A little help pruning my Meteor Cherry tree please? (forum)

madh0us3 starts with ...
I just bought and planted this tree around a month ago, and the information that came with it (bought it on the internet) said it had been pruned before they sent it, but I have questions.

I live in northwest Iowa (zone 5, very close to zone 4) and I've seen a lot of websites saying I should prune in late winter, but then I've seen a few saying to prune in the late summer. Which is it?

And for the picture... The (A) is obviously the main/central trunk. (B) looks problematic to me based on what I've read - it looks like too small of an angle off the central trunk - should I tie it down? String from the branch to a stake in the ground to try to get it more horizontal? A & B were on the tree when I received it and since then a few more branches have started coming off of it.

Based on what I've been reading, I'll trim E, C, and F off, and keep D. D is roughly 8 inches above where (B) branches off, and it faces the other direction. Am I correct in this thought? Since I'm planning on keeping D, should I tie it or space it so it'll grow more horizontally? If so, any advice on what to use and how to do this?

Also, B is almost at tall as A. Should I trim it back so it's shorter or something?

Thank you for your help!!
Pictures - Click to enlarge

Picture: 1

Time: 4th June 2012 12:09pm

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About the Author madh0us3
NW Iowa
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Phil@Tyalgum says...
I would start by pruning off B entirely. It looks like a fairly competitive branch to the main trunk and if you let it develop further you will end up with a forked tree with a weakness in the centre, liable to split either from a heavy fruit load, bad weather or insect attack. My instinct would be to just allow A (the main trunk) to grow on its own for another season and when it is about four feet tall, take the top out to encourage branching and develop the vase shape which will make further maintenance easier in years to come. Cherries generally fruit from two year old spurs along the trunk and branches so don't mistake them for excessive growth and prune them off by accident. I'm not sure if Meteor is a sour cherry or a sweet cherry, if sweet you may need a pollinator. Pruning in mid season (late spring/summer) allows the wounds to heal before winter sets in, dormant pruning is really now a thing of the past. Good luck and don't fret about taking off B, the tree will benefit by taking off a putting all its growth into a better shaped tree. Phil.

Time: 20th June 2012 1:33pm

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About the Author TyalgumPhil
Murwillumbah
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