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 😊😊
You’re welcome! I’m glad it saved a potential cherry tree pruning disaster Alandmkday! Some gardeners tie a bit of ribbon or string to the branches in winter they need pruning off on Autumn. That may help! Do make sure you checkout my website and if you want to up your garden design and plant skills consider signing up for my online Beginners Gardening Design Course! 🌿🥷🤘👉 www.gardenninja.co.uk/garden-design-services/courses/
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.
Hi Tinker. So glad the Wisteria pruning guide was helpful. Sounds like the weather and climate change is causing some right issues for you. Keep up the work with your pruning and I’m sure when the weather allows your fruit trees will reward you!! 🥷🌿💪
Thanks Roy! I did this video a few weeks ago now. Just got round to editing it. The new borders settling is so well. Guests to my house don’t even notice it like it’s always been there which is a good sign of a relaxed and fitting design. 🥰🥷🌿 Hope your gardens hanging on in there given the up and down weather? Lee
@Gardenninja that is a massive compliment to your design when people who've been to ninja HQ don't notice,it seamlessly joins to the existing.There's still colour in my garden,despite the winds&rain,the Japanese anemones are taking centre stage now but I have had another show of lupins would you believe! I've been out with my trusty stakes(labelled move,get rid÷) and notebook,ready for the autumn shuffle&spring revamp,the weather has been a strange mistress this year,I shall be delving into your invaluable YT videos for help&inspiration.
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.
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?
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?
Ahhh competing leaders! Can you post a pic and this question on the forum then I can answer easily and it will help the other ninjas who may have the same issue! See you there! www.gardenninja.co.uk/forum/ 🥷🌿👌
Thanks! I’m glad it was helpful. It’s a standard medium root stock mm106 So will get to about 4m. You can read more here on rootstocks. www.gardenninja.co.uk/tree-rootstock-sizes-guide-how-big-will-my-garden-tree-get/ 🥷🌿👌
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
Firstly. Fabulous name (as I sit listening to the Pixies at the drawing board). I’d get them nipped off now tbh. To stop them zapping energy. The weathers rubbish but no frost so you should be ok. If you want to post pics please do so here on the forum! www.gardenninja.co.uk/forum/ 🥷🌿🤣
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!
Hi Stephen. You prune them from year 2 onwards but albeit gently and light touch. Your contrast of nipping back branches to form the shape. Even if just removing the tips to form laterals lower down the new twiggy branches. 🥷🌿🤘
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.
Also, that lowest limb that was removed required a "finishing cut" to prune in-line at (but not into) the branch-stem collar... which is the "bulging" area at the start of the limb. This area consists of interwoven cambial layers of both the stem and limb. Cambial cells can change in accordance with the trees needs... in this circumstance to seal the wound. Always remember: trees don't heal. They seal.
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?!
Hi. Great question. I’d stick with the open goblet form. Cheers trees tend to have thinner branches than say an apple or pear so I wouldn’t worry about not being able to reach them as they tend to be less prolific at upwards growth in my experience. The issue you’ll have if you dock the tree back to the base is it will end up short and stout with the branches no doubt becoming overly burdened with fruit. If I were you I’d let it get to 6ft and then maintenance prune it. I feel if you cut it you’ll never regain a decent shape without lots of tricky rejuvenation cuts! Hope that helps. 🥷🌿🤘
Hi Andrea. It depends on where you are and what you’re looking for. The biggest thing to consider is the root stock size. This determines the ultimate growth. Have a good look on tree nursery websites to peruse the many offerings! 🥷🌿🤘ps Check out Morello cherries for a delicious tart sour cherry! 🍒
Hi Lee we bought a Prunus Hally Jolivette Tree last month and planted it into the ground in our garden. All the leaves have fallen off and I thought it had died but 3-4 lovely green leaves have appeared so I think there’s hope. Have you any suggestions what we should do to help it please?
Hi Toothless. I’ve had a lot of people contact me about early lead drop this year. In the UK it’s definitely because of our horrendous wet weather and then heat waves. What is suggest is just keep it well watered if will come back especially if it’s got new buds. It’s just transplant shock. 🥷🌿🤘
Of course. Just nip out each shoot to a more manageable height. Do this at the end of summer to curtail growth rather than winter which encourages growth! 🥷🍃🤘
Isn't September a bit late in the year to prune Prunus? According to the RHS and a few other professional sources, September is a high-risk period for silver leaf and Prunus species are best pruned in late spring or the height of summer. So I was a bit surprised by your tips. Perhaps a warm dry autumn day is still fine? I have no personal experience with the disease, so I'm just tying to avoid confusion in the different sources!
Hi. Great question. It depends where you live but late summer is the best time for Formative pruning of a Cherry tree. As in to shape and structure the tree. You can of course prune in spring but I find that this can zap the cherry or prunus species of growth and cause them to bleed. The high risk time is in winter or wet late autumn. Late summer is fine as it gives the tree time to recover. You’re right about conditions though. You wouldn’t want to prune on a wet windy day in October. But late summers absolutely fine on a dry day. Like the video shows. This video was filmed at the end of August here in the UK. The RHS obviously have to cover a lot of areas globally with their advice. Thanks for raising this query though as a lot of people share the same confusion!! Happy gardening! Lee 🥷🌿🤘
Hi Andrew. It’s wize to nip them off. Maybe take 3 inches off so they can support any fruit. Anything overly long and thin is liable to break when in fruit. But wait until May time to do this! Also make sure you check out my website www.gardenninja.co.uk for more free gardening guides! 🥷🌿🤘
I had a whole limb ripped off my Bing cherry tree when it was very young; I think the local opossum did it hefting his fat self up. The tree developed canker a couple of years later (maybe from the limb damage) although it appeared very healthy, and still appears very healthy (looking) now, however the cherries are almost ripe; some are soft and others firm, but have varying degrees of brown within the fruits (the softer ones have more) there are no mummies, nor were there any last year. The birds are also going wild for them this year which they never bothered them much before. I see no bugs or worms, or holes other than the bird pecked fruits. The leaves look bright green and healthy, although a little bit shiny in spots (sappy?) and a little dry sap dripping off of the trunk. We had some heavy rogue rains the last few days. I spray with spinosad weekly (although I was a couple of days late this week due to the rains, as I did not want it washed away. What do you think it may be? Also it is getting very tall, and I would like to trim the top later this summer (although maybe I should leave those limbs for the birds; this year they are decimating the whole tree's cherries though.) How would you proceed with that, or not?
Hi. Firstly I really wouldn’t be using spinosad or any other pesticides on fruit trees that you or wildlife is going to eat. It’s going to cause serious damage to the eco system and health. The birds will love the cherries as they do here at Garden Ninja HQ. You could try netting the tree to preserve them. The sap maybe more of the canker existing the tree which may be under stress. If you’re going to ‘top the tree out’ I’ll do this after the fruit has finished. Happy gardening. Lee 🥷🤘🌿
@@Gardenninja Thanks for your reply. Are you even familiar with spinosad? Organic farmers use it. Which we started applying a little too late this year; it turns out we have fruit flies ruining the cherries. So NONE will be eaten by us, and all will be for the swarming birds. Net may be the plan for next year, as this is the fist year they have bothered our tree; usually only a few cherries are eaten by them. Maybe they are drawn to the fruit fly infested fruit. What method do you use if not using spinosad for keeping the insects away? The canker is mostly "healed," just a bit of sap on the trunk; the rest of the tree looks marvelous, very healthy leaves and new growth, and no aphids on the new growth.
Yes I am familiar. Though spraying it weekly is complete overkill and had knock on effects on earth worms and are most vital pollinator. Bees. It also means you’re blocking the food chain of other insects, birds and mammals too. That’s why I’m shocked. Yes it’s classed as organic but that doesn’t mean harmless to wildlife. I think maybe the lack of balance with flies and their predators may be in part why you’re having so much trouble. I would urge you to consider alternative more hands off approaches. Netting next year for example or just going with the flow that the birds are part of our ecosystem and feeding them with cherries even if you don’t get many is of greater benefit!
@@Gardenninja Thanks for your reply; I would like to know what you use? Or are you just feeding everything in the food chain but yourself? Or do you eat the worms? That would put your answers in perspective for me. Also I am aware of the times to spray (anything) to avoid harming bees, and I do not apply the spray heavy enough to drip thus not harming the worms. But that did help me NOT go with a thought I had for spraying the ground to avoid the pupae from overwintering or even rehatching now. And yes a net will be placed next year.
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 😊😊
You’re welcome! I’m glad it saved a potential cherry tree pruning disaster Alandmkday! Some gardeners tie a bit of ribbon or string to the branches in winter they need pruning off on Autumn. That may help! Do make sure you checkout my website and if you want to up your garden design and plant skills consider signing up for my online Beginners Gardening Design Course! 🌿🥷🤘👉 www.gardenninja.co.uk/garden-design-services/courses/
Top idea with the ribbon, totally get that as it easy to see with no leaves on the tree.
Your videos are Amazing Top Job Buddy
Good presentation. I appreciate the close ups of where to prune.
You’re welcome. Pruning is all in the detail. Then once you get it, you can prune anything! 🥷🌿🤘
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.
Hi Tinker. So glad the Wisteria pruning guide was helpful. Sounds like the weather and climate change is causing some right issues for you. Keep up the work with your pruning and I’m sure when the weather allows your fruit trees will reward you!! 🥷🌿💪
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👌🏼👏🏼
Thanks Roy! I did this video a few weeks ago now. Just got round to editing it. The new borders settling is so well. Guests to my house don’t even notice it like it’s always been there which is a good sign of a relaxed and fitting design. 🥰🥷🌿 Hope your gardens hanging on in there given the up and down weather? Lee
@Gardenninja that is a massive compliment to your design when people who've been to ninja HQ don't notice,it seamlessly joins to the existing.There's still colour in my garden,despite the winds&rain,the Japanese anemones are taking centre stage now but I have had another show of lupins would you believe! I've been out with my trusty stakes(labelled move,get rid÷) and notebook,ready for the autumn shuffle&spring revamp,the weather has been a strange mistress this year,I shall be delving into your invaluable YT videos for help&inspiration.
Strangely I too have some lupins that are in flower now! A few self seeders have just bloomed. Very bizarre eh!! 🥷🤣💪🌿
Perfect, all the details I needed,thank you.
Glad it was helpful! 🥷🌿🤘
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.
Advice here in NZ is to prune on a dry day in winter
Hmm I wouldn’t agree due to the risk of infection with cherrys. But I mean if it works for you. Then fair enough! 🤘🥷🌿
Brilliant, thanks.
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?
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?
Ahhh competing leaders! Can you post a pic and this question on the forum then I can answer easily and it will help the other ninjas who may have the same issue! See you there! www.gardenninja.co.uk/forum/ 🥷🌿👌
Very helpful video! Is the cherry tree - standard, semi dwarf, or dwarf? Thank you!
Thanks! I’m glad it was helpful. It’s a standard medium root stock mm106 So will get to about 4m. You can read more here on rootstocks. www.gardenninja.co.uk/tree-rootstock-sizes-guide-how-big-will-my-garden-tree-get/ 🥷🌿👌
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
Firstly. Fabulous name (as I sit listening to the Pixies at the drawing board). I’d get them nipped off now tbh. To stop them zapping energy. The weathers rubbish but no frost so you should be ok. If you want to post pics please do so here on the forum! www.gardenninja.co.uk/forum/ 🥷🌿🤣
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!
Hi Stephen. You prune them from year 2 onwards but albeit gently and light touch. Your contrast of nipping back branches to form the shape. Even if just removing the tips to form laterals lower down the new twiggy branches. 🥷🌿🤘
@@Gardenninja thanks Lee much appreciated 🤙🏻
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.
Also, that lowest limb that was removed required a "finishing cut" to prune in-line at (but not into) the branch-stem collar... which is the "bulging" area at the start of the limb.
This area consists of interwoven cambial layers of both the stem and limb. Cambial cells can change in accordance with the trees needs... in this circumstance to seal the wound.
Always remember: trees don't heal. They seal.
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?!
Hi. Great question. I’d stick with the open goblet form. Cheers trees tend to have thinner branches than say an apple or pear so I wouldn’t worry about not being able to reach them as they tend to be less prolific at upwards growth in my experience. The issue you’ll have if you dock the tree back to the base is it will end up short and stout with the branches no doubt becoming overly burdened with fruit. If I were you I’d let it get to 6ft and then maintenance prune it. I feel if you cut it you’ll never regain a decent shape without lots of tricky rejuvenation cuts! Hope that helps. 🥷🌿🤘
Hi Lee what would be the best cherry tree to buy
Hi Andrea. It depends on where you are and what you’re looking for. The biggest thing to consider is the root stock size. This determines the ultimate growth. Have a good look on tree nursery websites to peruse the many offerings! 🥷🌿🤘ps Check out Morello cherries for a delicious tart sour cherry! 🍒
@@Gardenninja hi I’m in Essex and want a sweet eating cherry 🍒
Hi Lee we bought a Prunus Hally Jolivette Tree last month and planted it into the ground in our garden. All the leaves have fallen off and I thought it had died but 3-4 lovely green leaves have appeared so I think there’s hope. Have you any suggestions what we should do to help it please?
Hi Toothless. I’ve had a lot of people contact me about early lead drop this year. In the UK it’s definitely because of our horrendous wet weather and then heat waves. What is suggest is just keep it well watered if will come back especially if it’s got new buds. It’s just transplant shock. 🥷🌿🤘
@@Gardenninja great thank you, I appreciate the advice 🙂
My fruit trees are too tall for me to reach fruit. Can I just prune them down to manageable height?
Of course. Just nip out each shoot to a more manageable height. Do this at the end of summer to curtail growth rather than winter which encourages growth! 🥷🍃🤘
Isn't September a bit late in the year to prune Prunus? According to the RHS and a few other professional sources, September is a high-risk period for silver leaf and Prunus species are best pruned in late spring or the height of summer. So I was a bit surprised by your tips. Perhaps a warm dry autumn day is still fine?
I have no personal experience with the disease, so I'm just tying to avoid confusion in the different sources!
Hi. Great question. It depends where you live but late summer is the best time for Formative pruning of a Cherry tree. As in to shape and structure the tree. You can of course prune in spring but I find that this can zap the cherry or prunus species of growth and cause them to bleed. The high risk time is in winter or wet late autumn. Late summer is fine as it gives the tree time to recover. You’re right about conditions though. You wouldn’t want to prune on a wet windy day in October. But late summers absolutely fine on a dry day. Like the video shows. This video was filmed at the end of August here in the UK. The RHS obviously have to cover a lot of areas globally with their advice. Thanks for raising this query though as a lot of people share the same confusion!! Happy gardening! Lee 🥷🌿🤘
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?
🤔
Hi Andrew. It’s wize to nip them off. Maybe take 3 inches off so they can support any fruit. Anything overly long and thin is liable to break when in fruit. But wait until May time to do this! Also make sure you check out my website www.gardenninja.co.uk for more free gardening guides! 🥷🌿🤘
My tree is just growing with less blossoms and cherries and am considering cutting it down smaller. Any suggestions please?
Hello how much for 1 tree because i would like to plant cherries
Sorry not sure I understand your question? 🥷🌿
I had a whole limb ripped off my Bing cherry tree when it was very young; I think the local opossum did it hefting his fat self up. The tree developed canker a couple of years later (maybe from the limb damage) although it appeared very healthy, and still appears very healthy (looking) now, however the cherries are almost ripe; some are soft and others firm, but have varying degrees of brown within the fruits (the softer ones have more) there are no mummies, nor were there any last year. The birds are also going wild for them this year which they never bothered them much before. I see no bugs or worms, or holes other than the bird pecked fruits. The leaves look bright green and healthy, although a little bit shiny in spots (sappy?) and a little dry sap dripping off of the trunk. We had some heavy rogue rains the last few days. I spray with spinosad weekly (although I was a couple of days late this week due to the rains, as I did not want it washed away. What do you think it may be?
Also it is getting very tall, and I would like to trim the top later this summer (although maybe I should leave those limbs for the birds; this year they are decimating the whole tree's cherries though.) How would you proceed with that, or not?
Hi. Firstly I really wouldn’t be using spinosad or any other pesticides on fruit trees that you or wildlife is going to eat. It’s going to cause serious damage to the eco system and health. The birds will love the cherries as they do here at Garden Ninja HQ. You could try netting the tree to preserve them. The sap maybe more of the canker existing the tree which may be under stress. If you’re going to ‘top the tree out’ I’ll do this after the fruit has finished. Happy gardening. Lee 🥷🤘🌿
@@Gardenninja Thanks for your reply. Are you even familiar with spinosad? Organic farmers use it. Which we started applying a little too late this year; it turns out we have fruit flies ruining the cherries. So NONE will be eaten by us, and all will be for the swarming birds. Net may be the plan for next year, as this is the fist year they have bothered our tree; usually only a few cherries are eaten by them. Maybe they are drawn to the fruit fly infested fruit. What method do you use if not using spinosad for keeping the insects away?
The canker is mostly "healed," just a bit of sap on the trunk; the rest of the tree looks marvelous, very healthy leaves and new growth, and no aphids on the new growth.
Yes I am familiar. Though spraying it weekly is complete overkill and had knock on effects on earth worms and are most vital pollinator. Bees. It also means you’re blocking the food chain of other insects, birds and mammals too. That’s why I’m shocked. Yes it’s classed as organic but that doesn’t mean harmless to wildlife. I think maybe the lack of balance with flies and their predators may be in part why you’re having so much trouble. I would urge you to consider alternative more hands off approaches. Netting next year for example or just going with the flow that the birds are part of our ecosystem and feeding them with cherries even if you don’t get many is of greater benefit!
@@Gardenninja Thanks for your reply; I would like to know what you use? Or are you just feeding everything in the food chain but yourself? Or do you eat the worms? That would put your answers in perspective for me. Also I am aware of the times to spray (anything) to avoid harming bees, and I do not apply the spray heavy enough to drip thus not harming the worms. But that did help me NOT go with a thought I had for spraying the ground to avoid the pupae from overwintering or even rehatching now. And yes a net will be placed next year.
The haircut needs to go
Each to their own. What’s your hair like? 🤭