I need some advise about pruning my weeping cherry tree.
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I'm not great at pruning and usually wait too long! I've cut branches back basically so I can mow under it but I'm now wondering if it also needs to be thinned out. Any advise? Articles online are not real clear and have different approach depending on whether it's graphed or not. I have no clue. They also say tree should be dormant and the buds are starting to open, so I'm wondering if I should wait until next year. Advice appreciated!!
Weeping cherry trees should be pruned before new growth appears or after it is finished flowering.I only cut the dead wood out or branches that grow upward.
A good rule of thumb is if it blooms in the spring cut it back in the fall. If it blooms in the summer cut it back in the spring. If you want to keep your weeping cherry ornamental size then you need to cut the lead branch off.
They also have video tutorials on utube just search on google and you should find several.
I have a weeping cherry that wants to morph into something different. We keep cutting this little bugger off ( it grows straight up out the top of my tree ) but it keeps coming back. Any suggestions how to get rid of it for good?
Many people pruning their weeping cherry like this; other people like the graceful form with long trailing branches of different lengths. One thing to consider: cherry trees are not long lived trees and when they are stressed, such as by drought, or lawn mower wounds to the base of the trunk, they get problems such as gummosis (lots of sticky sap exuding from the bark) or peach tree borer (all borers like plants stressed by drought because the bark is easier to penetrate). Anyway, if you enlarge the mulched area out beyond the dripline of the branches there would be 2 advantages, first the tree would have more moisture and nutrients because it would not have to compete with turfgrass. Secondly, there would be no need for mowing under the branches. So a wider mulched area could reduce the stress on your weeping cherry.
Also, it's hard to see but the mulch might be too thick. Mulch should be 2 inches thick to minimize weed growth, moderate soil temperatures, conserve moisture and improve soil quality. And next to the trunk, mulch should taper to bare soil. Here in NJ, there's lots of over-mulching, which can harbor rodents, and over-heat and eventually rot the bark. Bark is like our skin, it should not be wet all the time.
Sorry if this is too long winded, I love to talk about plants. Clare
Clare, thanks so much for the info. I figured it was from a grafting but didn't realize the graft would take over. Should we do this before it blooms or after? Thanks again
When buds are producing that's good but when pruning the best time is when the moon is dark night the day before the moon shows and even when the moon shows it's a good time