How to grow cherries from a stone at home in the country: planting and care

Propagation of cherries is a fairly simple process, but only if you resort to the most common methods, use cuttings, shoots or branches. Growing from seeds is considered the most difficult, but, nevertheless, many gardeners try their hand at this process. The reward is a lush, beautiful tree, all ready to be grafted with a good variety. Before growing cherries from seeds, it is better to understand all the features, which are not so few.

Benefits of seed-grown cherries

There are many advantages to cherries grown from drupes.Most importantly, the plant is fully adapted to climatic conditions; additional hardening or the use of warm shelters is not required. Cherries also compare favorably with endurance and resistance to diseases, there will be no problems with care. Propagation by seed is also recommended if you want to grow a tree to create a bonsai.

The disadvantage of growing a tree from seeds is that varietal characteristics are extremely rare. The only way to get sweet tasty fruits is to get grafted.

Best varieties for sprouting

Not all varieties are suitable for seeding. The following cherry seeds are recommended:

Pink;
Barbadian;
Spanka;
Surinamese;
Felt cherry.

Even the right variety does not guarantee that the experiment will be successful - bad weather conditions can kill a young tree.

Seed Requirements

It is recommended to choose a mother tree in your garden, this will ensure that climatic conditions will not cause much harm to the plant. It is better to use overripe fresh fruits to obtain planting material. Be sure to inspect the bones - there should be no damage, stains of rot.

Preparation and stratification of seeds

The bones must be freed from the remnants of the pulp, rinse with warm running water. Pour water over the drupes, stand for three days, regularly changing the liquid. After drying for a short time, send the seeds to a container filled with wet sand, it will help preserve the seeds, cause sprouts to appear.

The stratification process is required, for this, send the container to the refrigerator. Can be kept for several months in a cool, well-ventilated area. If autumn planting is carried out, hardening is not necessary, winter frosts will do an excellent job with stratification.

Which land to plant a seed in

The easiest soil mix option is a ready-made seedling substrate, which is recommended to be purchased at the store. No less useful for plants will be the soil in which the mother plant grows in the country. Pre-subject it to a special treatment that will disinfect the soil. Plentifully spill the earth with a pink solution of potassium permanganate or simply send it to the oven and ignite at a high temperature.

Another tillage option is to water with boiling water.

If you use nutritious soil, no fertilizer is needed when planting. Otherwise, add a little organic matter, mineral fertilizers. Put a drainage layer in the pots (broken small brick, pebbles).

Technology for planting and sprouting cherries

For sprouting at home, small containers (up to 0.5 l) are usually used. If a container is used, you will have to keep the distance between the stones from 15 cm. If the drupes have germinated in the sand, carefully lower them into holes made with a finger or a stick up to 3 cm deep.

If seeds are planted without sprouts, do not increase or decrease the depth - 3 cm is enough to germinate the seeds. Be sure to irrigate the soil surface. The process is recommended to be carried out with a spray bottle or simply pour over the container wall.

To speed up the appearance of shoots and maintain humidity, build a greenhouse. A plastic bag or piece of glass works great for this purpose. After planting, send the container to a bright, warm window sill. The first sprouts will appear in 3-5 weeks. Germinated drupes will sprout a little earlier - in 2-4 weeks.

Caring for seedlings is like growing houseplants. Regularly water (use only warm liquid), loosen the surface of the soil. To destroy the crust that forms on the surface, use a thin stick. Do not loosen deeply - there is a risk of damaging the tender young roots and destroying the plant.

Feed with organic infusions, use a solution of mullein, humus. Fresh organic matter is strictly prohibited, such top dressing can harm the roots, even cause a burn.

Potted cherries are rarely affected by pests or diseases. To completely eliminate the risk of illness or plant occupation by insects, it is recommended to carefully examine the trees, if necessary, use proven folk remedies or chemicals.

Caring for planted sprouts

It is recommended to transplant cherries into open ground at the age of 1-2 years. Be sure to carry out the transplant process before bud break or before frost. Prepare the pit in advance - add humus, potash fertilizers. Plant after a thorough inspection of the seedling, there should be no damage to the roots. Finish planting with a thick mulching layer of sawdust or peat. Immediately install the support, make a small depression that will facilitate watering.

Mandatory condition - regular, but scarce watering. Cherry, like most stone fruits, is afraid of excessive moisture, so it is better to irrigate the soil more often, but in small portions. Alternate watering with top dressing, but only if the tree grows on too poor soil. Nutritious soils perfectly supply the plant with the necessary components, so no fertilizer is needed in the first year after planting.

The soil in which the seedling grows should be loosened regularly. Do not go too deep, careless movements can damage the roots. Remove weeds - herbs growing abundantly near the tree will take away some of the nutrients, which will affect the condition of the plant.

In order for the tree to grow and develop magnificently, it is imperative to carry out regular pruning. Do not cut the branches for the first year - remove part of the main trunk. The recommended height at which to make a cut is about 65 cm from the soil surface. The procedure is carried out with a clean sharp instrument. Covering with garden pitch is not necessary - pruning will not bring much harm to cherries.

Pruning side shoots in spring and autumn. Shorten them by a third. At the same time, remove dead, diseased or dry branches.

Another important rule for caring for planted cherries is regular inspection of the plant, which will allow you to notice the development of the disease or the occupation by insects in a timely manner.Use chemicals or folk formulations to fight diseases, pests. The main thing is to carry out the procedure in a timely manner, preventing the spread of the disease or the reproduction of a colony of insects.

Cherry grafting

The first fruiting on a cherry grown from the stone will occur in 3-5 years, but you should not have much hope - the berries will be small and rather tasteless. It is recommended to vaccinate in a timely manner - this will allow you to get a varietal tree that bears large sweet fruits.

It is recommended to go to the garden for vaccination in early spring, although it is better to prepare cuttings for the process in the fall. Store in a cool place or refrigerator. The easiest and most effective way of grafting is in a split. Engraftment of cuttings occurs in 99% of cases, but much depends on the quality of the scion and the development of the cherry grown from the stone. To avoid unpleasant mistakes, it is recommended to vaccinate when the tree is 2-3 years old.

Vaccination step by step:

Shorten the stalk with a sharp knife, leave 4-6 he althy large buds, make an incision resembling a wedge.
Cut off the stock at a height of 25 cm, immediately cut the trunk to a depth of 5 cm.
Make sure that there is no dust or dirt in the cut, insert the prepared cutting.
Fix the vaccination site, use insulating tape for this (preferably with a sticky layer outward).
After fixing, use garden pitch - cover the grafted area, wrap with cling film on top.

The appearance of the first leaves on the grafted cutting is a signal that the operation was a success. Cherry care does not change, but be sure to check if the bandage is pinching the trunk. If necessary, slightly loosen the fixing layer.

Water carefully - the tree is exhausted after the operation, overflows threaten to rot the roots. It is better to irrigate the surface of the soil with a watering can, allowing moisture to be completely absorbed into the soil.

Growing cherries from seeds is a process that will bring a lot of pleasure even to novice gardeners, because it is so interesting to watch the growth and development of a young tree. You won't have to wait long for the reward - a few years after the grafting, the tree will thank for the care and care with generous fruiting - juicy, sweet cherries.