We live in the UK and have a couple of Cherry Trees in our garden which are rather large. With one of them it looks like originally the top part of the cherry tree was grafted onto a trunk from a different type of tree.

Is it OK to prune these trees at this time of year or should we wait until the spring. If I prune the tree now, and there is a frost next week, will it damage the tree in any way?

Thanks

On 11/8/11 8:37 AM, Vonsworld wrote:
We live in the UK and have a couple of Cherry Trees in our garden which
are rather large. With one of them it looks like originally the top part
of the cherry tree was grafted onto a trunk from a different type of
tree.

Is it OK to prune these trees at this time of year or should we wait
until the spring. If I prune the tree now, and there is a frost next
week, will it damage the tree in any way?

Thanks

Unlike most other stone fruits, cherries bloom on short spurs on mature
wood. The same spurs produce flowers for more than one year. Thus,
cherry trees do not require serious pruning. Do corrective, aesthetic,
and slight renewal pruning. Remove dead or crossing branches. Remove
branches that interfere with the sidewalk and street. If a newer branch
has proven productive, remove a nearby older branch (especially an older
branch that does not lend appeal to the overall appearance of the tree).

If these are ornamental cherries (e.g., Japanese flowering cherries),
prune them immediately after they bloom in the spring. You want to
avoid removing any bloom wood before flowering. Pruning after flowering
might promote the growth of new bloom wood for the following spring. Do
not delay into the summer, or you will be pruning away next year's
flowers.

If these are fruiting cherries, prune after the trees go dormant in the
winter. If you can stand the cold, wait until the weather is truly
wintery. Otherwise, prune them at the end of winter before they start
to leaf out. If you prune them before the weather gets cold, you might
promote new foliage that will be damaged or killed by winter frosts.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean, see
http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary

Hi Vonsworld, further to other replies, let me add something important for you to consider. Here in the UK, most stone fruits are being seriously affected by a disease called 'silver leaf', where a fungus attacks the plant and causes the upper and lower leaf surfaces to separate giving a 'silvery' effect, hence the name of the disease. Now these fungal spores seem to mainly enter the tree in winter through the cuts, so if you prune as suggested in winter, make sure you use a bituminous based pruning compound but I would suggest that you leave any pruning to when the tree is in leaf when this disease is less active and to be safe, I'd still cover any cuts with pruning paint just in case.
regards, Lannerman.

Young cherry trees need pruning to develop the correct shape, and mature plants will produce a better crop if pruned to encourage fruiting wood. They require only light pruning once established.