Propagation of sweet cherries with green cuttings and layering at home

Self-breeding trees is a complex process. It is important to perform all the necessary subtleties and techniques for the plant to take root. Cherry breeding will not cause any particular difficulties even for beginners. Strict adherence to the recommendations will lead to a positive result.

Sprouting from seed

Making it at home is easy, but the process will take a long time:

• First of all, it is necessary to select the bones, which must be he althy in appearance, without visible damage and traces of the vital activity of insects. They are selected from the largest and most delicious berries.

Don't risk growing cherry pits from the market. The seedling will grow, but its characteristics may not be suitable for the growing region, they may freeze.

• To obtain high-quality planting material, it is necessary to plant not 1-2, but many copies. This is necessary in order to subsequently select the strongest and he althiest seedlings.
• Often, a plant grown from a stone gives fruits that are completely different in taste and other characteristics.

It is not easy to grow cherries in this way, you need to show patience and diligence to get the result.

Spring Landing

From the autumn it is necessary to prepare a place for landing. Choose a lighted place, protected from drafts. Humus and mineral fertilizers are introduced. To wake up, the bones are laid out in wet sand and kept at a temperature of 0 ⁰С.

In the spring, when the snow melts, the soil warms up a little, you should plant the seeds in the ground. Only the best specimens are selected. For best results, they are soaked in a growth stimulator.

It is necessary to sow in rows, to facilitate the care process, the distance between the grooves is 40 cm, between the seeds 15-20 cm. Planting depth 2-3 cm.

Autumn planting

The bones selected for planting are stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. The landing is planned for October. The bed is prepared similarly to planting in the spring.

The grooves are made 5 cm deep, the distance between the bones is 15 cm. Sprinkle well with soil on top. This is necessary so that the bones and the sprouts emerging in them do not freeze out in winter.

In the spring, after germination, the plantings are thinned out, leaving the strongest sprouts.

Advantages of the coppice propagation method

There are many ways to grow a fruit tree. One of the promising is reproduction by shoots. Nothing special to do when landing.

Select planting material, young seedlings should be strong and strong. Weak, deformed and diseased plants will not take root. Scions 2 years old are best.

You should choose cherry seedlings that are at a considerable distance from the parent tree.

The shoots are left to grow in the summer, so that by the fall they are ready for transplanting. They are cut off with a small part of the maternal root, this will improve survival in a new place.

The advantages of the method are that the tree quickly takes root and grows, without wasting time on adaptation and formation of the root system.

Technology of breeding with green cuttings

This method of propagation of sweet cherries allows the plant to maintain the ability to frost resistance, as well as to become more resistant and capable of rapid recovery.

For this method of reproduction, branches located on the lower tier are selected. Each should have 4-5 leaves. You need to cut them at an angle, with a sharp object, trying not to damage the bark.

Lower leaves are removed, this will help to take root better. Branches cut from sweet cherries are placed in a growth stimulator for a day.

The soil is mixed in a 1:1 ratio of peat and sand. A layer of coarse river sand 5 cm thick is poured on top, everything is mixed well and green cuttings are planted. To speed up the process, they create a greenhouse effect, tighten the soil with a film.

Reproduction by air layering of cherries is practiced by many gardeners. This method consists of the following. A fruiting branch is selected, several cuts are made on it. Then a plastic bag with soil is tied to this place, which is regularly watered.

Over time, the branch takes root, the branch is cut and planted in another place. Such seedlings retain all the features of the mother tree, including the taste of the fruit.

Deadlines for planting

It all depends on the growing region. In the south, they try to plant cherries in the fall. It calmly takes root, hibernates and begins to grow in the spring. In the northern and central regions, on the contrary, they tend to plant seedlings in the spring. In the summer they strengthen and prepare for the winter. Having overwintered well, the plants are gaining strength and growth, starting from spring.

During the rooting period, the gardener monitors the condition of the tree and applies the necessary agricultural practices in a timely manner.

Seeding charts

Much depends on whether the trees are planted correctly. It is recommended to initially choose suitable schemes by planting cherries on the beds.

It is advisable to place 2-3 plants on the site, or plant a few cherries. Distance between trees 4-5 m.

If columnar cherries are grown, they are planted at a closer distance: 1 m between seedlings, and 2-3 m between rows.

It is recommended to plant cherries correctly, fulfilling all the necessary requirements. Otherwise, the tree may never bear fruit at all. Since dense planting creates a lot of shade, young trees interfere with each other's development.

Caring for trees after rooting

When a cherry seedling has taken root, it should be properly looked after. Timely measures will help to avoid some problems. Growing cherries need top dressing, watering, loosening and pruning.

Irrigation mode

Rooted seedlings need to be watered frequently, preventing the soil from drying out or becoming waterlogged. At first, water once a week, then reduce to 1 time in two weeks. But at the same time increasing the amount of water for one seedling.

Soil and foliar top dressing

Without fertilizer, the plant will not be able to fully develop. Timely applied top dressing will help form a he althy root system and an equally strong aerial part of the seedlings. The basis of the future harvest.

If everything is done correctly when planting, then the first year the sweet cherry will not need mineral fertilizers. Organics are applied during planting, it is thoroughly mixed with the ground for backfilling.

In subsequent years, it is recommended to fertilize plants with organic matter several times a year. You should carefully monitor the appearance of the seedling and, based on observations, determine what the growing sweet cherry is missing.

Fertilize with or a day after watering. Spraying or foliar top dressing is carried out in the evening or cloudy weather. They do this not earlier than in the second year of the plant's life.

When foliar processing, it is necessary to use chemical protective equipment, gloves, goggles, protective suit.

In any business, it is important to observe the norm, it is better to underfeed the plants than to overfeed them.

Crown formation

It is not enough just to plant a seedling, weed and water. It is necessary to form a tree correctly. To get a sweet cherry with a developed crown, you need to start forming from the first year of the seedling's life.

Features of pruning depend on the variety, but there are also general subtleties. Pruning is necessary for sweet cherries to increase yields, prevent diseases, increase the fruiting period and improve the quality of berries.

You need to form a tree at a young age, when the branches are still easy to bend, direct them at the required angle. If the cherry is grafted, it is necessary to remove all the shoots on the rootstock. Otherwise, she is able to kill the graft, and nothing will come of the graft.

Formation begins from the first year of a young tree's life. Start pruning from the bottom tier. Delete those branches that are not skeletal. Then be sure to shorten the central shoot. This is necessary for the formation of lateral skeletal branches. The first year, all side branches are removed from the skeletal ones.

If there is no pronounced central shoot, choose the highest branch and shorten it by 2-3 cm. All side branches are cut into 3 buds.

In addition to forming pruning, there is sanitary. It is necessary so that the tree does not get sick and does not die. Remove all diseased and deformed branches. It is imperative to process the cut points with garden pitch.

Insect and disease treatment

At first, treatment from pathogens and pests is especially relevant. It is difficult for a young, fragile tree to cope with this problem on its own. Therefore, the summer resident needs to carefully monitor the appearance of seedlings and try to detect diseases in time.

It is easier to carry out timely preventive treatment than to eliminate the consequences later. To combat pathogens, it is recommended to treat with chemicals. But only until the seedling begins to bloom, then they are already treated with folk remedies.

In the fight against insects, the installation of traps with special contents that attract and destroy insects helps. As well as drug treatment.

Dropping young cherries for the winter

In order for the tree to endure the winter more easily, some gardeners dig in seedlings with earth. A layer of earth will help them survive the severe frost and continue to grow with renewed vigor in the spring.

Bury seedlings even if they do not have time to plant. Then a moat is dug out, young trees are made into it and covered with earth until warming in the spring.

Possible difficulties

Growing fruit berries is not difficult, you must clearly follow all the necessary techniques and requirements. The gardener faces some problems, solving them, he leaves feedback to help others. A beginner summer resident is looking for answers to questions, finds, successfully applies and becomes more experienced.

Difficulties that may arise when propagating cherries in different ways:

1. The sapling does not give growth. Possible reason for lack of fertilizer, moisture.
2. Does not take root. You need to be sure that this is the case. Then take action. Treat with a nutrient mixture, apply mineral fertilizers.
3. Cherry does not bloom. It is possible that mistakes were made during planting, the root neck was deepened and more.

Facing difficulties, the main thing is not to give up. It is necessary to understand the causes, then try to eliminate them. Everything can be fixed with patience and diligence.

Propagation of sweet cherries on your own is a big plus. The gardener will be sure of the quality of the tree obtained as a result of the work done.

Recommended