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thedanielmatt

Pruning advice needed 2.0

12 years ago

Okay here are some better pics. (Going to just copy the original post)

Hello all, thanks in advance for reading! I'll try to be concise!

Need some advice pruning a couple of trees; obviously new to this :)

First up: Black Tartarian Cherry

This will be its 3rd year in my yard, and I had not pruned it prior to last week where I headed the top 4-5 feet of it to the lowest laterals. It hasn't branched much since I've had it; as I'm learning this is probably due to not being pruned the last year or 2. It was about 10 feet tall with light branching so after much debating I took the top 4-ish feet off (cut it back to a couple of buds above last years node). I already trimmed the competing laterals back as well (about 5-6"). But now I'm thinking this will just create a whorl off those remaing laterals up there, but it will be way too tall. Should I cut the leader back even more, to a desired height for open center? The central leader is about a quarter in diameter around shoulder height. I'm thinking this might be too severe at this point, so that is where you all come in :) I already removed intersecting and center encroaching growth.

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Next up: Sweet Cherry (can't remember exactly at the moment)

This will be the 2nd year in my yard and I did not prune last year either as well as it came pruned. I think I screwed this one up, I know realize, by cutting the a competing lateral all the way back to the main trunk instead of leaving it as a scaffold (although the angle was very strong). I guess I could have tied it down instead of pruning. Over all, this one seems to be in better shape but I'm wondering if I need to trim the leader down to promote laterals and open the center.

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Lastly, a Hardined Nectarine that went in last year as well:

I have only done some very light trimming so far, but am wondering if I would be correct to say I should cut back the leader about halfway to an outward facing bud and just trim the other potential scaffolds? Unfortunately, the best scaffold candidates are almost on top of each other, but the top left kind of cuts in and away from the other so I'm not really sure how to handle those either.

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