Four simple steps to pruning cherry trees on Gisela and other productive rootstocks

Abstract

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 ratio of at least 200 cm2 of leaf area per fruit, which roughly translates to five leaves per fruit. Trees with a lower LA:F ratio are unable to manufacture enough carbohydrates to produce premium cherries. Pruning strategies for trees on productive rootstocks 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