When to Prune Ornamental Cherry Trees for Optimal Growth and Beauty

This advice from a professional on how to prune a cherry tree will help you keep your pretty and useful tree looking bright and healthy.

You should know how to prune a cherry tree to keep it healthy and in good shape. But cherry trees are beautiful in any garden.

Cherries are both beautiful and useful in the garden. Their colorful leaves look great in the fall, their pretty flowers look great in the spring, and some of them bear tasty fruits. You can also find compact and dwarf cherry trees suitable for containers – perfect for kitchen garden ideas.

Sweet cherry trees produce juicy, delicious cherries that can be eaten right off the tree, while sour cherry trees produce fruits that are better for cooking, baking, or preserving. There are also varieties that are grown just for their pretty flowers.

You should prune your cherry tree in a different way depending on the type and whether it is grown as an open-centered bush, trained against a wall or trellis in a fan or espalier shape, or as a weeping type. ( credit: Getty s / Shobeir Ansari).

Ornamental cherry trees, with their showy spring blossoms and attractive form, are a popular choice for home landscapes. Proper pruning is key to keeping these trees looking their best. Pruning encourages blooms enhances structure and prevents disease and damage. Knowing when to prune ornamental cherries is important to maximize the benefits.

Why Prune Ornamental Cherry Trees

Pruning ornamental cherry trees provides several benefits:

Promotes flower and fruit production. Removing old wood encourages new growth that will bloom Thinning improves air circulation and light penetration to interior branches where blossoms form

Maintains a pleasing shape and structure. Cherry trees often have an attractive branching habit. Judicious pruning retains and enhances the natural form.
Prevents disease and damage. Removing crowded, crossing, or dead branches improves health. Thinning reduces wind resistance and potential for limb breakage.
Rejuvenates older trees. Cutting back old wood reinvigorates tired, overgrown cherries.

Controls size. Pruning keeps ornamental cherries from exceeding available space.

When is the Best Time to Prune Ornamental Cherries?

Pruning ornamental cherries is ideally done in early spring before sap flow begins. Mid-February through March is optimal timing in most climates.

Early spring pruning removes some flower buds but encourages better growth overall. Flowers still abound on remaining wood.
After flowering is another good option. Pruning immediately after blossoms fade avoids removing next year’s flowers.
Summer pruning can be done to shorten long shoots and improve shape after leaves reach full size. This stimulates less growth than spring pruning.

Winter pruning is an acceptable time for major structural changes and rejuvenation. Take care to avoid sap bleeding from large cuts.
After leaf drop in fall can work for cleaner access and tree visibility. Stick to lighter pruning as heavy pruning may encourage winter injury.

Pruning Young vs. Mature Ornamental Cherry Trees

The pruning method and amount depends on the tree’s age:

Young trees require more corrective pruning to establish proper structure and form. This is best done in early spring.
Mature trees need less pruning overall, with focus on maintenance of shape and removing deadwood. These are pruned lightly after flowering or in early spring.

Neglected old trees benefit from rejuvenation pruning to thin congested branches. For overgrown trees, pruning may need to be spread over 2-3 years.

How Often to Prune Ornamental Cherry Trees

Most ornamental cherries need annual pruning for best results:

Annual light pruning maintains shape, removes deadwood, and encourages flower production. This yearly pruning can be done after flowering.
Major structural pruning should be done only as needed, especially on mature trees. Limit heavy pruning to every 2-3 years.
Old or neglected trees may require more frequent heavy pruning over a period of years to rejuvenate.

Monitor and adjust frequency based on tree health and response to pruning.

Pruning Methods and Techniques

Proper pruning technique is key for beauty and tree health:

Thinning cuts remove entire branches at their point of origin or back to a larger limb. Focus on removing inner branches and watersprouts to improve air circulation.
Heading cuts shorten branches back to a side bud or branch. Use primarily on young trees to shape.
Never top ornamental cherries. Removing large branches leaves ugly stubs that invite disease.

Clean pruning tools regularly between cuts with disinfectant to prevent disease transmission.
Prune to just outside the branch collar, avoiding flush cuts that remove this important barrier zone.
Paint large wounds with tree sealant to prevent infection, especially on older or stressed trees.

What to Remove When Pruning Ornamental Cherries

When pruning most ornamental cherries, prioritize removing:

Dead, damaged, and diseased branches

Crossing and rubbing branches
Watersprouts and suckers
Dense interior and shaded branches

Branches with poor attachment angles
Very low branches for clearance

Also, on young trees, prune to establish:

Central leader or modified central leader form
Properly spaced scaffold branches

Good branch angles for strength

Signs Your Ornamental Cherry Needs Pruning

Look for these clues your ornamental cherry tree needs some pruning:

Lackluster flower display or small fruit
Congested, intertwined branching
Live branches touching or shading the trunk

Downward-growing branches
Multiple trunks or codominant leaders
Abundant watersprouts and suckers

Visible defects or wounds from storm damage

Pruning Precautions

Avoid pruning maples, birches, walnuts, and other bleeders prior to late winter.
Disinfect tools between trees and wounds after cutting diseased branches.

Paint wounds only during dry weather to avoid trapping moisture.
Prune lightly, no more than 25% of living crown at one time.

Properly pruning ornamental cherry trees at the right times enhances their natural beauty, promotes flowering, and keeps trees healthy and structurally sound for years of enjoyment.

How to prune a cherry tree – tips for beginners

Nikki McAteer of My Perfect Plants, a family-owned plant nursery in North Florida, says that when you prune cherry trees, you want to open up the middle of the tree so that air and sunlight can flow through the branches.

She goes on to say that the trees inside are more likely to flower and produce more fruit if they get more sunlight.

Cherry trees should be pruned once a year to keep a healthy balance of older fruiting wood and younger branches. This will also keep the trees closer together, which makes it easier to pick the fruit.

Making sure there is a steady flow of air through the cherry tree will also help keep it healthy.

Reduce the risk of infections by disinfecting any tools with alcohol or dilute bleach before starting to prune, explains Dan Neuteboom at Real English Fruit.

To make sure you have the right tools for pruning a cherry tree, you will need:

Lopping shears for pruning smaller branches.

Pruning saw for thicker branches.
Hand pruners or secateurs for trimming very small branches.

( credit: Getty s / Igor Stevanovic)

Pruning free-standing cherry trees

The method for pruning a cherry tree will depend on the age of the tree.

For young cherry trees:

Cut back the central leader, or central trunk, in the first year of pruning to control the shape of the cherry tree. This will help side branches grow, says Dan Neuteboom.

This is the second year. Pick about four wider laterals (side shoots) that are spaced out well and at least 18 inches from the ground. Cut these plants in half. These will become the main branches.
Cut the main trunk to just below the top lateral and remove any side shoots below these.
Once these main laterals have made their own side shoots by the third year, cut back the strongest of these by half.

After that, you can control the tree’s size by pruning it once a year.

( credit: Getty s / Jacky Parker)

How to Prune a Cherry Tree

FAQ

What time of year can you trim a cherry tree?

Plan to prune your cherry trees every year during their dormant season. In Zone 6 and north, you should wait until late winter. A good reference book, such as Pruning Made Easy, can be invaluable for providing additional visuals and answering questions you may have during the pruning process.

How to prune ornamental trees?

For ornamental trees, hand pruners should be used to take an inch or so off of smaller limbs. A set of loppers can be used to take off up to 2 inches and a hand saw can be used to take off up to 3 inches. However, we often see tree care companies out there with chainsaws cropping off the top of ornamental trees.

How do you take care of an ornamental cherry blossom tree?

For best growth and production, flowering cherries should receive at least one inch of water a week. During dry spells, water is mandatory. If not properly watered during dry spells, flowers may be mitigated. Keep at least 4 feet around the shrub clear of grass and weeds, for less competition for water.

When should you prune ornamental cherry trees?

Pruning ornamental cherry trees should be done in late winter or early spring before the new growth starts. Begin by removing any dead, diseased, or damaged branches. Then, thin out any crowded branches to allow light and air to reach the tree’s interior.

How often should you trim a cherry tree?

A good rule is never to trim more than a third of tree live branches in one pruning season, so this may be a task that takes a few years to achieve. Pruning a cherry tree takes time, effort, and a little more knowledge than pruning an everyday tree, and this guide will help you through the process.

How do you prune a cherry tree?

Pruning involves removing dead, damaged, or diseased branches, shaping the tree, and thinning the canopy if necessary. Young ornamental cherry trees should be pruned and trained to establish a good structure. Overgrown trees should be pruned gradually over several years to reduce their size without stressing the tree.

Should a cherry tree be pruned in winter?

No matter the cherry tree type, the ultimate goal is to expose the center to allow more airflow and sun to the inner branches. There is much debate over the when of pruning a cherry tree, with some saying winter when the tree is dormant; this method encourages rapid growth, but this has drawbacks.