Sweet Cherry Tree (Van) - Pruning advice

Hi
I have a cherry tree that is around 3 years old. It is about 7ft tall - I purchased and planted it at around 5ft tall. I am new to gardening and know next to nothing so any help is appreciated My problem is that all three of the branches growing from the main trunk are pretty much horizontal - I have enclosed photos. Ideally I would like them to grow upwards and increase the height of the tree as I want to use it as a screen above the 6ft fence panel. I'm hoping there is a way to either train or prune the branches to achieve this. If it's not possible at least I can pick the cherries without a ladder
Thanks for any help
Iain

 

Do you know what rootstock it is grafted onto? If it is dwarfing rootstock and low vigor then it may never reach a significant height or take a very long time to do so.

Ideally, what you want is a vigorous rootstock with a cherry scion that has the natural habit of producing upward leader growths instead of horizontal laterals. If laterals appear, you either shorten them to a bud or branch that points upwards or clip them off altogether in order to force more leader growths. You do this pruning twice a year: once in late spring then again in summer.

It is possible to use bonsai training techniques on full size trees to get the shape that you want. I have tried this the past and they do work - check out Peter Chan's bonsai channel where he fracture bends branches to fit into a tray pot.

 

Hi - Thank you for your quick and helpful response. The Rootstock is Colt (semi-dwarf). Approximate height 4m after 10 years. Loved the video and think I will give the bonsai training technique a try first as looks like a rewarding challenge. The tree is tied to a large stake so think I should be able to pull the branches up to this. Just a couple of follow up questions:
Should I wait until late spring to do this?
should I cut the branches as in the video to encourage the bend?
How long should I leave it before I deem this a success or failure?
Thanks for your help
Iain

 

I would say that shaping the tree by forcing a bend either by bonsai wiring, guide rope anchoring or splint tying can be done at any time but I have found that mid spring is the optimum time as the tree is just beginning to wake up so you don't have to contend with the foilage.

Fracture bending should only be done on thick, hard-to-bend branches. Incidentally, if you wanted to put a uniform bend into a freshly cut bamboo pole then fracture bending is the method you would use: either make a series of parallel cuts or cut out a v-segment to form the bend.

It will take about a year for the branches to set into place, however, you should judge it by eye from your own tree and not rely on any definite time scale.

I realise that you may have already come up with the answers to your own questions yourself but I felt compelled to respond just for completeness.