Cherry tree - growing and care

The cherry plant is a subgenus of the Rosaceae family and is a bush or cherry tree with oblong leaves, as well as pink or white flowers. There are over 150 varieties around the world. Cherries are renowned for their mouth-watering fruits. They can be consumed fresh, frozen and canned. The amount of fruit pulp is less than the size of the bone by more than 20 times

Choosing a landing site

Compliance with the necessary rules when planting a cherry tree will not be reflected in the health, further growth rate and fruiting of the tree. If you take into account all the features and perform the necessary actions in accordance with the technology, it will be possible to avoid serious problems with growing a tree.

Before planting cherry tree seedlings, you must choose a favorable site for its cultivation. Moistened, breathable, fertile soil is perfect for this type of plant. Groundwater should lie 1.5 meters from the surface. You can ask the residents of nearby areas about how the cherry manifests itself in the area, and then decide on its planting. The place where the seedling will grow should not be in a lowland with excessive moisture. In such conditions, seedlings develop slowly and are prone to disease. Wetland soils are also not suitable for planting.

When to plant a cherry tree

Autumn is the best time to plant cherry seedlings. However, this process is possible in the first half of spring, while the tree sapling is still dormant. The root of the plant must be well formed. The most important thing is to plant each tree sapling about 3 m away from the neighbors. Before carrying out the planting procedure, it is necessary to replace the selected soil with fertile soil. The selected soil must be replaced with fertile soil. The width of the planting pit depends on the quality of the soil.

Tree care

- Seedling care

Good care of seedlings helps to get a bountiful harvest and an excellent growth rate. Between the rows of the cherry orchard, it is advisable to plant strawberries, alfalfa, or melons and legumes. Legumes contribute to the enrichment of the soil with nitrogen. But it is forbidden to plant seeds of tobacco, sunflower, corn, as they lead to depletion of the soil. If possible, it is necessary to abandon the cultivation of late vegetables, since frequent watering of such crops reduces the growth rate of the plant. It is necessary to check that the trunks are not covered.

Cherry tree roots grow faster than branches. Therefore, it is necessary to form tree trunks with 2 times the diameter of the crown. In summer, the soil should be loosened and moistened as needed. When preparing trees for winter, loosening and watering of the soil has not been carried out since September. In the fall, it is necessary to dig up the soil of the trunk circles. The digging depth depends on the location of the fruit's roots to the soil surface.

- Fertilizer

Before planting young cherry trees, you need to fertilize the soil. Further application of fertilizers depends on the annual growth of the branches. If the growth is less than 60 cm, then it is necessary to add half a bucket of humus and 0.100 grams of superphosphate. Cherries should be fertilized in the fall. The amount of fertilizer depends on the age of the plant and the condition of the soil. Also, once every three years, it is necessary to use humus as fertilizer.Experienced agronomists who adhere to organic farming technologies use compost and cultivate the land with biological products in the spring.

- Watering

After successful planting, the tree needs abundant watering. Twelve waterings per season is usually the norm for cherry trees, and in extreme heat the number of times should be increased. It is not recommended to pour water into the trunk circle. It is better to use drip irrigation or the ditch method. To improve the structure of the soil and prevent it from drying out, you can slightly loosen the trunk circle, after irrigation.

- Cherry care

During the growth of tree branches, there is no need to plant vegetable crops between the rows of trees. In the event of a slowdown in the growth of a young tree, it is necessary to take comprehensive measures for irrigation, fertilization, protection against diseases and potential agricultural pests... The total amount of irrigation, as well as the rate of moistening, depend on the depth of the groundwater and on the composition of the soil. Mature trees are allowed to be watered in any of the ways, including supplying water to the tree trunks.

The gardener must constantly pay special attention to the condition of the tree and take the necessary measures in a timely manner. The reaction of cherries to an excess of chemical elements Nitrogen has a significant effect on increasing the growth of shoots, reducing the yield. The leaves turn yellow and then fall off. From an excess of phosphorus, the foliage turns yellow, after which it dies off and subsequently falls off. The berries lose their shape and become sour. Potassium reduces the growth rate of young shoots. The leaves, curled down, have a pale green appearance with traces of necrosis. A significant part of the branches die. If the leaves are covered with spots, then an excess of such trace elements as boron, calcium, iron, manganese, copper, zinc prevails. Due to the violation of the process of photosynthesis, the leaves lose their green color. The vein of the leaf becomes lighter. To solve the question of which element is in excess, it is necessary to conduct a thorough analysis of the soil, or use special literature.

- Cherry pruning

It is advisable to carry out all types of pruning work in the spring, when the cherry tree has survived the winter, but is still dormant. The resulting cuts should be coated with garden resin. With the following proper care, the cherry tree tolerates pruning well. In case of improper care, the wounds will heal for a long time, gum lesions may form. If unwanted shoots are formed inside the crown, they must be pruned in the early stages of growth.

Cherry propagation

Often, for the propagation of this type of tree, the rootstock of a cherry tree is used, which is the base of a new tree. The right choice of the stock depends on such characteristic features as the durability, frost resistance of the tree, its tendency to overgrowth, fertility, and the varietal characteristics characteristic of the offspring will remain unchanged. Cherry rootstocks are grown independently from seeds of ripe cherry berries. For further planting, the seeds of the tree undergo mandatory stratification. They go through a drying process in a dark place, then mixed with wet sand and heat treated. The grown seedlings do not require special care. Also suitable for planting cherry trees and root suckers, which form only some varieties of this plant. The best choice will be those offspring that are closest to the trunk.

Cherry tree pests

The main pests of cherry trees are: sawflies, cherry weevil, subcrustal leafworm, cherry aphid, hawthorn. All of them feed on shoots and leaves, which cause tremendous damage to the tree. To prevent the appearance of harmful individuals, cherry trees should be treated with insecticides.When choosing drugs, one must take into account the general trend of recent years, when the names of products are different, and the active substance is the same. This is due to the fact that each company is trying to make its drug unique.

Diseases of cherry trees

The most common types of cherry tree disease are: brown spot, clotterosporia, cherry mosaic and mosaic ringed, fruit rot, coccomycosis, gum disease and witch's broom. These diseases primarily affect leaves, young buds, flowers and shoots. For the prevention of diseases, it is necessary to carry out treatment with a 3% nitrate solution once every several years. A solution of Bordeaux liquid or its analogues is sprayed annually. The main active ingredients are copper oxychlorides and polycarbosilane. There are substances that contain both components. When choosing a drug, special attention should be paid to the active ingredients, and the names may vary.