How & When To Prune Ornamental Cherry Trees, According To Experts

A cherry tree in springtime, with its ballerina dress of showy blossoms, is truly a sight to behold. While some of us care more about the crop of cherries that can follow, others give all their love to the cherry blossom flowers. If this is you, ornamental cherry trees may be the way to go.

Ornamental cherry trees offer an explosion of showy flowers in the spring and require minimal care. Growing flowering cherry trees is less demanding than growing fruiting trees in terms of sun exposure and cultural care. Flowering varieties also feature a much longer and more spectacular bloom. On the other hand, ornamental trees also require pruning.

Are you wondering how to prune a flowering cherry tree? Or when to prune cherry blossom trees? Read on for clear answers.

Do You Need to Prune Ornamental Cherry Trees?

Both fruiting and flowering cherry trees require pruning, but the goals are different. For fruiting trees, maximizing fruit production is the challenge. For flowering cherry trees, you trim the tree to remove weak branches, limit overcrowding, and improve the esthetic appeal of the tree. The symmetry of the branches is the beauty of the tree.

Pruning a mature tree is also an opportunity to take out dead branches, broken branches, and any branches that are diseased. Those steps increase the vigor and health of the tree. They also prevent harm to people or property that can result from falling branches.

Finally, deadheading – taking out the faded blossoms and fruit clusters - makes more room for the next year’s flower buds. By trimming your flowering cherry tree annually, you’ll get an even more amazing blossom display the following year.

When to Prune Ornamental Cherry Trees

One important issue is when to prune a flowering cherry tree? Ornamental cherry trees produce blooms in early to mid-spring. Their flower display often lasts for a full two weeks or longer. Obviously, trimming ornamental cherry trees in late winter or early spring or you will remove some of the blossoms.

The ideal time to prune ornamental cherry trees is after their seasonal flowering is finished. Mark the calendar for June or July. Early summer or midsummer pruning is best because the flower buds form on old wood. Pruning in August or September risks removing flower buds and also limits the amount of energy the plant can invest in winter wood. Winter pruning leaves the tree vulnerable to diseases.

Note that if a branch dies or breaks, you can cut out that dead wood at any time of year. You will lose the blossoms on that branch anyway.

How to Prune Ornamental Cherry Trees

Before you even prepare your pruning tools, you’ll want to examine your cherry tree and develop a plan for the tree. What is the natural shape of the tree? It might be rounded, weeping, or bushy. In most cases, it is best to follow the natural lines of the tree to increase its beauty.

Now it’s time to get your tools ready. You may need pruning shears for smaller branches and pruning saws for larger branches. Our editors love the Fiskars bypass pruning shears from Amazon.

Use bleach and water mix to clean the cutting surfaces of the tools before pruning begins. If you see some potentially diseased branches, clean the cutting surface between cuts as well to prevent the spread of disease to other branches.

Prune out any diseased branches by cutting them back to a healthy shoot. Take care not to leave a stub. If you want to take out an entire branch, make the cut at its base. A clean cut will heal much quicker than a messy one. Pick up and dispose of any diseased wood removed.

If there are any branches on the ornamental cherry that are broken or damaged, remove these too. Crossed branches should also be cut back. Follow the same rules as for taking out diseased branches.

Do you need to do more trimming? First step back and take another look at the tree. It could be that you’ve pruned enough. If so, simply thin out the tree canopy and shape the tree. Always do less rather than more. If you take out too much of the canopy top, you will stunt the growth of the tree.

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