How to prune sweet cherry 'stella'

Late spring to midsummer (May to July), shortly after harvest. Remove dead, diseased, and crossing branches after harvest. On fan-trained trees, tie in new growth to fill the frame, pinch back sideshoots not needed for the framework to five or six leaves in early summer, then shorten those pinched shoots to three leaves after harvest. On free-standing trees, maintain an open centre by removing inward-growing branches.

Annually after harvest (midsummer); avoid winter pruning. Stella is a self-fertile sweet cherry that grows vigorously and can reach 6 m or more unpruned. Pruning is essential for managing size and improving light penetration but must be done in late spring or summer to avoid cherry leaf scorch and silver leaf fungal diseases. Fan training against a wall is popular in the UK.

Remove dead, diseased, and crossing branches after harvest. On fan-trained trees, tie in new growth to fill the frame, pinch back sideshoots not needed for the framework to five or six leaves in early summer, then shorten those pinched shoots to three leaves after harvest. On free-standing trees, maintain an open centre by removing inward-growing branches.