Cherry: planting and other subtleties. Is it possible to plant cherries and sweet cherries next to each other? Planting cherries; distance between trees

In order to get large and sweet cherries on a healthy tree, you first need to plant the cherries correctly. Proper planting is the key to your success in obtaining the proper harvest. In this article we will give a specific case of planting a fruit and berry tree - a cherry.
Since the cherry tree can be a shrub, it is worth applying your own planting technology to it, which is somewhat different from the one we presented in the article “How to plant a tree”. And now about planting cherries in more detail.

Choosing a place and soil for planting cherries

How well cherries will bear fruit in the garden also depends on how the place for planting it is chosen. In one place, cherries grow and bear fruit for a long time - up to 15-16 years, so mistakes made when choosing a place and when planting can lead to poor cherry yields throughout its life.
Cherry is a medium-winter-hardy crop. Its winter hardiness is significantly lower than that of currants and gooseberries. She loves well-lit places, although she can also bear fruit in the shade. For planting, you need to choose, if possible, elevated and well-lit areas of the garden, protected from northern and northeastern cold winds. Cherry grows well on light sandy loam soils with a soil reaction close to neutral. You can learn more about soils from the article “Types of soils”. The occurrence of groundwater should be no higher than 1.5 m.

When and how to plant cherries

Cherries can be planted in both spring and autumn. It is only important that planting is done at the optimal time: in the fall - no later than the beginning of October, in the spring - in April, before the buds open. It is better to bury seedlings purchased late in the fall until spring.
The digging technique is simple. In a shady place in the garden, where the snow lasts longer in spring, dig an oblong hole 30-35 cm deep. One side of the hole is made inclined, at an angle of 45°. The seedlings are laid obliquely and the roots are covered with soil, taking 1/3 of the trunk. The digging area is watered abundantly, which ensures good adhesion of soil particles to the roots and sufficient moisture. After this, it is advisable to cover the buried seedling with pine spruce branches, pointing the needles outward so that rodents cannot get to the seedlings in winter.
Buried seedlings, covered with the first fallen snow, are additionally covered with a layer of snow of 30-50 cm before the onset of severe frosts. In this form, the seedlings overwinter. They are dug up immediately before planting.
When selecting cherry planting material, it should be taken into account that this crop is less winter-hardy than currants or raspberries, and for planting in central Russia it is necessary to select highly winter-hardy varieties. Secondly, when purchasing seedlings, you must be completely sure that they are grafted or self-rooted varietal seedlings. The fact is that in grafted trees, the varietal planting material is only the crown above the grafting site, and all the root shoots from them will be wild, since they grow from the root, i.e., below the grafting site.
This should also be taken into account when amateur gardeners exchange seedlings. Scions can be taken as planting material only if there is confidence that the cherry from which the scions are taken is rooted.
Bush forms of cherries are planted at a distance of 2-2.5 m in row spacing, and every 2 m in a row. Tree-like forms are planted less frequently - at distances of 3.5 x 2.5-3 m. To plant cherries, planting holes are dug to a depth of 40- 45 cm and a diameter of 50-60 cm. In any case, the dimensions of the hole should be such that the root system of the seedling can be freely placed in a straightened form. The soil removed from the pit is mixed in half with humus and with the addition of 30-40 g of superphosphate, 20-25 g of potassium chloride and up to 1 kg of ash. If the soil is heavy clay, then add 1-1.5 buckets of sand.
Before planting, inspect the roots of the seedling. If there are damaged roots, they are carefully cut back to the healthy part. If the roots are slightly dry, then it is advisable to keep the root system of the seedling in water for 3-4 hours.
Before planting, a stake is driven into the middle of the hole to tie the stem of the seedling to it. Then, at the bottom of the planting hole, pour a little of the prepared mixture in the form of a cone of such a height that when the seedling is lowered into the hole, the root collar is 2-3 cm above ground level. After this, the roots are covered with soil, slightly compacting it with your hands. At the same time, pay attention to the fact that the stem of the seedling is always in an upright position and is located on the north side of the peg.
After planting, a roll of soil is made around the seedling at a distance of 25-30 cm from the stem to form a hole for watering. The seedling is watered at the rate of 2-3 buckets of water heated in the sun. When the moisture is completely absorbed and the soil in the planting hole settles along with the seedling, the root collar will be just at ground level. If it turns out to be slightly higher and the roots are slightly exposed, then add soil, and if it turns out to be lower, then the stem is freed from the soil so that there is only 2-3 cm of soil above the last root.
After planting is completed, the stem is loosely tied in a figure eight to a peg. The planting hole around the seedling is mulched with humus, sawdust or compost crumbs in a layer of 2-3 cm. Mulch protects against excessive evaporation of moisture and cracking of the soil surface.

It’s rare that a garden is complete without cherries. And if it is not there, it is not because the owners do not want to raise it. Most likely, the problem is that they simply do not know how to plant cherries correctly. Although there is nothing complicated in such planting, there are nuances, neglect of which leads to a negative result - the cherry “refuses” to grow and bear fruit.

Cherries grow and bear fruit on average up to 15 years. This is the first thing to consider when choosing a place to plant it. Having planted a small seedling close to the wall of a building or to other trees, you will inevitably face a choice in the future: either remove or replant the seedling. Although in fact they are one and the same thing - cherries do not tolerate transplantation well and often die.

The place for the future cherry tree should be sunny and maximally protected from cold winds. Our great-grandfathers often planted cherry trees closer to the fence: the tree has additional protection from the wind, large snowdrifts form near the fences, and deep snow is the best protection for the roots from frost.

When choosing a place to plant cherries, keep in mind that they will not grow on heavy, swampy soil. Light, well-drained and breathable soils with a pH close to neutral are not considered the best option.

The land for planting is prepared in the fall. Preparation consists of enriching the soil with organic and mineral fertilizers. The land is fertilized with manure at the rate of approximately 1.5 buckets per 1 m², as well as phosphorus and potassium fertilizers - 100 grams each. per m².

It is better to refrain from using nitrogen fertilizers at the stage of preparation and planting, otherwise you can strongly oxidize the soil and burn the roots of the planted seedlings. Be sure to determine the acidity of the soil in the fall and, if necessary, carry out deacidification by liming the area.

Selection of seedlings

The main thing to consider when choosing a cherry seedling for your garden is that it should be maximally adapted to your climate.

For regions with cold winters, frost-resistant varieties are suitable:

• Persistent;
• Not chilly;
• Chocolate girl.

If frosts are not severe in your area, then it is better to opt for one of the varieties:

• Vladimirovskaya;
• Zhukovskaya;
• Crimson;
• Volochaevka.

If you need to grow cherries on the poor sandy soils of the Urals, then pay attention to the varieties:

• Fiery;
• Ashinskaya;
• Lighthouse;
• Ural Standard;
• Bolotovskaya.

Cherry varieties have been bred even for the harsh Siberian climate:

• Altai early;
• Altai large;
• Altai swallow;
• Blizzard;
• Maksimovskaya;
• Shadrinskaya.

Often, wanting to save money, novice gardeners try to get a varietal cherry seedling from a sprouted seed or root shoot. But neither shoots nor seedlings sprouted from a seed guarantee that the fruits on them will be the same as those of the parent forms. And if we are talking about grafted cherries, then their growth is completely sterile. Therefore, it is much preferable to purchase a seedling for planting in specialized nurseries.

Planting can be done with either freshly purchased seedlings or purchased in the fall. In the first case, you will have to choose the best of the worst (in the sense that the best seedlings will be sorted out long before you - in the fall). But he can be planted immediately.

In the second case, you will have a great choice, but the purchased seedling will need to be kept fresh and healthy until spring. This is not difficult to do: having purchased a seedling, dig a shallow 35-50 cm horizontal hole in the area and carefully place your purchase in it, covering the roots with soil. To provide the seedling with maximum protection, it should be laid out with the crown facing south.

Then throw a bunch of small pine or spruce branches on top of it - the more, the better. The spruce branches will protect the buried seedling from frost no worse than straw, but mice or other small rodents will not get under it.

In order for the seedling to be well preserved, it should not be buried in lowlands where melt water will accumulate in the spring. It is better to do this in an area where snow lies the longest in the spring. Otherwise, there are no special requirements for the location; the seedling will still be transplanted in the spring.

When purchasing a seedling, inspect it carefully. For all varieties of tree cherries (we are not talking about felt cherries and other bush subspecies yet), you need to choose a seedling about 1 m high, with a trunk thickness of 2.0-2.5 cm, a well-developed root system and 3-4 skeletal branches 0 .5-0.6 m. There should be no growths, swellings, damaged bark, etc. on it.

Must be planted on time

Cherries are usually planted in spring - from late March to mid-April. Cherry planting times for different climate zones can vary greatly. Therefore, you need to focus not so much on specific dates, but on the general rule for all regions: you need to plant cherries when the soil thaws and warms up to 10-12°, but the buds on the seedlings have not yet woken up.

In the southern regions, you can plant cherries in the fall, but no later than a month before the onset of frost, otherwise the seedling will not have time to take root well and will die. Usually this period falls at the end of September - the first half of October. In regions with harsh winters (Siberia, the Urals), only spring planting is possible.

Step by step guide

It is better to prepare a hole for planting in the fall. This is not categorical; if everything is done correctly, then cherries can be planted in freshly prepared holes. It is more convenient to make a hole in the shape of a cube with sides of 60 cm - 60X60X60. If you make it deeper, the development of the root system of the planted tree will slow down, and if you make it less deep, the roots will be subject to all the vagaries of the weather: heat in summer, frost in winter.

The top fertile layer is carefully removed to the side - it will be needed to prepare the soil mixture, and the soil from the bottom of the pit is laid out separately. The soil mixture is prepared from humus and fertile soil mixed in a 1:1 ratio. You can enhance its nutritional properties by adding wood ash to this mixture at the rate of 1.5 cups per bucket of the mixture.

If you plan to plant not one, but several cherry seedlings, prepare a separate hole for each of them. The distance between the pits is at least 3 m, and between the planted rows (if a future cherry orchard is being planted) - 3.5 m.

A strong, long peg is driven into the bottom of the hole or slightly to the side of it - it is needed to secure the planted tree. Then a mound of fertile soil is poured into the center of the hole. A fathom of cherry trees are placed on top of this hill.

You need to add soil little by little, periodically trying on the seedling. Your task is to pour earth into the bottom of the hole so that the root collar (the place where the roots go into the tree trunk) is 3-4 cm above ground level.

Having achieved this, we place the seedling on the top of the mound and carefully straighten the roots. For better survival, the roots can be dipped in mash (a mixture of manure and clay diluted with water). Next, fill the hole to the top with soil. The prepared soil mixture is usually not enough; the top of the hole has to be filled with earth taken from its bottom.

Compact the loosened soil by walking on it a little, but do not come close to the seedling. Compact the edges of the resulting trunk circle more strongly by making a groove 8-10 cm deep around its perimeter.

To complete the planting, tie the cherry tree to a driven peg and pour 3 buckets of water into the groove. When the soil absorbs moisture and settles a little, the tree trunk circle is mulched with sawdust or dry soil. At this stage, a 4-5 cm layer of mulch is sufficient.

Caring for a planted tree

Caring for planted cherries is not difficult and does not require any special skills from the amateur gardener. During the first summer after planting, the cherry seedling is watered frequently and abundantly so that its root system remains in moist soil and takes root better in its new location.

In the future, cherries do not need frequent watering - they are distinguished by enviable resistance to drought. But in the summer, during intense heat, she responds gratefully to watering. Watering should not be flooded; your task is to ensure that the soil remains moist at a depth of 40-45 cm.

After watering, as well as after heavy rains, it is imperative to loosen the soil in the tree trunk circle.

The cherry tree wakes up early and begins to develop. To protect the tree from spring frosts, in winter a pile of snow is raked onto the tree trunk. In the spring, the snowdrift is covered with a layer of straw - and it will melt slowly, delaying the cherry growing season for some time, and fertilize the tree trunk circle after the snow has completely melted.

Cherries are fertilized twice during the growing season. The first is carried out immediately after the end of flowering, the second - 2 weeks after the first. It is better to feed with a solution of mullein with the addition of wood ash or mineral fertilizers. In the fall, when deep digging the tree trunk circle, you can add compost or rotted manure into it.

Cherries are naturally endowed with the ability to form a large amount of shoots. If you do not trim it and form a crown, then after 2-3 years it will become so thick that you will not be able to harvest. And the harvest itself in such a dense crown will be meager.

Cherry trees are pruned in early spring, before the buds swell. The crown begins to be formed immediately after planting, shortening the planted seedling to 60-65 cm and cutting off the tops of the side branches. If the seedling has branches growing below 40 cm from the ground, they must be completely removed. The next year, the grown branches are cut to 1/3 of their length.

In the future, the formation of the crown will consist of sanitary pruning and removal of branches growing inside the crown. Once every 5-6 years, rejuvenating pruning is carried out, removing most of the old shoots to give room for the growth and development of young ones.

In order for the cherry to grow and develop well, it is necessary to completely and timely remove its root shoots. The only exception to this rule can be made if you plan to use the root shoot as a rootstock for wood chips.

By following these simple rules for caring for a young tree, you will be able to appreciate the taste of its berries within 2-3 years. The cherry tree will fully thank you for all your work and worries no earlier than 5-6 years after planting. Of course, you have to wait a long time. But with proper care, gratitude is always rich and tasty.

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 abundant harvests if they are not planted correctly. It is also worth considering that a low-quality seedling will not bear fruit well.

Choosing a quality seedling

Cherries best take root in a new place when they are one or two years old. Do not purchase three-year-old or four-year-old seedlings. The root system of such seedlings is not suitable for transplantation. Despite the size of the roots, it will not be able to provide nutrients to a large tree. For better survival, the fruit tree must have a fibrous root system.

An annual plant should be no higher than 70-80 cm. This is the natural height for a young seedling. A two-year-old cherry seedling can reach 1-1.10 m. Unscrupulous sellers can grow one or two-year-old seedlings using nitrogen fertilizers. Then such seedlings grow up to 1.5 m in height. They are overfed with nitrogen, so they do not absorb nutrients well.

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

If you use young cherry trees as a seedling, they will take root better and grow faster than seedlings 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 purchase a tree whose yield will be several times lower.

We save the seedling until planting

They buy seedlings in the fall, since in the spring young trees bloom very early and do not tolerate planting well. To preserve a cherry seedling before planting, dig it in. On the site, they dig a trench 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 will overwinter well. In the spring, when the buds have swelled but have not yet blossomed, the cherries are transplanted to a permanent place of growth.

Cherry planting

It is not practical to plant one cherry tree on a plot. The berry harvest will be smaller, since cherries need cross-pollination. If you plant low-growing varieties of cherries 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 should be left between the seedlings.

For a long time you have been dreaming of making homemade cherry jam for future use or enjoying fresh sweet and sour fruits, but you still have no idea when is the best time to plant cherries, let alone grow them? Our article will help you determine the optimal planting time, select suitable seedlings and preserve them in the best possible way if the cherry planting time unexpectedly has to be postponed.

Choosing the “right” seedlings

Whether you will be able to grow an abundantly fruiting tree or all your efforts will go to waste depends on how correctly you make the choice:

Cherry, unlike currants or raspberries, is a less winter-hardy crop

• cherry varieties, taking into account the characteristics of your area;
• the seedling itself when purchasing or exchanging with other gardeners;
• places in the garden for planting seedlings;
• timing of when to plant cherries.

And of course, you will need to properly plant the seedling in the ground and provide it with proper care throughout the entire season, including watering, fertilizing, loosening the soil, pruning branches and preparing the tree for winter.

Video about planting cherries

Cherry, unlike currants or raspberries, is a less winter-hardy crop, so for cultivation in central Russia you should prefer varieties that are highly winter-hardy. When purchasing, inspect the root system of the seedlings - it should be well-developed, fibrous, with three to five main roots. The leaves on the seedlings will need to be removed so that the tree does not waste water and nutrients on them.

One-year-old seedlings usually reach a height of 70 cm, and two-year-old seedlings - at least one meter. Do not take annual plants more than one and a half meters high with greenish bark, since such cherries are most likely overfed with nitrogen and their winter hardiness will be reduced.

One-year-old seedlings usually reach a height of 70 cm, and two-year-old seedlings - at least one meter

You can buy vaccinated seedlings, or rooted– both have their own advantages. Self-rooted cherries are better suited for growing in harsh winter conditions, since after freezing they quickly restore the crown and continue to produce a harvest. But seedlings grafted with valuable varieties begin to bear fruit earlier. There are also seedlings on sale that have been grafted onto steppe cherry seedlings; they grow into dwarf trees that begin to bear fruit early. The only disadvantage of such rootstocks is that they form a lot of growth, which you constantly have to fight with.

If you want to grow seedlings yourself, taking cherry shoots from familiar gardeners, make sure that the tree is rooted and not grafted, since the root shoots of cherries grafted with varietal material will be wild. Just take the shoots for propagation about two meters from the cherry trunk - they are stronger there than near the trunk.

When is the best time to plant cherries, and how to dig in the seedlings before planting?

For central Russia, the best time to plant cherry seedlings is mid-April, before the buds begin to bloom. If you are a little late with planting, the seedlings will take root less well. Autumn planting is undesirable, since young trees risk severe frostbite in the first winter.

Place the purchased seedlings in a row obliquely, with crowns facing south

In the central and southern regions, autumn planting of cherries can give good results; it is only important to have time to plant the seedlings at least a month before the start of frost, that is, no later than mid-October.

But what to do if it is in autumn that the assortment of cherry seedlings is the richest and most diverse? It’s simple – purchased planting material can be buried until spring.

Video about planting cherries

Digging is easy to do:

• dig a trench 35-50 cm deep in the direction from west to east in the area of ​​the garden where snow lies the longest in the spring;
• make the wall on the south side at an angle of 45 degrees;
• lay the purchased seedlings in a row obliquely, with their crowns facing south;
• cover the root system and one third of the tree trunk with soil;
• Water the digging area generously so that the soil adheres well to the roots and provides them with the necessary moisture;
• Cover the buried seedlings with spruce branches with the needles facing out to protect them from rodents.

Cover the root system and one third of the tree trunk with soil.

The first snow will cover the seedlings, and a little later it will be possible to additionally form a snowdrift up to 30 cm high on top so that the planting material is not damaged by severe frosts. Seedlings should be dug up when it is time to plant cherries.