Preserving Old Cherry Trees - How to Rejuvenate Them

How old do cherry trees get

The larger and slower the tree, the older it can get. The sour cherry trees (Prunus cerasus) grow quickly, remain relatively small and live on average 15-25 years. The slower and taller growing sweet cherry (Prunus avium) can live an average of 45-55 years.

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Only transplant cherry trees if necessary
Cherry trees are propagated vegetatively
Cherry trees can be rejuvenated

But how do you know how old a cherry tree is if you have not planted it yourself but have taken over the orchard from the previous owner? Just when the yields decline does not necessarily mean that the tree is showing its age. Fungal or pest infestation can also be the cause of the yield fatigue.

On the Internet you can find various tables and sometimes quite adventurous instructions on how to calculate the age of a living tree based on the trunk circumference, the number of leading branches, etc. The result determined in this way can only be assumed as an estimate. Age determination appears to be more reliable based on a core drill test carried out by a garden professional with a special drill.

Rejuvenate old cherry tree

One speaks of a taper cut when the crown is to be completely renewed. By radically cutting back the scaffold branches and lengthening the trunk, an old tree is stimulated to form new shoots. The pruning should be done after flowering or after harvest. The winter pruning is unfavorable for the cherries, as it promotes the water shoots. In addition, the cuts heal worse in winter, especially on an old tree.

Make the taper cut as follows:

Remove the dead and brittle branches, leaving enough young leafy branches to stand,
shorten the trunk extension and the drawers by about a quarter,
Cut two and three year old branches back to the next fruit set,
cut in such a way that a side branch pointing outwards remains immediately at the end,
keep the wounds small and protect the edges with wound sealant.