Why cherries do not bear fruit

Cherry is one of the most common and most beloved trees by gardeners. It is stunningly beautiful during its flowering period, and from mid-summer you can pick delicious and healthy berries. Cherries are used to make preserves, jams, roll up compotes, make wine and liqueur, and also freeze and dry. But it happens that the tree practically stops blooming, which means that you can not count on the harvest. Flowering and fruiting are influenced by different factors, and in most cases the situation can be corrected by studying the problem and taking more careful care of the cherry. Experienced gardeners identify seven main reasons why cherries do not bear fruit, you can learn more about each of them in this article.

Why cherries do not bear fruit well: the wrong place for planting

This is perhaps the only factor in which it will be problematic to correct the situation that the cherry does not bear fruit, since replanting an adult tree is not recommended, it is very likely that it will die. Cherries are very fond of the sun, for normal functioning they need carbohydrates, and they begin to be produced only with a sufficient amount of sunlight. So if you are just planning to plant a cherry, keep in mind that it needs the sunniest place, in this case there will be no questions about why the cherry does not bloom and bear fruit.

The tree is sick as the reason that the cherry does not bear fruit

Look carefully at the tree, often the reason for the lack of fruiting of cherries are diseases "moniliosis"Or" coccomycosis ". In the first case, the tree looks like it was scorched by fire, flowers and foliage, fruits and branches dry up. The development of the disease begins from the moment flowering begins; high humidity is very conducive to this.

With "coccomycosis" small brown spots become visible on the foliage, they can be identified in late spring or early summer. Then the foliage begins to turn yellow, curl and dry, and then fall off.

These diseases can be avoided by timely prevention. Make sure to do sanitary pruning regularly, and remember to keep your garden tools sharp and sanitized. Process the sections with garden pitch. Remove and burn all plant residues, loosen the soil in the near-trunk circle, and put on special belts with an adhesive layer on the trunk, which will make it difficult for pests to access the foliage, buds and branches of the tree. In addition, spray trees in a timely manner with preparations that will protect cherries from diseases and the invasion of harmful insects.

Soil composition and high acidity

It is extremely important to know the level of acidity of the soil in your summer cottage, since, depending on this, certain substances have to be added to it. Most plants grow very poorly in acidic soils, and cherries are no exception. Chalk, lime or dolomite will help to normalize the acidity level - they must be distributed in the near-stem circle. For a very acidic soil, 500 g of dolomite will be required for each square meter; in the case of an average level of acidity, it will be enough to add 300-400 g on the same area.

Normalizing the acidity level, one must not forget about feeding, the most suitable for cherries will be mineral fertilizers in liquid form and not very large quantities. In the spring, it is necessary to carry out nitrogen fertilization, this will help the tree to grow foliage faster and carry out the processes of photosynthesis. But in the autumn time it is necessary to apply potash and phosphorus fertilizers, they will ensure flowering and fruiting next year.
You can fertilize cherries and organics using humus and compost. But never use fresh manure as fertilizer, as it burns the plant roots.

Close proximity of unsuitable cultures

Every year, when planning planting in the garden, we take into account the rules of crop rotation: the previous crop determines the next one, not all of them can grow next to each other, while giving a good harvest. But trees grow in one place all their lives, so you need to find suitable "neighbors" for them so that everyone feels comfortable. Cherries are very capricious in the choice of neighbors, there are a number of crops that will nullify all your efforts and deprive you of the cherry harvest: it is better not to plant any conifers, honeysuckle, pears and apple trees in the immediate vicinity of cherries (well, or cherries from them, depending on who first appeared on the site).

Flowers are often planted in the near-stem circle of fruit trees, this is very beautiful, but for cherries, the neighborhood with pansies, lilies, daffodils, irises and tulips will be very unfavorable. But the possible and even desirable neighbors include barberry, any grape varieties, lilacs or jasmine. You can place next to cherries raspberries and garden strawberries, vegetables (beets, lettuce, onions, cucumbers or pumpkin), as well as some flowers: gladioli, calendula, lupines and marigolds.

Why cherry blossoms but does not bear fruit: poor pollination

There is such a concept as "self-infertility" - when pollinated with pollen and plants of the same variety, the fruits are not tied. Unfortunately, most of the varieties of cherry trees are self-fertile, so at least two different varieties of cherries should grow on your site and you need to choose them taking into account individual characteristics. It is best to consult a specialist in this case.
In addition, during the flowering period, you can spray the trees with water with sugar or honey - this will attract beneficial insects (bees and bumblebees) to your garden, which will help with the pollination process.

Incorrect crown formation

In this case, we are talking about sanitary and rejuvenating pruning and the opinions of gardeners on this issue differ. Some do not recommend pruning a cherry tree for the first couple of decades, arguing that the tree tightens the cuts for a very long time and spends a lot of energy on it. But the majority is inclined to believe that competent, timely pruning will benefit the tree and significantly improve fruiting. The main thing is to prepare the tools well, and then process the sections.

Spring frosts are the reason that cherries do not bear fruit

In spring, recurrent frosts often occur, during which you can almost completely lose the future harvest if the cherry trees have time to pick up buds or bloom. So keep a close eye on the weather forecast and take the necessary measures in a timely manner. Not very large trees can be wrapped with geotextiles at night. You can also use smoke or sprinkling. In the first case, it is a large fire on the leeward side, and in the second, irrigation of the tree crowns. Both actions must be carried out immediately a few hours before frost, and they come closer to morning. Also at the beginning of spring, you can spray the cherries with Epinom-Extra or Novosil, these preparations increase the immunity of plants and help to withstand unfavorable environmental conditions.

To protect trees from autumn frosts, starting from the middle of summer, exclude fertilizing containing nitrogen and do not irrigate in late autumn, the last water-charging irrigation in October is sufficient.

Observing all the basic rules of care, you will definitely ensure that such a problem as the fact that the cherry does not bear fruit does not overtake you.