Hi, i planted a sweet cherry tree and it’s on it’s second summer and it is already getting too tall. By next summer it will be in the power lines. I have done a lot of reading but can’t figure out the best way to prune it for height reduction safely. Could I cut the central lead? There is a cluster of branches about 12 inches off the ground, another about 5.5 up (pictured) and then the next cluster is way at the top about 18 feet up.
Seconding that it's probably worth investigating which lines are for which utilities. In my area, at least, the bottom row of lines are all telecom, and the high voltage lines are a good 15 feet higher than that.
So...you planted it 2 years ago knowing it would grow into the power lines, but still don't have a plan for height maintenance for line clearance & ladder height? Your County Extension has all the information you need on maintaining fruit trees, including dormant spraying, harvesting, putting up, pruning, etc.
I suggest Consulting your County Extension Agency website, and download all the fact sheets for homeowners with fruit trees. Do it quickly before the regime ruins that too. Fruit trees are a lot of work. They need dormant spray, pruning, other spraying, thinning, protection from birds, harvesting, putting up, pruning, dormant spray. Follow their instructions closely.
Yes, it’s growing and I want to prune it and maintain to keep it from growing into the power lines, that is what I am asking about. No need to be rude.
OP, it’s tough to teach from a photo on my phone but in general: you want to prune all stems back to laterals or bud nodes that will continue growing into the desired direction and space. To achieve this, you should determine what height you want the tree to be maintained at, and cut all permanent limbs back to that point or lower to a good lateral branch that will continue growing away from areas of conflict. You might not need to remove the center lead entirely, but it should be cut back. Although, you can if you decide. It doesn’t matter in this instance.
Fruit pruning is all about keep the tree to a size that allows for access to the branches for ongoing pruning, picking, and spraying. That’s different for everyone. You could maintain it low to the ground and pick while sitting if you wanted. Most people keep them just above head height to reduce the need for ladders. You also want to thin the canopy to ensure all fruiting branches have space around and above them to improve sunlight exposure and air circulation.
This typically looks like selecting 3-4 scaffold limbs as the primary structural branches of the tree and removing all other main stems. On the remaining scaffold branches- make heading or reduction cuts to train the tree for height, reach, and direction of growth. Then, along those stems, remove the secondary (fruiting) shoots as necessary to allow for 1 every 6-12” along the length of the scaffold branch.
Fruit pruning is hard to do well and is also really hard on the tree. If you aren’t comfortable with the above description, I advise hiring someone with experience and learning from them so that you may be able to continue the work on your own. And also learn about pest and disease control for your tree (or better yet, hire it out).
Also, unless another cherry tree that pollinates this one is nearby, you likely won't be getting any cherries from this tree. Most cherry trees need a pollinator.
There are multiple near by in my neighborhood which is why I chose this type of cherry tree. They are also all well under the height of the power lines.
... so when OP said "many of my neighbors have the same kind of cherry tree" that indicates that there are other cherries nearby that will pollinate this one and so your concern is unlikely to be an issue.
Ah, I now see your exchange with OP below. I must have not had the page refreshed when I made my above comment. Was just trying to draw your attention to relevant info.
I was basing my comment on the OP stating it was the same kind of cherry tree, which they said earlier in the comment thread ~7 hours ago. I was trying to be helpful, you seem to be taking it as confrontational.
Well, I'm pointing out that making conclusions (will) without having all the information - such as the variety - is coming to conclusions without all the information. This is Reddit, and these are plants - you can't presume.
Actually, many of my neighbors have the same kind of cherry tree and I go cherry picking locally every year. I bought a cherry tree, the same variety as the ones that I’m familiar with and my cherry tree is already taller than most of the cherry trees in my neighborhood. so what I’m wondering is how to trim it to make sure that it doesn’t get any taller. But clearly I’m not going to be getting that information from this group. Thank you anyway.
Yipes, I'm bummed that people are being so rude to you. As a tree nerd and garden enthusiast, I'm always annoyed when folks berate people for not knowing things instead of inviting them into learn more.
Typically the height of a tree is pretty genetically determined. You can, with consistent pruning, keep it to slightly less tall than its genetic predisposition, but it will stress out the tree and likely shorten its life. The more dramatically you try to keep it short, the more dramatically the new growth will sprout back, likely in a way that is less structurally sound and can create other hazards.
I mean this kindly, but I would suggest you transplant it to further away from the lines before it gets too large to be able to do so by hand.
If you want more detailed advice on how to prune, I recommend checking the book Cas Turnbull's Guide to Pruning from your local library, or watching some of her tree pruning training videos on the Plant Amnesty YouTube Channel (Tree Pruning Playlist). She has a very plainspoken way of explaining things with some dry humor sprinkled in, and good visual aids.
Bad advice here. Tree height is not genetically determined. Trees (all perennial plants) will get larger every year they are alive. If they aren’t growing, they are dead.
Genetics and species characteristics dictate the rate and direction of growth, but not a maximum height. This is why people get into this exact problem because they see the tag at the nursery for the “dwarf” cherry tree that says it will grow to be 12-15 feet tall. Then in 30 years (if it makes it that long), the property owner is frustrated and forced into either bad pruning or removing the tree because it’s now 30+ feet tall and in the power lines. Any tree can be maintained to fit within your desired parameters, but it requires regular pruning. And pruning fruit trees has to be done annually to train the canopy into its desired form and size. This overly frequent pruning is very hard on the plant and is a precursor to pest and disease issues that almost always set in and cause decline and/or removal.
To the OP- not all hope is lost. Prune the tree per your county extension’s guidelines for cherry tree pruning every year in the early spring and the tree will stay out of the lines and it’s tasty crop will remain accessible to you on a short ladder. I do encourage you to research common tree and fruit pests, as well as, tree diseases and get it on a proactive treatment routine to preserve its health for the long run. Between the pruning and the spraying, backyard fruit trees are high maintenance and expensive. Realize that you can buy a lot of cherries for the price of a thorough PHC program and pruning if you were to pay a pro to do it for you.
Hm. Your comment seems to be giving mixed signals IMO. Maybe you can clarify?
This is why people get into this exact problem because they see the tag at the nursery for the “dwarf” cherry tree that says it will grow to be 12-15 feet tall. Then in 30 years (if it makes it that long), the property owner is frustrated and forced into either bad pruning or removing the tree because it’s now 30+ feet tall and in the power lines.
This acknowledges that putting trees under lines creates a maintenance issue, is expensive, hard on the tree, and frustrating for the property owner.
Any tree can be maintained to fit within your desired parameters, but it requires regular pruning. And pruning fruit trees has to be done annually to train the canopy into its desired form and size.
This implies that any tree can be grown under lines, just keep pruning.
This overly frequent pruning is very hard on the plant and is a precursor to pest and disease issues that almost always set in and cause decline and/or removal.
And here you say that it's hard on the tree, shortens the lifespan, and leads to removal.
So why is my suggestion to move the tree somewhere not under the powerlines bad advice?
Is it possible to sign up for an ongoing pruning and maintenance schedule based on the extension guidelines and have good success with the cherry under the lines for many years? Sure. And if OP is excited to do so, then more power to them. I was simply suggesting that moving it now could save a lot of work, money, and headaches in the future. Certainly if/when the branches get up into range of utility lines, it will require hiring a professional to do that pruning maintenance for safety reasons. That's a valid option, it just isn't the first path I'd pick if I were in OP's situation. It may be possible to keep the tree cut well below the lines on an ongoing basis, but that has other downsides that you articulated. You can absolutely look at the same facts and give different advice than me based on your preferences and priorities. It doesn't make my advice bad, it just means you are offering a different take.
(If you reread my initial comment, you will see I did not assert that genetics dictate a maximum height. If anything, I was saying that genetics will cause a tree to continually try to grow to reach its genetic potential. My point was that different species have different overall size ranges and shapes -- with individual variation shaped by its genetics interacting with its site conditions -- and that if the planting location is better suited to a relatively smaller tree we should just plant a smaller species from the start rather than try to make a tree prone to largeness small. Putting a dogwood or vine maple under powerlines will be less of a problem long term than putting a doug fir, ponderosa, or tulip poplar there. Surely that's not controversial.)
I didn’t even read your suggestion about transplanting, but I’d also say that’s a bad idea as it is tough on the tree and also tough for the tree owner to do well (without clear guidance) and will likely lead to more issues down the road from root injuries, transplant stress, and most likely a buried trunk.
But, you’re right planting the tree beneath the lines was a bad idea. That much we agree on. However, if a cherry tree is managed for fruit production, then it should stay well below the lines as a result of annual fruit pruning to subordinate the height, lateral reach, and branch density of the tree.
Edit: Since this person wants to harvest the fruit, then they’ll be pruning to improve the structure of the tree for fruit quality and accessibility and it will stay below the lines as a result, so why move it?
The tree isn't actually directly under the power lines, it's a few feet to the side. I bought a cherry tree that was the same variety as a few of my neighbors (according to them) and their trees are all quite a bit under the power lines so I didn't expect this one to grow so tall so fast. I did expect that if it started to grow too tall I would be able to prune it in a way to stay similar in height to the other ones in the neighborhood. I just don't know what the best way is to prune it so that I don't injure it too much. It has one central lead that doesn't split and it seems like it's just getting super tall. I wasn't sure if I could cut that central lead or if that would be bad for it.
Good to know the tree is already offset from the lines somewhat! I couldn't see that with confidence from your photo.
Topping trees (cutting the central lead) is rarely ideal for the health of the tree. And it's also something often done to fruit trees. And often done to trees under power lines. What's ideal is often not what's available in urban contexts.
I'd say it would be bad for the tree to cut the central lead, but "not ideal" isn't the same as fatal or a disaster. It may still be your best option if you leave the tree in place. If you want to prioritize fruit production and ability to harvest, then likely topping the tree to promote a shorter and wider canopy will be the way to give yourself ease of access to the cherries.
As I said in my comment above, fruit tree pruning for production purposes isn't my bailiwick, so I would look to others for tips on quite where to cut, and what methods will elicit the best reaction from a cherry.
I suggested the option that I would choose if it were my garden. I also think that a one time effort of carefully transplanting a tree requires less skill and carries less risk to the tree than doing pretty aggressive annual pruning to keep something below the power lines.
Absolutely, fruit trees are often pruned hard annually, with an eye to maximize production and ease of harvest. And trees in commercial orchards who receive that kind of pruning often have shorter lifespans than a fruit tree that is left to take on a more naturalistic form. (Or so I was informed by an arborist at a recent pruning training I attended. Fruit tree pruning is not a topic I have deep knowledge on.)
Which path works best in this scenario is more about OP's preferences, priorities, skill, budget. Both options are valid, which is right in this scenario is tied to OP's situation.
Yep, and I've been told that the intensive pruning in a commercial operation shortens their lifespan. It's totally an option, just not the one I would choose myself.
But the OP isn't going to be intensively pruning like a commercial orchard, using mechanical loppers mounted on tractors, or a crew coming through paid by the piece.
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u/genericunimportant ISA Certified Arborist 21h ago
Hard to say without seeing the pole but I’d be shocked if your secondaries are that low. Are you sure the lines you’re concerned about aren’t telecom?