How to plant cherries

Alas, not every garden has a cherry, so every summer resident wants to grow it on his site. However, not everyone knows how to actually plant this crop. This event has some nuances, so if you neglect them, then your cherries may not take root. Today in this article we will tell you how to choose the right place for a seedling, how to plant a cherry, and also how to care for a young tree. If you adhere to our recommendations, then your culture will certainly bear fruit intensively and bring you only joy. So, we read and remember.

Where to plant cherries

Usually this culture grows for 15-20 years, during the same period it also bears fruit. Therefore, the first thing to think about is that you plant the plant for not one year, but at least 10 years. Therefore, when choosing a place, pay special attention to the environment. If you plant a small tree near a building or other trees, then after a few years you may encounter a problem, there will be so little space for the development of plants that you will either have to replant the seedling or move the building or fence aside. Remember that cherries do not like transplanting, so plants often die because of this. Cherries grow well in sunny areas, sheltered from the wind. It is better to plant cherries near the fence, but you need not place them very close. Maintain a distance, the root system of a cherry very often takes up a lot of surrounding space, so retreat from buildings or neighboring trees at least 3 meters. If you place your plantings near any fence, then in addition to protecting from the wind, the fence will protect the roots from frost, since it is in such places that a lot of snow accumulates, the plants winter better under these conditions.

The soil for planting cherries should be light, well-drained and breathable. If we talk about acidity, it is better to choose a neutral soil, if necessary, wood ash can be added to the soil. Cherry grows poorly on heavy swampy soils, so this crop should not be planted in such places. The site should be prepared in the fall, it is advisable to add mineral or organic fertilizer to the soil, if you want to enrich the land with organic matter, you should add manure to the soil, but not very much needs to be embedded in the soil. If we talk about potash and phosphorus fertilizers, then they are consumed no more than 100 grams per square meter, nitrogen fertilizer is not applied to the soil in spring, since they oxidize the soil quite strongly, and also burn the plant roots. Be sure to observe the dosage, do not overdo it with organic matter.

In order to grow a good tree, you need to choose the right seedling. Purchase planting material from trusted manufacturers, pay attention to the appearance of the plant, as well as the root system of the seedling. If you live in a region with a harsh climate, then choose frost-resistant varieties, for example, Shokoladnitsa cherry. If in your region the frosts are not so active, then you can plant Vladimirskaya, Zhukovskaya or Crimson cherries on your site. In the Urals, the Mayak variety is often grown, Fiery or Bolotovskaya. In fact, currently there are many varieties of this crop, so you can always choose what is right for you, so periodically get acquainted with the new achievements of breeding, every year the varietal characteristics of cherries are getting better and better. Very often, novice summer residents plant cherries from the root process or bone.Do not forget that free cheese is only in a mousetrap, so the quality of the new plant may differ significantly from the parental forms. Grafted cherries that discard shoots can also not be propagated by the methods presented, since usually such plants are infertile. It is best to purchase an inexpensive seedling from a specialized nursery or garden center. Freshly purchased seedlings should be planted immediately, but cherries can be purchased in the fall and planted in the spring. But in this case, you will need to take care of the wintering of the plant, and it is not a fact that you will succeed, so it is best to buy a seedling and plant it in open ground at the same time of the year. This will keep the plant fresher and healthier.

For some time, the seedling can be stored as follows: dig a small hole in the area, put the seedling there in a horizontal position, dig in the roots. It is advisable to direct the seedling rhizome to the south. So you can protect the seedling from adverse environmental influences for a while. In order for the plant to overwinter normally, pine and spruce branches are often thrown on top of the hole. Such a heap protects the seedling from frost, but rodents in such a litter will definitely not start. Do not forget that it is impossible to store seedlings in a humid environment, therefore, do not drop it in places where melt water usually accumulates. Choose an elevated location for this, where the snow lasts longer. Remember that this is still a temporary shelter, and in early spring you will have to send the seedling to a new habitat. When you get your plant from the nursery, inspect it carefully. It should be about one meter high, and the trunk and root system must be well developed. Each seedling should have three to four skeletal branches up to 60 cm long. In addition, the plant should not have any damage, defects and growths. The bark should be fresh, not bloated.

Is it possible to plant cherries when

You also need to plant on time. Cherries are usually planted in the spring, at the end of March. However, depending on where you live, pick-up times may vary. So be guided not by a specific date, but by a certain rule: this crop is planted when the topsoil is completely free of snow, and the earth warms up to plus 12 degrees. However, the kidneys at this time should not yet wake up. In the south, cherries are usually planted also in autumn. However, this should be done about one month before the arrival of frost. If you plant later, the seedling will not have time to settle in the ground, and the plant will die. Therefore, in the southern regions, it is better to plant cherries in September, October. If your area has harsh climatic conditions, especially in winter, then you need to plant cherries only in spring.

How to plant cherries correctly

A pit for planting cherries is prepared in the fall. However, this is not a categorical statement, therefore, in principle, you can plant this culture in a fresh, prepared pit. But it is advisable to give the earth time to settle. Usually, the hole resembles a cube in shape, the hole should be at least 60 cm deep, if you dig too deep holes, the root system will develop more slowly, so it is advisable to dig a hole not very large, but exactly in size. Cherry roots are sensitive, so be careful not to damage the root system when planting.

Usually the topmost fertile layer is used to prepare a fertile mixture. Moreover, in addition to earth, humus is usually added to this very mixture, as well as wood ash. The soil becomes looser and well-drained. If you will plant more than one plant, then you need to prepare several holes. Do not forget about the distance between plants, for the normal development of cherries, it requires a lot of space, so the distance between the holes should be at least three, three and a half meters, this rule also applies to row spacing. Who knows, perhaps you will be planting a real cherry orchard. Let's make a reservation right away, you will need to install a wooden peg in the center of the planting pit, so that in the future you can tie the planted tree to it. The earth is gradually compacted, layer by layer adding nutritious soil.This is done until a hill of earth rises above the center. This is where the peg should rise. The seedlings should be tied up with either a hemp rope or a piece of cotton fabric, so as not to damage the delicate bark of the plant. The root collar must necessarily rise above the ground by about 4 centimeters. Therefore, do not completely cover the seedling with soil.

Before planting, do not forget to spread the root system of the plant, so that the cherry is easier to adapt to new conditions. If you want to improve the survival of the roots, then you should dilute the talker using clay, water and manure, dip the rhizome of the plant there, and only then place the seedling in the planting hole. The hole should be covered with earth to the top. Do not forget to walk a bit near the central stem of the plant in order to compact the loose soil. A small groove should be dug around the circumference of the trunk circle, so that in the future it will be easier for you to water the plants. Sometimes gardeners recommend mulching the top layer of the earth so that moisture does not evaporate from the surface. At the end of planting, be sure to tie the seedling to a wooden peg, and pour water into the prepared groove. We mulch the trunk circle with either straw or sawdust and dry soil. For normal development of plants, a 4-centimeter layer is enough.

Care

In order to get a bountiful harvest, you need to properly care for the planted tree. If you are just a beginner gardener, then do not be discouraged, you will not need any special skills. At first, the seedling will need to remember to water abundantly, so that the plant takes root well in a new place, and the root system adapts to new conditions. When leaves appear on the seedling, watering should be reduced. Cherry is a fairly drought-resistant crop, so there is no need to water mature trees. However, if there is no precipitation in your region for a long time, then you still need to moisten the soil, the land should be wet until about August, watering should be stopped during harvesting. After this event, do not forget to loosen the soil so that an earthen crust does not form. This event also helps to improve the air permeability of the soil. Cherries start to develop early enough that you should protect the tree from early frost in the spring. Therefore, during this period, it is advisable to add snow to the trunk, and also cover the near-trunk circle with straw. In order for the cherry to develop more slowly and not suffer from adverse weather events.

When the snow has completely melted, be sure to feed the plants. Usually, cherries are fed twice a season. The first time, when the flowering is over, and the second time, it is necessary to apply fertilizer to the soil after about 2 weeks. Many gardeners love folk remedies, so they often feed cherries with mullein, wood ash, organic mixtures. It is good to feed the plants in autumn with compost and rotted manure.

Usually, a lot of young growth is formed in cherries, so the crown must be formed in a timely manner, and the excess shoots must be cut off. If you do not touch the crown for 2 years, then perhaps you will not pick a single berry, since the thickening interferes with fruiting. The harvest is usually very small in such conditions. Cherries should be pruned in early spring, before sap flow begins. Moreover, they form the crown after planting, for this you need to shorten the plants by cutting off the upper parts at the central stem and lateral shoots. But branches that are too short, forming right next to the ground, will need to be removed completely. Usually, the shoots are shortened by no more than one third, otherwise the crown will not recover well. Do not forget about sanitary pruning, so remove old and diseased branches in time so that the plant develops normally.

Root shoots will also need to be removed in a timely manner. However, if you want to use any rootstock for the rootstock, it must be left. If you follow our recommendations, you will also be able to enjoy your first cherries in a couple of years. Rest assured no problems landing and leaving you and will not deliver. Therefore, cherries will always give you a rich and bountiful harvest.