If it were mine I would plant it in the ground as is. In time it will send out lower branches. I would love to have trees arrive with root systems like that.

I've been facing the same issues. Lots of trees about that same size, branches about that high, and I'm wanting lower branching. With a potted tree that 2ft plus of bare trunk just isn't good.

I've never seen lower branches push on a tree like that unless the top is cut off. So I'm not counting on that happening.

I ordered an Early Blush apricot that looks just like your tree. I cut it off at about 15 inches. We'll see how that turns out. But as backup I did whip&tongue plus chip buds with the cut off top. I'm sure that's not legal but if they'd send a tree that gave me another option I'd not be budding it.

I think your tree is iffy for pushing buds if cut at 15 inches. You might try cutting the branches way back hoping to push something low. If nothing else it will give more branches instead of those long unbranched limbs.

Thanks for replies.

Maybe I should trust in myself. Royal Rainier is the only cherry I will sacrifice in-ground space. Perhaps I CAN successfully shape a Cherry on Colt as dwarf-bush, and keep it under 9 feet. On this tree, that'd give me at least 6 foot fruiting area. I'd still remove half (maybe all) of the existing branches based on Fruitnut's comment.

DWN is not grafting that specific variety on 3CR178 (just Rainier) or I would've gone that route and definitely planted in ground.

For future info-seekers, the post below is from 09 where Jellyman, Olpea, Calistoga, and EdLo discuss trunk caliper and knee-high pruning for a peach. The OP could've killed tree with dry roots, but still interesting info on topic nonetheless. http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/fruit/msg0410560425709.html

Here is a link that might be useful: Other Post

That tree will have no problem at all pushing buds if pruned at 15". I pruned all my cherries that way, as well as peaches, plums, apples, etc and none of them had any problems (about 300 trees total). Some peaches have problems waking up after bareroot moving, I think that is the issue on that other thread. I lost two of those and both I had kept a few limbs on so it wasn't the pruning that did them in since they still had many 1-year buds they could have tried to push. Cherries never had any problems waking up for me, and they can also push shoots from about any thickness of trunk (I have seen it on 1-foot diameter cherry trunks).

That said, I'm not sure thats the best technique; I just copied the DWN philosophy. It sets the tree back more in the first year but does get you lower branching. Make sure to let the tree widen low-down, its not just low branching but low with good crotch angles that will get you a short but productive tree.

Scott

Peaches will sometimes fail to send out vegetative shoots from older wood when the top is removed and I wouldn't head off all visible vital buds on a peach until I saw life below, but most trees, especially when the wood is young, have plenty of dormant buds along the trunk just waiting for any interruption of hormonal signals above to send out vigorous growth.

You will lose time by removing all those wonderful branches but their diameter ratio is oversized anyway in that they exceed 50% the diameter of the trunk at point of attachment. 33% is ideal.

I might leave them the first season just to get the trees plugged in real well and pinch back all but the leader (the most vertical of those scaffolds) during the growing season. Next season you can notch the wood above latent buds where you want your lowest scaffolds just as they begin to bud out and remove all oversized branches. The notching prevents hormones from making it to the buds and stopping them from growing.

I'd plant it like it is and call it good, but then, I never prune to an open vase.

I suppose you could graft the ends of the existing branches down lower to the trunk, But honestly, when the tree starts to get some size on it, those branches are going to look plenty low enough.

I like to have my trees with low branches and I'd be happy with that tree like it is. The branches are too close together, but I probably wouldn't remove any until next year; the tree will establish better if it has more leaves.

The thing is those thick branches won't send out much secondary wood and a cherry can get out of hand with big vigorous wood and very little secondary branching and you'll spend the next eight years trying to develop the small wood where your harvest comes from.

I believe in sacrificing wood early to develop a productive shape- the delay is minor but the reward in a compact productive tree is huge.

If I was going to play with the branches as they exist, I'd pull them down to horizontal to slow them up and get that smaller wood growing that way.

I love the conflicting opinions on course of action (not sarcasm) as it gives options to consider.

Initially I was thinking along the lines of OreganWoodSmoke -- when the tree is 5+ years old (if in-ground) those branches should produce secondary branches where some may point downward. Then yes, said branches would then be perfect for low hanging fruit from the "canopy skirt".

Would that not happen?

HMan: Thank you for reminding me again about your ratio rule, that does simplify so many things when I go to prune.

The thing is those thick branches won't send out much secondary wood
Why is this true?

You can go to goodfruit.com and check any articles about pruning cherries. I've noticed for years how inefficient they are when left to grow on their own program and honestly I'm just learning best training techniques. My old methods just took too long to get fine fruiting wood but I've long since learned the danger of excessively large and vigorous limbs.

Harvestman, I read a few articles on the site re: cherry pruning and not much new info there. But many very interesting other articles, I loved it.

>>> how inefficient they are when left to grow on their own program

I mustn't have been clear in my last post. I was expecting growth if I pruned the more vertical branches back with a heading cut to an outward facing bud. When you said the thicker branches won't produce secondary wood, I guess you meant "if left to their own program" which makes sense.

Thanks

I've never tried repetitive stubbing back during the growing season to attempt to get more secondary wood on cherries or even Jap plums and I wonder if any of you have tried this method. It would entail choosing one new and straight (in the same direction as the scaffold it's attached to) shoot to continue the scaffold. The other shoots that eminated from the point of stubbing would be the ones cut back in subsequent prunings. Any of you try this with either species?

If you only stub during dormant pruning you just get about 3 equally vigorous shoots coming from the point of the cut and the process delays fruiting and keeps the tree juvenile for longer. That is the price you pay for stub pruning branches to encourage secondary wood and why Promelin is such a useful chemical for commercial growers as it's a hormone the signals the tree to get those side shoots growing.

One thing that counters this continued juvenility is to pull the limbs to horizontal or even below.

Thanks Harvestman and others.

I left out another vital piece of info, since you seem to be repeating it ;-) I would never leave any of the branches as-is -- if they can't be flexed easily (too woody already), the only way I'd keep them for long-term is either: 1 can be a central leader or the others would be "stub cut" to outward bud (which I've only done on apples, pears and peaches last year and the new branch grew perfectly right angle). Even if I kept one as central leader, the plan would be to cut it back leaving at most 18" then train a new one for next season.

In either case (flexible or not), I can also select some for removal next year, just keeping them for the first leaf to help with first year establishment. In that case, I would not summer prune said branches for removal, let them do their thing and then but cut them off next dormant season after the energy was back into the roots.

This is sort of a compilation of things I've learned from you folks and the pruning books I've studied about behavior. I'm finally understanding you're saying your experience with Cherry and Jap Plum may be more limited than the other fruits (esp apple and pear), the books make it sound like a fruit tree is a fruit tree, they all act the same. As long as you understand the science of what the tree will/is doing, you can't go wrong.

Am I making sense? Now I just have to decide which way to go... I still may just chop it right off at 15".

If you decide to stick with the branches you have, don't cut back the piece you select to be central leader this year.

I have lots of experience training all kinds of plums and I do get them where I want them with just cutting off excessively vigorous branches and cutting back scaffolds to a lesser branch when they get too sprawling. I'm just curious about others who may have tried to use repetitive stubbing to create a more compact and controlled shape for J. plums. I just can't stand to delay their fruitfulness but maybe I'll have to experiment for myself.

I do have a lot less cherries to manage than any other fruit and feel less accomplished as a manager of them.