Weeping Cherry Trimming

[AmandaMD]

I just moved into a house that has very mature trees, not only mature but also neglected in the past 5 years or so. From my own google search I think this is a weeping cherry tree. I saw that many branches didn't have any blooms on it so knew it needed a good trim. Once I started cutting some dead branches I realized half of the tree is dead. I was scared to cut off every dead limb thinking it will look worse than it does. What should I do? I circled the dead limbs in red because it's hard to see in the picture. I don't know if I should cut it down to the bottom where the new growth is or just trim the dead limbs at the top that have no blooms or just leave it alone. Thanks for any help and suggestions.

 

[Dan Maynard]

Remove all the dead if you want, it makes no odds to the tree as it's not being used any more.

 

If you've just moved in then I'd give that a couple of years before doing anything, see if it's going downhill anyway in which case you have your answer.

 

In general removing live branches is taking away leaves which is where the tree makes it's food, so pruning is stress and not great for a tree that is struggling.