Apple tree; training, spur pruning, Standard Cherry tree, Glossary near bottom, last edited: Monday, November 28, 2005. links at bottom to similar pages. We sell many flowering shrubs both wholesale and retail. If interested check retail.
Spur Pruning
First winter: Cut back a maiden lateral (Maiden refers to one year old growth and lateral is any stem growing from a larger stem).
Second winter: Cut back that same lateral to the second or third flower bud (it will carry fruit during next growing season).
A key to finding diagrams in books that help you with these and other methods.
Cherry Tree Standard (a tree with a clear stem of 5 to 6 feet). (To encourage the growth of a standard cherry tree with an open center).
Cherry trees are generally available as one or two year old trees which should be planted in our cold northern area in early spring.
New trees that are to be trained as a standard should be grown for a year or two in order to reach the required height, then pruned back after the buds begin to open to around 6.5 feet at just above the topmost of 4 or 5 strong laterals ( a lateral is a stem growing from a larger stem).
Prune back your chosen 4 or 5 laterals by half to an outward facing bud. Lower laterals should be pinched back to 4 leaves. They will remain while the trunk thickens, being pinched back annually until finally removed in the fourth or fifth year.
The chosen laterals that you have pruned back by half have to be cut back by half again in the second spring, but by the third spring only light pruning should be necessary in order to leave around 2 feet of the previous seasons growth. Remove completely any upright latterals in the center to keep the center open and prune back laterals competing with the leader to 3 buds.
A mature tree just neads pruning in order to remove damaged , dead or diseased wood while thinning crowded or crossing branches. I am writing this for Frank because a landscaper pruned his cherry tree to a bush (which is started by cutting back to around 2.5 feet).
Bush=back to 2.5 feet
Half Standard=back to 4.5 feet
Glossary:
Maiden-one year old tree.
Lateral-a stem growing from a larger stem.
Leader-the shoot at the end of a branch that by growing extends it.
Central Leader-The dominant verticle stem at the center of a tree.