Pruning

My self pollenating Cherry tree is about 15ft and as many years old. Can anyone advise me how to prune it and open it up by looking at the pic's?

It lost a branch as you can see,and I did think to remove one or more larger branches.

 

Just taken a different angle.

 

you really need a photo looking up into the sky with your head directly underneath all the criss-crossing!
A friend of mine side once said you should imagine it from that viewpoint, and think in terms of the tree! A bit odd, maybe? But then he said you should take out everything as if it were a rose or other shrub - that you wanted to keep the centre open and uncluttered, and let in plenty of air. He also said you should keep on standing back and looking at your work to see that it was aesthetically pleasing, which I found a little hard to do when it involved climbing up and down a ladder all the time to assess it! But I'm sure he's right!

 

I think the main factor is why you want to prune it. Is it simply getting too big, do you not like the shape, or do you want the fruit to be more accessible?

 

Difficult one. Only piece of advice so far is that Cherry trees should be pruned in late Summer after fruiting, so you have plenty of time to find out! :D Will keep looking.

 

nixonf23....Like this??

Liz.The blessed birds get the lot!..Like a squadron of stukas as soon as they ripen
It's just the size I worry about and when in full leaf the branches almost touch the ground! Mind you,it is a lovely spot to sit on a hot day with a cold beer

 

Perfect - just like that! You must have a crick in your neck by now, though! Only thing is, it doesn't look incredibly crowded, after all that! And what I was talking about wouldn't really help a lot with the size, just with general health of the tree to avoid overcrowding. Sorry!

 

No problem!(only with cricked neck :D )Thanks for the info.
As Palustris says,plenty of time to find out

 

Thanks Marley! Friends rates I'm sure will apply if the task is beyond me :D

 

The photo idea would be good! I am quite used to running up ladders so once I know where to cut....