Photo Description
Top Left: Tree unbalanced. Left side producing little. Right side producing well.
Top Right: Shown from opposite side. Full limbs visible without flowering.
Bottom left: Close up of the left side of the tree. Several branches not flowering down full length.
Bottom right: Closer view of the graft and up.
Please do ask for any more clarifying photos if you think it would help.
Questions:
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The tree just started blooming this week. Is it too late to start pruning or should I wait until Autumn?
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Pruning the tree is going to make it even more lopsided than it already is. Would you all recommend trimming back the healthy branches so it’s not so heavy on one side?
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This website gives the advice below. Any thoughts otherwise?
Thank you all so much!
How to Prune a Weeping Cherry Tree
The different types of weeping cherries can grow to between eight and 40 feet tall. Proper pruning keeps these trees looking beautiful and can prevent the development and spread of diseases. Prune while the tree is dormant (no flowers or leaves on the branches) in early spring or late fall. Take the following steps once a year with bypass pruning shears or a pole pruner.
- Cut back any branches that contact the ground until they’re at least six inches off the ground.
- Remove branches that are rubbing against each other.
- Trim back branches that are closer than two inches apart.
- Remove dead branches.
- Remove stems or branches growing out of the trunk or around the base of the tree (a.k.a. suckers).
- Trim back the tips of the branches around the perimeter of the canopy until it’s a balanced, uniform shape.
- Remove branches that are growing straight up on grafted cherry trees because they will continue to grow upward instead of weeping down.
- Thin out the mangled cluster of branches that often develops near the base of the canopy of grafted trees.
- Remove diseased branches as soon as they’re discovered, regardless of the time of year. Sterilize the blade of your cutting tool in between cuts to prevent disease spread.
I’d be interested to see some higher resolution images if you’ve uploaded them somewhere that handles higher file sizes. A hand behind the branches that aren’t growing as well will help to distinguish bud features, which may help folks make specific suggestions.
If your particular cherry sets small fruits after flowering, remove all the fruit as they appear. This will keep the tree in vegetative growth rather than fruit growth, and you can prune the better-performing side to allow the stunted side to catch up some.
Otherwise, like @LibertyLizard said, treat balancing the tree like an ongoing process and just do little bit at a time to favor new growth on the side that needs it.
You’re wish is my command!
Here is a photo of the bare side:
Here is the same photo marked up with RED being dead, GREEN being healthy, and BLUE circle marking where the dead branch and a healthy branch touch and merged. If I took all the dead RED branch back to the trunk, I wouldn’t know what to do with the part that fused to the healthy GREEN branch. In the photo, it looks like the dead branch (on top) is touching healthy branch (underneath), but they actually have perhaps a cm of space. However, that dead branch split and a sub-branch went underneath the healthy branch and fused along the way.
From opposite side of the previous photo, i wanted to show the fusion. Here is the original:
And here is the same, but marked up:
As for buds on what I call healthy vs unhealthy, here you are:
Previously, I though there was no new grow towards the sparse side, but I was VERY happy to see new growth in that direction. Although, I am worried it the two lower one may be too low considering it’s a graft? Perhaps they are fine.
Please do let me know if other photos would be of help. As you might have guessed, I really do want to do right by this tree. The pollinators are loving it and I’d like to do better by them also!
These are very helpful, yes. I’d check the ‘dead’ branch with a scratch test along the length to be sure but if they fused around bark that’s a detrimental factor to consider in favor of removal. In case you’re unfamiliar, a scratch test is just taking a fingernail or sharp sterile blade and scratching away the outermost bark - if it’s brown all the way down she’s a dead branch but if she’s green there’s growth to be seen. If/when you end up removing it remove the weight past the live branch to reduce or prevent any extra bark damage.
As for those new buds: they appear high enough in the graft that I’d leave all three. The lowest might be from below the graft but it will still help to fill in that side this season so there’s no reason to remove them now. If anything, resterilize your knife and make small, delicate incisions just above each bud to promote their growth. The small wound will cause the growth hormone (auxin) to pool at the buds, giving them a boost this season. The additional growth should help you determine whether they’re from above or below the graft, and you can make a decision about them during their next dormant period.
What a wealth of info. Thank you!
I was going to post a new question about this fusion. I was wondering if it should remain and how much, or… perhaps removing it entirely? If the latter, this would expose the live limbs flesh in a what I presume to be a negative manner. That them made me wonder if there was some sort of gum or salve to apply to allow it to heal and prevent problems like disease.
This is really interesting. I will want to look into a bit more, but it sounds like it could really help. Thank you!
You may be reaching a point where there’s an increased risk of pests or diseases but if the fused branch is already presenting an increased risk it’s worth it to remove and observe how the tree closes the wound.
Here’s what Purdue University has to say but the big takeaway is
I think the best course of action if the fused branch is dead or rotty is to remove it and keep a close eye on the spot where they fused, and for any other disease indicators.
This is really great info. Thank you.
How I might I determine if “the fused branch is already presenting an increased risk.” I don’t see any evidence of anything strange currently. Only some tree lichen in some spots.
Some easy signs to look for are softness or sponginess of the dead branch, peeling bark, or mushrooms or mycelial growth in the area. Those, in my view, would constitute reason for immediate removal even during the growing season.
This is WAY cool. I’ve never heard of this, but I can easily follow the logic. Any science behind how beneficial this is towards vegetative growth? Are we talking a nominal increase or something much more significant like 25% or 50% increase? I honestly don’t know how much energy goes into fruit production.
I’ll try to find documentation on it but the rough & dirty version:
When a plant is pollinated and begins to set fruit, different chemical signalling occurs in a feedback loop between the roots and the fruits than the one that exists for vegetative growth. Flowering times are usually daylight and temperature dependent, so if its fruit fails the tree will (usually) focus on leaf mass to better support the next year’s attempt.
Thanks for this. It led me down a rabbit trails of education. There’s an inner desire growing for gardening and tree tending that seems to have just come out of nowhere. I hope I can do well by this tree and many others on my property.
Treesaregood.org is a good place to find great information to help you along.
There is a ton of info there. Thank you! Adding to my resource list.