Why cherries do not bear fruit: causes and what to do for treatment

Cherry as a fruit crop attracts the attention of horticultural enthusiasts with its high productivity and relative undemanding to growing conditions. There are many varieties of it, with different ripening periods, and the color of the berries. When growing, it often happens that cherries do not bear fruit, why this happens can only be found out by studying the main causes of such an ailment.

Possible causes

Depending on the variety, the ripening period of cherries starts from the end of May and ends in the last days of July. So, early species bear fruit already at the end of May-mid-June, with an average ripening period - in mid-June, and late varieties are harvested at the end of July.But if there are no fruits or there are very few of them, then you need to identify the cause and eliminate it so that the tree recovers faster.

Wrong variety

Since the sweet cherry belongs to the southern cultures, it is recommended to choose a variety taking into account the climatic characteristics of a particular region. Those varieties that grow well and bear fruit in the Moscow region, the Urals, are ineffective to plant in the Siberian Territory. Sweet cherries with a low degree of resistance to cold form flowers, but there is no harvest.

For areas with severe frosts, it is best to choose cherries with a high level of winter hardiness, the buds of which are not afraid of negative temperatures.

Freezing

When growing sweet cherries, you should be aware of their vulnerability to low temperatures. Especially, spring frosts are dangerous for future fruits, when the daytime temperatures are at around 10 degrees.Inflorescences die, and ovaries due to night cold (-1 degree already provokes freezing of fruit buds).

To protect the inflorescences, it is necessary to keep the snow in the near-trunk circle as long as possible.

No pollinator

If the cherry blossoms, but does not bear fruit, then the reason may be the self-fertility of the culture. Most cultivars need to be cross-pollinated as this fruit variety does not have a male/female division. There should be at least one more cherry on the site that blooms at the same time. The optimal distance between them is 3-4 meters.

It is best to place several varieties in the garden - in groups. There are also partially self-fertile specimens, but without additional pollination they yield only 5-10% of the possible productivity indicators. If there is no place for planting another sweet cherry, you can plant 2-3 different species on one stock.

Age

The first crop of sweet cherries is formed 4-5 years later from the moment the seedling was determined for a permanent place. It all depends on the landing period, its correctness and compliance, the basic rules of care. On young plantations, not so many fruits are formed, only at the age of 10 years, an adult tree has a corresponding crown, which is capable of producing abundant crops (10-30 kilograms).

Decrease in the yield of cherries occurs after 15 years. The accelerating factors behind this negative trend are:

• incorrect tree formation;
• no cutting;
• advanced stage of the disease;
• landing in shaded areas.

Incorrect crown pruning

Illiterate manipulation of the formation of the crown of a tree often leads to a lack of harvest.In young specimens, fruiting stops for several years, but in adults it stops suddenly. The main task of annual pruning is to promote the laying of a large number of fruit buds, while not causing intensive growth and loss of resistance to negative temperatures.

In the first 2-4 years after planting in a permanent place, sweet cherries are given a tree or bushy shape. In the spring, to stimulate the formation of new shoots, last year's growth is shortened by ½ length. The tree should have 3 tiers with a distance of 50-60 centimeters. When the cherry is 5-6 years old, then rejuvenating pruning and pruning of the top should be performed at a height of 3-3.5 meters.

It is impossible to allow thickening of the crown, otherwise perennial buds die. It is recommended to start work before the start of sap flow. The wound surface must be treated with a garden pitch.Branches directed inside the crown, damaged by frost and disease, should be removed first of all.

Accumulation of excess moisture

The main problem in the cultivation of stone fruit crops, in particular sweet cherries, in central Russia is root collar warming. The very process of aging is not only dangerous by weakening the tree, but also by its death. It is more expedient to plant this fruit variety on small slopes or a slight hill, where the accumulation of moisture near the tree trunk is excluded.

With the proper organization of the irrigation system, sweet cherries consistently yield crops. In the northern regions, it rarely suffers from a lack of moisture, this problem is more relevant for the southern regions. In drought conditions, ovaries fall en masse on fruit trees. During such periods, the tree needs abundant periodic watering.

In order not to spoil the taste of the fruit before the stage of filling the berries, irrigation should be stopped.

Diseases and pests

The presence of parasitic individuals and the development of diseases significantly reduce the yield of cherries. A particularly serious danger to the garden is fungal infections: spotting, moniliosis, coccomycosis. It is possible to detect such diseases by withering leaf plates, drying out of lateral branches, the presence of dark foci, gum disease.

Fungal control methods include:

• removal of the affected parts of the tree;
• treatment with a working solution based on Bordeaux mixture, copper oxychloride.

Of the harmful insects on sweet cherries, you can often find small aphids, cherry flies, leafworms, moths. Karbofos, Actellik, Iskra are highly effective against such parasites. In order to prevent their appearance on sweet cherries, it is necessary to spray one of these insecticides at the beginning of the season.In addition, in autumn, the soil should be dug deep, cleaned and whitewashed, and the crown cut off.

What to do if the cherry does not bear fruit

In order for cherries to bloom and bear fruit abundantly, it is necessary to adhere to the correct agricultural practices. The introduction of nutrient mixtures is one of the main conditions for high results. The first feeding procedures are done after the snow melts. Mullein infusion is used for these purposes, a working solution based on Nitrophoska, urea.

Before the flowering phase, potassium sulfate (40 grams) and superphosphate (40 grams) must be added to the near-stem circle. The subsequent feeding procedure with such compositions is done before the stage of formation of the ovaries. Before winter, the soil should be dug up and rotted manure added to it.

Prevention measures

In case the sweet cherry does not bear fruit, it is necessary to choose the right place for planting, avoiding close occurrence to the groundwater surface (at least 2 meters).As planting material, you need to purchase only he althy seedlings, without signs of damage, disease, and also adapted to the conditions of a particular climate. In addition, they must have a vaccination mark on them.

To reduce the likelihood of a lack of fruits on sweet cherries, such agricultural practices as crown formation, loosening the soil in the trunk circle, and removing weeds will help. The frequency of irrigation during the season is 3 times, to preserve moisture in the ground, a mulch layer of rotted sawdust and freshly cut grass is used. In addition, preventive treatments against major diseases and harmful insects should not be ignored.

To increase winter hardiness, it is recommended to plant sweet cherries in non-cold lowlands and properly prune the crown. Watering in dry weather and the introduction of nitrogen, phosphorus-potassium compounds will also increase the level of frost resistance of the tree.Covering the soil in the near-stem circle with snow will help protect the cherry from freezing.

In order to prevent a decrease in productivity, damaged branches should be treated with garden pitch.

The sweet cherry will give a plentiful harvest only if all the rules of planting and care are observed. Choosing the right variety for specific conditions will only increase the chances of getting the desired result.

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