The tree will get larger over time perhaps to 30 or more.

As a result, fruit is eventually confined to the tips of the branches, where light is present, and on a tall tree harvesting these fruits can be very difficult and even dangerous, requiring a ladder.

As a result, cherries should be pruned only when rains are unlikely over the ensuing six weeks. Increasingly, professional pruners are recommending that cherry trees be pruned no later than August.

Cherry trees benefit greatly from careful structural pruning during the first three to five years after planting to create an open center and proper spacing between scaffold branches. If a proper structure exists, little pruning. Aug 19, Although most fruit trees are pruned during the dormant season, in areas with wet winters, apricots and cherries should be pruned in late summer to allow time for the pruning wounds to close. Pruning apricots and cherries during the rainy season could lead to detrimental canker diseases.

Cherries, apricots, and a few related species are particularly susceptible to fungal and bacterial. Pruning will lower the tree’s height, and allow sunlight to penetrate down into the tree’s lower branches, promoting lower-height fruit production. Sunlight penetration can also be necessary for proper fruit color development in some species. Prune only the tips of the branches of young multi-graft trees in the summer.

If the tree is cut down to 24 to 30 inches at the outset, there is a risk of removing all. Look at the bearing habit and proper pruning methods used to maintain productive fruit and nut trees. Walk away with specific pruning instructions for apple, pear, peach, plum, cherry, apricot, almond, walnut, citrus, persimmon and olive trees, and observe actual field pruning demonstrations on several of these species in the campus orchards.