A cherry tree that has never been pruned requires a renovation approach to restore its health and productivity, distinct from annual maintenance pruning. The primary goal of this heavy corrective work is to open the tree’s dense canopy to allow better light penetration and air circulation, which helps manage disease and promotes new fruiting wood. Establishing a manageable and structurally sound framework also brings the fruit production down to a height that allows for easier harvesting and care. This process may take two to three years of intentional pruning, as removing too much material in a single season can severely stress the tree and trigger excessive, unwanted growth.
Pruning Timing and Required Tools
The timing for a major renovation cut on a cherry tree is critical due to the tree’s susceptibility to diseases like bacterial canker and Silver Leaf fungus. Although aggressive pruning is most effective when the tree is dormant, this is not the safest time for stone fruits. Cutting during the dormant, rainy season leaves large wounds vulnerable to infection. Therefore, the optimal time for this heavy, corrective work is in late summer or early autumn, immediately after the fruit harvest, when the weather is typically dry and warm.
Pruning during this post-harvest period allows the tree to compartmentalize the wounds more effectively before cooler, damper weather arrives. You will need three specific types of tools to manage the neglected wood. Use sharp bypass hand pruners for small, new growth up to about half an inch in diameter. Two-handed bypass loppers are necessary for branches up to an inch and a half thick, providing leverage for older wood.
For any branch thicker than the loppers can handle, a sharp pruning saw is required for removing major, overgrown limbs. Before making any cuts, sterilize your tools with a solution of rubbing alcohol or a bleach mixture. This preventative measure avoids spreading latent fungal or bacterial pathogens from one cut to the next.
Initial Cleanup and Clearing the Tree
The first step in renovating a neglected cherry tree involves “cleaning the crown” by removing all undesirable material to improve visibility and overall tree health. This initial cleanup focuses on the “Three D’s”: wood that is dead, diseased, or damaged. Diseased wood may show signs of fungal growth, like black knots or cankers, while dead wood is often brittle and gray.
Remove all dead limbs, diseased branches, and any wood that is rubbing against another branch, which creates open wounds that invite pests and pathogens. Also remove suckers, which are vigorous shoots growing from the rootstock or roots. Suckers divert energy from the main tree and will not produce quality fruit.
Another undesirable growth to remove are water sprouts, which are straight, fast-growing vertical shoots emerging from the main limbs in response to stress. When removing any branch, make a precise cut just outside the branch collar, the slightly swollen area where the branch meets the trunk or a larger limb. Cutting too close (“flush cut”) or leaving a stub inhibits the tree’s natural healing process, called compartmentalization.
Making Structural Cuts for Future Growth
After the initial cleanup, the focus shifts to establishing a permanent, manageable structure for the tree. For cherry trees, two main forms are used: the Central Leader, which results in a pyramidal shape, or the Open Vase (or open center) system, which is favored for many stone fruits. The Open Vase form promotes superior light and air circulation throughout the interior of the tree.
To transition an overgrown tree to an Open Vase shape, select three to five primary scaffold branches that are evenly spaced around the trunk. These branches should have wide crotch angles, ideally between 60 and 90 degrees, for the strongest attachment. Remove all other branches growing inward toward the center using thinning cuts, which remove an entire limb back to its point of origin, thus creating the “vase” shape.
To manage the tree’s height, reduce the main trunk, or leader, by cutting it back to a strong, outward-facing lateral branch. This technique, known as a reduction cut, transfers growth dominance from the vertical leader to the lateral branch, effectively lowering the canopy. Avoid heading cuts, which involve cutting a branch back to an arbitrary point, as this stimulates numerous, weak shoots just below the cut.
During this first renovation year, remove no more than 20 to 30 percent of the tree’s live wood to avoid shocking the system and triggering excessive water sprout growth. Focusing on thinning cuts and strategic reduction cuts redirects the tree’s energy into developing stronger, fruit-bearing wood on the remaining scaffold branches. This process continues over the next few years until the desired shape and height are achieved.