Knowledgebase
Too warm/late to prune cherry and apple trees? #926693
Asked March 24, 2026, 10:07 PM EDT
Hennepin County Minnesota
Expert Response
It is getting late to trim fruit trees but you can still do it. You will want to get out there before bud-break, ideally.
It’s good to see you have rabbit protection. Don’t remove it yet as we may still have snow and the rabbits will eat anything when they are hungry. Keep protecting it every year.
On the cherry tree I see a couple of possible problems.:
From your photos it looks like this tree may have been planted too deeply. You should be able to see the root flare at the ground. You may want to clear away some of the dirt around the trunk to check it. Trees planted too deeply will often develop stem girdling roots that eventually choke it off.
The side branch looks quite large but I don't know that diameter. Architecturally, it looks like it could break from a supper heavy snowfall. If you want to take it off, I would do it now before it gets too large. If you mow around the tree this could be an issue. I would also recommend removing the damage branches. You do not need to cover the wounds with anything. Trees are very good at sealing off pruning wounds.
When pruning, especially fruit trees, be sure to clean your tools before moving on to the next tree. Rubbing alcohol is fine for this.
The Evans Bali cherry is a one of the largest tart cherry trees growing 15-20 feet. You will still want to keep it pruned to grow out rather than up. Most people trim their cherry trees in the Open Center form. This will help in access to most of the cherries without using a ladder.
https://trees.umn.edu/evans-bali-cherry-prunus-cerasus-evans-bali
