Cherries: planting and care, how to grow and how to feed

Cherry is one of the most common garden trees in our country, the history of its appearance goes back to the distant past. Currently, such a miracle tree is no less popular, but in order to get a good harvest, you need to make a lot of time and effort. The proposed material will acquaint the reader with the rules for planting cherries and caring for them.

Preparing berries for planting

In the modern world, more than three thousand varieties of this tree are known. Some varieties of centenarians have a lifespan of more than a hundred years. Many novice gardeners do not know which variety to give preference to when choosing a seedling for their site.

Choice variety

When choosing a type of wood, you should pay attention to the following characteristics:

pollination - self-fertile; partially self-fertile; pollinated by insects and wind;
tree flowering time and fruit formation time - early, middle, late;
trunk height and crown shape - strong, medium, low;
taste, color and shape of berries - yellow, with a pink side, red;
meatiness and juiciness of fruits - juicy, fleshy;
berry size - large, medium, small;
frost resistance - frost-resistant, medium-hardy, heat-loving.

Beginning amateur gardeners who are planning to plant cherries on their plots should get advice on choosing a variety in advance from the city garden society, where they will tell you all the details of caring for a tree and help you choose a seedling.

Soil and planting requirements

This tree prefers neutral soil. Considering that sod-podzolic soils with high acidity are more typical for central Russia, it is recommended to improve its properties by liming. Lime application rates depend on the severity of the soil and are (in grams per square meter):

light sandy loam - up to four hundred;
heavy loamy - up to eight hundred.

Liming promotes better absorption of nutrients and is involved in the formation of the fruit bone. It is better to carry it out on the site in autumn or early spring, by evenly distributing lime on top of the soil or by digging to a depth of a spade bayonet (about twenty centimeters).

Another important circumstance that must be observed is that cherries need land that is not waterlogged, loose and freely breathable. The close occurrence of groundwater leads to a slowdown in the development of young shoots and drying of the tree, starting from the top.

Light mode

This tree loves heat very much, so abundant sunlight is a prerequisite for successful growth. The place for planting a seedling should not be shaded by other trees and buildings.

To increase yields, it is recommended to plant at least two trees of different varieties not too far apart to allow cross-pollination of the trees.

How to plant a tree the right way

After the seedling is chosen and a suitable place is determined, it remains to plant a tree. But there are important features that must be taken into account. Learn more about boarding rules.

Timing

The correct choice of landing time is very important. This circumstance depends on the climatic features of the region. The optimal disembarkation dates are as follows:

autumn is the best option for a warm climate, planting is done shortly before frost, until the soil is frozen;
spring - until the buds swell. Best suited for northern regions. The seedling is selected in the fall, the root part is moistened, wrapped in cloth, then in plastic wrap and dug in the basement until spring.

But these recommendations should not be taken as a dogma - in the southern regions a tree can be planted in the spring, but at this time of the year it is harder to find a seedling of a suitable variety.

The soil must be pre-prepared. If planting is carried out in the autumn, the site must first be dug up by adding compost, potash fertilizer and superphosphate. If the ground is too sandy, add some clay and vice versa.

When planting a seedling in the spring, these activities are carried out in the fall, and additional mineral fertilizers are applied in the spring.

Preparing the landing pit

The pit, when planted in autumn, should be prepared six to seven days in advance. When preparing it, you must be guided by the following requirements:

provided: depth - about eighty centimeters and width - up to a meter;
when planting several trees, the distance between the pits should be from three to five meters;
planting scheme in the above case should provide free access to sunlight - seedlings are located from east to west so as not to obscure the sun to each other;
when digging a hole, separate the upper and lower (infertile) layers of soil;
a stake is driven in the center of the pit, the height is calculated so that the upper part protrudes above ground level up to half a meter;
part of the upper (fertile) layer of the earth is mixed with rotted compost or manure, superphosphate (two hundred grams), sulfuric potassium (sixty grams) and ash (half a kilogram) is added;
prepared pit is watered and left for a couple of weeks to settle.

If the tree is planted in the spring, the pit is prepared in the autumn, and in the spring all that remains is to fertilize.

Preparing a seedling for planting

Before planting a tree, it is carefully examined. Weak and damaged roots are removed. A dry root system must be moistened. To do this, it is soaked in water for up to eight hours.

Saplings with a closed root system of the remnants of the earth suffer less during transplantation. In this case, soaking is not required, while preparing it is important not to disturb the soil layer on the roots, which can damage the roots.

At the beginning of planting, the tree is placed in the center of the pit and the roots are sprinkled up to half, shaking slightly to compact the soil a little. After that, water is poured (about ten liters), and the pit is dug up to ground level.

Pay attention! When placing a tree, it is necessary to ensure that the root neck is above the ground.

To achieve this position, the tree is first held at a height of up to five centimeters above the required one, and after the soil is planted, the trunk is lowered to the required level.

The earth in the planting hole is slightly trampled down, then another bucket of water is poured out and peat or organic fertilizer is applied. To prevent the tree from swinging by the wind, it is tied to a driven peg.

Tree care in the first 4 years after planting

An important event in the first four years after planting is the correct formation of the crown, which is achieved by pruning. When the crown is formed, pruning is carried out sparingly, in order to remove damaged and old branches, once every three years.

When growing a young tree, weeds must be completely removed near the trunk. The adjacent soil should be mulched to prevent evaporation of moisture.

The first watering should be carried out only after the tree has faded, the next time - in June, then - a month later. During flowering, watering should be completely excluded, otherwise the sweet cherry may discard the set fruits.

The tree also needs to be watered in October, top dressing is left for the winter. In the third year, organic fertilizers are applied - up to eight kilograms. Nitrogen fertilizers are applied twice a year - after the snow melts and in the middle of summer. Phosphorus and potash - in early autumn. In spring and autumn, it is necessary to whitewash the trunks with lime to protect the tree from sunburn and heal damage to the bark after frost.

How to properly care for and feed adult cherries

For an adult tree, the frequency of applying organic fertilizers remains three years. Top dressing is carried out by applying liquid fertilizer up to four times per season.

During flowering

Spring care limited:

weed removal and soil loosening;
nitrogen fertilization.

Irrigation at this time is desirable to limit, pest control should be done earlier.

During fruit ripening

Fruiting time depends on the cherry variety and climatic conditions. But, in any case, this happens in the summer - from mid-June to the end of July.

During the ripening period, it is necessary to ensure the safety of the berries from birds, regularly loosen the soil to prevent the top layer from drying out after rain. Top dressing with potash and phosphate fertilizers is in progress.

If there are a lot of berries, it is necessary to support the branches so that they do not break off under the weight of the fruits.

After harvest

When the fruits are harvested, the development of the tree slows down, the juice circulates slowly, which favors pruning. Damaged and superfluous branches are removed, the cut points are processed with garden pitch. Pruning will ensure proper crown formation and protect the tree from disease.

When trimming, they are guided by the following requirements:

remove branches adjacent to the trunk at sharp angles;
the crown is thinning out;
damaged branches are removed;
one-year shoots are shortened by a third of the length.

A garden saw or a sharp knife is used to carry out the work, the use of a pruner injures the branches.

Preparing the tree for wintering

Preparing for winter includes the following activities:

abundant watering;
organic fertilization;
stem whitewashing;
digging the soil under the tree.

Mulching the soil when digging helps to retain moisture for a long time. Fertilizing should not be done during warm weather, as this will cause untimely growth of branches, fertilizers are applied before the onset of frost to prevent premature decomposition of nutrients.

The nuances of caring for an old tree

When caring for an old tree, there are some nuances:

possible severe cracking of the bark. Places of damage must be treated with a protective compound;
care must be taken that the branches are not damaged by the weight of the berries, as their fragility increases over the years;
should regularly rejuvenate the tree by removing old shoots and making room for young ones.

Old trees begin to die off branches, therefore, along with rejuvenation, it is necessary to remove dried shoots.

Diseases and pests. Ways to deal with them

Cherry, in most cases, is affected by fungal diseases:

coccomycosis;
moniliosa;
clusterosporiasis.

Ways to fight include:

removal of affected areas;
cleaning and disinfection of damage with a one percent solution of copper sulfate and subsequent treatment with garden pitch;
four treatments are carried out: the first - with copper sulphate, before the start of sap flow; the second - Bordeaux liquid, after flowering, the third - three weeks after the second; the fourth - three weeks before harvesting the berries.

Of the pests, aphids and cherry fly are the most dangerous. To protect the tree, it is necessary to spray the confidor solution in early spring, and re-treat after two weeks.

What problems arise

In the process of tree development, some troubles are possible that prevent normal growth and fruiting. More details about possible problems and ways to solve them.

Not growing

Weak seedling growth can be caused by high soil acidity or lack of nutrients. If liming is not done in a timely manner, it is recommended that lime mortar be applied to the near-stem zone; form holes in the ground up to twenty centimeters deep. With a lack of nutrients, it is necessary to carry out fertilizing with nitrogen, phosphorus and potash fertilizers.

Not blooming

The lack of colors is due to the following possible reasons:

wrong choice of landing site - lack of sunlight;
underdevelopment of the seedling - for some varieties it takes about five years before the first flowers appear;
excessive soil moisture or close groundwater.

If the conditions for planting a tree are chosen unsuccessfully, it is necessary to transplant it, otherwise the seedling will be sick for a long time, and it will not be possible to wait for the harvest for a long time.

Does not produce crops

The lack of harvest may be due to the following circumstances:

improper pollination;
bad weather;
poor quality fertilizer;
excessive soil moisture;
clogging of the soil, leading to insufficient supply of oxygen to the root system;
high acidity of the earth;
excessive crown density.

By eliminating the above problems, the gardener will achieve the long-awaited harvest.

Spend more time in the garden, and the trees will delight you with spring flowering and abundant fruiting.