[samuria]

my cherry tree had loads of blossom then small fruit...
now i can't find any!!!! and the tree has gone wild shoots every where??? do i now cut off all the new shoots? some are over 3ft long.
never had many cherries of this tree.... but it was a gift from my late mum and don't want to chop it down

[New shoot]

With stone fruit trees you are best to prune them in late summer.  Pruning over winter (as you would with other fruit trees) can make them susceptible to disease infecting via the cut branches.

I don’t have a cherry tree, but the rule of thumb is to open a tree out with main branches spread evenly over the head of it.  You then prune side shoots back to make spurs from which fruit should grow or cut them right out if there are too many.  You can prune shoots from these side shoots into even shorter spurs the following year. 

Maybe take off some of the very congested new growth so you can see the tree’s centre and make a plan from there.  You can always do the pruning in several goes and have a think in between as to whether to take out main branches or not.

As for the disappearing fruit, I would assume bird damage.  You have to be very thorough with your defences to keep them off.  One of my plot neighbours has a cherry planted in a fruit cage and I have had to let blackbirds out of there several times.  They will squeeze through the smallest gaps if there are cherries on offer 

[Hampshire Hog]

I have a cherry tree but have never managed to eat any cherries!
Doesn’t matter when the birds eat the crop but I’m afraid they always get them before they are ripe for me. The tree is too large to protect in a cage.
It looks pretty but that’s it. HH

[Kleftiwallah]

Sadly I believe our espalier cherry tree has passed on.  I have carefully pared back the bark in a few places and no green underbark is to be seen.  All leaves are curled and shrivelled.

So, what to do now?

Cheers,  Tony.

[Yorkie]

My Mum's victoria plum died several years ago now.  It was fairly small to start with, but she's found it a useful stand for bird seed feeders, solar lights, etc. (it's in her garden).

[Kleftiwallah]

Yep, I think that is all our ex cherry tree is good for now.   Cheers,  Tony.

[rachelsco]

My Stella cherry on the allotment gave me a bumper crop last year, the first ones I’ve been able to get in about ten years.  It has produced a few fruits before but the pigeons have always taken them.
Last year when I saw it was going to be a huge crop I hung it with cd’s, bright carrier bags cut into ribbons and a football sprayed red with two huge eyes in the middle.  Lol it looked a sight!
But it kept off the pigeons and I must have picked 20 plus kg.
It was too big a tree to cover with a net so I’m so glad I tried the above, which amazingly worked.

[samuria]

i wish mine had pigeons after the cherries!!!!!
never had more than a hand full ever. the birds don't get them
they fall off before they fill out