Content
- 1 Is it possible to prune cherries in summer
- 2 When to prune cherries in summer
- 3 Summer cherry pruning schemes
- 4 How to properly prune cherries in summer
- 5 Cherry care after summer pruning
- 6 Conclusion
Cherry pruning in summer is not always done, but it can be done, and sometimes even necessary. Cutting in summer helps rid the plant of excess branches and improves the health of the cherry.
Is it possible to prune cherries in summer
According to the rules for growing fruit trees, the main cutting work must be carried out in early spring or in the middle of autumn, at a time when the active growing season has not yet begun or has already ended. However, it is possible to prune cherries in the summer; in the middle of the warm period, they are not as sensitive to pruning as during rapid growth.
When pruning in the summer, be careful not to injure the cherries too much. It is better to transfer a strong shaping haircut to autumn or early spring, but you can trim branches a little or remove dried shoots in summer.
In the summer they cut slightly
When to prune cherries in summer
In general, it is allowed to trim cherry trees in the summer at several time intervals:
- after flowering - remove broken and dried branches;
- after fruiting, lightly prune young shoots to stimulate bud and ovary formation in the next season.
In this case, the timing depends on the specific area of growth.
When can you prune cherries in the summer in the regions
In the Moscow region and in the middle zone, summer begins quite early. Therefore, pruning is recommended as early as late June or early July. An additional argument in favor of a haircut in the summer is the fact that it is in the middle of summer that cherries often suffer from moniliosis and coccomycosis. Light pruning will help remove diseased parts of the tree and prevent the disease from spreading further.
Pruning times depend on the region in which the fruit tree grows
In Siberia and the Far East, summer pruning and tree shaping are generally considered undesirable. In these regions, the cold sets in too early, the cherry after a haircut may not have time to properly recover. But if a haircut is nevertheless strictly necessary, then it should be carried out in the summer as early as possible - in June, immediately after the establishment of stable warm weather.
Shearing after harvesting the fruits can be carried out in the summer in the middle lane and the Moscow region. In Siberia, the Urals and the Far East, it is recommended to disturb cherries to a minimum during this period and carry out only sanitary pruning. It is better to postpone the formation of the crown to early spring.
Timing of summer pruning of cherries according to the lunar calendar
In addition to the usual recommended dates for gardening, many gardeners take into account the lunar calendar.According to him, it is best to prune fruit trees in the 3rd or 4th phase of the night light, when the moon is waning.
The lunar calendar helps determine specific days for haircuts.
According to popular beliefs, during this period, the vital sap of the tree rushes to the roots, and therefore pruning less injures the ground parts of the plant. But on the full moon, on the new moon and on the 23rd day of the lunar calendar, pruning is prohibited.
Summer cherry pruning schemes
The algorithm for pruning a cherry tree in summer depends on many factors. First of all, you need to take into account the specific period of summer and the age of the plant - young, adult and old trees are cut differently.
How to prune cherries in summer after fruiting
Shearing after harvesting should be done in mid or late August, after all the berries have been harvested. The main objectives of the procedure are as follows:
- sanitary thinning;
- shortening of annual shoots.
When pruning cherries in the summer after harvest, you need to remove all diseased and broken branches of the cherry - there will be no benefit from them. Young annual branches are pruned to 1/5 of the total length, this stimulates fruiting in the next year.
How to prune young cherries in summer
Pruning in summer for young cherry trees is only allowed if they are already 3 years old. The procedure looks like this:
- first, excess branches are removed from the crown, which will no longer participate in the formation of flowers and ovaries - broken, diseased and withered;
- after that, shoots are eliminated, the growth of which is directed in the wrong direction, inward, towards the trunk;
- if root growth is noticeable at the foot, it can also be removed in summer, then it will not take away nutrients from the tree.
Pruning young cherries in summer does not involve removing skeletal branches, even if some of them need to be eradicated. This procedure injures the tree too much and is recommended to be postponed until early spring.
Frame shoots should not be removed from young trees in summer.
How to prune tall cherries in summer
If the cherry grows too large and stretches too far upward, this can adversely affect its health and productivity. A tall tree consumes too many nutrients to maintain the green mass, respectively, the number of fruits due to this decreases.
When pruning a tall plant in the summer, you can cut off the top, leaving the tree with a height of about 2-2.5 m.This procedure should be carried out as early as possible so that the cherry has time to recover before the cold weather. You can also cut off branches growing in the direction of the main trunk, remove all diseased shoots, and thin out excess branches that prevent the penetration of sunlight into the depths of the crown.
How to properly prune old cherries in summer
If a tree is over 10 years old, it has grown a lot, then pruning can be done in the summer, this will have a rejuvenating effect. The main thing is to observe moderation and not cause too serious damage to the tree during the growing season.
When trimming an old tree, you can shorten the main shoots.
When pruning old cherries in summer, it is recommended:
- leave only healthy shoots growing in the right direction, and cut off the rest;
- eliminate branches that are completely dry or severely affected by diseases;
- shorten frame shoots by cutting them to the first lateral ramifications.
If the old cherry is strongly stretched upward, you can also shorten it at the top. When pruning cherries in the summer after fruiting, you should try to cut off as few branches as possible; cardinal rejuvenating pruning should not be performed in the summer season.
How to shape cherries in summer depending on the species
Pruning in summer is influenced not only by age, but also by the variety of cherry trees.Different cherries differ greatly in shape, size and bearing characteristics.
How to prune felt cherries in summer
Pruning felt cherries in summer has important features. Since the plant begins to bear fruit already 2-3 years after planting in the garden, pruning in the summer can be performed, including for young cherries.
It should be borne in mind that felt varieties bear fruit on annual shoots. During a haircut, they cannot be cut, it is only allowed to shorten such branches by a third. But all unnecessary, old, twisted and diseased shoots must be removed in the summer - felt varieties grow very quickly, and crown thickening negatively affects fruiting.
A bushy felt plant can be pruned harder than a tree-like plant.
Dwarf
Low-growing cherry varieties can also be pruned as early as 2 years after planting. Trees grow rapidly, so the gardener needs to regularly pay attention to crown formation.
The rules for pruning in the summer remain standard. First of all, you need to remove diseased and dry shoots, which simply does not make sense to leave until autumn and even more so until spring. Also in the summer for dwarf varieties, you can remove a few sturdy, but improperly growing branches that contribute to thickening. In total, no more than 10 frame branches should remain on the tree for tree-like varieties and no more than 15 for bush dwarf plants.
Dwarf varieties need silhouette formation
Steppe
Pruning in summer for steppe cherries is carried out in order to improve the health of the plant and thin out its crown. Accordingly, when pruning steppe varieties, you need:
- completely remove shoots infected with diseases and pests, until the disease spreads to healthy parts;
- cut off the upper shoots - this will give the cherry a spherical shape and prevent thickening of the central part;
- remove a few old branches, on which fruits are no longer formed, but so that 6-8 strong shoots still extend from the trunk.
In general, during the procedure, you need to adhere to the standard rule and cut off only those parts that require urgent removal in the summer.
Steppe cherry thickens quickly and may require a summer haircut
Columnar
Columnar varieties of cherries are very easy to care for, but for this they need to be trimmed regularly. Summer pruning of young plums and cherries allows, in addition to sanitary work:
- prune the top of the tree if the cherry is too high;
- remove branches located closer than 30 cm from the top;
- shorten the side shoots, but no more than 10 cm from the trunk;
- eliminate branches that grow at the wrong angle and spoil the shape of the crown.
A strong shaping haircut, which involves the complete removal of excess branches, is best postponed until the end of the growing season.
For columnar varieties, it is important to carry out the formation of the crown on time.
How to properly prune cherries in summer
When pruning in the summer, you must adhere to the basic rules for cutting cherries. In addition, it is important to pay attention to caring for the tree immediately after the procedure to help it recuperate faster.
Preparation of tools and materials
To properly prune cherries in the summer, the gardener will need a standard set of tools:
- garden saw, with which it is convenient to remove thick shoots of a plant;
- pruning shears designed to remove medium and thin branches;
- wide and sharp garden knife;
- a lopper that allows you to quickly and accurately cut inconveniently located shoots.
If you have to work with a tall adult tree, you need to take a stepladder. Cutting cherries while standing directly on their branches is dangerous for the gardener, and besides, it harms the fruit plant.
The gardener's tools must be perfectly clean.
Before pruning in the summer, all tools must be thoroughly disinfected, for example, with alcohol or a solution of potassium permanganate.Sterility will prevent infection in fresh sections. It is important that the tools are well sharpened, the more accurate the cuts, the faster the cherry will recover after cutting.
Pruning rules
When using any of the cherry pruning schemes in summer in August, you must adhere to the basic rules:
- When cutting in the summer, they try to injure the cherry to a minimum, removing only those parts of the tree that really need to be removed urgently.
- Old branches and young shoots are cut evenly and accurately, leaving no stumps; when the weather gets cold, they often begin to exude gum.
- Slices are performed at an angle of 40 ° C - this is the least traumatic for the tree, and healing is faster.
- Strong and thin branches are cut only with a suitable tool - old shoots must be removed with a saw, young ones are more convenient to cut with a knife or pruner.
- Before removing young shoots, they are carefully examined so as not to accidentally cut off the fruiting parts.
Immediately after cutting in the summer, fresh cuts on the branches must be treated with garden varnish or oil paint containing drying oil in the composition. This will prevent infections from entering fresh wounds and prevent the appearance of gum, the health of the tree after the procedure will not deteriorate.
Cherry care after summer pruning
If the pruning of cherries in the summer was carried out correctly, then the tree will not require special care after this procedure. Before the onset of late autumn, you will need to implement a standard series of measures:
- water the cherries, usually watering is carried out in early autumn and then again before the onset of winter;
- to loosen the soil under its roots in mid-September or early October;
- feed the plant with phosphorus and potassium fertilizers before the onset of cold weather.
After pruning in summer, autumn feeding becomes especially important, it will give the tree strength for recovery, and in spring the cherry will actively start growing.
Conclusion
Cherry pruning in the summer is not the most popular procedure; it is usually carried out only when absolutely necessary. However, if the basic rules are followed, summer pruning will not harm the tree and will only benefit.
