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What is the best time of year to prune a cherry tree?

Question:

Our cherry tree is now planted and getting well established with lots of new branches. Please could you give use some advice about the best time of year to prune the cherry trees. We have a number in the garden already and would like to prune them at the correct time of year?

Published: 27-Dec-2018

Answer:

The best time to prune cherry trees is at bud-burst (early spring) for young trees and June for older trees. In general the approach is the same as for plums - and as with plums, it is usually much better to train rather than prune.

Unlike apples and pears, plums and cherries tend to need less pruning anyway as they generally grow in more or less the right way without intervention. I would try to avoid pruning as much as possible.

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