Choice and timing of planting cherry seedlings

Cherry is a common crop in Russian gardens. This tree tolerates drought and hot climates well, but like other stone fruit trees, cherries will not produce bountiful harvests if not properly planted. It is also worth considering that a poor-quality seedling will not bear fruit well.

Choosing a quality seedling

Cherries take root best in a new place at one or two years of age. Do not purchase 3 or 4 year old seedlings. The root system of such seedlings is not suitable for transplanting. Despite the size of the roots, it cannot provide nutrients to a large tree. For better survival, a fruit tree must have a fibrous root system.

Annual cherry should be no higher than 70-80 cm. This is the natural height for a young seedling. A two year old cherry sapling can reach 1-1.10 m. Unscrupulous sellers can grow a one or two year old seedling on nitrogen fertilizers. Then such seedlings grow up to 1.5 m in height. They are overfed with nitrogen, so they poorly absorb nutrients.

When buying a cherry seedling, pay attention to the bark of the tree. A healthy tree should have a uniform brown to dark brown color. In a seedling overfed with nitrogen, greenish spots are clearly visible on the bark.

If you use a young cherry shoot as a seedling, then it will take root better and grow faster than a seedling grown on nitrogen fertilizers. Cherry, unlike other stone fruit crops, quickly enters the fruiting period, so it is better to plant a young seedling than to acquire a tree, the yield of which will be several times lower.

We save the seedling before planting

They buy a seedling in the fall, since in spring young trees bloom very early and tolerate planting worse. To preserve the cherry seedling before planting, it is added dropwise. On the site, a trench is dug under the seedling, so that its trunk is completely immersed in it. The crown of the tree is wrapped in a plastic bag to protect it from frost. In this form, the seedling overwinters well. In the spring, when the buds are swollen, but have not yet blossomed, the cherries are transplanted to a permanent place of growth.

Cherry planting

It is impractical to plant one cherry on the site. The berry harvest will be less as the cherry needs cross-pollination. If you plant low-growing cherry varieties on the site, then the distance between the trees should be 2 m, and between the rows - 3 m.If you plant tall trees, then a distance of up to 3 m must be left between the seedlings.