches have become too long. The branches are shortened after planting the seedlings in a permanent place. The procedure is also carried out on mature trees when the growths have stopped growing. The top of a cherry plum cannot be cut off by more than one meter. If you cut off more of the top, it will begin to grow meter-long side shoots.

Thinning cherry plum branches

The scheme for pruning cherry plum in summer is useful if the branches of cherry plum are being thinned. Thinning is necessary for mature trees with a well-developed crown. The procedure is carried out on plants that are more than three years old.

How to properly thin out:

• If two stems grow in the same plane, then one is cut off.
• If a crooked stem grows that interferes with everything else, it is also removed.

They also cut down all weak and underdeveloped branches that do not bear fruit, but at the same time the tree spends nutrients on them.

Rules for cutting stem branches

How to properly cut stem branches of cherry plum:

• It is not recommended to leave stumps during cutting; sooty fungus may appear on them, which will subsequently spread to the entire tree.
• Large diameter cuts must be lubricated with garden varnish. Small ones can overgrow on their own.
• During the thinning process, cherry plums are cut off from the branches growing inside the crown.

It is also recommended to remove all diseased, deformed and crooked branches.

Nuances of the formation of individual varieties

The pattern of crown formation depends on the variety of cherry plum.Trees are tree-like, bush-like, hybrid and columnar. Before you start pruning, it is important to study the specifics of carrying out work on each type.

Tree-like

Most of the crop grows on 7-9 year old shoots. Therefore, it is recommended to cut branches only inside the crown. In this case, dry, damaged and downward growing branches are cut down. Then you should shorten specimens with highly branched and weakly branched shoots. If the annual growth is less than 50 cm, then the cherry plum is not shortened.

With a significant decrease in the growth of branches, shortening is carried out on 2-3-year-old wood. And if it stops completely, then at 5-6 years old.

Upon reaching the age of 25, rejuvenating pruning of the cherry plum is carried out. This procedure is carried out on old trees in lean years, since the cherry plum will recover for several years after it.

Bush-like

On bushy varieties, fruits appear on annual shoots. As a rule, these varieties do not require pruning for the first 3-4 years after planting the seedling. If you do not prune the plant, fruiting goes to the branches growing on the periphery. If the procedure has not been carried out for too long and the tree is completely overgrown, then the formation of the crown takes place in stages over 2-3 years. First, thin out the crown and remove dry and damaged branches. Then, next year, some of the shoots are shortened.

Hybrid

Hybrid varieties are characterized by the fact that they produce abundant growth per year. Approximately up to 1 m per fruiting season, so such varieties will have to be pruned most often, almost annually. Every spring the crown is thinned out, leaving a few skeletal branches.Deformed, weak branches with the fewest shoots are cut down. Thinning allows access to sunlight to those branches that constantly bear fruit.

If you do not thin out the crown, the yield gradually drops, the fruits become smaller and taste sour. As soon as the yield begins to decline and the fruit begins to taste sour, the branches are thinned. It is usually carried out on 2-3 year old wood. If the annual growth is not rapid, then at 5-6 years.

Columnar

The purpose of pruning branches on columnar varieties is to remove some of the shoots on the main conductor. This measure will help reduce the growth of annual growth of branches and improve the quality of cherry plum yield. It is important to properly cut off unnecessary branches. To carry out the procedure, use only well-sharpened pruning shears. This rule applies to pruning on all types of trees. If you use a blunt sector, creases will remain on the cuts, and this can lead to the spread of diseases.

Tree care after pruning

After cutting, you need to pay attention to care:

• When pruning in summer, trees are watered abundantly with warm water, and to prevent the soil from drying out, the soil around the trunk is mulched with peat or sawdust.
• It is recommended to prune on a cool, cloudy day. It is not advisable to prune branches during rain and for several days after it. The crown must dry before the procedure.
• Immediately after the procedure, the cut sites are treated with garden varnish, which helps prevent the occurrence of fungal and viral diseases. The thickness of the garden pitch should not be less than 5 mm. It is not recommended to use fresh manure, paint or lime for processing.
• It is not recommended to cut off more than 1/3 of all branches at once. This will negatively affect the health of the cherry plum.

After the procedure, mineral and organic fertilizers will help the plant recover faster. The type of fertilizing is selected depending on the growing season. In the fall they use organic ones. In the spring, nitrogenous fertilizers are applied to the soil, and in the summer, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers are applied.