When you planted your weeping cherry tree, you most likely wanted a breathtaking tree to stand as the centerpiece of your landscape design. In order to keep your cherry tree looking its best, you will need to prune it. When properly pruned, your tree will transform into a gorgeous cascade of cherry blossoms during it’s flowering season. Delicate plants require delicate care. Read on to learn how and when to prune your prized weeping cherry tree.

How To Perfectly Prune Your Weeping Cherry Tree

Choose only the sharpest shears. Sharp pruning shears will allow you to make quick and delicate cuts to new growth and unruly branches or twigs.

Next, you’ll want to trim down water sprouts. Go for the root area for the simplest pruning. Water sprouts, or as some people call them “suckers,” grow out at the root area, taking away important water and nutrients from the tree. Check your Weeping Cherry regularly for this new growth.

Lastly, contain the cascade for better growth. If you want the most fragrant and flowering cascade imaginable, encourage new growth by trimming the very tips of your longest branches.

Taking care of your tools after pruning actually aids in the overall health of your tree. It is very important to clean tools with the appropriate solutions, such as antiseptic or rubbing alcohol, as it will stop the transmission of plant disease in the case that any of the branches you have cut were carriers. Never use bleach to clean pruning blades. It will corrode and ruin the blades over time.

Common Pruning Mistakes To Avoid

Just as there is a right way to prune a weeping cherry tree, there are many common mistakes that gardeners make during the process. In order to ensure that you have the healthiest tree, avoid common pruning errors that could cause irreparable damage.

Cutting large branches where they meet the trunk of the weeping cherry tree is one of the most common mistakes. Though it may seem like it gets rid of unwanted growth during the shaping process, it actually makes the branches grow back vertically, tougher than ever and more difficult to shape. Work with the flow of the tree branches to keep natural charm.

Another common mistake involves making a large number of small cuts rather than a few large, intentional snips. Instead of making many small cuts to your weeping cherry tree, keep the cuts limited to larger branches that are taking away from the most dominant, strong and fruitful branch. By using this pruning method, you can give your weeping cherry the cascading look you were aiming for. Smaller snips can get carried away, ending in a result that will take years of growth to repair. When it comes to pruning weeping cherry trees, the simpler the better.

When To Prune Your Cherry Tree

Wild Cherry Trees thrive when pruned in early fall and no sooner than late summer. During this time of year, the tree has done the majority of it’s growing and is entering its dormant phase. This is the time when you want to do any aesthetic trimming. It is also the best time to take care of any damage that occurred due to forces of nature during the same period.

With a bit of practice, this landscaping task becomes less daunting and far more enjoyable, especially as the fruits of your labor increase with every blooming season. Remember to carefully prune the root area as well as the very tips of the cascade to create the most beautiful, ornamental flowering tree.