How to prune a cherry tree: AVOID this tree pruning mistake!!!

Pruning cherry trees is essential if you want fruit each year in your garden! But there's one HUGE pruning MISTAKE most gardeners make. This guide helps you avoid it!

Join Lee Burkhill the Garden Ninja as he shows you how to prune and look after pear trees. Even if you've never gardened before!

#gardentour #gardendesign #gardening #growyourown #gardenanswer

#gardentour #gardendesign #gardening #growyourown #gardenanswer

Want to find out hints and tips that I use in my own garden? Then watch this guide and subscribe to my Youtube channel for more garden design hints, tips and hacks!

Presented by Garden Ninja, Manchesters Garden Designer and blogger Lee Burkhill. He's an RHS Award-winning Chelsea garden designer and TV presenter on BBCs Garden Rescue with Charlie Dimmock.

[jamesedwards]

Good presentation. I appreciate the close ups of where to prune.

[alandmkday]

Thank you.
I was thinking of cutting back my cherry tree branches now ( March ) as its easy to see and bare, but watching you has shown me to cut in late summer / autumn 😊😊

[Tinker]

Well, living down here in the south of France, I had apricot, plum and mirabelle trees. The apricot usually produced vast quantities of fruit but about four years ago it started to fail. Eventually I noticed the bark coming off and millions of small holes into the wood. We had an infestation of a tiny boring insect. I just hope it wasn't my inept pruning which left it open to attack.
The mirabelle also suffered last year when the open air temperature reached 46°C - it produced nothing this year and has many dead branches. My pruning had improved by this summer and I really gave it a robust haircut. Fingers crossed for next year now.
By the way Lee, I followed your wisteria pruning advice last year and now the weedy thing I had trying to grow up the barn wall is looking rather healthy - but so far few flowers - so again, fingers crossed for next year.

[shauny]

This was a really useful video, Lee. Thank you! I had read that late winter was an ideal time to prune our outdoor potted Cherry Blossom, but we'll wait until late summer and follow your video tips 🌸

[highpointhealth]

I LOVE this concise video. I have an 8 year old CHERRY that just grew to the sky, NEVER been pruned. 25 ft/ 7.5 meters tall center trunk. I need help with this.

[susangower]

Perfect, all the details I needed, thank you.

[rmedwards]

Great tutorial again Lee, may i say the new border is looking very smart too, couldnt help but notice at the beginning of the video👌🏼👏🏼

[marid]

We are so lucky, we have obtained an allotment planted as an orchard. It hasn't been looked after for a couple of years. There is a large and old cherry tree which looks as though it has a lot of dead wood at the top. We are total beginners, but it looks to me as though a lot of the branches are a bit dead. Will it damage the tree if we prune the old wood off at the end of summer?

[marid]

We are going on hearsay from our allotment neighbours as to what is planted, so we won't really know until summer. Forgot to say btw, love your videos.

[zen_bushcraft]

Trees don't understand linear measurements like we do. Please prune back to a lateral shoot that is at least a third or more diameter of the limb you are removing. This helps to aid efficient compartmentalisation of the wound, and allows the remaining lateral to take up dominant role.

[jaqlawrence]

Brilliant video Lee, however my Stella cherry tree has 2 trunks joined quite low down and is proving difficult to determine how to prune, its about 3 or 4 years old (was a birthday present) . Any advice please?

[devoncsmith]

I know you have said this applies to cherry types. Still does this also apply to Weeping cherry trees as well? A lot of information still say winter. I'm in NZ and its getting into late Summer now, if this helps?

[onebicycle]

Hi. I do have a question regarding my patio cherry tree. Its a two year old tree. Should I prune it or not yet?

[landofla]

Thanks for the video it’s given me the help I need. I do need to saw through a vertical branch which is probably 10cm thick. Do I saw horizontally or at an angle?

[clmvdv]

Great demo video! I planted a 2 year cherry tree 14 month ago in may (so now 3 years) It has been cut by the nursery at around 125cm (a bit more than 4 feet) with some branches at that height. I haven't pruned since planting it. I've read I can choose for open centre or central leader but actually I don't like both options because the cherries will be too high to hand pick! (I should have thought about that earlier ...;-) I would love to have your model, is it still possible to cut the tree at knee level this winter (or late summer) and start all over again?!

[mckayzabriskie]

Is it ok to prune in early spring to shape new cherry trees for their spring/summer growth?

[Phil_the_van]

I have a cherry tree it was in a pot out my late mother garden. I planted it out side in the garden but is sort of growing into a fence can it be manipulated or bent? And how? It's just started its first blossom and is starting to take off after about 3 years since I planted it.

[Stephen-gpyi]

Hi Lee I’m new to gardening and I’m getting two cherry tree saplings.was wondering after planting how long before I need to start pruning.my intention was to plant them in 20 litre pots for now!

[grungeandgardening]

Hi Lee. Great video! I've got a dwarf patio cherry and it came to me in a bad way. It must have been buried high up it's stem. The graft union I think is about 1.5ft high. It is basically a straight stick cut off on the growing stem with a 3 inch lateral and new shoots off that. Below the graft seems to be a lot of shoots growing. Shall I leave them be til autumn before raising the canopy? Conscious of disease getting in if I trim now. I'll have to send a pic maybe on IG. It looks hilarious! Thanks! Natalie

[Bismuth-bridge]

I have 'apparently' dwarf cherry and plum in 16" buckets. The leaders are getting to around 9' now.
Is it wise to let them grow onward and upward?
🤔