Spring has sprung so now it’s time to prune your cherries and plums!

Regular pruning of fruit trees is essential for encouraging successful fruiting and to maintain a good shape, and now is the perfect time to prune your cherry and plum trees.

Don’t worry if you’re not sure how it’s done because the method used is exactly the same as for apple and pear trees which we covered in a pictorial guide to pruning – click here to find out more.

And while you’re in the mood for pruning, now is also a good time to prune your currants and figs…

Black, Red & White Currants

Black Currant

You should be regularly removing old wood to promote young, upright growth from the base which will carry more fruit. To achieve this you should cut about a third of the oldest woody stems down to the base each year, retaining the upright shoots.

Red and White Currant

You should be looking to achieve an upright, well-branched bush with fruiting spurs along the main stems so in winter, shorten the side shoots to one bud, and remove shoot tips and old, unproductive wood.

Figs

Prune these vigorous shrubs every winter/spring by cutting out the oldest woody stems down to the base. Cut back side shoots in the Summer and you’ll be able to maintain an open framework, controlling its size and promoting fruiting.

And if that’s not enough, it’s also time to prune your Cornus or Dogwood to make sure you encourage lots of colourful new stems and to maintain shape and size – and it couldn’t be easier, simply cut all last year’s stems hard down to their base or a woody framework every winter!

We have a range of cherry and plum trees in stock now, so why not pop in to check them out? You can pick up all the tools you need for pruning while you’re here!