Four Simple Steps to Pruning Cherry Trees on Gisela and Other Productive Rootstocks

Tree vigor is important because more leaves mean more carbohydrate production and larger cherries. The production of high-quality cherries requires a gross canopy leaf area-to-fruit (LA:F) ratio of at least 200 cm2 of leaf area per fruit, which roughly translates to five leaves per fruit (Whiting and Lang, 2004). Trees with a lower LA:F ratio are unable to manufacture enough carbohydrates to produce premium cherries. Pruning strategies for trees on productive root-stocks should focus on the following: • Thinning cuts to remove pendant (downward-hanging) and weak wood and to improve light penetration into the tree • Stub cuts to reduce crop load and renew spurs • Heading cuts to encourage branching (leaf production) and reduce crop load Thinning cuts Each year, begin by removing any pendant or small-diameter wood at the point of its origin. Typically, these branches overset and produce small cherries. Removing these branches in the dormant season can eliminate a significant amount of small cherries before they develop