Cherries
A competent choice of seedlings, planting cherries and caring for them - that's all you need to enjoy juicy berries from this tree in 5-6 years. Some novice gardeners think that sweet cherry is a heat-loving tree and it is problematic to grow it in the northern regions. This is partly true, this fruit tree is very demanding on environmental conditions.
However, the warming of the climate and the purposeful work of breeders allowed the sweet cherry to “advance” far into the central and even northern regions of the country. Nurseries, garden centers, even online stores have a huge selection of cherry seedlings, including winter-hardy varieties. Therefore, almost any gardener can plant and grow this tree.
Content:
- How to choose a seedling for planting
- Which seedlings are not recommended to buy
- How to store a seedling before planting
- Choosing a landing site and preparing a pit
- When to plant?
- Landing habits regardless of the time of year
- Care in spring, summer and autumn
- Harvesting
- Reproduction methods
- Sugar, tasty, large-fruited and healthy varieties
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How to choose a seedling for planting
Cherries can live up to 100 years and reach a height of up to 12, and some specimens up to 30 meters. Once planting a sweet cherry, you can get delicious “dividends” from this for the rest of your life. The main thing is to choose a seedling that will take root without any problems.
Cherry seedlings
When buying a young tree, you need to pay attention to such details:
When choosing a young cherry, pay attention to the seller and his qualifications. And also on the conditions under which the seedlings are stored.
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It is not recommended to buy young trees that will require long transportation or acclimatization. Sweet cherry is a “capricious” tree and it is not necessary to expose its seedlings to unnecessary stress.
This is what cancer looks like on the root of a plant
A local nursery, as already mentioned, is the best place to buy a seedling, but why? Because a tree grown in these climatic conditions is more likely to take root and produce high yields than a tree brought from afar.
The zoned variety also has advantages in early maturity, quality of berries, fruiting regularity, resistance to diseases and longevity of plantings.
If the seedling was grown in the south, and planted in the central or northern regions, this will be of little use. It is quite easy to distinguish the southern seedling in the total mass - the tree itself is vigorous, but the root system is poorly developed. The lower buds of the tree have been removed.
- there is no trace of vaccination on the trunk. Such plants, most likely, are not varietal and come into fruition late, the taste of berries is medium or low.
- no branches. On such plants, crown formation will take a very long time.
- poor conductor condition. A weak conductor with the beginning of tree growth will have competitors from strong branches
- two conductors - a break in half and the death of a tree is possible with abundant fruiting
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How to store a seedling before planting
You can plant cherries in spring and autumn. Some gardeners buy young trees in the fall and plant them the following spring. If a tree was bought, but it is not yet possible to plant it, it must be stored in "comfortable" conditions.
Sapling placed in a trench for the winter
It is necessary to store the tree in a shaded, cool place, it must be reliably protected from overdrying and damage by rodents. To do this, they are first kept in water - from 2 to 12 hours. And then, wrapped in a damp cloth, placed in a plastic bag or sprinkled with wet tyrsa.
If the tree is bought in the fall, it must be dug until spring. For this, a shallow (50 cm) pit is made, one side of which has a slope of 45º. A seedling is laid on this side, after which the roots are sprinkled with earth, and on top they are insulated with what is at hand - straw, fallen leaves, spruce branches, burlap, roofing material.
- The roots of the tree are sprinkled with wet tyrsa. Then, with the help of a polyethylene film, a dense roller is formed.
- A tree with a root system sealed in this way can be stored until spring in a cellar or basement. It is also convenient to transport.
However, the best option is to plant a tree on the day of purchase, in a previously prepared hole.
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Cherry loves the sun, warmth and space. Since it can grow very high, this fact must be taken into account when choosing a place for planting - the tree must be at least 4-5 meters apart from others so that there is no shading. If you plan to set up a large cherry orchard, the trees can be staggered.
A hole for planting cherries should be dug in a sunny place.
Other cherries (2-3 varieties) must grow nearby, or in extreme cases, cherries, because cherries are cross-pollinated plants. The main thing is that the flowering period of the trees coincides.
The optimal place for planting is the south side of the garden, a place with a slight elevation (not a hill, but not a lowland), protected from the winds. If it is not possible to plant cherries in the south, the southwest or southeast will do. It is also a good idea to plant cherries on the south side of buildings or fences - this is an excellent protection from the northern winds.
The soil should be fertile, and clay, peaty or sandy will not work. Also, the earth must be well aerated, moisture-absorbing and moisture-permeable. Even a slight stagnation of moisture is detrimental to cherries, so you need to ensure that there is no close occurrence of groundwater at the landing site.
A pit for planting cherries is prepared in advance - a few weeks in advance, this will allow the disturbed soil to settle. The dimensions of the landing pit are 50 cm deep and 80 cm wide.
At the bottom there should be a layer of soil mixture - fertile soil, compost or other organic fertilizer, as well as ammonium sulfate (2 kg / 2 buckets of earth), superphosphate (3 kg), ash (1 kg) and potash fertilizer (1 kg).
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When to plant?
You can plant sweet cherries in spring or autumn, it all depends on the preferences and capabilities of the gardener. If planting occurs in the spring, you should not focus on a specific month. Spring can be early or late, and therefore it is important not to miss the right moment.
Early spring is a great time to plant fruit trees.
On the one hand, the snow should already be gone, the soil should dry out, and the temperature should not fall below 0º (even if a winter-hardy variety is planted). On the other hand, the active movement of tree sap should not begin. If the leaves have already blossomed on the trees, planting will have to wait until autumn.
Most gardeners prefer to plant sweet cherries in the fall, as this is the time of the year when there is the widest selection of varieties. But how right is this?
A young, fragile tree almost immediately falls into adverse conditions, and it has less chances to survive than when planted in the spring, when the owner can observe its development and condition throughout the season.
It is recommended to choose the time for planting cherries, starting from the location of the garden:
- in areas with a warm climate, young cherries are planted in autumn - in September-October. Or based on the weather - you need to have time to plant trees a few weeks before the soil freezes
- in areas with cold, in northern climates, the planting procedure can be started in early spring before the buds begin to swell
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A landing pit prepared in the fall or 2 weeks in advance must be protected with a roller of earth. Pour a couple of buckets of water settled in the sun into the pit.
Pegs are an additional support for a young tree
A small mound of soil is formed in the middle of the hole (it can also be formed while the planting hole is being prepared) and the planting process begins:
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Whitewashing is part of tree care
Sweet cherries, if planted correctly, do not require any special care in the future. All activities are quite standard - watering, disease prevention, pest control, pruning, fertilizing, etc.
In early spring, the trunks of seedlings and adult cherries need to be whitewashed. In this way, sunburn of the bark can be avoided when the spring sun begins to warm.It is necessary to whitewash not only the bole, but also the bases of the skeletal branches.
An important step in caring for a seedling is the removal of weeds. Cherry does not tolerate any competition, which means that the near-trunk circle will need to be regularly cleaned of unwanted neighbors. Simultaneously with weeding, loosening of the soil occurs, which allows the roots of the tree to receive more oxygen.
If there is no desire to constantly remove weeds, you can resort to one of the many options for preventing their growth:
- Planting in the trunk circle of lawn grass with a shallow root system. The grass will need to be cut regularly.
- Mulching the soil with materials that are difficult for weeds to grow through. Suitable pebbles, sawdust, or special covering materials from weeds.
- Planting in the trunk circle of ornamental plants that will cover the soil. The main thing is that the plants are not demanding on the nutritional value of the soil, moisture and tolerate shade well.
Watering seedlings and grown trees
Watering cherries should not be plentiful, but regular. It is enough to carry out the procedure 3-5 times per season. In especially dry periods, the amount of watering can be increased, focusing on the condition of the tree.
The right option for watering a fruit tree
The first watering can be organized in early spring, the second before flowering or during the formation of berries, the third or fifth after harvest, and then as needed. Water consumption - 2 buckets of liquid for each year that the tree has lived.
A day after watering and after each rain, the soil in the trunk circle (if there is no permanent mulch) must be loosened. For these purposes, use a hoe or hand cultivator. After loosening, the earth is again covered with mulch.
One of the most important waterings is before the onset of cold weather. The soil should be tried to soak with water 60-80 cm deep. This is a great way to increase the winter hardiness of a tree. And also such impregnation will slow down the freezing of the soil in winter.
Pest and disease treatment
Treatment of wood from pathogens and insects is carried out immediately after the air warms up to 18º. It is noteworthy that bacteria and fungi, as well as all sorts of pests, can overwinter both in the bark of a tree and in the soil around it. Therefore, insect spraying should be carried out when the insects have already come out of the ground.
Spraying trees in spring
For preventive treatment, you can prepare a solution of 700 g of urea and 10 liters of water.
- akarin
- agravertin
- fitover
- bio caviar
Further treatments can be carried out if a specific disease or pest is detected. And the last processing of cherries takes place on the eve of winter.
To increase the resistance of a young tree to adverse conditions and chemical, biological, physical and climatic phenomena, it can be additionally spray Zircon or any other bioregulator. Due to this, root formation, growth, flowering and fruiting of cherries are intensified, and disease resistance is increased.
Attracting pollinators
Attracting bees is carried out in order to increase productivity. This is not a mandatory, but desirable step in the care of cherries during the period when they begin to bloom. It's easy enough to do, and the results can be impressive.
Mustard during flowering attracts bees
To attract bees and organize high-quality pollination of cherry inflorescences, you can resort to one of the methods:
The bees that come to pollinate the sweet cherry will do the same "service" to other flowering trees in the garden.
organic fertilizers
Organic fertilizers such as humus and compost, are brought under cherries in the spring. In the summer, in August, you can also feed the trees with organic fertilizers - mullein, a solution of chicken manure.
Compost is an excellent organic fertilizer
The need of each seedling and young cherry tree for feeding with organic matter is purely individual. It all depends on how much fertilizer was applied to the planting hole, the age of the tree, the quality of the soil, and even weather conditions.
Top dressing with mineral fertilizers
Cherry needs minimal feeding. If there is too much fertilizer, the tree will “fatten”, many new shoots will appear, which will then have to be cut. The optimal time for applying mineral fertilizers is autumn.
One of the types of mineral fertilizers
Some gardeners do not use mineral fertilizers in the first year or two after planting cherries. This is due to the fact that fertilizers introduced into the planting pit should theoretically satisfy the needs of the seedling. Especially in the case when the soil in the garden is fertile.
Nevertheless, nitrogen preparations are recommended to be applied already in the second year after planting sweet cherries. But the need for potassium and phosphorus substances in a tree may arise in the third or fourth year of life.
Preparing trees for winter
After the crop is harvested, the cherries are left alone until autumn, periodically watering and processing from diseases/pests in case of need.
Ordinary wood shavings are a good solution for warming tree trunks
In autumn, when the leaves begin to turn yellow, you need to carry out a number of activities:
The most important thing to do for a young cherry seedling is warming. Even if a frost-resistant variety was planted, do not forget that the sweet cherry is still a southern plant.
It is better not to take risks and wrap the trunks of young trees with any breathable protective material - burlap, spruce branches, but it is unacceptable to use lutrasil or any other synthetic material for insulation, as the tree under it will melt.
It is advisable to wrap the crown of young cherries and pull them together with a rope - so a snow cap will not accumulate on it. But in order to protect the crown of grown cherries from damage, you will have to brush off the snow from it manually.
Pruning (sanitary)
Cherry pruning should be done twice a year. The first procedure is carried out in the spring, before the tree begins to come out of dormancy. In March-April, when the snow melts, you need to inspect the tree and remove branches that have not survived the frost, as well as broken and diseased ones.
In autumn, it is also necessary to carry out sanitary pruning of a seedling, and then a grown tree. At this time, branches that have broken under the weight of fruits, during bad weather, dry or with signs of disease are also removed. It is quite easy to distinguish such non-viable branches - they do not have leaves and berries, they stand out against healthy ones in color and structure of the bark.
If you cut off all weak, broken or incorrectly growing branches in late autumn before the cold weather, you can greatly facilitate the wintering of the tree. Moreover, for pruning in the fall, it is preferable to use not a secateurs, but a hand saw, since the cut from it heals easier, faster and more painlessly for the tree.
Trimming (forming)
One of the options for crown formation
But the most important event is the formative pruning of cherries. All processes that spoil the symmetry of the tree, as well as those that grow inside the crown, thickening it, are removed.
If the owner does not want the tree to “wave out” so that it is impossible to reach the upper branches, with a sharp climb, the sweet cherry is cut at a height of 2.5-3 meters.
The formation of the crown occurs as if in tiers. The first tier is represented by three or four skeletal branches. The remaining competing branches must be cut into a ring.
The second and all other upper tiers are formed based on the number of branches on the lower "floor". The number of branches on each next tier should increase gradually and consistently. For example - the first tier has 3 skeletal branches, the second - 9 and so on.
At 5-6 years of tree life and beyond, it is necessary not only to restrain the growth of cherries upwards, but to limit the length of skeletal branches - it should not exceed 4 meters. If, over time, the cherries become smaller and appear exclusively in the peripheral parts of the crown, rejuvenating pruning will be needed.
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For the first four years, one can only dream of harvesting cherries. During this time, you need not only to grow a tree, but also to make it strong and healthy. It is important to properly form the crown so that there are as many fruit-bearing branches as possible.
Only in the fifth year of life, cherries give a harvest
At the end of May-beginning of June, the harvest begins in the fifth year of the seedling's life. It is impossible to delay this matter, since branches can break under the weight of the fruit. To avoid this and remove part of the load from the sweet cherry, you can put sticks under the productive branches.
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Propagation of a varietal tree will save on the purchase of seedlings
Cherries are mainly propagated in two ways:
Both the first and second methods are quite simple to use and do not cause difficulties even for novice gardeners.
Reproduction by bones
The first option is to plant the seeds directly into the ground. The seeds are sown in early spring, in rows (between rows 10 cm), quite densely and to a depth of 5 cm. As soon as the first strong shoots appear, the planting should be thinned out, allocating 3-4 linear cm for each plant.
Cherry pits
To grow a sufficient number of trees for rootstock, it is important to keep the planting clean. It is necessary to remove weeds, loosen the soil, and also protect plants from rodents.
The second option is planting seeds with preliminary stratification. In this case, the bones of the sweet cherry, after the berries have been eaten, must be washed, dried, and put in a cool, dry place. In autumn, put the bones in a bag of wet sand, which should not be sealed tightly, and place the bag on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.
The bones must be cold-treated for at least three months. And in the spring they are planted in pots for plants until the moment when it becomes possible to come to the country house and transplant the sprouts that have appeared into the ground. Or planted immediately in open ground.
In autumn, the sprouts are dug up and their quality is assessed. Suitable for stock are those with a trunk at the base of at least 5-7 mm in girth and a developed root system up to 15 cm long. Such seedlings will be ready to accept a scion next spring.
Reproduction through grafting
Cherry grafting is not laborious, but requires accuracy. First you need to grow a stock, for this purpose they take the bones of winter-hardy and productive cherries or cherries. But cherries are bad because they usually form abundant basal shoots.
grafted cherry
If the stock is ready, then the most favorable time for vaccination is mid-July-early August. For grafting, shoots are separated from the mother tree, the length of which is at least 40 cm, and the number of buds is 6-7.
Each gardener determines the grafting method for himself. But the easiest is the “cut to cut” or “to the butt” method. That is, the scion (mother shoot) is cut at a certain angle, and a notch is made on the rootstock, which will match the shape of the cut end of the scion.
The scion and stock connected in this way will grow together over time, and the shoot of the varietal sweet cherry will begin to bear fruit.
- Cover the junction with garden pitch and fix it with improvised materials, for example, adhesive tape
- When the gardener is convinced that the scion has taken root, all shoots that begin to grow below it will need to be removed.
The fact that the scion has taken root is easy to notice - it will begin to actively grow and develop.
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Yaroslavna
The most delicious are those varieties of cherries in which the sugar content is above 5%, for example:
- Julia - the pulp of the berries is juicy, springy, slightly crunchy. The tree bears fruit regularly. High yields are rarely taken, but 15-20 kg from an adult tree can be obtained both in a productive and in a lean year.
- Yaroslavna - record holder in sugar content - up to 14.2%! In productive years, one tree produces up to 60 kg of berries. The fruits do not crack when ripe, and after reaching technical maturity they can be on the tree for another couple of weeks.
And there are large-fruited varieties, for example, Bullish Heart - the name speaks for itself. Berry weight - up to 8 grams. Dark color, excellent presentation, excellent taste with slight acidity.
In general, there are more than 4,000 varieties of cherries in the world. Therefore, choosing a tree to your own taste will not be difficult!
VIDEO: Cherries: Planting and Care
Cherries: Planting and Care
Everything about planting and growing sweet cherries - from choosing a seedling to harvesting (Photo & Video) + Reviews
