When should you prune plum and cherry trees?
By Service Plus Stockholm AB5 min read
Short answer
When should you prune plum and cherry trees?
Plum and cherry trees are best pruned in July–August, straight after harvest, unlike apple trees, which are pruned in February–March. These stone fruits heal cut surfaces poorly in cold and damp, which increases the risk of diseases such as silver leaf and gummosis if you prune during the winter half of the year. Light shaping of young trees can also be done in June. Service Plus Stockholm AB always assesses the tree's condition on site before pruning begins.
Would you rather have it done for you? Read about tree & shrub pruning in Stockholm – what is included, what affects the price and how to book.
Why does the timing differ from apple trees?
Plums and cherries belong to the stone fruits, and they have a different disease pattern from pome fruits such as apple and pear. Cut surfaces on stone fruit heal slowly in cold and damp weather, and an open wound during winter and early spring becomes an entry point for the fungus that causes silver leaf and the bacteria behind gummosis. Apple trees are therefore pruned in February–March while the tree is dormant, but the same timing is unsuitable for plums and cherries.
In Stockholm's climate, with cold and wet winters, the risks are especially clear. A cut made in January can stay open for weeks before the tree starts to recover, and during that time spores and bacteria have time to establish themselves in the wood.
Which month is best in Stockholm?
July and August are the recommended period for stone fruit in the Stockholm region. By then the trees have finished their strongest growth, the harvest is usually over and the weather is warmer and drier, so the cuts dry out and heal quickly.
Choose a dry day and avoid pruning straight after rain or when rain is expected within a few days. A dry cut reduces the risk of disease-causing organisms spreading through moisture.
- July–August after harvest is the main period
- Avoid pruning from October to March
- Prune in dry weather, not in rain or high humidity
- Light adjustment of young shoots can be done in June
What happens if you prune at the wrong time?
If plums or cherries are pruned in autumn or winter, the risk of two common problems increases. Silver leaf gives the leaves a silvery sheen the following spring and can eventually kill whole branches. Gummosis, caused by bacteria, shows as sticky, gum-like oozing from the trunk or branches and weakens the tree over several years.
Both diseases are hard to cure once they have taken hold, so prevention through the right timing is the most effective measure.
How do you prune plums and cherries correctly?
The aim of summer pruning is to give the tree air and light without removing too much at once. Stone fruit reacts strongly to hard pruning and can respond with vigorous water shoot growth or become weakened if too large a share of the crown is removed at the same time.
- Remove dead, damaged or crossing branches first
- Thin the crown so that air and light reach in, at most about 20–25% of the crown per session
- Use clean, sharpened tools to get even cut surfaces
- Cut close to a healthy branch or bud, not in the middle of a branch
- Avoid large cuts on the main trunk, and spread the work over several seasons if needed
- Remove suckers and water shoots that grow straight up
How do plums and cherries differ when pruning?
Cherry trees naturally build an even, pyramid-shaped crown and usually only need light thinning to avoid overly dense foliage. Plum trees tend to grow denser and more irregularly and often need more extensive thinning to avoid shady, damp areas inside the crown where diseases thrive.
Old, tall cherry trees that have become hard to maintain need a special assessment, because heavily shortening large branches increases the risk of disease considerably more than normal thinning.
How does Service Plus help with fruit tree pruning?
Service Plus Stockholm AB assesses each fruit tree's condition, age and position on site before work begins, and provides a free quote with a clear price or hourly rate. Saxa, our pruning specialist, plans the work so that plums and cherries are pruned at the right time and with the right technique to reduce the risk of silver leaf and gummosis.
The labour cost for pruning normally qualifies for a RUT deduction (the Swedish tax deduction for household services), while removal of cuttings and branches is handled separately.
Common follow-up questions
Can you prune plums or cherries in spring if you missed the summer?
It is better to wait until the next July–August than to prune in spring or winter, because the risk of silver leaf and gummosis is considerably higher then. Only clearly dead or damaged branches can be removed all year round if needed.
How often do plums and cherries need pruning?
Most home garden trees do well with light thinning once a year, while older or very dense trees may need looking over every few years. Service Plus assesses the need based on the tree's condition at each visit.
What do you do with an old cherry tree that has grown too tall?
Heavily shortening large branches on an old cherry tree should be done in stages over several years, because large wounds increase the risk of disease considerably. An on-site assessment decides how much can be removed each time.
Does pruning plum and cherry trees qualify for the RUT deduction?
Yes, the labour cost for pruning normally qualifies for a RUT deduction of up to 50%, within the annual cap per person set by the Swedish Tax Agency. Removal of branches and cuttings is not covered by the deduction.
