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Cherry pruning in the summer is not always carried out, but it can be done, and sometimes even necessary. Summer shearing helps to 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 mid-autumn, at a time when active vegetation has not yet begun or has already ended. However, cherries can also be pruned in summer; in the middle of the warm period, it is not as sensitive to pruning as during rapid growth.
When pruning in the summer, it is necessary to observe moderation and not injure the cherry too abundantly. It is better to transfer a strong shaping haircut to autumn or early spring, but you can trim the branches a little or remove dried shoots in the summer.
Cut slightly in summer
When can you prune cherries in summer?
In general, cutting cherry trees in the summer is allowed at several time intervals:
- after flowering – remove broken and dried branches;
- after fruiting – lightly trim the young shoots to stimulate the formation of buds and ovaries in the next season.
In this case, the timing depends on the specific area of uXNUMXbuXNUMXbgrowth.
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 at the end of 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 the diseased parts of the tree and prevent the disease from spreading further.
The timing of pruning depends on the region in which the fruit tree grows.
In Siberia and the Far East, summer pruning of cherries and tree formation are generally considered undesirable. In these regions, the cold comes too early, the cherry after the haircut may not have time to recover properly. But if the haircut is still 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.
Haircut after fruit picking 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 the cherry during this period to a minimum and carry out only sanitary pruning. Crown formation is best transferred to early spring.
Dates of summer pruning of cherries according to the lunar calendar
In addition to the usual recommended gardening times, 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 star, when the moon is waning.
The lunar calendar helps determine specific days for a haircut.
According to folk beliefs, during this period, the vital juices of the tree rush to the roots, and therefore pruning injures the ground parts of the plant less. But on the full moon, on the new moon and on the 23rd day of the lunar calendar, pruning is prohibited.
Summer cherry pruning patterns
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 in different ways.
How to prune cherries in the summer after fruiting
Shearing after fruit picking should be done in mid or late August, after all the berries have been picked. The main objectives of the procedure are:
- sanitary thinning;
- shortening of annual shoots.
When pruning cherries in summer, after harvesting, you need to remove all diseased and broken branches of cherries – there will be no benefit from them. Young annual branches are cut to 1/5 of the total length, this stimulates fruiting next year.
How to prune young cherries in summer
Pruning in the summer for young cherry trees is only allowed if they are already 3 years old. The procedure is as follows:
- first, excess branches are removed from the crown, which will no longer participate in the formation of flowers and ovaries – broken, diseased and dried;
- after that, shoots are eliminated, the growth of which is directed in the wrong direction, inward, towards the trunk;
- if root growth is visible at the foot, it can also be removed in the summer, then it will not take away nutrients from the tree.
Pruning young cherries in summer does not include the removal of skeletal branches, even if some of them need to be eliminated. This procedure injures the tree too much, and it is recommended to postpone it until early spring.
In young trees in the summer, you can not remove the frame shoots
How to prune tall cherries in summer
If the cherry has reached too large a size and stretched too high, this can adversely affect its health and yield. A tall tree consumes too many nutrients to maintain green mass, respectively, the number of fruits decreases because of this.
When pruning a tall plant in summer, you can cut off the top, leaving the tree about 2-2,5 m tall. 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 branches growing in the direction of the main trunk, remove any diseased shoots, and thin out excess branches that prevent sunlight from penetrating deep into the crown.
How to prune old cherries in summer
If a tree older than 10 years has grown strongly, 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 much damage to the tree during the growing season.
When cutting an old tree, you can shorten the main shoots
When pruning old cherries in summer, it is recommended:
- leave only healthy and growing shoots in the right direction, and cut off the rest;
- eliminate branches that are completely dry or severely affected by diseases;
- shorten the frame shoots by cutting them to the first lateral branches.
If the old cherry is very stretched up, you can also shorten it at the top. When pruning cherries in the summer after fruiting, you should try to cut as few branches as possible; cardinal rejuvenating pruning in the summer season should not be performed.
How to form a cherry in the summer, depending on the type
Summer pruning is affected not only by age, but also by the variety of cherry tree. Different cherries vary greatly in shape, size and fruiting characteristics.
How to prune felt cherries in summer
Pruning felt cherries in the 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 done, including for young cherries.
It should be borne in mind that felted varieties bear fruit on annual shoots. During the shearing, they cannot be cut, it is only allowed to shorten such branches by a third. But all the extra, old, twisted and diseased shoots must be removed in the summer – felt varieties grow very quickly, and thickening of the crown negatively affects fruiting.
A bush felt plant can be pruned harder than a tree plant.
dwarf
Low-growing varieties of cherries can also be pruned as early as 2 years after planting. Trees grow quickly, so the gardener needs to pay regular attention to the formation of the crown.
The rules for pruning in the summer remain standard. First of all, you need to remove diseased and dry shoots, which simply do 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 strong, but improperly growing branches that contribute to thickening. In total, no more than 10 frame branches for tree-like varieties and no more than 15 for bush dwarf plants should remain on the tree.
Dwarf varieties need silhouette formation
steppe
Pruning in the summer for steppe cherries is carried out in order to improve 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 has spread to healthy parts;
- cut off the upper shoots – this will give the cherry a spherical shape and prevent the central part from thickening;
- 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 follow the standard rule and cut off only those parts that require urgent removal in the summer.
Steppe cherry thickens quickly and may require summer shearing
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:
- cut the top of the tree if the cherry is stretched too high;
- remove branches located closer than 30 cm from the top;
- shorten side shoots, but not more than 10 cm from the trunk;
- eliminate branches that grow at the wrong angle and spoil the shape of the crown.
A strong formative 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 crown formation on time.
How to 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 the care of the tree immediately after the procedure in order to help it recover faster.
Preparation of tools and materials
For proper pruning of cherries in summer, a gardener will need a standard set of tools:
- garden saw, with which it is convenient to remove thick shoots of a plant;
- secateurs designed to remove medium and thin branches;
- wide and sharp garden knife;
- lopper, which allows you to accurately and quickly cut inconveniently located shoots.
If you have to work with a tall adult tree, you need to take a stepladder. Cutting a cherry while standing directly on its branches is dangerous for the gardener, and besides, it harms the fruit plant.
Gardening tools must be perfectly clean
Before trimming 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.
Trimming rules
When using any of the cherry pruning schemes in the summer in August, you must follow the basic rules:
- When shearing 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 neatly, leaving no stumps; when it gets cold, they often begin to exude gum.
- The cuts are made at an angle of 40 ° C – this is the least traumatic for the tree, and healing occurs faster.
- Strong and thin branches are cut only with a suitable tool – old shoots must be removed with a saw, it is more convenient to cut young ones with a knife or secateurs.
- 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 pitch or oil paint containing drying oil in the composition. This will not allow infections to penetrate into fresh wounds and prevent the appearance of gum, the health of the tree will not deteriorate after the procedure.
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 carry out a standard series of measures:
- water cherries, usually watering is carried out in early autumn and then again before the onset of winter;
- loosen the soil under its roots in mid-September or early October;
- feed the plant with phosphorus and potash fertilizers before the onset of cold weather.
After pruning in the summer, autumn top dressing becomes especially important, it will give the tree strength to recover, and in the 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.
