Cherry: planting, care, pruning, harvesting, varieties — 90 photos of the cherry tree

The popularity of cherries in the garden does not fade even with the arrival of new crops. Bushy beauty is grown for the improvement of the territory, harvesting. Viewing a photo of a cherry confirms its aesthetic appeal. The number of popular recipes using fruits is a practical function of the tree. The experience of most gardeners indicates the unpretentiousness of cherries on the territory of the central strip and the south of Russia.

When favorable conditions are created, effective fruiting lasts for 15 years. Everyone can take care of the health of the tree. The main thing is to follow the rules of planting and care.

Summary of the article:

An important limitation for planting cherries is the tendency of the site to stagnation of moisture. The tree is not planted in the lowlands, near the location of groundwater, where the soil is prone to rapid waterlogging.

The excessive presence of moisture negatively affects the condition of the tree roots. They overreact, rot, and are infected with diseases. The tree dries, the timely cherry blossom does not come.

The ideal choice for placing cherries is considered:

well-lit areas with a southern, western, south-western location;
a plain or hill sheltered from intense wind;
sandy, loamy soil with good drainage;
the absence of excessive acidity of the soil.

If the acidity characteristic is increased, liming will help. After this procedure, it is recommended to saturate the soil with compost or fertilize with mullein. Then, the site is dug up.

Planting material: secrets of preparation

The most favorable moment for planting cherries is autumn. This applies to harvesting shoots, rooting. When selecting planting material with your own hand, you should separate several green shoots located on the southern part of the tree. Cut off cuttings from them, having from 4 leaves, about 12 cm long.

Harvested seedlings are placed in a container with soil at a distance of 6-7 cm from each other . Creating a "greenhouse effect" will significantly accelerate the rooting process. To do this, the box with the planted cuttings is covered with polyethylene. Until spring, seedlings should be provided with conditions for wintering: dig in, cover with a lapnik.

Choosing ready-made trees as planting material, you should pay attention to two-year-old seedlings. The parameters of such plants are as follows:

55-60 cm — height;
56-60 cm — length of skeletal shoots;
2 cm is the diameter of the tree.

Such seedlings are most suitable for autumn planting for the winter. It is recommended to place trees in the open ground in the spring.

Cherry fertilizer: the subtleties of the organization of the process

Cherry care begins with the preparation of the substrate for planting. It is pre-enriched with nutritional components by means of fertilizer. The preparation of the landing place begins in the autumn.

The sequence of actions is as follows:

the soil is treated with dolomite flour or limestone (400 g / sq.m);
dig up the soil to the depth of the bayonet shovel;
a week after digging, ripe manure is added (15 kg / sq.m.);
in spring, during tree planting, the upper fertile layer is removed, supplemented with humus, as well as ash, superphosphate, potassium chloride (1 kg. / 30-40 g. / 25g. respectively).

Such preparation is optimal for effective rooting and gaining strength by the plant in the open ground. During the next 2-3 years, the tree does not require fertilizing. After this period, so that the color of ripe cherries pleases regularly, the plant is fertilized.

In autumn, compounds based on potassium and phosphorus are introduced, in spring — nitrogen. The period of the beginning of vegetation is marked by the use of organic top dressing, which is produced twice (at the end of flowering, 2 weeks after that).

Landing: important rules

In the spring, after waiting for warming, successfully overwintered cuttings are moved to the open ground. For this purpose, pits are prepared about half a meter deep and in diameter. They act as follows:

carefully study the condition of the roots (weak and damaged ones are removed);
a few hours before planting (2-5), the seedlings are immersed in warm water;
the bottom of the landing pit is supplemented with a cone-shaped lump of earth;
the seedling is placed on top of the formed mound, the roots are well straightened;
when filling the pit, the plant is lifted up (the graft should be 2-3 cm above ground level);
the soil around the trunk is rammed, a bulk roller is formed (within a radius of 25-30 cm);
the resulting recess behind the roller, intended for watering, is filled with 2-3 buckets of standing water;
the landing site is mulched (sprinkled with sawdust or humus);
create additional support for the trunk (tied to a support peg).

It is important to remember that when planting tree—like cherry varieties, a distance of 3-3.5 m should be maintained, bush varieties - 2-2.5 m.

In order not to be mistaken in the subtleties of planting and care, it is better to first familiarize yourself with a detailed description of the cherry varieties used in the work.

Crown formation: the stages of an irreplaceable process

The formation of the crown should begin when the tree reaches 1 year. Thinning of branches is distinguished:

spring;
autumn;
regular.

The most important process that occurs after wintering. Work begins long before the beginning of the growing season — in mid-March. A fresh tree is shortened to 65-80 cm in height. Special attention is paid to skeletal branches: 3-4 shoots are left at a distance of 10-15 cm relative to each other.

The next 2-3 years there is an active formation of the crown. Further, the tree needs careful pruning if the branches add more than 50 cm in length.

Autumn pruning is done with care. It is important not to harm the health of the tree, which will have an early wintering. To do this, it is advisable to choose the right moment: between the end of the growing season and the onset of the first frost. In autumn, it is customary to perform thorough sanitation: removal of weak, diseased shoots.

As a regular care, timely removal of all sick, broken shoots growing inside the crown is performed. This work is carried out throughout the summer season. Careful inspection and sanitation is an important job of a good gardener.

Cherry orchard, beautiful and fruitful, pleases the eye of any owner. Planting and caring for trees require compliance with the rules. And the choice of which cherry is better is always individual.